Zombie Billing: Automatic Payments Have a Life of Their Own The turn it on and forget it nature of automatic payments can create “zombie billing” cycles that go on without being reviewed or challenged, even after the product or service you pay for is no longer of
Read more →Avoid a Debt Settlement Tax Surprise The number of Americans struggling with high debt is increasing, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. U.S. household debt reached a new record this spring, the central bank said, with the average indebted household owing more than $16,000 on their
Read more →Imagine you receive a call from an IRS agent who says you owe back taxes and threatens to arrest you if you don’t immediately make a payment over the phone. Thousands of Americans faced this situation in 2016, though the people on the other end of their
Read more →Three of every four Americans got a refund check last year and the average amount was $2,777, according to IRS statistics. Because the amount of a refund is often uncertain, we may be tempted to spend it without too much planning. One way to counteract this natural
Read more →It typically takes a great deal of personal interest and expertise in a given field — whether it’s rare art, coins or baseball cards — to judge a treasure from a trinket. For those of you who have been bitten by the collector’s bug, here are some
Read more →Nearly every taxpayer can imagine a worst-case scenario where they run afoul of the IRS and are selected for an audit. Here are a few areas that tend to get unwanted audit attention and ideas to help you stay prepared. Your audit risk is (probably) low.
Read more →New Year’s resolutions are notoriously easy to make, but hard to follow. With that in mind, here are a few ideas worth trying this year: Pay yourself first. This time-honored personal finance tip simply means setting aside a portion of every paycheck for your personal savings before
Read more →New internet vulnerability discovered A recent internet attack in the eastern United States by hackers opens up a new area of vulnerability for all of us. Here is what you need to know. What is new This recent cyber attack hijacked many computing devices. The attack took
Read more →If you have not already done so, now is the time to plan for contributions into your retirement accounts in 2017. Retirement Contribution Limits Retirement Program 2017 2016 Change Age 50 or over catch up IRA: Traditional $5,500 $5,500 none add: $1,000 IRA: Roth $5,500 $5,500 none
Read more →Stop Price Creep Review Your Household Vendors One simple idea could save you hundreds in your monthly expenses. It has to do with the tendency for inertia. When you are looking for a supplier of basic services, you tend to shop alternative companies, ask friends for recommendations,
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