Andy | Saving to Invest

How Did Your Retirement Account Perform Last Year? Checking Performance Online at Fidelity or Vanguard

With stock markets staging a strong recovery the average return on a tax advantaged retirement plan, like a 401(k) and IRA, was around 11% according to Morningstar. At this rate your money will double every 5 or so years thanks to compounding. But how did your retirement plan perform? And…

Debt Reduction: Repealing the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction, State and Local, Health Insurance and Retirement Tax Breaks

To get a picture of the problem that lawmakers face, let’s look at a tale of two attitudes. Polls indicate that we as a nation are getting worried about the amount of debt we’re incurring as we prop up the American economy. TARP, Quantitative Easing, and corporate bailouts cost the…

Why Buy Life Insurance and Choosing the Right Option

We’ve all heard that we should have life insurance but few of us take the time to learn about it and even fewer purchase a policy. The reason is obvious: We don’t want to seriously think about the conditions surrounding our own death. We don’t want to believe that there…

American Opportunity Tax Credit 2025 For Students: Eligibility, Income Limits, and Phase-out Details

The AOTC allows parents and students to receive a tax credit of up to $2,500 for qualified undergraduate college expenses, based on certain income limits. The AOTC replaced the smaller Hope credit a few years ago as part of bills passed under the Obama administration (see section below for origin).…

Small Business Insurance For General Liability, Workers Compensation, Commercial Auto and Umbrella Coverage

If you own a small business you know that with all of the rewards that come with being an entrepreneur there are also financial and legal risks that act as a daily overhang on your business. If one of your employees is injured on the job, the medical costs could…

2012 Payroll Tax Credit Holiday Extended Till Year End. Extensions For Unemployment Benefits and Medicare Payments Also Approved

[Updated- 2012 Payroll Tax Credit Holiday, Unemployment Benefits and Medicare Doctor Payments Extended to Dec 31st] With House Republican support Congress has passed legislation extending the federal payroll tax holiday through the end of the year without demanding spending cuts to pay for it. This was a concession aimed at…

What Do Stock Buybacks Mean For a Company’s Share Price

The financial news media does it all of the time, don’t they? They assume that the millions of retail or part time investors know all of the terms used on a daily basis. When IBM announced another stock buyback, the financial news channels reported it leaving investors unsure of what…

Do I Need to File a Federal Income Tax Return? Maybe Not If You Meet These IRS Guidelines even Though it Could be a Good Idea

[Updated Income Thresholds] The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommends that all adults file a tax return. Obviously, the IRS wants to have everyone pay their taxes but it is also an important way for the government to ensure that it pays out subsidies, stimulus payments and tax credits to the…

Locality Pay Rates – General Schedule (GS) Pay Table Adjustments

See this updated article for the latest GS Adjustments and Locality Pay Scale Tables. ______________________ [2013 Locality Pay Rates Update] The president has signed an executive order that freezes GS pay rises in 2013. Unfortunately the executive order and existing continuing resolution also stated that, "........ locality payments in 2013 for…

The Pros & Cons of Taking Out a Loan vs. Venture Capital

With the economy and unemployment the way it is today, many folks are thinking about starting or growing their own small business. But this requires money to pay for things like employee’s salaries (you may be the only employee), offices, supplies, marketing and more. Entrepreneurs typically get their money from…

The Best Online Tax Filing Software and Free Filing Options in 2025

With long tax processing delays expected again this year, the IRS is already warning tax payers to be patient when it comes to getting their refund. They are also recommending that you file your tax return as early as possible and electronically. The main benefit of using self-preparation electronic tax…

2011 Updates – Tax Brackets and Rates, Government (GS) and Military Pay Scales, 401K and IRA Limits and Stimulus Payments

I have made a number of updates to popular topics on this site and in case you missed them, here is a quick recap with a link to the detailed information. 2011 Tax Rates and Brackets Following Bush-era Tax Cut Extensions With approval of a two-year extension to all the…

Job Outlook and Prospects: The Usual Suspects and Some Surprises

There is little more on the minds of college students or those considering getting a higher education degree than what occupation will offer decent career opportunities after graduation. Some look at income, and others look toward landing that first job and paycheck. Others look longer term to find a job…

FOREX 101 – How Foreign Exchange Currency Market Trading Works

You may know about stock markets but how about the foreign exchange market (FOREX)? If you’ve never heard of it, you should because it’s substantially larger than any single stock market. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), for example, handles $153 billion a day in volume, but the foreign exchange…