10 Ways to Use Your Tax Refund

April 10, 2013

In 2012, the average federal tax refund for Americans was $2,800. If you have a big family or a low income, your refund was likely even more than that. Even though you should know about what to expect with your refund, most of us treat it as a windfall. Choosing what to do with this [...]

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The Pros and Cons of Self-Employment

April 9, 2013

How many Americans would you guess are self-employed? One out of 10? One out of five? It’s actually about one out of three. According to the Freelancers Union, 42 million people identify as independent workers, which includes freelancers as well as consultants, traditional business owners and independent contractors. Many more Americans likely wonder if they should [...]

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Avoid These 12 Tax Scams this April!

April 8, 2013

Photo: agrilifetoday Each year the IRS releases a list of the “Dirty Dozen” tax scams to watch out for. Unfortunately, scams are common and lead to lost taxpayer money every year. To best avoid these scams, know what to look out for. Here’s an overview of the top 12 tax scams – and how to [...]

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Guide to Borrowing from a 401(k) Account

April 8, 2013

Photo: StockMonkeys.com About 50 million working Americans contribute to a 401(k) plan. According to a study cited by Time, one in four will tap their 401(k) or similar retirement plans before retirement. In 2010 about $70 billion was taken from retirement accounts, according to the study. Given that, we thought it would be helpful to [...]

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Citi Checking $400 Bonus

April 7, 2013

My wife and I have banked with Citi for 20 years. While recently there has been a big push to online banks, we’ve been very happy with Citi. (One new cool feature is that you can have an ATM receipt emailed to you rather than printed.) Now Citi has just added another reason to consider [...]

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5% Credit Card Cash Back Rotating Categories Update

April 6, 2013

The highest cash back percentage you’ll find anywhere is five percent on select categories that change every three months. There are three major credit cards that offer 5% cash back: the Discover it Card, the Chase Freedom® Visa, and the Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa®. These rotating categories are one of the reasons each of [...]

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How Long Should Your Life Insurance Term Be?

April 5, 2013

Photo: SalFalko If you’re shopping for term life insurance, two important considerations are how much coverage you need and how long your term should be. While many people folks on the amount of coverage, the length of the policy is an incredibly important factor. After all, the term part is the reason you’re getting term [...]

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10 Little-Known Facts About Home Appraisals

April 4, 2013

Are you preparing to buy a home or sell the one you’re in? If so, the home appraisal process will be incredibly important. If you’re selling your home, a professional appraisal can help you set a fair, realistic listing price. If you’re buying a home, your lender will require a professional appraisal to ensure it [...]

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5 Debt Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

April 3, 2013

Breaking free from the clutches of debt is one of the most difficult yet rewarding challenges in all of personal finance. So when my good friend Ben from Money Smart Life had an interesting twist on debt he wanted to share, I jumped at the chance. Oh, and he’s a recently published author on the [...]

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