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Online banking and shopping are some of the perks of our tech-savvy culture. But providing financial information for online activities can put your money (and your identity) at risk. The key to safe online financial transactions is to be informed and cautious.
Here are a few tips to help you stay safe while shopping and banking online.
How to Make Your Online Financial Transactions Secure
Don’t use the same user name and passwords for all of your accounts.
Choose a strong password filled with numbers, symbols, and lowercase/uppercase letters.
Keep track of your account info in a non-digital place, such as a notebook in your fire safe. This prevents hackers from seeing a list of all your passwords if they gain access to your computer, phone, or tablet. [ continue reading… ]
If you’re a renter, or are planning on renting in the future, you’ll need to deal with a landlord. Though there are many different types of rental situations, there a few ways to deal with landlords that’ll almost always apply.
Be Adamant
When my wife and I moved into our first place together, we settled on a small one-bedroom apartment. The complex was a run-of-the-mill operation with cheap rent. Getting in touch with the maintenance man was fairly easy, and most problems were solved quickly.
At our new townhouse, things work a bit differently. Upon arrival, we found out that the owner had accrued late charges on past-due HOA fees. In addition, the water heater needed to be cleaned and the fridge repaired. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. The landlord was supposed to be the owner, but she thought the real estate agent would be able to take care of things. We had to be quite adamant with the agent and the landlord to ensure every problem was solved. After a while, we got everything sorted out and back to normal.
When you have an issue at your rental unit, you need to pursue a solution. It’s in your best interest (and is your legal right) to have problems fixed. If your landlord is being difficult, present the lease showing their responsibilities. If they fail to hold up their end of the contract, you may need to pursue legal action. [ continue reading… ]
Our country has a decades-long history of trying to make sure that high earners pay what is considered their fair share in taxes.
However, a long list of deductions is available, which allows many wealthier people to reduce what they pay in taxes. In order to reduce the deduction loopholes, another method of figuring tax — the alternative minimum tax (AMT) — was introduced.
Do You Owe the AMT?
In order to determine whether or not you owe the AMT, you need to figure out your taxes twice. At first, you determine your tax bill in the “regular” way. Next, you fill out Form 6251. This IRS form helps you determine what you would owe if you paid the AMT.
It’s important to understand that there are certain deductions that are ineligible as you calculate the AMT:
The swell of Twitter, Google+ Communities, LinkedIn, and more means that you have more possibilities than ever to connect with people you’re interested in working with.
You can do it in 140 characters on Twitter — leaving lots of room for error or miscommunication. Or you can do it on LinkedIn through their job postings or groups.
Meeting people like you, with similar values, means an ever-increasing likelihood of connecting on powerful levels. Whether you both love “Dancing with the Stars” or the newest growth in human business, these interests bond you on levels once held captive behind walls of cold calls and icy newspaper ads.
Even though the majority of Americans are worried about the possibility of outliving their retirement money, passing away with a still-loaded IRA could cause its own set of headaches for your heirs.
Whether you’ve recently become the beneficiary of a loved one’s IRA, or are planning ahead in case your retirement account outlives you, here’s what you need to know about inheriting an IRA.
The Benefits of Marriage
IRA inheritance is one of many instances when the benefits for spouses are much better than they are for any other beneficiary. The surviving spouse is entitled to something known as a spousal rollover. That means that the money can be rolled over into an IRA in the surviving spouse’s own name.
From that point onward, those assets will be treated exactly the same as any other retirement assets in the surviving spouse’s name. Because of this, it is the surviving spouse’s age that’ll determine things like early-withdrawal penalties and required minimum distributions.
However, for beneficiaries who are not married to the deceased, things get a little more complicated.
Common appliances, like washing machines and refrigerators, have never been cheap. These “essential” appliances make our modern lives easier; we’ve come to rely on them to quickly complete daily chores that used to take hours. To extend the life of these major appliances, a little maintenance can go a long way.
Here are some tips for maintaining your appliances for longer and better performance.
How to Extend the Life of Your Appliances
1. Use a mesh laundry bag when washing small items.
Socks, underwear, and other small laundry items can easily be sucked up into the drainage hose of your washing machine. This can cause blockages that’ll require a visit from the repairman. (In case you’re wondering, this is likely where all those missing socks go, as well.) Using a mesh bag will keep these small items from washing away and keep your drains clear.
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