I filed my taxes online with the same company I have used for a few years. When I finished I was also given the option to add a button to my Facebook or Twitter pages stating that I had used this company’s services to file my taxes.
To me, this also made it seem as though this was an open invitation for people to rob me.
If someone has enough of you information and also knows who you filed your taxes with, this also gives an identity thief more information to help people gain access to your personal information.
Needless to say, I passed on the opportunity to post the information. Even though I am more than pleased with the company, I would rather let those looking for a tax professional know via word of mouth.
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As a new feature on my credit card statement, I am shown in a chart how long it would take to pay off my current balance if I paid the minimum or if I decided to pay a little more than the minimum. The chart also revealed how much I would save in interest with the additional payment as opposed to paying the minimum.
This was a welcome addition. Though I pay off my credit card in full at the end of each month, I do like that the company shows me how much I would save over the course of several years by just paying the minimum. The amount I would save over the course of several years is enough for a mini vacation but that’s only because I made a major purchase last month.
Having this information would be beneficial to people who only pay the minimum. If the minimum is the same amount as dinner out with friends at a nice restaurant seeing that it might take four or five years to pay that off without making any additional purchases makes a big difference in spending habits.
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Cutting out the middleman…
As a cost cutting measure many places are cutting out the middleman. The latest middlemen to be cut out are the banks. Instead of offering loans to students and receiving a fee from the government for the student loans they service, the students will get their loans from Uncle Sam himself. The rationale is that this way the government can use that savings from the fees to increase the amount given out in the form of Pell grants.
Banks could stand to lose billions of dollars.
Opponents say that this will create a monopoly and will not offer consumers a choice when seeking loans. Though it will save money for individual who could have a reduced interest rate and more grant money available.
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If you have digital cable, check the free offerings for movies and programs before you rent a movie. Periodically check. Though you might be like me and delete the email detailing the new movies offered on cable. If you check the on demand programming you might be pleasantly surprised and find some older films that you are interested in watching in the comfort of your own home, some less than 2 years old. It may not seem that great, but for free that’s a better deal than the library – you don’t have to leave your house or worry about returning the DVD on time.
For newer films though, Redbox is a better deal. My cable company offers newer movies for $4.99. Most Redbox outlets require some transportation to get to them, but it is doubtful that you’d use a gallon of gas to get to the nearest Redbox.
Instead of going to the library or Redbox, I’m going to watch “Julia & Julia” for free in the comfort of my home and can even watch the beginning on one tv and finish it on another.
I have started watching some films using the on demand feature and didn’t like them so I was glad that I hadn’t used up space on my library card or waste a dollar watching something I didn’t like.
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