April 2010

10 Awesome Google Search Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Finances, Investing and Productivity Knowledge

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Google plays a big part in my life and my blogging business. Apart from it’s Adsense publisher program which provides the bulk of this blog’s income, Google’s search engine provides the basis and background for a number of the topics that I write about. I am not alone with 70% of the world using Google [...]

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Consider a Premium Cash Back Rewards Credit Card From Your Broker

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Nowadays, it seems that just about every large company has hopped on the credit card bandwagon by issuing their own branded card. Normally I am quite critical of this category of cards, because the rewards are usually average, at best. However, broker affiliated credit cards to be an exception…they have higher cash back, better customer [...]

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2011 Tax Brackets, Rates and Federal Taxable Income Thresholds. Standard Deduction and Exemption Increase

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President Obama and Congress have approved a two year extension to all the Bush-era tax cuts. This means that the 2011 Federal IRS tax rates will be the same as 2010 rates, shown in the table below. However tax bracket ranges and standard deduction levels have increased slightly. A rise in tax rates would have cut the [...]

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Another 2010 Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Unlikely Based on Stronger Housing Data. Armed Forces Members Have Till 2011 To Claim Credit

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Unfortunately it looks like the chances of a further extension to the home buyer tax credit are lessening by the day as stronger housing data and focus on reducing government debt and foreclosures emerges. Bloomberg reports that purchases of new homes in the U.S. surged 27% in March, the most in almost five decades as [...]

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2012 vs 2011 Federal and State Minimum Wage Rates

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[Updated for 2012 Rates and Changes] The federal minimum wage rate in 2012 stays at $7.25, or $15,000 on an annualized basis. However 18 states and Washington, D.C., have raised rates above the federal level to keep up with increases in the cost of living (see graphic below). This helps state workers because if federal [...]

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Your Four Step Plan Towards Financial Healing – Breaking the Paycheck to Paycheck Syndrome

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In the current financial climate, many of us are under pressure to pay the bills, buy basic household items and meet our day to day expenses. Finding spare cash to pay off loans, save for your kids college expenses and to build up a decent retirement nest-egg seems like an impossible dream. Even having any [...]

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How Declaring Bankruptcy Affects Your Life Insurance Premium Rates

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Debt is a part of life, but when debts careen beyond control to a point where you can no longer repay, filing for personal bankruptcy is a way out. However, before you file for bankruptcy, there are important repercussions you should consider, especially facts related to your life insurance premiums. Bankruptcy and life insurance If [...]

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Amending Your Tax Return – Rules, Form 1040X and Deadlines

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So you have submitted your tax return and at some stage down the road you notice that you forgot to claim one of the many stimulus credits or qualified deductions. You may think that this money is gone now that your return has been submitted but you would be wrong; since you can actually send [...]

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IRS Audit Triggers and Red Flags for Tax Returns Including How to Avoid Getting Audited

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Marketwatch brings us an interesting article on the chances and factors of an IRS audit. Most tax payers, including myself, share the same dread of getting audited by the IRS, but in reality the chances of facing an IRS audit aren’t all that high. In fiscal year 2008, the IRS audited 1% of the more [...]

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Good Debt vs. Bad Debt – Taking Charge of Your Finances

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You may have heard the terms good debt and bad debt before, but it is not as simple as labeling credit card debt as bad, and a home loan as good because a home loan can in fact be considered bad debt too. It is important to understand the differences between and the definitions of [...]

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