Savings
Tax Credit or Tax Deduction: Understand the Difference
Tax credits are some of the most valuable tools around to help cut your tax bill. But figuring out how to use these credits on your tax return can get complicated very quickly. Here’s what you need to know. Understanding the difference To help illustrate the difference between a credit and a deduction, here’s an…
Read MoreSummertime Financial Lessons for Your Child
Children on summer break have plenty of free time on their hands, which is usually spent playing outdoors, working on summer projects and participating in various sports and clubs. As parents, you can also weave in financial lessons to these summertime activities to reinforce great money habits. Here are some ideas: Earning money. Teach entrepreneurship with…
Read MoreWatch Out For These Sneaky Vacation Costs
Going on vacation is a time to get away, relax and enjoy new experiences. But if you don’t pay close attention, extra costs can sneak up on you like tiny money-stealing gremlins. Here are several sneaky vacation costs to watch out for: Covert airfare increases. Airline pricing algorithms are programmed to store your browsing history to…
Read MoreKids Can Be Expensive! Here Are Some Tax Breaks to Help
Kids can pose challenges from every direction for their parents – feeding times, car seats, sleep schedules, strollers, child care, and of course…taxes! What most parents don’t consider is that these bundles of joy complicate their tax situation. Here are some tax tips that may help: Start a 529 education savings plan. 529 education savings plans…
Read MoreRetirement Plan Options for Small Business Owners
Offering a retirement plan can be a powerful tool when you’re competing to attract the best employees. And if you’re a sole proprietor, a retirement account can help you save even more money for the future. Here are some of the most popular retirement options for small business owners, along with ways to help with…
Read MoreTips to Turn Buying a Home into a Reality
Homeownership seems more out of reach than ever for many Americans, especially for those who have been waiting for real estate prices to drop. But there are still multiple ways to buy a home right now, or to position yourself for a future purchase. Build up your down payment. The higher real estate prices climb, the…
Read MoreTips to Be Money Smart with Your Vehicle
The average new car payment surged to $725 per month at the beginning of 2023, compared to an average of $650 per month throughout all of 2022, according to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report for Quarter 2 of 2023. While some of this spike is due to the increasing costs of…
Read MoreWill That Be Cash or Barter?
How swapping products and services could benefit your business Bartering, the act of trading goods or services with other goods or services instead of money, is more popular than ever. And with many businesses dealing with constrained cash flow, bartering may be a good way to create value for your business. The new world of…
Read MoreBudgeting Basics
During inflationary periods, it is harder to balance your income with the rising cost of housing, food, fuel, health care and insurance. One of the biggest tools to fight raising costs is creating a budget and measuring it throughout the year. Here are some suggestions to help create a budget that actually works. Keep it…
Read MoreMake Your Cash Worth More
Banking tips to help you cash in One of the side benefits of inflation is that banks are finally beginning to pay interest on your savings. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your banked cash: Understand your bank accounts. Not all bank accounts are created equal. Interest rates, monthly fees,…
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