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How to Get the Most Out of Your Roth IRA
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2011 CommentThe way this economy is going, no one feels confident managing investments. At least most of us have figured out whether we should have a traditional IRA or a Roth. If you chose a Roth, then you figure today’s tax rate is lower than the one you’ll pay in your golden years when you’ve reached retirement age and it’s time to withdraw. You might have just decided you would rather know you‘d have tax-free money in your golden years.
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Reasons to Adjust Your Paycheck Withholding
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2011 CommentThe average tax refund each year is always in the thousands of dollars. In 2009, the average tax refund was over three thousand dollars. That's $250 a month! Can you imagine what you would do if you had an extra $250 each month? Stop imagining because that's your money. You were just letting the Treasury Department hold onto it for a year.
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7 Ways to Turn Trash into Household Tools
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2011 Comment (3)Every year, U.S. consumers toss out enough plastic and paper cups and flatware to make 300 cycles around the equator, according to the Clean Air Council, a non-profit environment group. Through recycling, we can save money and reduce the amount of waste headed for landfill. Here are seven ways to turn your garbage into something useful:
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When Does It Make Sense to Refinance?
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2011 CommentIn case you didn't hear, mortgage rates hit an all-time low last year. The popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.19 percent in early October, but has since risen to 4.74 percent, according to figures from mortgage financier Freddie Mac.
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8 Things You Can’t Do With Cash
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2011 Comment (6)For many of us, using some form of plastic has become so common that using cash seems almost inconvenient. Where a credit card at one time was a luxury and writing a check was the everyday alternative to cash, today plastic is far more common a payment method than either cash or checks. According to a Nilson Report, card payments today already exceed paper payments, and the gap will widen by 2015.
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The Hidden Financial Benefits of Downsizing
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2011 Comment (3)Minimalism seems to be something we're hearing about more and more these days, and it's worth taking a look into the benefits it has to offer. Sure, if you've got the money to spend on the trappings of a more luxurious lifestyle and you're able to enjoy and afford the good life, then great! But those who fall into debt to keep up with the Joneses will eventually need rehabilitation, in the form of downsizing and cutting back.
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How to Analyze a Neighborhood Before You Buy
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2011 Comment (6)Five years ago, it was easy to tell a good neighborhood from a bad one. All you had to do was conduct a quick check on nearby schools and keep an eye out for hopelessly abandoned properties. If the schools were good and the homes well-kept, the neighborhood, and your future home, were keepers.
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Save $1,000 on Your Tax Bill
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2011 Comment (3)You might think that the biggest gift from the government when it comes to taxes is the mortgage interest deduction, but there is something better. The Retirement Savings Contribution Credit—or Savers Credit—is often overlooked, but it reduce the tax bill by up to $1,000 for millions of American taxpayers.
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What You Need to Know About the Estate Tax
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2011 Comment (2)The holiday gift from Congress of highly favorable estate tax law changes may impact you and your family. Learn what the new rules are and whether you need to take action now.
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Why You Should E-File Your Taxes
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2011 Comment (4)Last year, TurboTax produced an infographic on filing your taxes that really drove home the importance of filing your taxes online. The most amazing statistic was that 46 million returns in 2008 were still filed on paper. Forty six million. When e-filing is so cheap, sometimes even free, it's amazing that so many people introduce more hassle into their lives by filling out a paper return, driving to the post office, and paying for registered mail to get the tome in on time.
