Michael on March 31st, 2008
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With just over two weeks remaining until April 15, millions of Americans are attempting to come up with as much money as possible to contribute to their IRAs.
You: Why now?
You have until April 15, 2008 to make a 2007 IRA contribution. Yet, like everything else we were supposed to do yesterday, we procrastinate as [...]

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Michael on March 28th, 2008
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It’s Friday, so it’s time for this week’s reader-submitted Q & A. If you’d like to submit a question, click here for more information or simply email a question.
Hi. Perhaps you can help me with some specific advice? I’ve been following the standard rules for the past decade:

Get out of debt. [...]

Continue reading about Friday Q & A: Gearing up for a big transition

Michael on March 26th, 2008
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I was chatting with an old friend yesterday and–I swear I am not making this up–we started talking about how to know if you have a good tax preparer.
You: Are all your conversations this pathetic?
During normal business hours?
You: What? Oh, wow.
The topics may seem uninteresting, but a different take on a mundane matter [...]

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Michael on March 24th, 2008
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The Carnival of Personal Finance went live this morning featuring my article “Your Problem Isn’t Starbucks.” The carnival features dozens of the best blogger articles in personal finance from last week. As usual, I’ve boiled it down for you:
My favorite article from last week’s carnival is Just Say “NO” To Crap! Cleverly written, [...]

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Michael on March 21st, 2008
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Based on the strong response, there’s definite interest in adding a Q & A element to this blog. Read more about the new Q & A feature, but the short answer is to email your questions and I’ll answer some of those based on originality, usefulness to other blog readers, and my general mood [...]

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Michael on March 20th, 2008
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Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Shelly Banjo, author of the “Starting Out” Column for The Wall Street Journal. We discussed the intricacies of tax and gift law when borrowing money from your folks at below-market interest rates. I’ll spare you the arcane details and cut to the [...]

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Michael on March 19th, 2008
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Financially speaking, we’re a country of idiots. Despite spending billions educating our children, we fail to provide some of the most important and basic of life’s lessons. For me, money, nutrition, and relationships are the most critical but neglected topics. Unfortunately, I have no credibility to write about the last two—my love affair with homemade [...]

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Michael on March 18th, 2008
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On the theory that most people won’t create customized news pages for themselves, Alltop aggregates the top blogs and news services in several categories. Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck was recently selected as one of their key sources for personal finance information. Check out the Alltop personal finance site. Now, you won’t need [...]

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Michael on March 17th, 2008
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You’ve got complicated questions? We’ve got straightforward answers.
Effective immediately, we’ve created a new email address for you to send your questions: questions@totalcandor.com
Since the reason we gather here is to learn about money, try to keep your questions related to one of the following topics:

Saving Strategies (How do I?)
Debt Management (Credit cards, mortgages, credit scores, etc.)
Investing [...]

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Michael on March 14th, 2008
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In about two months, millions of Americans will receive a check from Uncle Sam.
You: How much will I get?
That’s a subject for a future post.
You: Should I save it or spend it?
That depends on your overall financial situation. But more than likely, your check represents a rare opportunity to increase your savings [...]

Continue reading about Will the fiscal stimulus actually stimulate?