The Money Writers

Happy Free Money Friday!

In the wonderful world of tracking free money offers, programs continually change their promotions.

Spend too much time watching the basketball tournament and you might miss out on some offers with deadlines this week!

Schwab 2% Card Ending

Rumor has it that the Schwab Credit Card which gives 2% cash back will stop accepting new applicants at the end of March.

This is no doubt one of my favorite cash back credit cards right now for everyday spending, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one… do so in the next few days!

Tax Software Prices Going Up

I got an email that prices on all of the H&R Block At Home tax software products will increase on March 27. Today is the last day to take advantage of their “early-season pricing.”

I’m not sure what TurboTax is planning for their pricing, but since the tax deadline is just around the corner, you might as well get them done!

Lending Club Prime Upgrade in March

Check your email for a free invitation for a Lending Club Prime upgrade; mine came on March 23. It appears there is only a specific account link in the email, I don’t see a general link.

Normally, their PRIME accounts have a 0.8% fee. The offer states that if you upgrade by the end of March, any money you have in your account now as well as money you add through the end of the month won’t be subject to the fee. The minimum for PRIME accounts is $5,000.

I don’t know much about PRIME, but clicked on the link to make sure I can review it before the offer expires. Once you click on it, you get a message that they’ll review your account and let you know more. You can then accept the terms if you like them.

Here’s the summary about PRIME that they gave: “With PRIME, you simply select the average target interest rate you want and investment preferences and your dedicated Investor Services representative will help ensure the timely execution of your orders.” Hmmm… sounds interesting.

OptionsHouse Offer Extended

Finally some good news… one program is extending a previously expired offer. The 100 Free Trades from OptionsHouse is extended until April 30, 2010.

This is good news for me since I need a new broker to make an update to our asset allocation… stay tuned for more on that next week!

Written by Madison

Click here to leave a comment on this article.

© My Dollar Plan

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Another UFile Giveaway
After my last UFile review and giveaway I announced 10 winners. A few of those winners never emailed me back to claim the prize, so I’m going to offer them up again.
Leave a comment in this post (with a valid email address) and I’ll randomly choose and email 3 winners on Sunday [...]

This article is by Adam from Money Relationship. Subscribe to his site to get free updates on his journey out of debt.
I’ll admit it, the kitchen is my wife’s zone. I only enter it to get something to drink, empty the dishwasher or grab a snack. That’s about the only time I’m in there. I’m the [...]

Post by Frugal Dad

ING Direct is offering a $50 bonus when you open an ING Electric Orange Checking Account and

Activate your Electric Orange Debit MasterCard
Use the card to make at least 3 signature-based purchases within 45 days of account opening.

The $50 bonus will automatically be deposited into your account on day 50 if all above requirements are met. [...]

Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary

Special bonus offers

• Scottrade 3 Commission Free Trades
• Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus

ING Electric Orange Checking Account $50 Bonus

Just wanted to drop this quick note to say I’ve been included — er, recruited — into another personal finance blog competition. And it looks like fun! This one is care of FiLife, a personal finance community that connects you with money experts and enthusiasts through questions and answers and many other forums. [...]

FiLife’s Personal Finance Blogs & March Madness

My husband and I have a long-standing war over stuff. Hubby is practical and sentimental and I am unemotional and crave freedom from things that weigh me down… things like stuff.
When we aren’t using an object, my unemotional hands try to fling it to the nearest trash can. Hubby’s sentimental side compels him to say, [...]

Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary

Special bonus offers

• Scottrade 3 Commission Free Trades
• Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus

Is Offsite Storage a Practical Expense?

Ever since the credit card act went into law, I’ve had a ton of fun reviewing my credit card statements in the mail.

The new table on the statement draws attention to the payoff, ideally encouraging those in debt to pay more than just the minimum to get out of debt.

However, for those of us still carrying large balances due to credit card arbitrage, it paints a different picture, a beautiful reminder of leverage hard at work.

Decades of Leverage

I was all too pleased to see a couple recent statements for some cards that I locked in dirt cheap balance transfers for life.

The 2.99% balance transfer for life from Penfed that we used to buy one of our rental properties shows a payoff table of 23 years. Two other statements with equally low balance transfers for life show 26 years and 29 years.

Really, the only thing better than the credit card company loaning me the dirt cheap money, is the fact that they now have to mail me a statement each month reminding me what a good deal I got, and that they’ll let me keep the good deal for over two decades. Jackpot!

I was even more entertained when I saw a screen shot of the 1908 year payoff posted by a fatwallet member. It’s for a card with 3.99% for life with a payment of interest only plus $1 each month. If only I could find the card that offered such a great deal…

Investing

• Free Book Download: Elements of Investing
• How Annuities Work
• Borrowing Against Your Home (to Invest)

Taxes

• Standard Deduction or Itemized Deduction?
• How to Get Your Tax Refund Deposited On a Prepaid Card
• Are Tax Refund Splurges Starting to Come Back?

By the Numbers

• 11 Tips For An Accurate Vehicle Repair Estimate
• 6 Things You Need to Know Before Buying Your Next Car
• 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying or Selling A House

And More!

• A Closer Look at Social Security
• Postpone College In Order to Pay For It With Cash?
• Firefox Profiles for Increased Productivity
• Thoughts on Tipping Etiquette: Why Should I Tip?
• Have Extra Cash to Cut Mortgage? Nice, but Wait
• Teaching Matters
• Carnival Of Personal Finance

Written by Madison

Click here to leave a comment on this article.

© My Dollar Plan

Get free subscriptions to hundreds of popular magazines!

I love rags to riches stories. A new Canadian arrives penniless and within two decades, he’s a multi-millionaire. Someone from the wrong side of the tracks gets spotted, tries out for an audition and becomes a well paid actress. It makes a great movie plot. Cinderella, The Blind Side, Prince and the Pauper [...]

A few days ago at work, I was reminded after telling a few stories about the glory days of travel across Europe, South America and Asia that business travel back then was significantly more prestigious/luxurious/etc.  I don’t think you’ll see the kind of treatment I got back in the flush days of the late 90s [...]

If you read brip blap via RSS, you might want to visit the site and see the new theme; if you like it, it’s the frugal theme and if you buy it through that link, you help support brip blap.

9 reasons international business travel was fun…back then is an original article from the website brip blap.

Anyone have plans to do a little home improvement this spring? We have a couple projects we’re looking to accomplish before those April showers set it, but nothing too elaborate. First, we’d like to install rain gutters on our house as planting near our home is nearly impossible thanks to heavy rain runoff. I’m also [...]

Post by Frugal Dad

Spring break trips always seem to cost more than you’d planned. Here are some tips on how to save money and make your dollar go farther on spring break.

10 Ways College Students can Save Money on Spring Break
Spring Break Vacation Money Savers

In terms of traveling, here are some things you can use to book cheaper [...]

I discuss the much anticipated health care reform bill and its effects on the health care industry, on health insurance and on all of us hapless consumers.
Here’s what we were all clamoring for, but is it what you expected or what you wanted it to be? Personally, I was eager to see [...]

Health Care Reform Bill: How It Affects You

You may have recalled a month or two ago when I mentioned there was a new finance series in the works and they were looking for people and families to feature on the show. Well, a few more details are out and you have just a few days left to throw your hat in the [...]

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Last Chance on Casting Call for New MSN.com Financial Series

I love tax deductions. I know, a little over the top, but since I love taxes, it’s only natural that I love finding tax credits and tax deductions for people.

With the tax deadline just around the corner, here’s a summary of all the tax deductions you’ll want to review to see if you are eligible.

If you’re using the interview mode on TurboTax, you should make sure the questions you answered gave you credit for all of the deductions you qualify for.

Tax Deductions You Don’t Want to Miss

1. Tax Credit for Existing Homeowners. If you lived in your old house for five years, and recently bought a new house, you may be able to claim this tax credit. (It was previously limited to first time home buyers only.)
2. New Car Tax Credit. It’s actually a deduction, but somehow car dealers advertised it as a credit. Either way, if you bought a new car, this one’s for you!
3. Property Tax Deduction. People who itemized have always gotten to take a deduction for their property taxes. The good news is that people who take the standard deduction can claim it too.
4. Tax Deductions for Self Employed. If you run your own business, be sure that you’re taking all the tax deductions you’re entitled to.
5. Unemployed Tax Deductions. Multiple tax deductions related to unemployment, job searching, or moving for a new job are available for those who faced unemployment last year.
6. Mileage Deduction. If you use your personal car for work, you can deduct the mileage on your Schedule A (above 2% of adjusted gross income).
7. Solar Panel Tax Credit. Multiple energy efficient tax credits exist if you installed solar panels or other energy efficient upgrades.
8. American Opportunity Tax Credit. The tuition tax credit just got a whole lot better for those of you attending college. The new credit expands on the old Hope Credit.
9. Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC will be available for more people based on the recession last year.
10. Saver’s Credit for Retirement Contributions. An extra perk for saving for retirement! For those in the lower tax brackets, you can get a credit up to 50% of your retirement contributions.
11. Midwestern Disaster Area Tax Credits. If you are located in Midwestern areas that faced disasters last year, you’ll be able to expand on some of the other tax credits you are eligible for.
12. Making Work Pay Tax Credit. Many people will see a $400 tax credit ($800 for couples) on your return this year. You can claim the credit on Schedule M.
13. Haiti Tax Deduction. You can claim a 2009 tax deduction for donations made to the Haiti relief effort in early 2010.

If you already filed, and missed any of these, be sure to file an amended tax return to claim all the money you have coming to you.

Written by Madison

Click here to leave a comment on this article.

© My Dollar Plan

Get free subscriptions to hundreds of popular magazines!

Quitting your job on good terms can definitely make a positive difference as you travel down your career path. Last weekend I heard two examples of why it pays off to leave your job in style, with your relationships intact and no bridges burned. 
The first story shows how a bad break up with your [...]

But I ruined my wife’s perfect credit
I was on the phone with our mortgage agent last week, talking about the term of our loan and the rate we could get.During the conversation, our agent mentioned something that surprised me. She said we didn’t really have the best credit, as I thought we do. [...]

Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary

Special bonus offers

• Scottrade 3 Commission Free Trades
• Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus

I Joined the 800 Club

You’ve asked for more real estate posts, and here it is.  Rachelle makes a living in investment real estate and will share with you some trade secrets.
It is possible to make lots of money in real estate, but it can be difficult to get basic information. American information is abundant but much of it does [...]

While recently catching up on my offline reading, I ran across a small piece in the April 2010 edition of Money magazine. The column features William Poundstone, the author of Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It. The article points out ways to combat stores sometimes gimmicky pricing techniques [...]

Post by Frugal Dad

Here’s a follow up to our post on How To Buy A Life Insurance Policy For Low Cost. We compare low cost life insurance vs commission based policies vs those you can buy through fee only insurance agents.
Every financial plan should have a risk management or insurance component. Yes, we all know the importance [...]

Should You Get Low Cost Life Insurance?

Last week when I reviewed Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss Reviewed, I mentioned that I hate books. I really do, but today I’m going to contradict myself. Almost a year ago, Dan Holt sent me his book Nobody Wants a Million Dollars and asked me to review it. It got [...]

Related posts:

1. If I had a Million Dollars (Linkified) Personal finance can be a dry subject for many people….
2. Top 5 Paths to a Million Dollars Even though it has lost a lot of buying power…
3. Finance 101: Good Debt vs. Bad Debt I’m amazed by the number of people who seem to…
4. Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel Reviewed I really need to do one of two things: A)…
5. Planning your Purchases Far, Far in Advance As Compounding Interest Week continues, I’d like to highlight some…

The IRS is watching you. Think underpaying, not paying at all, or making a mistake on your tax return just means a possible penalty or added interest? Not exactly. In fact, many tax mishaps carry criminal penalties. Some of the most common tax offenses that carry both civil and criminal penalties are: failure to pay [...]

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Don’t Let Your Taxes Make You a Criminal

Over the course of my adult life, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a political issue that’s caused as much debate and derisiveness as the recent discussion surrounding health care reform.
For the few of you who may not have already heard, the House this past weekend narrowly passed a sweeping reform bill that will [...]

Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary

Special bonus offers

• Scottrade 3 Commission Free Trades
• Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus

Why I Think the Obama Health Care Plan Is a Good Thing

Free H&R Block at Home Giveaway
Thanks to the team at H&R Block, I’m giving away free access to H&R Block at Home to three of you! If you haven’t heard of this tax prep software before, that’s because it used to be called TaxCut and just this year they changed the name to H&R Block [...]

If everything goes as planned, a new health care reform bill will be signed by the President today. The house passed the bill on Sunday; the Senate passed it in December. They also added a set of amendments that will go back to the Senate for vote.

Since we’re focused on personal finance, I looked through the bills for all the financial impacts for readers. In addition to the health care bill highlights we’ll take a look at the tax credits, tax increases, and fines.

Here is a summary of the health care reform bill, including the reconciliation bill:

Health Care Bill Summary

• $940 billion plan.
• Extends insurance coverage to 32 million uninsured people.
• Insurance companies cannot drop you when you get sick.
• No more lifetime limits.
• State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals to purchase coverage.
• Insurers cannot deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
• Children can stay on their parent’s health plan until age 26.

Tax Credits

• Tax credits for individuals and families with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty (which is just over $88,000 for a family of four).
• Tax credits up to 35% – 50% of costs for some small businesses.

Tax Increases

• Raise Medicare payroll tax to 2.35% from 1.45% for individuals earning more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples).
• Expand Medicare tax to include unearned income of 3.8% on investment income making more than $200,000 ($250,000 for families).
• Increase tax on distributions from HSAs and Archer MSAs not used for qualified medical expenses to 20%.
• Raise 7.5% AGI floor on medical expenses deduction to 10%.
• Limit health flexible spending arrangements in cafeteria plans to $2,500.

Excise Taxes and Fines

• 10% excise tax on indoor tanning services.
• Excise tax or fine for individuals who do not obtain health insurance; $695 annual fine ($2,085 for families).
• Excise tax or fine for employers (with 50 or more workers) who do not provide health insurance to employees; fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance.

Money for Seniors

In addition to the taxes and fines, the health care reform bill includes some financial benefits for seniors:

• $250 drug rebate for Medicare “doughnut hole” coverage gap.
• Free annual wellness visit and prevention plan including preventive services with little or no cost.

Cadillac Tax

Finally, there’s a new “Cadillac tax”, which is a 40% excise tax for high cost employer plans. High cost plans are defined as those that cost $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. Levels for retirees and high risk professions are increased $1,650 ($3,450 for families).

Health Care Reform Finances

That’s a lot of money getting shifted around. As the bill is passed, and the amendments are straightened out, I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion on how this will change our personal finances.

We’ll each have more tax planning to do, to make sure that we’re optimizing what’s available to us and at what cost.

Sources: Tax Foundation, Reuters, CNN, and Kaiser Health News.

Written by Madison

Click here to leave a comment on this article.

© My Dollar Plan

Get free subscriptions to hundreds of popular magazines!

Marriage has many benefits only some of which are financial. Shared housing, splitting pension income and shared resources are just a few of the financial advantages to being married. If you are in it for the long haul being married also comes with compromise. It’s not always possible to follow both sets [...]