What Do I Do With My Tax Refund?

It?s no secret that Dave doesn?t like tax refunds. Anyone who asks him how to use a refund usually gets a bonus lesson on how and why to avoid one in the future.

What Does Dave Have Against Tax Refunds?

So, why don?t you want a refund? Isn?t getting a chunk of money at tax time as good as getting smaller amounts throughout the year? No way!

The IRS estimates that the average tax refund was $2,900 in 2011?that?s a little more than $240 per month you could have brought home in your paycheck.

Your goal is to pay nothing at tax time and not get a big check back from the government. To do that, do some figuring now to determine what your taxes will be for next year. Fill out a new W-4 to have the proper amount withheld from your paycheck.

We recently asked our Facebook fans what they plan to do with their refunds. Clearly, some of you have learned the truth about tax refunds!

?What refund?? Steph Eisert asked. ?We don?t make interest-free loans to the Treasury!?

Cynthia Thompson said this is her family?s last year to get a big refund.

?This year, we?ll pile (our refund) up in the bank, Ramsey-style,? she said. ?Next year, we?ll make a few adjustments so we?re not giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan!?

Don?t Blow It

Like Cynthia, you need to have specific plans for your refund. Here are some ?Ramsey-style? suggestions:

Attend Financial Peace University ? Use part of your refund to register for a local Financial Peace University class. This 13-week course has taught more than one million families how to live like no one else by saving, giving and living debt free. Consider it an investment in changing your family tree.

Work the Baby Steps ? Any chunk of money should go directly into your current Baby Step. Finish or replenish your emergency fund, pay some debt, or save it for a large cash purchase, like these Facebook fans:

?This year, I?m using my tax refund to break up with Sallie Mae,? Melanie Boughton Steinhouser declared.

?In years past we would have just blown it,? admits Alicia Ann Medina. ?This year we are putting it toward our emergency fund.?

?(I?m going to) save to buy my first cash car and get out of a car payment!? Christine Bourdeaux said.

Give Like No One Else ? If you?ve made it to Baby Step 7, use your tax refund to give like no one else, like Facebook fan David Jackson and his wife. Their refund is going to pay for a mission trip to Costa Rica.

?It?s the first time we have ever been able to go on one together!? he said.

Take Care Of Business

If you?re expecting a refund this year, a tax professional can help you be sure you get all that?s coming to you. Then, you and your tax professional can determine what adjustments you need to make to keep more money in your paycheck. Dave?s team can put you in touch with a tax services Endorsed Local Provider today!

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/what-do-i-do-with-my-tax-refund/lifeandmoney_taxes

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Gorgeous Vintage Photos Of The Legends Of Jazz


jazz

The iconography of jazz, with its dark rooms and cigarette smoke clouds, would not be the same without jazz photography. And jazz photography would not be the same without William P. Gottlieb, who documented the jazz scene in New York and Washington, D.C., from from 1938 to 1948.

His book The Golden Age of Jazz collects 219 of the primarily black-and-white photographs he took during that decade, but there are so many more. The Library of Congress has just released all 1,600 of them for public consumption on Flickr, and what a treat they are.

We've chosen 15 of our favoritesa hard taskbut recommend you scroll through the Flickr page to get a sense of them yourself. You can also find interviews with Gottlieb about his work on The Library of Congress website.

Gottlieb's photographs, like the paintings of Caravaggio, vividly capture the dramatic darks and lights of their environment.

Geoff Dyer, author of the jazz book But Beautiful, wrote: "The best jazz photographs are those saturated in the sound of their subject." If that is true, then Gottlieb, who died in 2006 at the age of 89, took some of the best jazz photographs there are.

Nat King Cole, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1947

Sidney Bechet, Freddie Moore, and Lloyd Phillips, Jimmy Ryan's (Club), New York, N.Y., ca. June 1947

Louis Jordan, Paramount Theater(?), New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946

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Did Kate Upton Deserve The 'Sports Illustrated' Cover? Meet The 17 Other Hopefuls


Chrissy Teigen Kate UptonChrissy Teigen was robbed.

We would like to personally speak with whoever nominated Kate Upton for the highly-coveted cover girl position for this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

We won't comment on what we think of this Anna Nicole doppelgänger's roots or barely-there bikini, but just watch this video and we think you may see where we're coming from.

We get it, she's all-American, she's the hot girl in high school or the popular party girl in college and she has huge…

But have you seen her competition? They are a lineup of 17 other dark and exotic, blonde, red-headed, golden goddesses. And we would like to argue that every single other one is a better cover girl choice than Kate Upton. (Seriously, check out this lineup.)

But especially Chrissy Teigen.

She cooks (she has a deep-fryer on each coast, for cooks sake!). She actually eats the food she makes (like these oreo chocolate chip cookies) and then blogs about it. She skewers celebrities on Twitter. She has two bulldogs (who have their own hilarious Twitter accounts) and tweets about their bathroom habits. She's engaged to singer John Legend and wants "everybody drunk" at their upcoming wedding.

Chrissy Teigen, we're smitten. And for those keeping track at home, model Izabel Goulart (slide 11) is our personal pick for runner-up—and yes, we took their personalities in the following videos into consideration, as well.

But Teigen and Goulart are just two of 17 hotties to get the boot off this year's Sports Illustrated cover.

Chrissy Teigen

Adaora

Alyssa Miller

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3 Reasons Team Members Fail

As a small-business owner, it?s one of the most stressful, traumatic decisions you?ll ever have to make. At some point in your career, you?re going to have to step into the ugly shoes of The Donald and fire someone. What?s even more tragic is that in many cases, letting someone go should never have happened in the first place.

As Dave teaches in EntreLeadership Master Series Lesson 5, there are a number of reasons why team members don?t make it, and most of them don?t have anything to do with their abilities or attitude.

Reason #1: Leadership Breakdown

According to research from the Employment Policy Foundation, more than 25% of new hires will fail before the end of their first year at a new job. Another 25% will bomb in the first 18 months. The reason for these flops? Many times, it?s staring right back at you from the mirror. You (or your leaders) are the problem. Before firing anyone for underperforming, ask yourself:

  • Did you hire the right person for the job? If not, can they shine somewhere else in your organization?
  • Was the person given an outlined job description (Key Result Areas) defining in detail what winning in that position looks like?
  • Was the team member correctly trained and properly mentored?
  • Was the team member given all the tools to win?

If you answered no to any of the above questions, then your team member may well be on their way to walking out the door for no reason other than poor leadership.

Reason #2: Personal Problems

One of the driving philosophies at Dave?s company is that ?people matter,? including his team. So if a member of his staff is experiencing a personal problem that is causing them to fail at their job, Dave always errs on the side of grace. ?You?ll never have regrets that way,? Dave says.

When dealing with a team member?s personal problem, first assess how big it is, and then how you can assist them. Many times, Dave will pay for professional help for a member of his team who is going through a crisis. Once you?ve evaluated the situation, make plans to ensure their job is covered while they heal or recover. At some point, though, you must see some incremental progress from the person or you will have to re-evaluate their position.

Reason #3: Incompetence

Has anyone worked for you who simply couldn?t get the job done? If they just need training or a mentor to help move them forward, that?s an easy fix. But if their incompetence is due to character or behavioral flaws, like lack of integrity or laziness, that?s a whole different kettle of ineptitude. They should immediately be released.

Before you pull the trigger and fire someone, consider the reasons why they are not working out. And then, fix the problem before you lose someone who?s worth keeping. It?s always worth the effort.

To learn more about business, team building and leadership, download our newest EntreLeadership Podcast. You?ll hear more from Dave, as well as a special question and answer session with two of his team leaders: Chris LoCurto, vice president and host of the EntreLeadership Podcast, and his producer, Chris Mefford, vice president of Live Events.

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/3-reasons-team-members-fail/lifeandmoney_business

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Credit Card Debt Consolidation Vs Debt Settlement Programs ? What Option Is Right For You?

Credit Card Debt Consolidation Vs Debt Settlement Programs – What Option Is Right For You? Credit card debt consolidation and debt settlement programs are two options for consumers seeking debt relief. So what option makes more sense for your financial situation? Credit card debt consolidation allows consumers and small businesses to trade their high interest [...]

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/02/16/credit-card-debt-consolidation-vs-debt-settlement-programs-what-option-is-right-for-you/

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