10 Smart Year-End Money Moves You Can Make During Commercial Breaks

From Money Talks News

December 27, 2013

By Maryalene LaPonsie

Photo (cc) by dicktay2000

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Recent Stories

• American Express Ordered to Refund $59.5M for Credit Card Add-Ons
• EHarmony’s New Enhanced Service Will Cost You $5,000
• More Private Colleges Are Slashing or Freezing Tuition
• 10 Smart Year-End Money Moves You Can Make During Commercial Breaks
• Take 5: A Roundup of Reads From Around the Web
• After-Christmas Deals: Pearls, Toys, Tech
• Why Your Christmas Present Didn’t Arrive on Time
• Wireless Carriers Oppose Anti-Theft Feature for Smartphones
• Year-End Review: 10 Tips to Cut Car Insurance Costs
• 10 New Year’s Resolutions That Can Save You More Than $1,000
• Lesson From the Target Data Breach: You Need More Than 1 Credit Card
• Help! I Lost My Gift Card
• Are You Satisfied With Your Netflix Service?
• The Cost of a Stamp Will Jump 6 Percent
• Year-End Review: How to Evaluate Your Retirement Funds in 15 Minutes or Less
• Facing Holiday Debt? 5 Ways to Earn Extra Cash
• Christmas Day Deals: Traditional Meals and Online Steals
• Target’s Troubles Mount After Massive Security Breach
• ‘Card-Cracking’ Scam Targets College Kids
• Rage Against Customer Service Reps Is on the Increase
• Ask Stacy: Can I Make a Living as a Stock Trader?
• 5 Purchases to Squeeze in Before the End of the Year
• 4 Reasons Why Your Budget Will Never Work for You
• After-Christmas Sales: Expect Especially Good Deals This Year
• Big Changes Coming for United, Delta Frequent Fliers
• Shopping for a Home? Pick One That Santa Will Love
• Finally! I’ve Purchased Health Insurance Through Obamacare
• Year-End Review: 9 Tips to Cut Homeowners Insurance Costs
• 20-Plus Tips to Make the Most of Post-Holiday Clearance Sales
• Today’s Deals: Hotels, Tablets and ‘Free’ Brownie Sundaes
• The Year’s Best and Worst Products
• Don’t Let That Chicken Make You Sick
• 40 Million Target Customers May Be Victims of Security Breach
• ‘Tis Nearly the Season for Selfish Shopping
• Many Retailers Change Return Policies for the Holidays
• Report: 4.8 Million Will Fall Into the ‘Medicaid Gap’
• Still Shopping for Christmas? 10 Last-Minute Money-Saving Tips
• How to Develop an Effortless Budget You’ll Stick To

The presents have been unwrapped; the tree may even be down. We are now mere days away from the start of a new year – a clean slate, a fresh start, a … well, pick your own metaphor.

Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/12/27/make-these-10-money-moves-before-the-year-ends/#RqMuLqqfwt3kWCgR.99

December 27, 2013

By Maryalene LaPonsie

Photo (cc) by dicktay2000

0

67Share 14Tweet 12Share 8Share 40Email

Recent Stories

• American Express Ordered to Refund $59.5M for Credit Card Add-Ons
• EHarmony’s New Enhanced Service Will Cost You $5,000
• More Private Colleges Are Slashing or Freezing Tuition
• 10 Smart Year-End Money Moves You Can Make During Commercial Breaks
• Take 5: A Roundup of Reads From Around the Web
• After-Christmas Deals: Pearls, Toys, Tech
• Why Your Christmas Present Didn’t Arrive on Time
• Wireless Carriers Oppose Anti-Theft Feature for Smartphones
• Year-End Review: 10 Tips to Cut Car Insurance Costs
• 10 New Year’s Resolutions That Can Save You More Than $1,000
• Lesson From the Target Data Breach: You Need More Than 1 Credit Card
• Help! I Lost My Gift Card
• Are You Satisfied With Your Netflix Service?
• The Cost of a Stamp Will Jump 6 Percent
• Year-End Review: How to Evaluate Your Retirement Funds in 15 Minutes or Less
• Facing Holiday Debt? 5 Ways to Earn Extra Cash
• Christmas Day Deals: Traditional Meals and Online Steals
• Target’s Troubles Mount After Massive Security Breach
• ‘Card-Cracking’ Scam Targets College Kids
• Rage Against Customer Service Reps Is on the Increase
• Ask Stacy: Can I Make a Living as a Stock Trader?
• 5 Purchases to Squeeze in Before the End of the Year
• 4 Reasons Why Your Budget Will Never Work for You
• After-Christmas Sales: Expect Especially Good Deals This Year
• Big Changes Coming for United, Delta Frequent Fliers
• Shopping for a Home? Pick One That Santa Will Love
• Finally! I’ve Purchased Health Insurance Through Obamacare
• Year-End Review: 9 Tips to Cut Homeowners Insurance Costs
• 20-Plus Tips to Make the Most of Post-Holiday Clearance Sales
• Today’s Deals: Hotels, Tablets and ‘Free’ Brownie Sundaes
• The Year’s Best and Worst Products
• Don’t Let That Chicken Make You Sick
• 40 Million Target Customers May Be Victims of Security Breach
• ‘Tis Nearly the Season for Selfish Shopping
• Many Retailers Change Return Policies for the Holidays
• Report: 4.8 Million Will Fall Into the ‘Medicaid Gap’
• Still Shopping for Christmas? 10 Last-Minute Money-Saving Tips
• How to Develop an Effortless Budget You’ll Stick To

The presents have been unwrapped; the tree may even be down. We are now mere days away from the start of a new year – a clean slate, a fresh start, a … well, pick your own metaphor.

Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/12/27/make-these-10-money-moves-before-the-year-ends/#RqMuLqqfwt3kWCgR.99

December 27, 2013
By Maryalene LaPonsie

1. Change passwords
2. Request a free credit report
3. Review your FSA balance
4. Complete an investment review
5. Sell losses to offset gains
6. Scan and shred paperwork
7. Make a will
8. Create a budget
9. Update beneficiaries

10. Purge the excess and get a tax deduction too
Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/12/27/make-these-10-money-moves-before-the-year-ends/#RqMuLqqfwt3kWCgR.99

10. Purge the excess and get a tax deduction too
Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/12/27/make-these-10-money-moves-before-the-year-ends/#RqMuLqqfwt3kWCgR.99

10. Purge the excess and get a tax deduction too
Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/12/27/make-these-10-money-moves-before-the-year-ends/#RqMuLqqfwt3kWCgR.99

10. Purge the excess and get a tax deduction too

To view the entire article, click here.

Corporate Hypocrisy

The Duck Dynasty flap brought a couple of flip flops.

A&E

Following remarks made by Phil Robertson in GQ magazine, A&E suspended Robertson.

"His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."

After much criticism, A&E lifted the suspension.

"While Phil's comments made in the interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs, and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the 'coarse language' he used and the mis-interpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article," the network said. "He also made it clear he would 'never incite or encourage hate.' We at A+E Networks expressed our disappointment with his statements in the article, and reiterate that they are not views we hold.
"But Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man's views," A&E added. "It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family... a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness.  These are three values that we at A+E Networks also feel strongly about."

Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel pulled all Duck Dynasty items from their stores, and then put them back.

When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done.

You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings.  You flat out told us we were wrong.

We listened.

Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.

And, we apologize for offending you.

We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs.  We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different.

We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family.

The Seven Baby Steps

From About.com Budgeting and Personal Finance

Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps for Getting out of Debt

Pay off Debt and Build Wealth with Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps

By Paula Pant

Trying to shovel your way out of a mountain of debt? Popular financial expert Dave Ramsey, the host of the nationally-syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show, suggests that you follow these seven "baby steps" as you pay off debt and build wealth.


Baby Step 1: Contribute $1,000 to an Emergency Fund
An emergency fund, also known as a "rainy day fund," is money that you set aside in case of a dire emergency. It's NOT an account that you tap to go on vacation or buy a new vacuum cleaner.
Even if you have massive credit card debt, Ramsey says, you should first put aside $1,000 in an emergency fund. Then only start tackling your debt.

Baby Step 2: Pay Off Your Debt
Step two is a big step, one that might take years -- pay off all debt except for your mortgage. Ramsey advocates a tactic called the "debt snowball," through which you pay debts in the order of the smallest balance to the largest balance, regardless of interest rate.
This is a controversial tactic. Most finance experts advocate "debt stacking," the payoff of debts in the order of interest rate.
Baby Step 3: Build a 3-6 Month Emergency Fund
Once all your debt is paid off, build an emergency fund that covers 3-6 months of your living expenses. This will save you from going into debt again in the event that you face a major crisis, like a job loss or massive medical bills.

Baby Step 4: Save 15 Percent of Your Income for Retirement
Put aside 15 percent of your total household income into retirement accounts such as a Roth IRA, traditional 401k or others. Don't worry if your employer doesn't offer a retirement plan -- you can set up your own individual retirement account, or IRA.

Baby Step 5: Save for College
Next, start saving for either your own college education or your children's college education (or both!) He recommends using 529 College Savings Plans and Educational Savings Accounts (ESA's) as your savings vehicles.

Baby Step 6: Pay Off the Mortgage!
Now it's time to throw every dime into paying off your mortgage early. Why wait for 30 years to finish making house payments? You can aggressively pay down the principal and become completely debt-free, including your home!

Baby Step 7: Build Wealth and Give
Now that you're saving 15 percent towards retirement, you're debt-free (including the mortgage), and you're prepared to send your kids to college, it's time to focus on building wealth (by investing, creating businesses, etc.) and giving to charity.

Mr. Obama’s Disappointing Response on Surveillance

The New York Times editorial following President Obama's news conference on Friday, December 20, 2013.  To view, click here.

"But its intent, according to those who wrote the law, was never to allow the National Security Agency to collect and store data on every call and every email just in case it might be useful. That seems like a clear violation of the Constitution, as well as the spirit of the law."

NSA Spying Cartoon

Cartoon from Townhall.com.  Click here to view.

Really, Mom, you shouldn't have

To see a really moving birthday card, from PassiveAggresiveNotes.com, click here.

The Budget Deal

The Senate passed the Ryan-Murray budget deal, which now goes to the President for signature.  For details on the legislation, click here. The actual bill is the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.

My take:

Pro

An agreement was finally reached

The savings are estimated at $23 billion over 10 years

It wrestles spending authority away from the President

Taxes were not increased (although numerous fees were)

It eliminates the threat of a government shutdown for two years

Ryan took a risk  - and provided some leadership

Con

The savings are backloaded (they may never happen)

Spending increases by $63 billion over the next two years

The largest offset comes from an adjustment to military retiree's pension

The sequester cuts were compromised

No reforms on entitlements

Ryan took a risk  - and po'd many conservatives

I like the deal as a small step in anticipation the 2014 election.  It will help keep the focus away from Congress and keep it on the President, Obamacare and big government.

The Initial Post

The author will attempt to post news and comments about current events and areas of interest - the economy, taxes, government actions, scratch-your-head items, sports, music, humor, family issues, etc.

The official theme of this site is 'Can't You See' by the Marshall Tucker Band.  Click here to listen and see lyrics.

Hope you find it interesting.