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IRS Looking For Your Offshore Bank Accounts

by Luke Landes

The more money you have, the more likely you are to cheat on your taxes. The rich have more opportunities to try to hide assets and income from the Internal Revenue Service, particularly through offshore bank accounts. In the United States, banks are required to report income earned by their customers on savings and investments. ... Continue reading this article…

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How to File a Free Income Tax Extension

by Luke Landes

I finally provided my tax details to my accountant yesterday. As I expected, there won’t be enough time to work out the details before today’s tax filing deadline, so I’ll be filing extensions. In years past, when I filed for myself and my taxes were simpler, I usually waited until the last day. My procrastination ... Continue reading this article…

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Aurora Bank’s Deposits to Be Acquired By New York Community Bank

by Luke Landes

Last year, I opened a money market account with Aurora Bank, a division of Lehman Brothers. If it seemed like an odd thing to do, it probably was. Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy in 2008, yet in 2011, they were promoting their online retail bank and looking for new customers. Not wanting to associate ... Continue reading this article…

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Most Wealthy Individuals Earned, Not Inherited, Their Wealth

by Luke Landes

When I first read The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko, it didn’t inspire me. It’s not that I disagreed with the authors, but I found the book uninteresting. It was one of the first financial books I read after beginning Consumerism Commentary, and it came highly recommended from readers here and ... Continue reading this article…

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Spring Cleaning Tips: Finding Items for Sale to Earn Money

by Guest Author

This is a guest article by Jennifer Calonia, Junior Editor at GoBankingRates. In the article, the author offers suggestions for making spring cleaning work for you. We are officially one week into spring, and many are shedding winter stagnation for more productive ways to save money — and earn money — using items around the ... Continue reading this article…

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Reader Question: Resolving a Dispute With a Brokerage

by Luke Landes

From time to time, Consumerism Commentary readers contact me with questions. I am not an investment professional or a financial planner, and I don’t offer advice related to investing other than my general thoughts on the topic. The questions I receive range from basic investing details like government-regulated limits for investment account types to how ... Continue reading this article…

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TIAA Direct High-Yield Savings Account

by Luke Landes
TIAA ATM

Just when you thought the era of new online banks splashing into the market was over, TIAA-CREF is on the hunt for customers’ deposits. TIAA-CREF Trust Company, FSB was established in 1998, and the bank just began offering deposit accounts in the last month. The products, under the name TIAA Direct, are intended to compete ... Continue reading this article…

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Should the Government Ban Banks’ Payday Loans?

by Luke Landes
Check

When we think of predatory lending practices, the first thought that often comes to mind is the payday loan industry, catering to people barely, if at all, living paycheck to paycheck. Payday loans service communities with an aversion or without a need for or trust of the mainstream financial industry. Offering short-term loans designed to ... Continue reading this article…

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