Healthy Financial Habits

If you are interested in selling your scrap gold jewelry online and getting the most money possible, then you have come to the right place because Healthy Financial Habits has you covered.


Selling your scrap gold jewelry is an excellent way to make money with very little effort. Most of us have broken or unused scrap gold jewelry laying around our homes that can be converted into cold hard cash. The process of selling gold jewelry online is very simple. All you really have to do is choose a buyer online and send them your gold along with a little information.

Before you send your gold to an out of state buyer you want to be sure that the person that you are dealing with is trustworthy and reputable. Be sure to question them prior to giving away your precious metals. You also want to know how much your scrap gold jewelry is worth. Knowing the worth of your gold will prevent you from getting scammed. Here is a quick 4 step way to determine how much you should expect from your gold jewelry:

1. Know your weight – Weigh your piece and write down its weight in grams
2. Know your Karats – A karat is a measurement of gold purity. This is usually stamped on the piece or can be found on an attached tag
3. Know the current price of gold – this is important. Check with Healthy Financial Habits daily to determine how much gold is going for
4. Use the following formula developed by Healthy Financial Habits to determine your gold value:

Scrap gold value = ((Karats/24) * weight in grams) (Current price per gram) (.80)

Now that you know how much you should expect for your gold, you can send your gold off and know about how much you will be offered. If you do not like the offered price you can usually have your gold jewelry shipped back to you.

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

Picking the perfect tax filing service doesn’t have to be very difficult if you know what you are looking for. The problem with selecting a free online tax service is there are so many websites out there that want you to use their service to prepare your taxes. Choosing a filing service that meets your needs can be as easy as checking the Internal Revenue Service website for a list of authorized tax preparers or performing a search using a search engine.


There are many reasons why you should file your taxes online electronically. Online filing is fast, secure, and easy to do. Perhaps this is why nearly 95 million American taxpayers used online filing last year. Filing your taxes online offers the advantage of receiving a response from the IRS within 48 hours. Depending on the refund cycle, you may be able to receive your refund electronically in as little as one week.

You should choose a software the meets your needs and avoid spending money on software that exceeds your needs. Many websites offer a simple federal e-filing web based filing program that will prepare simple taxes in no time for free. If your taxes are a little more complicated then you may want to upgrade to the next level which is often referred to as the basic package. These can range in price from $10 – $25 and will meet the needs of most working class American tax payers. There are bigger and better packages available that can cost as much as $100. These packages have all the bells and whistles and often come with live phone or email support.

Choosing a tax filing software is something that nearly 100 million Americans will do between now and April 15th. You should have no problem finding a cheap tax preparation service to file your taxes. If you are having issues finding one, check out the IRS website for a complete list of authorized e-filing programs. They have also included a search feature to help narrow down your choices.

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

You may have noticed that your minimum payments have increased in recent months since The messiah Obama enacted the CARD act earlier this week. The new legislation puts tight restrictions on the misleading practices of the credit card companies, tightening down the clamps and restricting the free market. As a result the credit card industry is fighting back in a big way. Just how big are we talking here? Have you looked at your credit card statement lately?


Credit card companies are doubling and even tripling your minimum payments, slashing credit limits and raising interest rates, adding to the many worries that millions of Americans already have. The law, which went into effect on Monday, is having a rippling effect across the nation as we see creditors doing whatever they have to in order to survive.

What can you do if your minimum payments have become so high that you are unable to pay them each month? The answer may be as simple as debt consolidation. There are plenty of companies out there that are willing to take on your debt and give you a lower monthly payment. Remember to check out all of your options and it’s always a good idea to consult with your financial advisor before making any decisions.

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

As the debate over the health care bill continues in congress, many senior citizens are still left wondering how the proposed bill will affect them and their health benefits. Many seniors believe that the reform will cause them to hand over some of their health care benefits that they worked so hard for to younger financially struggling Americans.


The summit ended yesterday with a threatening statement from the president as he told congress that if he could not get bipartisan support he would try to push the bill through anyway. He made a statement that referred to the use of reconciliation by passing the bill with only 51 votes.

“If we’re unable to resolve differences over health care, we will need to move ahead on decisions” were the president’s words

President Obama’s intentions of the summit were to unite democrats and republicans together to talk about this bill in a civil manner. He repeatedly said that he did not want a meeting of democrats and republicans trying to score political points. Today’s summit quickly turned into a political point battle – despite his efforts.

Are you an elderly senior citizen and have concerns over the health care bill? Healthy Financial Habits would like to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below.

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

Are you trying to sell an old or broken piece of 14k gold jewelry but don’t know how? You can easily sell your jewelry to many gold buyers across the nations who are competing each day to get their hands on your scrap gold jewelry.


Since your gold piece is 14k, this means that it is not pure gold. Fourteen karat gold actually contains only 58.3% pure gold. Everything else within is just filler metal. When it comes to selling gold for scrap, you will only take into account the weight of your pure gold.

Let’s take for example a 14k ring that weighs 8 grams. The scrap value of this piece would be about $168.48. We arrive at this value by taking the current price of gold per gram which is $35.48 and multiplying it by the weight of pure gold which is 4.66 ounces. We further discount the piece by 20% because of the refinery cost. Healthy Financial Habits has developed a formula for calculating the price of scrap gold:

Scrap gold value = ((Karats/24) * weight in grams) (Current price per gram) (.80)

You can calculate the value of any gold piece by using this formula.

Once you know the value of your gold you will be in a better position when it comes to selling your gold to a buyer. The last thing that you want to do is speak with a gold buyer not having any idea what your gold is worth.

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

There are many tax credits this year that can put money back into your pocket. Among these are the making work pay, first time homebuyers, energy star savings, and the American opportunity tax credit. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ARRA you are able to take advantage of many tax credits that are being offered for the 2009 and 2010 year.


The American Opportunity tax credit is available to anyone who attended a degree or certificate program last year for at least half of the year. You can claim the credit if you, your spouse or one of your children attended school last year. The credit allows you to deduct up to $2,500 for expenses such as books, tuition and fees, and other materials.

You are able to take a credit up to $2,500 but only $1,000 is actually refundable. This means that if it comes down to it and you are going to receive a tax refund; you will only be able to access $1,000 of this credit as a refund.

In order to qualify, you, your spouse, or dependant must have attended school at least half time in an attempt to receive a degree or certificate. This credit is only available to students in their first four years of school. Sorry graduates. In addition, you or the person claiming the credit can not have any felony charges.

There are many tax credits and deductions available this year thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment act. Healthy Financial Habits will keep you updated this tax season with lots of ways to save you money on your taxes.

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

Did you know that you are able to claim a huge tax credit if you earn a lower income and have children. The federal government is looking out for the American people when it developed the Earned income credit. You may be wondering if you qualify for the earned income credit. Healthy Financial Habits is here to give you the inside scoop on what the earned income credit is and how you can qualify.


The earned income credit was designed to help out working families that earn a lower income. It is a tax credit that is refundable and can put hundreds or thousands of dollars back into your pocket depending on how many children that you have and how much money you make.

The earned income credit will give tax filers a credit of $457 if you have no children and your adjusted gross income is less than $13,400. If you have one child and your income is less than $35,463 you could qualify for a credit up to $3,043. If you have two children then the credit increases to $5,028 with an income max of $40,295. Finally, if you have 3 or more children and make less than $43,279 you may be able to qualify for a tax credit in the amount of $5,657. Also, if you are filing jointly, the income limits are all increased by $5,000.

To find out more information on the earned income tax credit, check out the official IRS website. Healthy Financial Habits is here to give you tax tips and make you aware of all of the great tax advantages that are available to you this year.

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

The time of year has come to look over your tax situation and decide how you are going to handle preparing your taxes this year. Millions of Americans have the same question every year – How can I save the most money on my taxes and receive the largest, biggest, fattest check? The answer to the question that everyone wants to know is that you have to take advantage of all the great tax deduction or tax credits that the IRS allows us.


This year, Obama created the American Recovery and Reinvestment act which has allowed many Americans to write off deductions and take credits that will put some much needed money back into our pockets. There are several items, besides those contained in the act, that reduce your tax liability and increase your refund amount. Here are a few tips that you may have not known about that will reduce your tax bill.

- Take a credit worth up to $2,500 if you, your spouse or child attended a higher learning institute for half of the year while trying to receive a degree or certificate

- If you purchased a home last year and were a first time homebuyer you may be eligible to take a credit for up to $8,000.

- Do you earn a low income? You may qualify for the earn income credit that is worth up to $5,657 depending on your income and number of children

- Take a credit up to 30% if you installed select energy star products in your home last year. This only includes select items and does not include installation cost

- You can claim a credit of up to $12,150 if you adopted a child last year. The credit covers money that you spend in the process of adopting your child.

There are many ways to save money on your taxes this 2009 tax year. It is always a good idea to check with a qualified tax accountant before filing your income taxes.

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

It has been an ugly week for gold prices as we watched the precious metal drop off since Monday. Today, the price of gold is up as the dollar index is showing signs of falling off. We are also seeing investors buying back recently sold gold positions.


Yesterday, we heard the United States Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke give a speech which indicated that US interest rates will remain low in order to ensure at full economic recovery. When interest rates remain low, this makes money easier for everyone to obtain and ultimately causes the dollar to lose value. The inverse is true when it comes to higher interest rates.

With interest rates remaining low, the value of the dollar may be rescued by another possible long term rating downgrade of Greece. Standard and Poor announced yesterday that Greece’s score may be downgraded again, this time a notch or two.

The dollar is currently down .10 to 80.75 while gold remains above the $1,100 mark at $1,105.97 per ounce – up $9.57 from yesterday

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

Do you want to get the most money on your tax returns this year? The answer to this question is obvious and does not require much thought. Take a look over this 2009 list of tax deductions for individual taxpayers and see if you can minimize your tax liability by writing off some of these deductions.


The making work pay tax credit was issued to just about every person who was employed last year by reducing the amount of taxes that was taken out of your paycheck. The credit, equivalent to $400 for individuals and $800 for couples may have been noticed on your paycheck.

- The educator’s expense allows you to write off a portion of any education expenses that you incurred for yourself, spouse, or children.

- Write off mortgage interest, points paid on purchase of a new home, and interest paid

- Take advantage of energy star tax credits that were offered if you purchased energy efficient appliances

- Receive a credit of up to $8,000 if you were a first time homebuyer last year

- Write off medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of your income

- Write off state sales tax if you purchased a new vehicle last year

- deduct any charitable contributions given out during the year

- Write off student loan interest up to $2,500

- Write off job related moving expenses

- Deduct job seeking expenses such as interviewing attire

There are hundreds of tax write offs and deductions that you may be eligible for. Your best option would be to consult with a tax adviser who can answer all of your questions and could end up ultimately saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars on your taxes.

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