Apr
30
Economic Stimulus Payment – Child Support Questions
April 30, 2008 | 318 Comments
Many questions about the Economic Stimulus Payment keep coming up. Some of the most common involve child support. The questions fall into two categories: owing and receiving child support. If You or Your Spouse Owes Child Support The IRS will withhold your payment up to the full amount, if you owe back child support. If [...]
Apr
30
TurboTax Direct Deposit Stimulus Payment Questions
April 30, 2008 | 288 Comments
Due to the large number of questions regarding direct deposit tax refunds, the economic stimulus payment and TurboTax, I've written another article dedicated to TurboTax questions. What is TurboTax? Many people file their taxes with TurboTax. I've always used TaxCut by H&R Block but I'm sure the services are very similar. TurboTax is software that [...]
Apr
29
IRS Stimulus Payment Rebate Calculator
April 29, 2008 | 39 Comments
I’ve told a lot of readers with questions about the economic stimulus payment to use the IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator. Specifically the payment calculator should tell you if you qualify for the stimulus payment and the amount of the stimulus payment you will receive. I decided I should try the calculator myself and see [...]
Apr
28
Bush Announces Faster Payment Schedule for Stimulus Payments
April 28, 2008 | 352 Comments
President Bush announced that stimulus payments will be issued faster than previously announced. Tax filers who chose direct deposit can start receiving their payments as soon as April 28th. I've updated the payment table from my original article on the stimulus payments below. You'll notice that the last payment coincides with the Independence Day holiday, [...]
Apr
24
How Will Global Food Shortages Affect You
April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
For the first time in my lifetime, there is food rationing in the United States. The last food rationing that I know of occurred during World War 2. Countries around the world are experiencing food shortages and increased prices. What does this mean for world? What does this mean for US citizens? What’s Happening? Food [...]
Apr
23
Why Debt is Risky
April 23, 2008 | 2 Comments
Debt is bad because with debt comes risk. Debt is risky for businesses and people. Debt, if used correctly, can be powerful tool. However, in too many cases, debt is used improperly and the consequences are unhappiness, stress, bankruptcy and divorce. Attitudes About Debt Have Changed I’ve already talked about how our attitudes about debt [...]
Apr
22
Why Is Debt No Longer a Bad Thing?
April 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
I am not a fan of debt. Most of the good financial gurus will tell you to pay off your debt. Debt is a tool to use when there are no other options. Unfortunately, I think the attitude toward debt has changed for the worse. The Debt Industry There is a debt industry in this [...]
Apr
21
PayPal is an Expensive Way to Transfer Money
April 21, 2008 | 8 Comments
Do you use PayPal? If you do business on the internet, there is a good chance you do. Many web sites accept PayPal for payment. Our small business used PayPal quite extensively in the beginning, but now we are moving away from it. Why? It’s too expensive. Most people associate PayPal with EBay. That’s because [...]
Apr
18
Prosper Increases Maximum Interest Rates
April 18, 2008 | 1 Comment
I’m a Prosper.com lender. One of the problems I’ve noticed is the low maximum interest rates for borrowers in some states. Prosper has now fixed this problem for most states. Previously max rates had been as low as 6%. Now most states in the US have a maximum interest rate of 36%. Some states have [...]
Apr
17
IRS Stimulus Payment – Questions and Answers
April 17, 2008 | 435 Comments
I’m still surprised by the number of questions readers have been asking about the economic stimulus payment. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions with answers. As always, if you have a question, make sure you ask it in the comments section following the article. Can I Change my Direct Deposit Information? [...]