Monthly Archives: January 2006

IRS Tax Free File Now Available

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes | 5 Comments

Emigrant Bonus Credit Card Coming?

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Credit Cards, X Files | 7 Comments

Funny Money Friday – Week 5

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 1 Comment

Daily Financial Challenge #4

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 11 Comments

ING Offers 4.75% On New Deposits

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 4 Comments

Daily Financial Challenge – Day 3

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Credit Cards, Personal Finance | 13 Comments

Money Quote – Christopher Marlowe

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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

Posted in X Files | Leave a comment

Daily Financial Challenge – Day 2

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Credit Cards | 19 Comments

Money Quote – Morton Shulman

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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

Posted in X Files | 1 Comment

Dave Barry’s Money Secrets

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 2 Comments

98% Would Change Relationship With Their Financial Advisor

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance | 8 Comments

Money Quote – E.E. Cummings

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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

Posted in X Files | 1 Comment

Daily Financial Challenge – Day 1

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Credit Cards, Debt, Personal Finance | 22 Comments

Carnivals Are Here Again

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance | Leave a comment

Compound Interest, Manhattan & the Indians

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, X Files | 16 Comments

How Water Saved Me $1000 A Year

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Money | 21 Comments

Analyzing Promotions

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Shopping, Taxes | 3 Comments

Money Quote – Mark Twain

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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

Posted in X Files | 1 Comment

More Than Money For A Happy Retirement

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance | 1 Comment

Playing Games To Save Money

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Jeffrey Strain

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Money | 4 Comments