Topic: Personal Finance Software

Income tax refund: five tips for maximizing it

People are always looking for ways to get every dollar back they deserve at tax time. Fortunately, there are some smart moves you can make before April 17 to help maximize your income tax refund. Spending a few minutes now will save you time preparing your taxes and can help you get big savings. Here are five tips to get you started:

Take your money and run

Bank of America's $5 per month debit card fee is just the tip of the iceberg. Big banks are starting to charge fees for what used to be basic services. In protest, switch to a community bank or credit union. It's more convenient than camping out with the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Top 9 ways Internet access can save you money

Sure, access to the Internet costs you something every month. But did you ever stop to think how much money it saves? Online price comparison and access to wholesale markets and group deal sites, like livingsocial.com and Groupon, can save the average consumer $8,000 annually, according to new study from the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a coalition that lobbies to make high-speed Internet access more affordable and widely available. “Generally Internet shopping can be a big money saver,” agrees Jody Rohlena. senior editor at Shopsmart magazine, but beware of online impulse buying: “It’s important to stick to your budget and try not to go crazy.”

Here are nine areas of consumer spending where the Internet can save big bucks, according to the IIA study. Can you guess which spending category is in the top spot?

Your teens have summer jobs? Three financial lessons to teach.

This summer, many teens are working summer jobs and, perhaps for the first time, earning money that doesn’t’ come from family. It’s an exciting feeling of independence – and a key time to learn the basics of money management. That’s where parents come in. Even if communicating with your teenagers about money is sometimes difficult, it is natural for you to be involved because their income from summer jobs will have tax implications for you. Here are three easy financial lessons to teach your teens this summer:

Tax day 2011: Last-minute tips to keep the Internal Revenue Service away

Here are nine tips that tax experts (and the friendly Internal Revenue Service itself) offer to help keep you from getting audited, owing a penalty, paying more than you really owe, or having to file an amended return because of a mistake.

Tax advice from a computer: Do you need tax software? Five questions to ask.

Tax advice comes in many forms: from IRS forms, accountants, and tax preparers. So do you need a computer to fill out your forms? Most low- and middle-class Americans qualify to use tax software for free. But if you have to pay for it, is the software worth it? Here are a five questions to help you decide:

Online financiancial manager Wesabe shutting down. Here are alternatives.

Wesabe, an online personal information manager, is closing down. Here are five alternatives to keep your data in order.

How a husband and budget helped me lose the stress (mostly)

Even flat tires can't rattle Bob and Linda's budget.

Websites that help you budget better

Money movements are less muddled, allowing you to see accounts all in one place.