Free File is a program going on its
fourth year where a number of the top
tax software companies offer their
software for free to those filing taxes
through the Internal Revenue Service’s
website. Basically what happened was
that the IRS wanted more people to
file online because it costs them a lot
less and was going to develop their own tax […]

Rumor in the forum has it that Emigrant Direct will be announcing a new bonus credit card offer later today that will pay rewards into your Emigrant account every 6 months. The reward level would be dependant on the amount you have in the account. We’ll see if this rumor proves true.
Update
Emigrant Direct did launch […]

Welcome to the fifth week of Funny Money Friday - The weekend is almost here and it’s time to put a smile on your face:
Woman Steals Money To Repay Stolen Money: I don’t think that’s exactly how they wanted the money repaid…
$10,000 For Beer Pong: I can think of worse ways of earning money.
ING […]

While I’m sure that many of you have already taken these steps, for those that are just beginning to get their finances in order or for those who happen to join us late, getting in the habit of grabbing free money when available is always a good idea. Right now the place to get free […]

ING has decided to put together a rather tricky promotion to try and win back some of the deposits that have been heading to other online banks offering higher interest rates. In a new “Winter Save Up Sale” they are offering 4.75% on all new deposits made into an account between today (January 19, 2006) […]

Now that we have tried to lower the interest rate on our credit cards and learned the most effective way to pay off credit card debt, we will take a slight tangent and learn a bit about our credit reports. Understanding your credit report is important because not only it help you prevent identity theft, […]

“Money can’t buy love, but it improves your bargaining position.” - Christopher Marlowe

Welcome to day two of the Financial Challenge. Now that you have made calls to try and get your credit card interest rates lowered, the next step is to make sure that you have your credit card repayment plan in order. It makes sense to pay off your credit cards as quickly as possible so […]

“To make a million, start with $900,000.” - Morton Shulman

I will definitely be adding Dave Barry’s new book
Dave Barry’s Money Secrets to my bookshelf! It’s
not often that I laugh through a book review:
On taxes
“Here’s a tax-saving opportunity few
taxpayers take advantage of: Instead of
simply writing your name, write your
name plus the word DECEASED.”
On the US economy
“… The gross national product is several trillion dollars, […]

Some quite interesting numbers (original press release) from a MyWay Investment Advisors (MWIA - an independent financial planning and investment advisory firm) survey about what wealthy clients (incomes greater than $75,000 and $150,000 to $600,000 in invested assets) think about their financial advisors. This included 98% who said they would change something about the […]

“I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.” - E.E. Cummings

This is a question I get time and again - “How do I save money?” While how to go about saving money seems intuitive to some people, there is a large group out there that just doesn’t seem to know how. For those seeking the answer on how to save, I usually point them toward […]

It’s another Monday and that means that the carnivals are out in force. Some good reading for those of you looking for interesting topics:
Frugal for Life has put together the Carnival of Debt Reduction.
Savvy Saver is hosting this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance.
The Real Returns has gathered a nice assortment of investing posts for […]

I’ve always enjoyed a story that I have often told about the power of compound interest and the Indians who sold Manhattan. I even wrote an article about the power of compound interest a couple of years back using the example I had found in an old shoe manual:
Inspiration is often found in the most […]

One of the worst habits I used to have was drinking soft drinks. There are no two ways about it - I was addicted to them. I would have a minimum of three a day and was spending close to $100 a month on them. I knew I needed to drastically reduce the number I […]

One important aspect in getting your personal finances in order is being able to critically analyze offers that come to you to see whether or not they are a good deal. The offer come-ons often make it sound like there’s no way that it could be a bad deal, but it’s important to look […]

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” - Mark Twain

Although it might seem like money will bring you happiness in your retirement as you struggle to save money, it won’t do so in itself. Much like the question of whether or not money can buy happiness, there are a number of other factors that play a part besides money itself. Not to get the […]

One of the most common emails I receive from readers is “what is the best way to save money?” While there are a lot of ways to go about doing this, trying to make the saving a fun game rather than a must do chore will go a long way into making the money saving […]