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MyIDScore.com: What’s an ID Score?

by Jeff

If you’re a frequent reader of this (or any other personal finance blog) you’re familiar with credit scores and credit reports, and the advice to check them often. These resources detail your financial history and provide a measure of your supposed financial risk. They’re also useful tools to determine the safety of your identity. However, ... Continue reading this article…

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Receiving the First Time Homebuyer Credit

by Luke Landes

Although receiving the first-time homebuyer tax credit initially took six weeks to receive, many customers have had problems receiving their credit from the IRS. As evidenced by the six hundred comments below, many have not been thrilled with the process, even those who filed the paperwork correctly and legitimately should receive the credit. For those ... Continue reading this article…

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Donations to Rural Classrooms Worth Twice as Much

by Luke Landes

A few years ago, the personal finance blogging community came together to create the pfblogs.org Financial Literacy Challenge through DonorsChoose.org, a charity that facilitates funding for classroom projects needing money. The challenge was designed for bloggers to encourage their readers to provide tax-deductible donations through DonorsChoose.org to fund classroom projects focusing on increasing financial knowledge. ... Continue reading this article…

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Basics of 2009 Energy Efficient Tax Credits

by Smithee

As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (see our roundup of ways to take advantage), 2009 and 2010 are good years to make some of the “green” home improvements you may’ve been considering. I’ve had a little trouble, however, navigating and understanding the many tables and footnotes, so I’m condensing ... Continue reading this article…

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Understand the Recovery Rebate Credit

by Luke Landes

According to the Internal Revenue Service, 15 percent of 2008 income tax returns that have been filed already have errors involving the recovery rebate credit. Here is what the government wants you to know: Some tax returns erroneously claim the credit, do not claim the proper amount of recovery rebate credit or mistakenly enter the amount ... Continue reading this article…

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Take Control of Your Finances Part 2: Track Your Money

by Luke Landes

After deciding that it’s time to get a handle on your finances, find a way to accurately track the way you handle everything involving money. Before deciding to take action, you may have estimated your income and expenses, but now the details matter. Here is how to get to the details. Every cent is important ... Continue reading this article…

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Alternative to Credit Cards: Layaway Programs

by Luke Landes

It must be a sign of the times. This year I’ve seen at least one commercial advertising a retailer’s layaway plan. These have been out of style for at least as long as I’ve been an adult consumer. The theory is that rather than paying up front for a large item, a Christmas gift for ... Continue reading this article…

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Who Said Accounting Isn’t Poetic?

by Luke Landes

A few years ago, I did a very good job of tracking all my spending. As my income has increased since that time, I’ve found less value in keeping notes on the ultimate destination of every single cent. I believe that close scrutiny is required when someone is looking for ways to improve their finances, ... Continue reading this article…

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