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5 Tips for Tough Times!

By: Deleted Profile Personal Finance Views: 7479 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Deleted Profile

Times are tough for a lot of people. With layoffs, less available jobs, a slow economy, and mounting debt, this is a good time to cut expenses, save, and start spending less money. Even when it appears as if there is no more room to save, there is always something you can eliminate, cutback on or find an alternative for. Do you really need a cell phone? Do you own a car? Sharman G. More

The Important Question You're Probably Not Asking When You Shop Mortgage Rates

By: Mark Fitzpatrick Home Loans Views: 7293 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 1

Mark Fitzpatrick

If you're planning to apply for a refinance or purchase home loan, it's always a good idea to shop around with at least three different lenders to make sure you're getting the best deal. Even more important than just shopping around is that you shop right, meaning you know the right questions to ask to make sure you’re comparing loan offers that are truly apples to apples. More

Can you tell the difference between good and bad debt?

By: Bogie Boric Personal Finance Views: 7238 | Comments: 1 | Votes: 0

Bogie Boric

Is there such a thing as good debt? Yes. Is all debt bad? No. Debt is simply the obligation to repay an amount for services or purchased property funded by another.   Bad debt is debt that strains personal financial stability. Credit cards can be valuable in establishing credit history but they are often misused. Creditors take a long hard look at your good debt. More

Cheap thrills – how to stretch a social budget

By: Bogie Boric Personal Finance Views: 7203 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Bogie Boric

Tight budgets can play havoc with our social lives, but just because our finances are limited doesn’t mean our entertainment options have to be. There are loads of tricks to financial damage limitation when it comes to going out – here are a few ideas on how to maintain a social presence without blowing the bank. More

Mind-Mapping: An Aid To Financial Planning Success

By: Betty J. Zak Financial Planning Views: 7198 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 1

Betty J. Zak

Mind-Mapping: An Aid To Financial Planning Success Author: Betty J. Zak  Introduction/BackgroundWe have all heard the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. But, let’s turn our attention to a mind mapping picture being key to financial planning success and being worth real dollars and cents. 47). Only then search for computer tools. (2008). Mind mapping. More

$8,000 First-time Home Buyer Tax Credit

By: NCR Credit Plus Credit Repair Views: 7153 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

NCR Credit Plus

* The $8,000 tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. * The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000. Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit? 2. No. More

Where Is Our Economy Headed?

By: Mark Goldman Home Loans Views: 7006 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Mark Goldman

Here is my comments to an article from SeekingAlpha.com. The original can be found at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/156363-end-of-recession-predictions-look-increasingly-flawed I do not believe the economy will change if the people running it are the same guys that put us into this tailspin. Goldman Sachs had a great quarter with bailout money. Who will take up the slack? More

Volatility Rocks The Investment Markets

By: Steve Selengut Investments Views: 6988 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Steve Selengut

Gets your attention, doesn't it? The unfortunate thing though, is that most people will react negatively to this intentionally inflammatory, media-ready, title statement. Has some Wall Street virus attacked our financial experience memory chip? Bouncing around unpredictably is precisely what the markets have always done. Volatility is not a bad thing--- a non-event, even. More

The Social Security Meltdown: A $35 Solution

By: Stephen L. Nelson, CPA Retirement Planning Views: 6414 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Stephen L. Nelson, CPA

I've been thinking about those regular benefit statements we all get from Social Security. You know the ones I mean. They report on your lifetime earnings. And then they also say that about the year 2038, the system will have to cut benefits by 27% to stay solvent. The Problem A benefit cut sucks, of course. Yikes. Sound crazy? Maybe it is. Seattle accountant Stephen L. More

“Innocent spouse” won’t be disqualified for failing to file within two years

By: File Your Taxes Online Tax Planning Views: 6376 | Comments: 1 | Votes: 0

File Your Taxes Online

The Internal Revenue Service is giving some relief to "innocent spouses" who otherwise may have been liable for a partner's tax debt.   Effective immediately, the agency has eliminated a rule that disqualifies taxpayers from innocent-spouse status if they fail to file for relief within two years -- a provision that snagged people who otherwise qualified, including abused women. More