February 2011

Are Pawn Shops Good Places To Buy and Sell Stuff?

February 28, 2011

You may have passed by one every day on your way to work or walking your dog and never really noticed it: the local pawn shop. The local pawn shop is a great place to find many things you need and many things you’ll never need, but it’s also a great place to learn a [...]

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What is IRS Tax Form 8880?

February 28, 2011

If you made contributions to any one of a certain set of retirement accounts this year, you may qualify for an additional tax credit. Not everyone qualifies for the retirement savings contribution, also known as the saver’s credit. In order to qualify, you’ll need to have made contributions to an IRA, Roth IRA, or 401(k) [...]

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Should you Invest with Discover Bank’s IRA CD’s?

February 26, 2011

Independent Retirement Accounts (IRA’s) are excellent vessels to begin planning for your retirement, no matter how old you are.  The more you can invest now, the better off you’ll be when it comes time to hang ‘em up, especially since Social Security may not be around when you retire.  Depending on the type of IRA [...]

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Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card

February 26, 2011

Gas is unfortunately on the rise again. With the historic events in the Middle East unfolding, oil has again risen above $100 a barrel and gas prices are heading to $4 a gallon. Perhaps the easiest way to save money at the pump is with a gas rewards credit card. But what if you don’t [...]

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Trying to Break My Extreme Case of Writer’s Block Isn’t Easy

February 26, 2011

Writing personal finance articles on a daily basis has been pretty fun for the last few years.  Every morning I get to wake up and decide whether or not I want the world to know what’s going on in my life and then I get to listen as readers voice their opinions on my choices [...]

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How To Get Free Tax Help From the IRS

February 25, 2011

Luckily for some tax filers, the IRS has two programs to help those in need of filing assistance: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program. VITA offers tax help to low- to moderate-income families. (Typically, this means $49,000 in income or less.) VITA is reserved for [...]

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Why Term Life Insurance is the Smart Life Insurance

February 24, 2011

When making financial decisions, we like to stress that circumstances matter.  Your wants and needs make a decision good for you, even though it might not be the best choice for me.  This is less true, though, in deciding whether to purchase term or whole life insurance. Term life insurance is almost always the better [...]

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8 Tax Benefits for Parents

February 23, 2011

Children can bring tremendous happiness to a parent’s life.  However, raising and educating those little bundles of joy can burn a noticeable hole in your wallet. Fortunately, parents may be able to take advantage of a number of tax deductions and credits designed to reduce the costs associated with parenting.  The IRS recently laid out [...]

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What To Do When You Lose Your Passport

February 23, 2011

Your passport is like your ticket to new worlds, different lands, exotic destinations and ancient ruins. There’s no doubt that losing your passport may feel as terrible as losing your wallet. Bet instead of losing your mind if you do happen to lose your passport, it’s important to collect yourself and follow some very simple [...]

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