When filing tax returns, the second question everyone asks is “How long does it take to get my tax refund back?” Of course, the first question everyone asks is “How much is my refund?” Tax Refund Direct Deposit versus Mail If you want to get your refund faster, opt for the direct deposit route. Not […]
Articles by Madison
It’s that time of year again! Time when I look at our asset allocation and convince myself to take on more international exposure in our portfolio. After making the update, here’s what our target asset allocation looks like. Update: Here is my most recent asset allocation update. International Asset Allocation Changes When we started using […]
Free Money Deadlines This Week
Posted byHappy Free Money Friday! In the wonderful world of tracking free money offers, programs continually change their promotions. Spend too much time watching the basketball tournament and you might miss out on some offers with deadlines this week! Schwab 2% Card Ending Rumor has it that the Schwab Credit Card which gives 2% cash back […]
Ever since the credit card act went into law, I’ve had a ton of fun reviewing my credit card statements in the mail. The new table on the statement draws attention to the payoff, ideally encouraging those in debt to pay more than just the minimum to get out of debt. However, for those of […]
13 Tax Deductions You Don’t Want to Miss
Posted byI love tax deductions. I know, a little over the top, but since I love taxes, it’s only natural that I love finding tax credits and tax deductions for people. With the tax deadline just around the corner, here’s a summary of all the tax deductions you’ll want to review to see if you are […]
A new health care reform bill, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, will be signed by the President today. The house passed the bill on Sunday; the Senate passed it in December. They also added a set of amendments that will go back to the Senate for vote. Since we’re focused […]
Spring Cleaning for Your Financial House
Posted byOur snow finally melted and we got our first glimpse of spring this week. It always feels good to open the windows and doors and get some fresh air in the house and do some spring cleaning. It’s also a good time to do some spring cleaning in your financial house. Here’s a few financial […]
Would You Walk Away from Your Home?
Posted byWhen Jill wrote about how to fix your credit after a foreclosure, a reader, Marke, left the following comment: I am right now considering whether I should walk right now. Since millions of homeowners are in a situation where their house is worth less than they owe on their mortgage, I’m guessing that Marke isn’t […]
Would You Join a Barter Exchange?
Posted byI had lunch with a friend this week, and she told me about a barter exchange that her husband joined. The concept is pretty simple: you provide a service and earn barter credits, then you spend barter credits to purchase services from other businesses. And in a down economy, barter is appealing. My biggest fear […]
How to File an Amended Tax Return
Posted byI just finished an amended tax return for a client this week. She originally efiled her tax return for free with H&R Block. However, a few weeks later she received some 1099s reporting interest she had forgotten about. In addition, she didn’t know that she was eligible to claim the American Opportunity education tax credit […]