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Just take it to a bank that will count it and give you cash or put it in your account. Don't bother counting it and rolling it. They will just break the rolls and throw it into a change counting machine. I did that once and never will again after I saw that years ago. The local bank I used for this offered it as a ... |
I am recently married and planning to buy a house, my parents would like to assist me by giving us a gift to put into the house. The limit for this year is 13000, now my question is, is this limit per person or per couple? I.e. is this scenario allowed:
My father and mother gifts me 26000, and then gifts my wife 2... |
Whenever I see someone ask how to calculate how big a mortgage he can afford, the answer almost always comes back as a percentage of *gross* income.
Why use gross income as the baseline? Why not net income? |
Why do mortgage affordability recommendations use gross income? |
I used to be very diligent in reconciling my accounts with the monthly statement when it came in the mail. Now that I don't receive paper statements, I rarely even look at the statement or bother downloading it from the bank website.
I track my income and spending with Mint and Quicken, and download and categorize m... |
Is it worth it to reconcile my checking/savings accounts every month? |
Who will be effected if congress does not renew the limit raise on the [AMT][1] by the end of the year? Will this change how much will be owed for 2010, and due in April 2011?
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_Minimum_Tax |
Will anything happen to me if the AMT is not re-established before 2011? |
Everyone is familiar with gold and silver coins and bullion. What other metals are available as bullion or coins, or other tradable form? |
What metals are available as bullion/coins? |
I don't suppose you could keep it in your pocket and just spend it? That's what I do. |
I have few dollars in my visa card and it will expire soon, Is it possible to transfer these dollars to my amazon account and save them there to be able to buy with them later from amazon?
|
Is is possible to transfer some money from my visa card to my amazon account to buy with them later? |
Going to Japan in about a week, and just looking for ways to buy Japanese yen.
In Australia, it's pretty nuts. If you just go and exchange money from them, they'll charge you 5-6% above the mid rate of the currency
If you take it from an ATM whilst you're over there, they'll take an additional 2.5% plus $5 for ... |
Best way to buy Japanese yen for travel? |
I'm curious what I would need to do about my mortgage if I moved from my current house to a larger house in five or ten years. Would I need to refinance my residential mortgage into an investment mortgage (at a higher rate)? |
If I moved out of my house and rented it out, would I need to refinance into an investment loan? |
Is it possible to transfer some money from my visa card to my amazon account to buy with them later? |
Account statements and the account information provided by your personal finance software should be coming from the same source, namely your bank's internal accounting records. So in theory one is just as good as the other. That being said, an account statement is snapshot of your account on the date the statement was ... |
Account statements and the account information provided by your personal finance software should be coming from the same source, namely your bank's internal accounting records. So in theory one is just as good as the other. That being said, an account statement is snapshot of your account on the date the statement was ... |
Is it worth the extra $10 or so that would be added to a car loan in order to get credit life insurance and credit disability insurance? For a relatively young person looking to get the most out of their monthly car payment, it seems that it would not be worthwhile.
If you're wondering, this "insurance" coverage is... |
Should I get credit life or credit disability insurance with my auto loan? |
Have you tried your local beggar? She/He will probably accept 50€ in small change. |
I've seen the term PMI used a couple of times on this site and don't know what it is. What is it? |
What does PMI mean? |
So I have about $50 in pennies, dimes and nickels. What would you do with it? I'm asking because I don't think spending hours rolling up the change and taking it to the bank is the best/most creative thing.
**More info**: I took the change to the bank (not rolled up). The banker asked me if I knew the exact amou... |
I notice on a mortgage payment that a portion of every payment goes towards an escrow account (which goes towards homeowner insurance and property taxes). In the meantime, there seems to be a significant amount of money sitting in the escrow account that doesn't reduce payments or earn interest (that I know of).
Is... |
Mortgage Escrow Balance - is there a better way? |
Have you tried calling a Forex broker and asking them if you can take
delivery on currency? Their spreads are likely to be much lower than
banks/ATMs.
|
This question comes out of complete ignorance of anything that relates to personal finance. I'm a graduate student in mathematics, and I'm on a grant from the university until the end of the year. Then I'll get a post-doc somewhere (maybe in the States, maybe not). In my bank account I have ~$5,000.
Is there anythin... |
I'm an American in my mid 20's. Is there something I should be doing to secure myself? |
First of all, make sure you have an emergency fund. Ideally this should be at least 6 months of living expenses in an easily accessible place.
Do you have any credit card debt, school debt, or other debt? Work towards becoming debt free, especially of higher interest debt and debt on things that are only depreciat... |
When is it necessary to apply taxes for web freelancing services in Quebec, Canada? |
I'm an American in my mid 20's. Is there something I should be doing to secure myself financially? |
I may be walking on thin ice but that's never stopped me from answering before. ;)
I have a PhD in physics. I knew that I wasn't a die-hard publisher so I didn't pursue academia.
A postdoc will likely pay about what a person with a BS in math could make in industry, but you're now a few years past that age. You... |
Is it worth the extra $10 or so that would be added to a car loan in order to get credit life insurance and credit disability insurance? For a relatively young person looking to get the most out of their monthly car payment, it seems that it would not be worthwhile.
If you're wondering, this "insurance" coverage is... |
When is it necessary to apply taxes for web freelancing services in Quebec, Canada? |
I heard Clark Howard on the radio this morning saying that due to a court settlement stores will be able to charge different rates for different tender types. How soon will this take effect and what kind of changes can I expect to see? |
Will prices really be different for cash and cards? |
First of all, make sure you have an [emergency fund][1]. Ideally this should be at least 6 months of living expenses in an [easily accessible place][2].
Do you have any credit card debt, school debt, or other [debt][3]? Work towards becoming debt free, especially of higher interest debt and debt on things that are... |
An oft overlooked, but important insurance product that has the ability to protect us from a reasonably likely and fiscally devastating event, [Long Term Care insurance][1] seems like something I am out to be seriously considering at some point, but when?
I'm sure it gets more expensive as I get older, but seems lik... |
I'm Working for a big international corporation and I'm back from a few years of relocation in the U.S. while I was in the states on a US payroll (I'm not an American citizen) I bought a property (which was my primary resident for a while).
Now I'm back home and wanted to take advantage of the lower interest rates in... |
i am an IT contractor and I would like to go to a seminar overseas. I'm paying for this by myself, however, I believe it is related to what I do and could be classed as an educational expense.
The other thing is the conference only goes for around 2 days but whilst I'm there, I figure I may as well spend a week or t... |
If I go to a seminar held overseas, may I claim my flights on my tax return? |
Can I refinance a property in the U.S without U.S. income? |
Does anyone know if the 10% early withdrawal penalty on traditional IRA is on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Let's say I withdraw $5k from my IRA, and I pay 20% (example) in taxes, is the additional 10% shaved off the $5k or the $4k (post-tax)?
Thanks |
From [Investopedia][1]:
> **Pegged Rates**: Pegging occurs when one country directly fixes its
> exchange rate to a foreign currency so
> that the country will have somewhat
> more stability than a normal float.
> More specifically, pegging allows a
> country’s currency to be exchanged at
> a fixed rate with a s... |
There are circumstances under which you don't have to pay the penalty:
* You die and the account is paid to your beneficiary
* You become disabled
* You withdraw an amount less than is allowable as a medical expense deduction
* You begin substantially equal periodic payments
* Your withdrawal is related to a qua... |
I've heard two conflicting things:
One is that you should pay your entire credit every month, and the other that you should maintain roughly %30, %50 (it varies by who you ask) of your available credit still indebted, but pay off the minimum amount every month.
Is one of those answers universally true? Does it depe... |
What does "pay on time" mean? (credit history questions) |
Is the penalty for an early withdrawl from an IRA applied to the gross or net amount? |
Why would a central bank or country not want their currency to appreciate against other currencies? |
Think about this from the lenders perspective. What happens if you don't pay? If you are a US resident with US income, they can sue you in court, garnish your wages and tax returns, etc.
If you aren't in the US and don't have any income in the US, the US bank has little or no recourse against you other than trying... |
Should I really pay off my entire credit card balance each month or should I maintain some balance? |
Does anybody have a first hand experience with [scanning a check and posting it][1] (either by email or a bank web interface) and willing to comment about the experience ?
What Banks in the US support "Remote Deposit" for consumers?
Thanks!
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_deposit |
Remote Deposit a check (By scanning) for non-business users? |
Paying off the highest rate card first is certainly not a myth, it's the fastest way to pay off one's debt. So, I agree with Matthews's answer above.
Marcin - I would invite you to give a clear example where paying a lower rate debt results in a faster payoff.
The "debt snowball" (The concept of paying the lowest... |
I wrote about the dynamic of why either of a lower or higher exchange rate would be good for economies in [Would dropping the value of its currency be good for an economy?][1]
> A strong currency allows consumers to
> import goods cheaply from the rest of
> the world. A weak currency allows
> producers to export... |
I would really like to save money during the year and then once a year purchase specific stocks to put in an IRA. Is that possible? Are there companies that offer something like this without charging exorbitant fees? |
Can I open an IRA and add specific stocks to it? |
I'm a first-time homebuyer, and one of the stipulations of the down payment assistance program I have is that I have to buy a home warranty (which covers appliances, plumbing, roof, etc in case of failure due to normal wear and tear or accidental damage). The house we are buying was foreclosed upon but is in a good ne... |
Is a Home Warranty worth the money? |
I'm 24, and so far I've been able to live without credit cards of any kind. My wife calls this "If we can't pay for it right now, we don't need it." Obviously this does not apply to our car and our house, but for every other major purchase we have paid cash. Is this kind of behavior sustainable? Will there come a ... |
Do I even need credit cards? |
Is it worth the extra $10 or so that would be added to a car loan in order to get credit life insurance and credit disability insurance? For a relatively young person looking to get the most out of their monthly car payment, it seems that it would not be worthwhile.
If you're wondering, this "insurance" coverage is... |
Mid 30's, looking for what split I should have between Australian shares, International shares, property, cash, interest, bonds, options, etc. or maybe noen of the above, what is considered to be a "safe" ratio and what are the slices of this pie made up of? |
Whats the most conservative split of financial assets for my portfolio in todays market? |
Try to buy an airline ticket, rent a hotel room, or rent a car without a credit card. Doable? Perhaps. Easy? Nope. With a debit card, you run the risk of a hotel reserving more than your stay's cost for room service, parking, etc and potentially having a domino effect if other payments bounce.
We just spent 3 nights ... |
I've been reading that ATM skimming is a fast-growing and lucrative crime and consumers should be very careful. Normally I think the customer is limited to $50 liability if they report in 2 days, and $500 if they report within 60 days.
However, Bank of America has this "$0 Liability Guarantee" aka "Total Security P... |
Am I liable for ATM skimming? (Bank of America claims $0 fraud liability) |
What items would an average person keep in a safe deposit box? Sounds like most of the documents (passports, birth certificates) can be restored. |
Who uses safe deposit boxes? |
Don't confuse a home warranty with homeowner's insurance. Insurance will cover disasters. Warranty will cover lesser repairs that insurance doesn't cover.
You can warranty your own home with a liquidity fund. Stash 1-3 months of salary in a savings account that you can tap out at any time. Water heater blows? J... |
Mid 30's, looking for what split I should have between Australian shares, International shares, property, cash, interest, bonds, options, etc. or maybe none of the above. What is considered to be a "safe" ratio and what are the slices of this pie made up of? |
What's the most conservative split of financial assets for my portfolio in today's market? |
Paying off the highest rate card first is certainly not a myth, it's the fastest way to pay off one's debt. So, I agree with Matthew's answer above.
Marcin - I would invite you to give a clear example where paying a lower rate debt results in a faster payoff.
The "debt snowball" (The concept of paying the lowest ... |
Ok, I know that this is a place for "personal finance," but I thought I might try asking anyway because of the quick responses I can get from this site. Can anyone explain to me how the board can sell Hicks/Gillets stake in the Liverpool FC club without their consent? I don't have any background in finance but lots of ... |
I have a different perspective. I believe the move to Roth *may* be beneficial to a select few, but not most, people. I coined the phrase RothMania as I believe that's what's happening. A relatively uninformed move based on fear and not enough analysis.
Let's look at a retiree today. A Couple has a $11,400 standard d... |
I'm having a clear out, to try to raise some funds to pay off some credit cards
I'm currenlty selling a PC on eBay, and have been contact by a few buys from Africa (Zambia if it makes any difference)
They seem incredibly keen to purchase my items, and are willing to pay whatever postage costs.
Being a bit of a... |
Selling items and exporting/posting to Africa, good idea or a potential nightmare? |
I've seen 6 months mentioned a lot, but in some of the information I've consumed I've heard that some people call their customer service as often as each month. I'm pretty sure they make notes on how often you call, and I'd hate for some stupid logging of my calls to lead to rejection.
I haven't started calling for... |
While I guess you can never tell for sure, I think it is a potential problem.
Why buy from you, ship it from the US when probably a similar computer is available nearer to them? I mean, this person is using a computer and the Internet somewhere, so it can't be that far to a new computer store. Certainly somewhere ... |
Mid 30's, looking for what split I should have between Australian shares, International shares, property, cash, interest, bonds, options, etc. or maybe none of the above. What is considered to be a "safe" ratio and what are the slices of this pie made up of?
Updating according to request from Answerers, sorry these ... |
My wife has already maxed out a Roth IRA for 2010. She just quit her job, and has a 401k from her former employer. Would I be able to roll it into a new Roth IRA even though she has already contributed the maximum for 2010. Do the contribution limits apply to rollovers? |
If I have already maxed out a Roth IRA, can I still rollover an old 401k into a Roth? |
My bank checking account allows me to get notifications/alerts for every check or withdrawal activity over a certain amount immediately. My credit card allows frequent balance notifications, but not purchase activities notification. Any recommendations for a credit card with better notification options? |
I've been reading that ATM skimming is a fast-growing and lucrative crime and consumers should be very careful. Normally I think the customer is limited to $50 liability if they report in 2 days, and $500 if they report within 60 days.
However, Bank of America has this "$0 Liability Guarantee" aka "Total Security P... |
I have a small long term gain of $1000 this year, and I'm thinking about selling some of my losers to offset it.
I have some long term losses and some short term losses that I could take (and then wait 30 days to buy back those stocks to avoid the [wash sale][1]).
I also seem to remember I might have some carry o... |
How should I deal with my long term gain this year? |
I don't believe in letting the tax tail wag the investing dog.
You have a stock you no longer with to hold for whatever reason? Sell it.
But to sell a loser, hoping it doesn't rise by the time you wish to re-buy it in 30 days is folly.
This effort may gain you $50 if done right. No, it's not worth it either way. |
It may be easier to open a bank account in a neighboring country to Croatia. Paypal has network in 190 countries. An [Italian][1] bank may have more favorable currency exchange fees from the Euro to the Kuna.
[https://www.paypal.com/worldwide/][2]
A possible alternative if you already have a Paypal account is to ... |
Do Roth IRA contribution limits apply to Rollover IRAs? |
I've seen 6 months mentioned a lot, but in some of the information I've consumed I've heard that some people call their customer service as often as each month. I'm pretty sure they make notes on how often you call, and I'd hate for some stupid logging of my calls to lead to rejection.
I haven't started calling for... |
I don't believe in letting the tax tail wag the investing dog.
You have a stock you no longer wish to hold for whatever reason? Sell it.
But to sell a loser, hoping it doesn't rise by the time you wish to re-buy it in 30 days is folly.
This effort may gain you $50 if done right. No, it's not worth it either way. |
Saw [this article yesterday][1] and thought about asking it.
> 1. Copy of your last will and testament
2. Deeds, titles and insurance papers for your house, car and other personal property
3. Birth and adoption certificates
4. Marriage and death certificates
5. Custody agreement and divorce decree... |
I've just been made aware that there are some items on my credit history that are not mine, the largest is for over $1000. I've never used a credit card or taken out a loan, so I can be sure they are not mine. What are the steps I need to take to resolve this? |
Is this a case where a relative with a similar name or roommate with the same address is getting confused for you, or a fraudulent act?
If it is the latter, in addition to the credit bureau stuff, you need to call your local police and get a police report filed. |
What tax benefits would I receive by changing my sole proprietorship to an LLC?
Can the LLC do things like own a company car? |
What can be used as a proof of income, for someone who was born, lives and works in Bermuda? |
What's the Bermudian equivalent of Canada's T4? |
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