From the monthly archives:

December 2009

Consequences Of The Credit Card Reform Act – Watch Out!

December 31, 2009
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New credit card reform laws are going into effect in February of 2010 to provide more consumer protection.  The reform was put in place to deal with what were some abusive practices of interest rate hikes and fees. You may recall a post from Pete earlier this year in which he talked specifically about the [...]

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Seven New Years Financial Resolutions For 2010

December 29, 2009
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This is a guest post from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), a non-profit dedicated to improving the financial literacy of all Americans. NEFE operates the site Smart About Money. Follow NEFE on Twitter at @nefe_org The new year is coming, and with it come the resolutions. Here are a few resolutions that you [...]

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10 Year End Tax Deductions And Credits That You Can Claim In 2009

December 28, 2009
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It’s the last week of the year, and it’s your last chance to take advantage of some last minute tax deductions for 2009. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to make sure that you do anything you can to lower your tax bill this year. 10 Tax Credits And Tax Deductions Increase your retirement [...]

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Merry Christmas To One And All: The Original Christmas Story

December 25, 2009
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It can be easy to get caught up in all the commercialism that comes along with Christmas these days,  and allow the focus of the day become more about us – instead of about Him (Jesus Christ).   For me, one thing that always gets me back into the celebratory mood is a reading of [...]

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What We Can Learn From Clark Griswold’s Christmas Vacation

December 24, 2009
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Most people have a Christmas family tradition.  Perhaps you exchange gifts at a certain time of day, go ice skating (at the mall if you live in the south like me), eat a favorite dish, or read the story of Jesus’s birth.  I think our family has adopted most of these traditions. But one of [...]

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Good Customer Service And The Power Of Social Media: eBillme Goes Above And Beyond To Fix A Problem Through Twitter

December 23, 2009
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Christmas shopping season is in full swing, and with it, the long lines, crowded aisles and frazzled shoppers. In an attempt to avoid the stores altogether this year I decided to do most of my shopping online. There are a variety of reasons why I like shopping online. First, you can shop in your underwear, [...]

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Do You Have Financial Purpose Or Do You Just Manage Your Money?

December 22, 2009
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Steven Covey makes an important distinction between leaders and managers. Leaders are those who have vision and direction. Managers simply master the art of doing ‘it’ better and more efficiently. Covey offers the following illustration: The managers are those who are finding better swinging movements to cut more branches with less effort while the leader [...]

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2010 Home Improvement Tax Credits For Energy Efficient Products (Insulation, Windows, Heaters, Etc)

December 21, 2009
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Congress has extended energy efficiency tax credits for most homeowners through the end of 2010, so if you’ve been looking to upgrade your water heater or windows and doors, you can probably still get a tax credit in the coming year.  Some less common of the tax credits for home improvements will be around all [...]

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Sad News Of The Passing Of A Friend: A Tribute To Jason Mitchener

December 18, 2009
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Over the 2 years that I’ve been blogging I’ve met a lot of interesting people, many of whom I would consider close friends. One of the most interesting people that I have met in that time is one of the talented staff writers on this blog, Jason Mitchener. Jason is a talented writer, contributing tens [...]

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5 Ways To Give More And Spend Less This Christmas

December 17, 2009
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In November 2007, Shawanda Greene had $54 in her savings account and about $25,000 in debt. By the end of December 2008, she was debt free with a 3-month emergency fund of $7,500. During that time period, she adopted a lifestyle of what some would consider extreme frugality. Shawanda now spreads the wealth as blogger-in-chief [...]

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Do You Deserve To Spend? Is It Ok To Splurge Even When You Don’t Have The Money?

December 16, 2009
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I’ve been thinking about a type of spending lately that I think causes a lot of problems similar to impulse buying.  However, this spending is deliberate.  It’s emotion driven and it can get you into credit card trouble quick, if not careful. Perhaps it’s at the end of a long week.  Work has been a [...]

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$25 Gift Card Giveaway: What Frugal Gifts Would You Buy With This Gift Card?

December 15, 2009
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UPDATE: The contest has closed. Our $25 gift card winner was chosen at 12pm on Tuesday. Our winner is Matt Jabs over at http://www.debtfreeadventure for comment #53 – for subscribing to the site! Thanks to everyone else who entered! Last year the nice folks at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx were nice enough to send us [...]

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Tax Considerations For Ministers

December 14, 2009
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Since church ministers are in a unique tax situation it is important for all ministers to understand their unique tax situation.  When you work and earn an income you will need to pay taxes.  We should pay unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but if Caesar is offering you a tax break you should be [...]

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A Scam Or Not A Scam, That Is The Question: How To Make Sure You’re Really Getting A Deal

December 11, 2009
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This is a guest post by Ann Smarty. She is a search geek, social media addict and loves finding and collecting useful online tools and apps. She has also recently started a community of guest bloggers and is currently looking for beta testers. We are all too eager to spot a cool deal to save [...]

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