Healthy Financial Habits

With only hours away from the Olympics closing, many people from around the world want to know what time does the winter Olympics closing ceremony start. After several weeks of vigorous competition, the 2010 winter Olympics will come to a close starting at 8:30 eastern time on NBC.


The athletes from around the world will make an appearance, showing viewers all around their gold, silver, and bronze medals. Also appearing tonight will be several celebrities including Celine Dion who will perform during the closing ceremony. It is expected that several other Canadian celebrities will make an appearance.

Some wonder how the closing ceremony will compare to the opening ceremony with amazing visual effects and sound. Tune in tonight and see for yourself what everyone has been talking about this past week.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: John Zinsky

We are less than an hour away from the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympic closing ceremony. The question that many people from around the world want to know right now is when does the 2010 winter closing ceremony begin?


The closing ceremony will start tonight at 8:30 PM Eastern standard time on NBC. Tune in tonight to see performance for a variety of Canadian artist such Celine Dion. Olympic winners will also show off their medals that were awarded during the Olympic games.

Tonight’s closing ceremony is expected to be just as or even better than the opening ceremony when it comes to visual effect and choreography.

Today’s Olympic Games closed out with Canadian victory in men’s hockey.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.
Author: John Zinsky

Gold prices rose today on the New York Mercantile exchange after better than expected economic data for Asia and Europe lowered the dollar index and gave the precious metal a chance to shine. Gold is down slightly in the India market.


The USD gold price is currently at $1,117.60 an ounce – up $9.30 while the price per ounce of gold in India is down 39.42 an ounce to 51325.92.

Gold prices in India have been showing an upward trend as they have seen a high demand from ornament makers recently.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Abdullah Patel

Applying for a reverse mortgage, also known a home equity conversion mortgage, could be a smart choice if you are retired and need a little extra income to help pay your medical bills and other expenses. A reverse mortgage is a safe option for individuals over the age of 62 who need a little extra cash each month.


A reverse mortgage loan is offered to individuals who are over the age of 62 and who are also homeowners. With a reverse mortgage loan, you can begin to receive monthly payments fast and with little to no risk. You are probably wondering exactly what a reverse mortgage is and how it can help you.

Just as the name implies, a reverse mortgage is like having a mortgage paying you instead of you paying a mortgage. It works based solely on the current equity in your home and your age. There are no income requirements to meet with a reverse mortgage. All of the money that you receive is tax free and will not affect your Medicare or Medicaid.

In order to qualify for a reverse mortgage you must first meet the age requirement of 62. Once you have met the age requirements, you will have to apply to see how much you will be able to receive. This is calculated by taking several factors into consideration.

Getting a reverse mortgage can be a smart choice if your home is paid off or nearly paid off. If you still owe a lot of money on your home and your home value has tanked (as many have in the state of Florida) then you may qualify for a reverse mortgage, however, you will likely receive a small amount of money each month.

With a reverse mortgage you get to stay in your home and never have to pay a mortgage payment as long as you live in your home. If you were to move or pass away the loan amount would become due and your heirs will have the option to pay off the loan and capture any remaining equity as cash.

Bankers will usually give you 40%- 70% of the value of your home in either one lump sum or a monthly payment for the rest of your life. They are able to do this because they calculate the amount that you received based on your age. The younger that you are and the less of an equity position that you have in your home, the less that you will receive each month because lenders understand that you will probably be around for many more years to come.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Carla Kessler

As inflation rises, purchasing gold may be the best financial decision that you can ever make. Gold is well known as a hedge against inflation and if you want to protect your financial future then investing in gold coins could be the way to go.

Here are a few gold facts for you:


For thousands of years gold has been highly valued and has never been valued at 0. Gold has been a popular choice not only in the United States but also in many foreign countries around the world. Gold has nearly tripled in value in the past 10 years and continues to rise today. As you can probably tell, gold is just as important today as it was several thousands of years ago.

A popular choice among gold investors is the United States American Eagle gold coin. The reason why this is such a popular choice among investors is because it is the only gold coin that is guaranteed by the federal government to have an accurate weight and purity. When it is backed by the United States government you can bet it’s pure.

You can purchase these coins in several weights, manufacture dates, and purities. A common coin is the one ounce American Eagle. These beautiful coins have found their way into many homes across the United States and around world.

You can find these coins at your local collectors shop, on the internet, or even on E Bay. If you are really looking to get a good deal on your American Eagle gold coin perhaps the best place to look would be on Ebay, Here you will find an auction that is open to the public and often offers discounted deals on these coins. Be sure to check out your seller’s ratings and comments in the feedback box. The last thing that you want to do is get stuck with a fake gold coin and end up eating the cost.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Abdullah Patel

Tax tables or tax charts are very useful when it comes to filing your 2009 tax returns. The tax system is designed so that tax rates vary according to your filing status and the amount of gross income that you received during the 2009 tax year. Your gross income is figured after you subtract your deductions and take any additional tax credits that you may qualify for.


The way that the United States Federal Government operates the tax system is they progressively increase the percentages of federal income taxes that they require as your adjusted gross income increases. As the saying goes – “the more you make the more they take”. In essence, the individuals who earn the least amount of money during the year pay the least in taxes while the folks who earn the most amount of money are subject to a higher tax liability.

Taxes rates range from 10% all the way up to 35% for higher income earners. The amount that you pay in taxes will vary depending on whether you are filing a single or joint return.

If you are single and make less than $8,350 per year, you may not have to pay any federal income tax at all. Single tax filers who earn between $8,350 and $33,950 fall into the 15% bracket for the 2009 year. Individuals who earn a taxable income between $33,950 and $82,250 should expect to pay 25%. If you are single and your taxable income is between $82,250 and $171,550 then you will pay a hefty 28%.

For more information on tax tables and tax rates for married filing jointly, married filing separately, single, and head of household, check out your instruction booklet that came with your income tax form.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Greg Jackson

Are you looking for free printable 1040 1040ez or 1040a forms for your 2009 returns? Preparing your taxes using paper forms is still preferred by many American filers who are not comfortable using the internet to file their taxes. Whether you are filing a simple return or need all the necessary forms and worksheets for filing a 1040, you don’t have to look very far to find what you need.


The Internal Revenue Service has an official website that gives you all the information that you need to do your 2009 taxes this year. This is also the best source for finding downloadable tax forms and publications at no cost. There are several websites out there that would like you to visit their site in order to find these forms. The best place to find everything that you need is directly from the source – the IRS.

Using the IRS website is easy to do because they feature a search box at the top right of the website. This is where you want to enter the form or publication that you are looking for. Once you perform a search, you will be well on your way to getting the tax form that you need at no cost.

The IRS website offers all of their forms in Adobe format which requires Adobe reader in order to open. Adobe reader is nothing more than a program that opens your tax form file and allows you to print your document. Most recently purchased computers will come with Adobe pre-installed. If you do not have Adobe you can download a copy for free at the Adobe website.

Getting your tax forms online is easy when you go straight to the source. Check out all of the great information and forms available at the official IRS website.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Mike Smitt

Is your high credit card unsecured debt causing problems in your life and you want help? Maybe you are finding it difficult to sleep at night because you owe so much money. Healthy Financial Habits has a simple plan to help get you back on track with your finances.


Becoming deeply indebted to creditors is an easy thing to do when credit card companies basically handed you a piece of plastic that provided instant gratification when it comes to making purchases. You spent $2,000 on that vacation last year and another $800 when your car broke, then another $4,000 on a set of jet skis and the next that you know you are buried up to your neck in credit card debt. You eventually reach a point where you are unable to pay the minimum payments and are actually considering filing bankruptcy.

If this sounds like you, then you may be one of the millions of Americans who are suffering from extremely high credit card balances due to fallen victim to the credit card industries games. The truth of getting out of credit card debt is that is sometimes not as easy as calling an 800 number to consolidate your debt. These debt consolidation services are sometimes helpful in some cases but there is one important thing that you must do that will greatly increase your chances of getting out of debt.

What you have to focus on is how you became in debt in the first place. It is quite possible that you are in debt because of living a lavished lifestyle. If this is the case then the solution to your problem is obvious. You must decrease your standard of living by downsizing and selling off all the items that you purchased in order to help pay off your debt. When you downsize, you will have extra income that can be applied to paying down your debt.

I know what you are thinking – This is easier said than done. While this may be true the first step to getting out of debt is recognizing that you have a problem overspending and correct the problem. The only way to correct this problem is by stopping the debt cycle.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: John Zinsky

Once again, it is time to dig deep for all of those receipts and brace yourself for another surprising tax bill that you are about to receive. Preparing your 2009 federal and state income taxes can be a difficult task if you are still filing your taxes using the traditional paper form method. There is an easier way to do your taxes this year and every year. We are talking about electronic tax preparation and just about anybody with basic computer knowledge can do it.


While filing your taxes online, you may have become confused by all of the tax filing software out there that claims to give you the best possible price on preparing your taxes using their site. There are a lot of good tax preparation sites out there that will get the job done at a reasonable price. Getting a reasonable price on your tax service is all dependent on how complicated your tax situation is.

Many websites offer free federal filing for individuals with simple tax situations. These free filing programs are usually more than adequate for a simple filer such as an individual who works and has no investments, credits, or deductions that they want to claim. Free programs are in fact free for federal filing, however, you will have to pay a fee anywhere from $10 up to $30 if you would like to electronically file your state returns.

Besides the free packages, many e filing websites offer other all inclusive packages that range in price from $14.95 up to $100.00. Once again, what is considered a “cheap” package will vary according to your individual tax needs.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Allen Dukes

Are you trying to figure out how much you are going to receive on your taxes this year without completing a tax form? Tax calculators are an excellent tool for estimating your taxes and are useful when trying to calculate how much your return is going to be.


There are many calculators available for free from a variety of tax preparation websites. These calculators use an interactive guide to walk you through the process of entering your tax information. You are able to view statistics, meters, and gages that let you know your progress and give you an idea of how much your return is going to be with each step. These tax calculators can be an extremely helpful tool for someone who wants to get a quick idea of how much they should expect on their returns without being required to enter any personal information.

Just about anybody with basic computer knowledge can use a tax calculator. These online programs require no special tax preparation or computer knowledge. They are user friendly and can be used by mom, dad, grandpa, or even grandma. All you have to do is enter your basic earnings and use the deduction finder to find ways that you can save money on your taxes. Once you have calculated about how much you will receive on your taxes, you can often transfer your information into a tax program. This eliminates having to perform double data entry.

It is important to remember that these calculators and estimators are only a tool to estimate your taxes and are in no way intended to replace filing an income tax return.

What do you plan to do with your tax return this year? Healthy Financial Habits wants to know. We have created a poll located at the bottom right of this page. Here you are able to vote to let us know how you are going to spend your money and also view the poll results.

Author: Abdullah Patel