Your Midyear Tax Checkup, day 3: Three write-offs to plan for

You may not like thinking about taxes this far out from April 15, but you like saving money, don’t you? To the tax planners go the spoils. So all this week we’ve been highlighting things you can do now to make the next tax day more bearable, if not enjoyable.

So far, we’ve covered how to estimate your tax bill for the year to see if you’ll be square and how to sell investments strategically. Today’s lesson is about maximizing your ..read more

Target texts bargains to shoppers' phones

My mother is certifiably coupon crazy. It’s not unusual for her to emerge from the grocery store having paid only a few bucks for a few bags of food.

To the detriment of my checking account, however, this is not a gene I inherited. Not that I don’t love saving money. I just know that even if I diligently sat down with the Sunday circulars and a pair of scissors, I’d neglect to bring the coupons with me when I actually ..read more

More Money Tuesday roundup: Whole Foods' Biggest Loser discount & California's dim bulbs

Personal finance from around the Web:

Smaller waistlines, bigger discounts: Sparking controversy, Whole Foods is giving generous employee discounts to workers with low blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body mass indices. [Jezebel] California's energy saving initiative has had unforeseen results: People aren't buying light bulbs that are more efficient; rather, they're reading under dimmer lighting. [Green Inc.] How costly is medical school? It's so expensive, it's cheaper to take a trip into outer space. [Medicinesux] If you're trying to get rid of the ..read more

More Money Tuesday roundup: Tax breaks for millionaires & the real cost of knockoffs

Personal finance from around the Web:

It's good to be rich: Since the mid-1990s, millionaires have been taxed at lower and lower rates. But when latest data become available the trend will likely be reversed. [Tax.com] People that buy knockoff designer products may think they're saving money, but they're just delaying the inevitable. An MIT professor has found that buying a fake makes you more likely to spend the big bucks on the real thing in a couple of years. [MIT ..read more

More Money Tuesday roundup: Tax breaks for millionaires & the real cost of knockoffs

Personal finance from around the Web:

It's good to be rich: Since the mid-1990s, millionaires have been taxed at lower and lower rates. But when latest data become available the trend will likely be reversed. [Tax.com] People that buy knockoff designer products may think they're saving money, but they're just delaying the inevitable. An MIT professor has found that buying a fake makes you more likely to spend the big bucks on the real thing in a couple of years. [MIT ..read more

More Money Tuesday roundup: Tax breaks for millionaires & the real cost of knockoffs

Personal finance from around the Web:

It's good to be rich: Since the mid-1990s, millionaires have been taxed at lower and lower rates. But when latest data become available the trend will likely be reversed. [Tax.com] People that buy knockoff designer products may think they're saving money, but they're just delaying the inevitable. An MIT professor has found that buying a fake makes you more likely to spend the big bucks on the real thing in a couple of years. [MIT ..read more

More Money Tuesday roundup: Tax breaks for millionaires & the real cost of knockoffs

Personal finance from around the Web:

It's good to be rich: Since the mid-1990s, millionaires have been taxed at lower and lower rates. But when latest data become available the trend will likely be reversed. [Tax.com] People that buy knockoff designer products may think they're saving money, but they're just delaying the inevitable. An MIT professor has found that buying a fake makes you more likely to spend the big bucks on the real thing in a couple of years. [MIT ..read more

More Money Thursday roundup: Credit card fees & shameless mortgage defaults

Personal finance from around the Web:

If you owe more than your home is worth, you shouldn't feel so bad about defaulting on your mortgage, suggests a University of Arizona law professor. For his full explanation of how the government, the media and the financial industry are ganging up to make homeowners bear the brunt of the housing collapse, read his research paper. [The Consumerist, WSJ.com] Haven't used your credit card in a while? Prepare to get slapped with an "inactivity fee." ..read more