Would You Join a Barter Exchange?

Posted by Madison on March 4, 2010

I 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 […]

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How to File an Amended Tax Return

Posted by Madison on March 2, 2010

I 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 […]

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5 More Ways to Earn Some Extra Cash

Posted by Amanda on March 1, 2010

Who couldn’t use some extra cash? Perhaps you are planning a trip this year or next, your bills seem to have ballooned out of control, or you are building up your emergency fund. For me and my fiance, we are getting married in April, taking a honeymoon afterwards, and building up our savings after depleting […]

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Lending Club $150 Bonus

Posted by Madison on February 26, 2010

Lending Club has a new bonus that’s a fantastic follow up to the great discussion earlier this week on social lending arbitrage. It is this week’s Free Money Friday offer! Lending Club rolled out a new website, and sent an email to current investors detailing the bonus offer. How to Get Your $150 Bonus Be […]

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My Dollar Plan is a Finalist for Best Tax Blog

Posted by Madison on February 25, 2010

We were excited this week to be named a finalist in the 2009 Plutus Awards. My Dollar Plan is a finalist in the category for Best Tax Blog! So far, it’s a fantastic tax season, with the completion of my enrolled agent exams, landing some great new clients for our tax business, and now getting […]

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Do You Have to File a Gift Tax Return?

Posted by Jill on February 24, 2010

We pay lots of attention to income tax returns around here, but they’re not the only tax returns with a tax deadline on April 15th. If you made a significant gift during 2009, you will also need to file a gift tax return. Update: The 2016 annual gift tax exclusion is $14,000. Gift Tax Basics […]

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Special Tax Deduction for Haiti Donations Made in 2010

Posted by Amanda on February 23, 2010

Most of us watched as the horrible events unfolded after the earthquake hit Haiti on January 12th, 2010, eventually killing over 217,000 people. Financial aid began pouring into the ravaged country, totaling more than $625 million at the writing of this article. However, much more is going to be needed to bring a country that […]

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Social Lending Arbitrage Steals My Attention

Posted by Madison on February 22, 2010

Social lending arbitrage. It’s the newest finance game in town. A reader, Derek, shares the details of how to pull off this fascinating arbitrage strategy. A special thanks to Derek for sharing his story with all of us! Social Lending Arbitrage Explained Let me tell you about my arbitrage strategy that I’ve used successfully for […]

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New Credit Card Laws to Protect Consumers Begin

Posted by Amanda on February 17, 2010

After graduating college several years ago I opened my first credit card and fell in love. When the shiny plastic came in the mail, I read over the terms and conditions and quickly realized that almost none of it would apply to me: interest rate hikes, the grace period, cash advance fees and rules, minimum […]

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Do You Have to Repay the Making Work Pay Tax Credit?

Posted by Jill on February 15, 2010

Running into making work pay tax credit problems? As you probably know, early this year congress enacted the Making Work Pay Credit as part of the stimulus package. The Making Work Pay Credit is valid in 2009 and 2010 and is worth 6.2% of earned income (up to $400) for each qualified individual. Companies were […]

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