Lucky for me that I missed having an April Fool’s Day birthday by just two days. Not so lucky is Jon Gosselin. The former reality star of Jon & Kate Plus 8 is celebrating his birthday today and seems to be living in a perpetual April Fool’s Day. Continue reading “Don’t Be Fooled By Free Birthday Offers”
These next few weeks make up the peak time for spring break at many colleges so many of the students flock to the beaches of Florida. But they aren’t the only ones flocking to the warm weather and beautiful beaches. There are also Blue Jays, Orioles, and Cardinals – but not the feathered type. March brings baseball fans of all ages down to Florida to watch the Grapefruit League during spring training. Continue reading “Spring Break Isn’t Just for College Kids”
Cat stories are hard to resist – as evidenced by the media attention last week on the 911 call about an Oregon house cat who attacked a baby, then trapped the family (including the dog) in their bedroom. Mr. Mittens isn’t that ferocious cat, but he does have a “tail” to tell about retirement so take a minute and check out his story, sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP): Continue reading “A “Tail” of Two Kitties”
This past weekend, my stepson and his wife took the plunge and put in a contract for their first home, joining the increasingly large group of first-time home buyers in the housing market today. Before finding their “diamond in the the rough,” there were a lot of potential money pits they had to sift through and on the occasions when I got to go along for the ride, I was shocked at how sellers put no thought at all into the staging or curb appeal of their homes. If you’re planning on taking advantage of the housing recovery by listing your home for sale this spring, remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. For buyers, it’s all about the three “L”s: location, location, location. But for sellers, you should pay attention to these three “De”s: Continue reading “Mind These 3 “De”s When Listing Your Home”
I’ve just returned from my 6 month dental check-up with a thumbs up from Dr. Tom – no cavities! Even for a dentist, Dr. Tom has the brightest, straightest smile I have ever seen. Having a healthy smile goes much deeper than just being able to flash his pearly whites though. A healthy mouth and healthy body go hand in hand. Good oral hygiene and oral health can improve your overall health, reducing the risk of serious disease and perhaps even preserving your memory in your golden years, according to WebMD. Nice teeth can also positively affect your confidence, self-image, and self-esteem too. Continue reading “Hidden Benefits of a Healthy Smile”
You’ve probably seen the commercial with pallets of money being dropped from above, representing a billion dollars of missed tax deductions and credits from taxpayers who do their own taxes. You don’t have to go to a tax pro to get your fair share, however. Just make sure you don’t overlook some of the following items that could increase your tax refund: Continue reading “Don’t Overlook These Commonly Missed Tax Breaks”
Winter storm Pax not only caused havoc on roads and at many airports on the East Coast last week, it also caused havoc to my husband’s lunch break. He’s got a 4×4 monster truck so a foot of snow didn’t keep him home from work nor did the snow stop him from heading out for lunch at the nearby McDonald’s. A few workers had managed to get in and open up for the day, but the storm had knocked out power so the place was running on a generator. The sign on the front door, “cash only,” had Dave digging around in his truck for enough coins to order something off the dollar menu. Would you have had enough cash in your own wallet in this situation? Continue reading “Not Quite A Cashless Society”
With Valentine’s Day this Friday, jewelry stores will be “ringing” up the sales on diamond engagement rings and other bling rings. Most jewelers talk about the four “Cs” of diamond shopping. They are carat weight, clarity, color, and the cut: Continue reading “The 5th C When Buying an Engagement Ring”
Old man winter must not have gotten the memo about global warming since we’ve seen the coldest month of the century this January. Many cities saw recordbreaking subzero temperatures and as the temperature dropped outside, propane gas prices were rising, in some cases rising by 50%. For families that rely on propane for their home heating, this blast of cold air has burned a hole in their budget. Continue reading “Cold Days Put the Heat on Energy Costs”
With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I was thinking about booking a romantic weekend away with my husband but the practical side of me didn’t want to spend too much on our getaway. As I searched for an inexpensive log cabin or condo in the Pocono mountains, I came across an offer to swap my own home in exchange for a mountain chalet in a Pocono ski resort. After a thorough cleaning of my house and a low annual membership fee, I could stay in someone else’s home in exchange for providing them with the key to my own. Continue reading “Is Home Swapping For You?”
It’s that time of year again. The IRS will begin accepting electronically filed federal returns on January 31st, kicking off the 2013 tax filing season. But instead of paying hundreds of dollars to have your taxes professionally prepared, you may be eligible for free tax preparation and e-filing through the IRS Free File program, a public-private partnership between the IRS and commercial tax software companies. Continue reading “Do You Qualify for Free File?”
This week, Financial Finesse is releasing our second annual generational research report so over the next few days, we’ll be addressing in our blog how each generation can overcome their unique challenges and take advantage of the opportunities they face. Today, we’ll start with the Baby Boomers, the last of whom will be celebrating their big 5-0 this year. In addition to now being able to apply for their AARP cards for discounts on eating out and travel, here are some more critical tips for their financial wellness: Continue reading “7 Steps For Baby Boomers to Secure Their Financial Future”
Have you ever dreamed of spending New Year’s Eve watching the ball drop in Times Square? Well, you’d be ringing in the new year as you empty out your wallet. A Times Square Official NYE Party Pass will set you back over $250 and the few hours you’ll spend in your hotel room will cost a bare minimum of $329 according to hotels.com . Continue reading “New Year’s Eve Traditions Can Be Costly”
It’s Christmas Eve, and not a creature is stirring, except the thieves who stole credit card information from Target – they are probably busy doing some last minute Christmas shopping with YOUR credit card information. If you shopped at Target between November 27 and December 15, you could be one of the estimated 40 million credit and debit card accounts that may have been exposed to this breach. (Only in-store purchases are at risk, so if you bought something online from Target over the past several weeks you were not impacted.) Continue reading “Targeted on Christmas Eve”
I’ve previously written warnings about the grandparent’s scam, where a caller pretends to be a grandkid asking for help in a bad situation, typically a fake car accident or drug arrest, and the grandparent is instructed to wire money to help out. However, scammers are now turning up the heat with the newest twist – the kidnap call. Imagine you are at work, your cellphone rings, and the caller informs you that your father (or brother/husband/son) was in a car accident, declined to give his insurance information, a fight broke out, and your loved one was now being held at gunpoint and you need to wire $1,000 immediately for the damages or else he would be shot. How would you react? Continue reading “Scam Alert: Your Loved One Has NOT Been Kidnapped”
One of the great things about the holidays is that you get to spend time with family members you don’t otherwise see throughout the year. For me, that meant seeing my nephew for the first time since he graduated from high school last summer. I had assumed he had started his freshman year at college this fall, but sadly that was not the case. Continue reading “Don’t Fear the FAFSA”
Did you try to put that cute winter sweater on for the first time this year, only to find that eating way too much turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing is resulting in your unsuccessful attempt to stuff yourself into clothes that are now too tight? Well, I don’t have a magical dieting solution, but I’m sure someone else might just find that sweater a perfect fit. Whether some of your clothes are now too tight, too loose (I wish!), or just simply out of style, the solution is to donate these items to someone who CAN wear them. Not only can someone else make good use of your castoffs, you might even be able to take a tax deduction. Continue reading “Clothes Too Tight After Turkey Stuffing?”
I took a call last week from a frazzled father of two young kids who was stressing over his budget. He made good money but was living paycheck to paycheck and still coming up short some months, which meant charging some things on his credit card. After reviewing his monthly expenses, what jumped out was the fact that his family was spending over $500 a month on eating out, and many of these meals ended up on his Visa card. His wife worked part-time and felt like between working and dealing with the kids, she had no time to make dinner, so they’d head out to a restaurant at least four times a week. Not only is this expensive, but eating out is usually not good for our health either. Continue reading “Eating Out Can Take a Big Bite Out of the Budget”
Burping can relieve more than just stomach discomfort. It can actually relieve the pressure of the new 3.8% Medicare surtax, according to Steve Parrish, a Forbes contributor. His idea of “burping income” is that if a taxpayer can discharge some income at certain levels, it avoids an accelerated build-up of further taxes. This analogy can apply to various triggers in the tax code but is particularly appropriate to the Medicare surtax. Continue reading “Can You “Burp” Away the Medicare Surtaxes?”
No, I am not asking you to pass me the pepper. PEP stands for personal exemption phaseout, a potential reduction or even elimination of the $3,900 per person exemption on your 2013 tax return. For single filers with adjusted gross income (AGI) in excess of $250,000 or couples who are married filing jointly and have AGI in excess of $300,000 the exemption will be reduced by 2% for every $2,500 of AGI (or portion thereof) above $250,000 ($300,000 for married couples filing jointly). For married couples, personal exemptions will be fully phased out once their AGI exceeds $422,500, or for single filers if AGI exceeds $372,500 according to Internal Revenue Bulletin 2013-5. Continue reading “Pass the PEP, Pease?”
