Should You Consolidate Debt With 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers?

Consolidation Loans For People with Bad Credit With the new CARD act, a lot of card companies started to change their business models which helped in making zero percent credit card balance transfers a very rare commodity according to the wall street journal. But there are still a few and when properly executed, they can [...]

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Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/06/28/should-you-consolidate-debt-with-0-balance-transfer-credit-card-offers/

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Fiscal Cliff Deal Cuts Average Workers' Paycheck By $1,000

payroll tax hike with fiscal cliff dealThe tax package that Congress passed in the final hour of New Year's Day will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase, but almost every person will still see a hit to their paychecks.

That's because the legislation did nothing to prevent a reduction in the Social Security payroll tax from expiring. Social Security is financed by a 12.4 percent tax on wages, with employers paying half and workers paying the other half. That was reduced to 4.2 percent in 2011 and 2012, saving a typical family about $1,000 a year. In the deal, that tax break -- always intended as a temporary tax holiday -- was allowed to expire.

More: 2012's Silliest Ideas To Solve The Jobs Crisis

Workers earning the national average salary of $41,000 will be $820 poorer next year, with the cut greater the higher the salary up to $113,700. But Mike Brey, who owns four Hobby Works outlets near Washington D.C., told CNNMoney that it was the lower-wage workers who would really feel the pain.

"These are the people who can least afford it," he said.

President Obama pushed hard to enact the payroll tax cut for 2011 and to extend it through 2012, arguing that it would put money immediately in workers' pockets, easing some of the hardship among middle and lower-income Americans, and helping the economy recover. Most economists agree that the cut provided valuable stimulus, but it was never fully embraced by either party, and this time around, there was general agreement to let it expire.

Only the wealthiest Americans will have to pay a higher federal income tax though.The package passed Tuesday by the Senate and House extends most the Bush-era tax cuts for individuals making less than $400,000 and married couples making less than $450,000.

More: Employees Of Major Hollywood Studios Pirate Movies At Work

Americans above that threshold will see their income tax rate jump from 35 percent to 39.6 percent. High-earners will experience another tax bite this year because of Obamacare, which levies a new 3.8 percent tax on investment income for those making more than $200,000 a year and couples making more than $250,000.

"If you're rich, you're almost certain to get a big tax increase," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.

Many Republicans were deeply unhappy about the tax bump, and the negotiations exposed deep fractures in the Republican leadership. "It looked like they threatened to scuttle the whole thing," NBC's Chuck Todd said Wednesday about Republicans in Congress, "and they ended up helping Barack Obama raise taxes more than any Republican Party in a generation has helped anybody raise taxes, and they got nothing for it."

More: Lying, Unethical Executives: Is This How They Got Started?

Obama emphasized how the agreement protects the vast majority of Americans, who would have experienced a significant tax hike if all the Bush cuts had been allowed to lapse.

He said the deal "protects 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small business owners from a middle-class tax hike. While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country."

The income threshold covers more than 99 percent of all households, exceeding Obama's claim, according to the Tax Policy Center, and wealthier Americans will still enjoy the extended lower tax rate on the first $400,000 of their income.

"For most people, it's just the payroll tax," said Williams.

Claire Gordon contributed reporting.


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Source: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/01/02/fiscal-cliff-payroll-tax-paycheck-cut/

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Girls Down Their Drinks Faster Than Guys

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Who's partied the hardest this New Year's?

In some places, it may have been the ladies.

Male university students in Spain down more booze overall than their female counterparts, but in drinks-per-hour, the ladies are out-quaffing the guys, new research finds.

The study researchers, who interviewed 985 students at the University of Vigo in Spain, also found that women were more sedentary than men, and surprisingly high proportions of both sexes used illegal drugs.

American bingers

Estimates vary on how many American college students binge drink, defined by drinking five or more drinks in two hours for men and four or more drinks for women.

However, one in six U.S. adults reports binge drinking about four times a month, with an average of eight drinks consumed per episode, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Binge drinking is most common among 18- to 34-year-olds.

In the United States, mixed-gender housing fuels binge drinking, according to research published in 2009 in the Journal of American College Health.

Students in co-ed housing were 2.5 times more likely to binge drink weekly than students in single-gender housing.

Other research suggests that binging may be a way to feel a sense of belonging in schools where getting smashed is the norm. In one study presented in August 2012 at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, students at a liberal arts college in the Northeast often reported that they didn't want to binge, but felt it was linked with high status in the campus culture.

Booze and gender

In the new study of Spanish students, University of Vigo researchers found that 56.1 percent of women were binge drinkers, compared with 41.3 percent of men. The men still downed more drinks, on average, than women, but they did so at a slower rate.

Other health red flags among women included the finding that 51.2 percent were sedentary, or did not get the recommended amount of physical activity each day, compared with 41.7 percent of men. Among the students who managed to move the recommended amount of time each day, 38.6 percent of men deliberately made time to exercise, compared with only 20.9 percent of women.

Men were heavier drug users than women, however, with 44.9 percent of males and 30.9 percent of females reporting the use of illegal drugs. [10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction]

In most cases, the students' program of study did not make a difference in their health. However, women studying for education careers were much more likely to have disordered attitudes toward food than women in health-related fields, the researchers found.

About 19 percent of women in education had attitudes associated with eating disorders, compared with only 6.3 percent of women in health. Overall, 8.8 percent of men reported disordered attitudes toward food.

The researchers first reported their results in August in the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

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What You Can Sell to Gold Stash to Make Extra Money

An easy way to build some momentum with your emergency fund or debt snowball right now is to sell some stuff. (Or, with Valentine?s Day quickly approaching, get some extra money to go on a date with your spouse!) But don?t just look to sell the obvious stuff around your house like extra furniture and books. Have you considered smaller items like unwanted jewelry and collectors? coins you haven?t looked at in 15 years?

Gold Stash would love to pay you to get rid of that clutter. Really! Gold Stash is the only company of this kind that Dave Ramsey recommends you do business with.

Below are examples of the most common items Gold Stash typically buys. If you have an item not listed here and are unsure if they will take it, simply request a mailer and send it in at no charge to you.

Unwanted Jewelry
This includes bracelets, necklaces, charms, rings, earrings, cufflinks, pins and brooches?in any condition. Gold Stash accepts items made of gold, silver and platinum.

Silver Items
Gold Stash buys all types of silver, including jewelry, flatware and serving pieces. Silver has risen in value recently, so this is the perfect time to cash in with those items you no longer use.

Diamonds
Depending on the size of the stone, Gold Stash has the ability to resell items in their jewelry stores, Christian Taylor Jewelers. This means they are willing to pay more than other diamond buyers. The value of your diamond is determined primarily by its four C's: carat, cut, color and clarity. They can determine how much your diamond is worth once these four factors are known.

Additional Items
Depending on the specific stones, we may be able to compensate you for the precious stones in your items. Most precious metal items carry a stamp or hallmark indicating purity. If you are unsure about an item?s purity, send it in for a free evaluation. Their skilled professional precious metal buyers will examine each piece to determine the fair market value and either mail you a check or offer direct deposit.

If you are unsure about an item or it does not appear on the list, send it to Gold Stash for a free evaluation and they'll tell you how much it is worth. Or, if you prefer to talk to a live person, they are more than happy to assist you over the phone by calling 877.800.1077.

Convenient, Safe and Secure

Gold Stash makes it easy for you to make some extra cash from the comfort of your own home. All you have to do is package up the items you want them to buy and request a mailer. Because they use FedEx exclusively, you have the ability to track your package in transit from beginning to end. Each shipment is also insured up to $1,000, so you can rest assured your shipment won?t mysteriously be lost forever.

Why sell gold instead of buy it? Read what Dave says.

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/what-you-can-sell-to-gold-stash-to-make-extra-money/lifeandmoney_debt

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It Was A Very Good Year For Stocks

Since Monday is the last trading day of 2012, this week's article looks back at the past year, providing some statistics on the year as a whole, as well as stocks that were interesting for different reasons.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/12/31/it-was-a-very-good-year-for-stocks/

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Life's Necessities Could Cost You $3,794 More in 2013

These days, it seems most everyone buys most everything online. That's bad news for two reasons. First, the more sales tax deals Amazon.com (AMZN) signs with several states, the more likely you are to get hit with higher transaction costs on online purchases. And that's just the start. After you've bought an item online, you still have to get it shipped.

That's particularly distressing, because in December, both FedEx (FDX) and UPS (UPS) announced they're raising rates. FedEx says it's hiking the cost of shipping via FedEx Express by 3.9% on Jan. 7, and upping the cost of FedEx Ground service by 4.9%. Taking its cue, UPS said it will raise its own UPS Air rates 4.5%, and UPS Ground will cost 4.9% more.

Now consider that InternetRetailer.com estimated that the average consumer spent about $1,207 online in 2012. Consider further that although many online stores advertise their goods as coming with "free shipping," there's rarely such a thing as a free lunch. Generally speaking, when an e-tailer says it will ship something "for free," it means the shipping cost has been built into the item's price. That being the case, online shopping in 2013 could conceivably cost you $47 more than it did last year... just to guarantee FedEx and UPS their Christmas bonus.

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/01/02/lifes-necessities-could-cost-you-3-794-more-in-2013/

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Jim Cramer Nails It On Trading The Fiscal Cliff

Jim Cramer nails it.

Basically in the end, trading the fiscal cliff was pointless.

The S&P ended up the year huge, and if you tried to dart in and out on every headline, you were almost certainly a loser in the game.

imag

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The Cost Of Debt Consolidation

Best Credit Card Consolidation Companies Opting for a debt consolidation can be a great solution if you are looking for a way to settle your debts, get lower monthly payments or maybe low interest rates. Don’t just sign any documents without reading and understanding the terms. Be sure you have read every clause and you [...]

The post The Cost Of Debt Consolidation appeared first on legal debt help online.

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/06/30/the-cost-of-debt-consolidation/

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6 Habits of Confident Retirees

Most folks today have a low opinion of their retirement prospects. Few actually believe they?ll be able to retire before they?re 80, and even then they expect to work to supplement their retirement income. Another sad statistic: Approximately 75% of people in their 40s are actually more afraid of outliving their savings than they are of death!

In the midst of all this pessimism, there are many retirees who are confident that they have saved enough to live out their retirement comfortably. Why is their outlook so different? It isn?t that they know something most people don?t. It?s that they?ve taken action in ways most people never do.

Real-World Retirement Advice

A recent survey of more than 1,000 retired 401(k) participants identified six specific actions these confident retirees took as they saved for retirement.

  • 90% increased their 401(k) contributions when they were able.
  • 87% made the most of their 401(k) plan.
  • 84% estimated their retirement income needs before they retired.
  • 83% reviewed their retirement strategy on a regular basis.
  • 77% enrolled in their retirement savings plan early in their careers.
  • 73% saved the maximum about of money permitted by their 401(k) plan.

Boil it all down, and this is what you get: Save as much as you can for as long as you can, and be involved in selecting and monitoring your investments. It?s advice we?ve heard?and given before. And as these real-world retirees can confirm, it?s advice that works.

You Have the Power

The study points out that it?s hard to be confident about retirement when you?re not saving for retirement. That may sound obvious, but how many people do you know who worry about having enough money to retire but then admit that they don?t have a plan to save that money?

If you?re one of those people, you need to understand that your actions have more influence over your retirement success than taxes, stock market performance or nearly any other factor. Simply increasing the amount you save can result in a better retirement than almost any other action you can take.

Start Saving Today!

It?s a lot of pressure to know that the outcome of your retirement savings plan rests so heavily on your shoulders. That?s why it is important to work with an experienced investing advisor you trust to help you create a plan and implement it.

One of Dave?s investing Endorsed Local Providers (ELPs) will answer your questions and help you get started on a retirement savings plan you can follow through on. Contact your ELP today!

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/6-habits-of-confident-retirees/lifeandmoney_investing

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