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Bad Credit: Not Just for Loans Anymore
Tweet Share on Facebook February 17, 2011 Comment (5)We all know that bad credit shows up on the FICO score, raising interest rates or putting loans out of reach. But the damage isn’t just confined to your credit score. Here are some unexpected ways that bad credit can come back to bite you.
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Why and How to Conserve Water In Your Home
Tweet Share on Facebook February 17, 2011 Comment (3)This winter has been one of the snowiest on record for many states, which can make the argument for saving water a little, well, weak. After all, we're inundated with water right now!
[See 12 Money Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes.]
But many scientists and government experts have been warning, for several years now, that we're using too much water for the environment to handle. In fact, some experts have predicted as many as 36 states could face significant water shortages in the next five years. If this is the case, we should be doing all we can to preserve this precious resource. According to the American Water Works Association, the average person in the United States uses 69.3 gallons of water per day. Treehugger puts this figure at 79 gallons. Either way, that's more than twice the global average.
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When You Need Professional Tax Help
Tweet Share on Facebook February 15, 2011 Comment (1)Every year, the Internal Revenue Service processes over 142 million tax returns. Of that number, approximately 109 million taxpayers received a refund in 2010, with the average refund check totaling just over $3,000, according to IRS data.
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How to Negotiate Your Mortgage Rate
Tweet Share on Facebook February 15, 2011 Comment (2)When it comes to shopping for a mortgage, consumers seem to be most interested in obtaining the lowest mortgage rate. But it's important to note that a mortgage rate is only as good as the associated costs and terms. In other words, be sure to focus on the closing costs, which can drive up the actual interest rate (APR), along with the terms of the loan, which can lead to more money paid out in interest.
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Why are Big Banks’ CD Rates so Pathetic?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 10, 2011 Comment (2)I’ve banked at Citibank for over 20 years. And while no banking relationship is perfect, they’ve been pretty good to me. So while doing some research to find the best CD rates, I was surprised to see just how low Citi’s CD rates were on both short and long term certificates of deposit. For example, on a 3-month CD, Citi currently offers an APY of just 0.20 percent to Virginia residents (rates at Citi vary slightly from state to state).
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5 Tips for Winter Cleaning Your Home
Tweet Share on Facebook February 10, 2011 Comment (1)Many of us start feeling that urge to deep clean our homes once spring rolls around. In fact, the "Spring Cleaning" ritual is practically hard-wired into most homeowners' minds. But think about this...why spend so much time cleaning right when the weather turns nice? Why not do it now, when we're stuck indoors anyway?
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Easy Ways to Check on Your Tax Refund
Tweet Share on Facebook February 8, 2011 Comment (1)If you were one of the few tax filers who got your returns in early, you probably are waiting on that fat refund check. The average tax refund last year was over three thousand dollars and if you're anything close to that, you're probably itching to get that check! Fortunately, there are a couple ways you can keep tabs on the status of your tax return as well as the status of your check.
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3 Home Mortgage Refinancing Nightmares
Tweet Share on Facebook February 7, 2011 Comment (14)Just a few months ago, my wife and I talked about how much money we were going to save by refinancing our 6 percent fixed-rate mortgage down to 4.25 percent interest. A few years earlier, we would have been crazy to think that we could refinance our mortgage loan from 6 percent to an even lower rate. But the chance to find a better mortgage rate was one of a few bright spots in the U.S. real estate market's dreary past three years. Lenders were forced to offer refinancing deals with 50-year-low interest rates in order to stay in business, and we wanted our piece of the savings that many other Americans were getting.
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5 Ways to Get Organized for Tax Season
Tweet Share on Facebook February 7, 2011 Comment (2)Tax season officially runs from January 1 through April 15. But calendar deadlines are deceptive. Face it: Tax preparation is a 12-month activity requiring discipline, organization and data, according to accountants and professional organizers.
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Two Tax Credits for Higher Education
Tweet Share on Facebook February 3, 2011 Comment (1)Getting an education is expensive. At age 44 I just paid off my last law school loan, I’m ashamed to admit. But if you take advantage of the federal tax credits that are available today, you can catch a bit of a break.
