October 2010

Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Vs Flexible Spending accounts (FSA)

It’s almost November. Along with thinking about Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays, it is also the open enrollment season. I have got all the materials for next year’s health plans. The decision is not just going with the lowest deductible or premium, there are also tax benefits, now and later, to consider.  Any  Health savings [...]

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20 Smart Personal Investment tips

As I mentioned in my last post, I attended a personal investment seminar  during the LA Financial planning day. I am interested in learning more about investments and scared about it at the same time. So I religiously took notes throughout the talk. Here are the 20 key steps to make smart personal investments.

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Financial Planning Days – My experience and observations

Last Saturday my husband & I attended the Los Angeles Financial Planning day. I have always shied away from approaching a financial planner or an accountant because I felt they are for the rich. I have never formally attended a seminar about financial planning either. So when I saw the announcement about the LA Financial [...]

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Free appliances for low income families

Who gives free appliances for low income families? The Government does. It not only can help get you new appliances if you are in need, but can also pay the energy bills, I wrote about that in a different article here – Need help paying bills?. There are some restrictions on income and eligibility. If [...]

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Amazon or eBay or Craigslist : which is better to sell stuff?

I wanted an iPod touch. Actually I wanted an iPhone, but considering the high price of the data plan and the low rate I pay with T-mobile, I decided to buy an iPod touch. So I started saving to buy one early next year.  A couple of weeks ago my husband won an iPod nano [...]

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Price of prestige : Are elite schools worth the money?

This time of the year, excited seniors (and nervous parents ) are filling out applications, polishing essays, feverishly searching for scholarships and starting to tour different college campuses. One thing I notice in the college boards is that people automatically assume that the Ivy league schools are out of reach for their budget. Why? I [...]

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If I’m so smart… where did all my money go? Book Review & Giveaway

There are 100s, if not thousands of personal finance books out there. Why should you buy this one? Let us see… Joe, a 23 year-old college graduate who already finds himself with $20,000 of credit card debt, and wonders if he has done permanent damage to his financial future, Eric and Sally, a couple in [...]

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Car rental discounts : How to use and where to find them?

Once you have decided to take a rental car you have to find one for a good price. There are 4 ways that I know of to knock off some of the $$ from the price. Anatomy of car rental discounts Coupons/Promotion Codes: Every one is familiar with these. Rate codes:  These codes are for special offers.  For [...]

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Expiry dates for financial records – How long should I keep my financial records?

Tax season has just ended, you have a pile of tax records. How long to keep tax records? We have so many types of financial accounts and the statements that go with it too. We can’t keep everything forever, but if we ever get into an unfortunate situation with Uncle Sam, we need every possible [...]

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