Archive for February, 2013


What is Nontaxable Combat Pay?

Posted by Kristen on February 17, 2013

What is nontaxable combat pay? Nontaxable combat pay is any amount of income you have earned while you were an enlisted member, warrant office, or commissioned warrant officer and you were stationed in a combat zone. NonTax Status Nontaxable combat pay is not included in your total gross income and is not taxed. When and […]

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Fill your long Presidents’ Day Weekend with some of these excellent personal finance reads! Source: neighborhoods.org Announcements Vanguard just announced they’re launching the international bond index fund and ETF. More on international and bonds: Should You Add International Bonds to Your Portfolio? Diversify Bond Funds with CDs Asset Allocation to Include More International Exposure Finance […]

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Williams-Sonoma $25 Sign Up Bonus

Posted by Kate on February 15, 2013

We hinted at a great offer in the most recent credit card application spree when we talked about the Williams-Sonoma card. It’s this week’s Free Money Friday offer and great for all of those spring weddings you may have coming up! How to Get Your $25 Bonus Apply for the Williams-Sonoma card. Use your card […]

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Valentine’s Day Freebies

Posted by Madison on February 14, 2013

It’s Valentine’s Day! As with all holidays, retailers are celebrating today with Valentine’s Day freebies! Here are some free Valentine ideas and deals for Valentine’s Day 2013. Valentine’s Day Food Freebies Qdoba: Buy one, get one free entree when you kiss someone in line at the register. You don’t need the coupon. Pretzelmaker. Free Heart-Shaped […]

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How to Report a Tax Cheater

Posted by Amanda on February 13, 2013

Reporting a tax cheat and getting a reward is not for the faint of heart. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, as cases that are pursued can take several years from the moment you report a tax cheater to when you actually reap a reward. Not only does the IRS have to determine guilt, it […]

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7 Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions

Posted by Don on February 12, 2013

Come tax time, everyone is looking for a way to lower the amount of taxes they owe. It reminds me of an old episode of The Cosby Show where Cliff is trying to justify that every purchase they made for a given year should be considered a tax deduction. He even goes to talk about […]

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Help a Reader: Figure out How to Eliminate PMI

Posted by Madison on February 11, 2013

I recently received an email from a reader, LC, who wants to lower her housing costs by eliminating their PMI, or private mortgage insurance. She says: “We have been paying $126.22 per month in PMI and feel like we are throwing the money away.” Obviously, it’s worth taking some time to figure out how to […]

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What is Modified Adjusted Gross Income?

Posted by Madison on February 9, 2013

So you want to contribute to a retirement plan, and you’re trying to find out if you are eligible? Then you arrive at the eligibility for IRAs and Roth IRAs and find they’re based on your modified adjusted gross income. What is that exactly? Let’s take a look! What is Modified Adjusted Gross Income? Modified […]

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Priceline 2% Cash Back Card & $50 Sign Up Bonus

Posted by Kate on February 8, 2013

If the cold weather has you thinking about traveling somewhere warm, check out this week’s Free Money Friday offer from Priceline! If you’ve been reading carefully, you’ll notice we first mentioned this card back in one of the recent credit card application sprees. The Visa card is a 2% cash back card and Priceline is […]

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Crazy Tax Fraud: Dead People, Prisoners, Gambling and More

Posted by Amanda on February 7, 2013

Tax season is here, or at least the documents have begun showing up in our mailboxes and inboxes. I know we have a small paper pile building on our desk (and quite a ways to go in order to round up all of the documents needed to file our tax return). While the majority of […]

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