Financial Planning
Finances for the Freelancer
Budgeting and financial planning are great ideas, but how in the world do you budget or plan when you don't know from one month to the next how much money you're going to earn? You have months at a time when you earn very little money, and then during the prosperous months you're busy playing financial catch-up - and then comes another tough time...Do your Budgeting with Targeted Bank Accounts
A lot of people hate budgeting, or just plain refuse to budget, thinking it unpleasant and restrictive. Actually a good financial plan, including a budget, puts you in control of your finances, rather than the other way around...Say No to Loan Insurance
When a borrower goes to a bank or other lending institution for a consumer loan, whether an unsecured personal loan, a car loan, or a mortgage, the lender always asks the borrower to initial a section which provides loan insurance in case of death or disability-at a fee, of course. If you become disabled or die and therefore cannot pay the loan payments, the insurance will pay them for you in the case of disability, and pay off the loan in case of death. Many borrowers agree to the insurance without a second thought, some with the idea that it's required in order to get the loan...Contract Workers: You Still May Be Eligible for Workers' Comp
If you work as a contract worker for a U.S. company and you get injured on the job, you may be eligible for workers' compensation in spite of your official worker status...Disability Insurance: An Important Part of Social Security
When most people think of Social Security, they think of the retirement program: Pay into it for the forty years or so you're in the workforce, and you're guaranteed a certain level of income at retirement...Targeted Credit Card Offers, Designs Attract New Users
Organizations from book clubs to non-profits are getting into the credit card business, offering incentives such as books, tote bags, and other freebies for signing up.Need Your Receipts for Tax Purposes? Photocopy them!
Thanks to the newest technology, cash registers and credit card machines can print out receipts containing a wealth of information, including a detailed description of the items purchased, the date and time purchased, the price, any discounts, and even the store's return policy and warranty information....Legal Advice
When Hiring a Lawyer, It's Important to Find a Specialist
The days of the legal generalist are over. While there are still lawyers who offer to do any kind of work that comes their way, the complexity of the legal system and the complicated lives we all lead almost require that prospective clients shopping for a lawye...Won a Hefty Settlement? Here Comes the IRS!
Your lawyer has worked hard for you and won you a hefty settlement and you're feeling pretty good. But before you pop the cork on that champagne, you'd better familiarize yourself with tax laws, and particularly the Alternative Minimum Tax law.Get It in Writing - the Parol Evidence Rule
I love "Judge Judy"! Her ability to cut through the malarkey and skewer the wrongdoers is just amazing. Among the little life lessons that get repeated again and again is, "Get it in writing!"A Different Approach Needed for Malpractice Reform
The 109th Congress took as one of its favorite causes the issue of tort reform, passing legislation that severely limited an injured party's right to sue and collect damages, and there is an ongoing debate on further restrictions on the ability of people to sue.