by The Penny Hoarder Staff You’ve done it. You’ve built up a little cushion in your bank account — $1,000! It feels good, right? Those days of checking your account balance in a panic are behind you.Congrats! You’re on the right path. Now it’s time to think about some longer-term goals. What do you want to accomplish next with your money? Do you need to save more? Do you want
by Timothy MooreContributorWhile using tax preparation software or even better, a professional tax preparer can ease the burden of preparing your annual taxes, there’s still some work you’ll have to do on your end.The silver lining of filing a tax return is the potential promise of a refund. And one of the best ways to land yourself in refund territory is by maximizing tax credits and tax deductions. Both are
by Katherine Snow SmithContributor The pandemic and severe winter weather, combined with employees working remotely and no longer lining up for blood drives on the job, are impacting the nation’s blood supply. Supplies are at historic lows across the country and there’s a desperate need for folks to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. To attract donors, blood banks offer gift cards, chances to win money and even tickets
by Kathleen GarvinContributor Meal delivery services, or meal kits, have been around for more than a decade but have grown in number in recent years. You’ve seen the commercials and likely received the direct mailers to your door. And if you live in an apartment building, you might have almost tripped over the 30-plus-pound boxes in the hallway outside your neighbor’s door (the weight from ice packs and filler packaging
by Nicole DowSenior Writer Envious of those couponing pros who can fill their shopping carts to the brim and walk out of the store paying hardly anything at all? Well, they didn’t become experts at saving money overnight. If you want to start couponing and make your money stretch further, it’s good to have trustworthy resources at your fingertips. When it comes to the best coupon sites, we love the
Real Answers for Life’s Money Challengesby Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorI lent my parents about $21,000 about eight months ago, and another $11,000 about four months ago. The $21,000 was supposed to be “long term” to help my parents consolidate debt (about two years in my mind), and the $11,000 was supposed to be for one month. They’ve repaid $4,000, but nothing since the second loan was made. My parents had just
by Lisa McGreevy, Rachel Christian, CEPF®Travel planning is complicated.Between finding flight or train routes, arranging accommodations, locating someone to watch your pets and water your plants and all the other 10,000 details that go into business and pleasure trips, it’s a wonder anyone goes anywhere at all.And considering the constant threat of flight cancellations, your trip might end before it ever begins.But one question that pops up a lot during
by Dana Sitar, CEPF®Contributor It’s many people’s least favorite time of year: tax season. Between frantically searching for your tax forms, organizing your receipts, figuring out how much it’ll cost you to file and trying to remember the most recent updates to the tax code, tax season can be stressful … to say the least. Thankfully, some smart software companies have made the process way easier — and, in some
by The Penny Hoarder Staff In 2022, there are more banks — or financial institutions that act like banks but technically aren’t — than ever. Brick-and-mortar banks where you can go inside and say howdy to a teller are still plentiful, but the visitors inside are fewer and fewer every year.The digital sphere is now filled with online-only money management options that include actual banks, neobanks, fintech firms and investment
by Nicole DowSenior WriterAlthough the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 have loosened up, many of us have found our new normal still includes spending a lot of time at home.With the novelty of Zoom happy hours and virtual events fading, we’ve reverted back to some classic ways to unwind at the end of the day — vegging out in front of the TV and curling up with a good book. And we
