Archive for February, 2008

Making It Through Money Emergencies

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Money emergencies are inevitable!  They occur at inconvenient times; they cause frustration and anxiety; and they are detrimental to budgets, especially tight ones.  Unfortunately, many people are unprepared to handle money emergencies without accumulating additional debt and/or risking long-term investments.   While it is impossible to stop money emergencies from happening, ...

Need Help Saving Money? Try “America Saves” Week

Monday, February 25th, 2008

Where is "saving money"on your list of financial priorities?  If it is a low or non-existent priority, you are not alone.  Millions of Americans live "paycheck to paycheck" with no financial cushion.  For the last couple of years, the personal savings rate in America has been negative.  Obviously, saving little ...

Will We Sabotage the Stimulus?

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 is official.  Tax rebate checks will be on the way to millions of Americans as soon as the majority of the tax filing season is over.  While the arguing over details about who gets how much money has ended, the debate over the pros, ...

Getting Professional Help: Answer These 9 Questions Before Choosing a Tax Preparer

Monday, February 18th, 2008

By all accounts, the U.S. Tax Code  is long, extremely detailed and confusing.  It's no wonder that millions of taxpayers employ professionals when "tax time" rolls around each year.   Even when professionals are used, individual taxpayers are held liable for any and all information contained in their personal returns.  Before ...

Make It Your “Best Budget Month”

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

February is a great month for dealing with financial issues because money doesn't have to stretch as far.  It's not quite time to panic about taxes yet so there is plenty of time to get records together and make appointments with tax professionals.  The holidays and football season are over.  There ...

Not Worried About Wal-Mart

Monday, February 11th, 2008

With all the negative attention directed at the economy, the true signs of panic may have officially surfaced.  At least two recent headlines indicate concern that Wal-Mart, the American icon of consumption, is in trouble. Frankly, it's hard to believe that!  Seriously, do these numbers represent trouble to you - $345 billion ...

Tax Documentation: What are you waiting for?

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

It seems like 2 months is a long time but the tax deadline will be here before we are ready! By now, tax documentation from a variety of sources should be filling mailboxes across the country.  Some taxpayers may already have all the information they need to get busy filling out ...

The Beginning of a Budget

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

Without question, a written budget is one of the most useful tools available for managing healthy finances.  Creating a budget is a process, however, that demands patience and flexibility.  Budgets are extremely personal and unique documents.  Their creation and management is only effective when they contain accurate information about the ...