My husband and I are moving and we’ve been scouring Craigslist ads to buy our furniture. We currently live in a shack and are upgrading to a two-bedroom townhome, so we need items to fill up the space, but we’re still two newlyweds on a budget that don’t have a lot of money to splurge on high-end furniture.
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Want to Start a Home Business? 3 Things You Need
June 13th, 2011 
Miranda Marquit The recent recession, and the current concern over what’s next for the economy have many people wondering how they can make their finances a little more secure. One way to do this is to improve income diversity with the help of a home business. Before you start a home business, though, it’s important to make sure that you have what you need.
The Best Credit Score to Buy a Car
June 6th, 2011 Miranda Marquit
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When you go to buy a car, you want to get the best deal. While getting a good deal does rely on your negotiating skills to a certain extent, getting the most bang for your buck also includes getting a good interest rate on your auto loan.
Credit Card or Debit Card: Which is Better?
May 16th, 2011 Miranda Marquit
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One of the biggest debates in the world of personal finance is whether it is preferable to use a credit card or a debit card. Of course, there is no standard answer. As with all issues in personal finance, whether you should use a debit card or a credit card comes down to your own preferences and your financial goals.
How to Set Up a Joint Bank Account
May 2nd, 2011 Miranda Marquit
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One of the financial questions you have to answer when you are part of a couple is this: Should we open a joint bank account? The answer, of course, has largely to do with personal preference. My husband and I find that there are benefits to having a joint account.
What are Taxes, and Why Do We Need Them?
April 25th, 2011 Miranda Marquit
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Last week, many of us paid taxes, or filed a tax return for taxes overpaid throughout the year. This time of year often prompts many to wonder why we need taxes, and figure out what they are used for.
What are Taxes?
What Is Private Mortgage Insurance? (PMI)
April 25th, 2011 Tushar Mathur Carrying a mortgage is customary for most homeowners. It’s rare indeed when someone can actually pay cash for a house. It’s generally hard enough to come up with the money for a down payment. In fact, it’s not all that rare for people to buy a home with very little cash up front – but when a lender allows someone to take out a mortgage with little money down, they need to protect themselves.
The Top Twelve Investing Mistakes
September 10th, 2009 Tushar Mathur
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Mistake # 1. Buy and hold mutual funds
This strategy lost money over the last 10 years. ETFs, Modern Portfolio Theory and semi-annual rebalancing worked beautifully. You were able to capture gains of NASDAQ 2000, real estate 2005, clean energy 2007, DOW 2007 and more!
Mistake # 2.
12 Different Taxes That Americans Pay
April 10th, 2008 Tushar Mathur
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1) Income Taxes
Whenever some one things of taxes they usually think of federal income taxes first. That is because between Federal and State taxes some Americans loose as much as 35% of their paychecks to income taxes.
2) Business Taxes
Also known as corporate taxes, business taxes are direct taxes levied on the profits of businesses.
6 Steps to a Successful Small Business
February 14th, 2008 Tushar Mathur
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A few days ago, I finally followed through on what I have been meaning to do for a very long time….form an LLC to expand my business of websites/blogs. I have called it ATA Consulting LLC. The reason I have given this name is because ‘Consulting’ is a very broad category and thats why I’m not limited to just websites and blogs.
8 Steps To Setup a Business/Merchant Paypal account
February 10th, 2008 Tushar Mathur After reading the book How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not? I’m totally committed to setting up my own business. One of the requirements for that is to have a business account with someone like Paypal, because its very easy to handle all your online invoicing and payments.
Mortgage Escrow – To Do Or Not To Do
November 17th, 2007 Tushar Mathur
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First, let me answer the 2 basic questions about Mortgage Escrow.
What is an escrow?
An escrow is when you include your taxes and insurance with your monthly mortgage payment.
How does Escrow work?
1. Buyer, seller and the Escrow Agent sign the escrow agreement.
2.
Closing On Your First Home: What to Expect at the Closing Table
November 12th, 2007 Tushar Mathur
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I’ll be closing on my home next month and, I think, I have everything under control. But I’m still getting anxious about the whole deal. So, what am I anxious about?
* Buying a house. The biggest investment I have ever made.
* 20% down payment.
Saving For Kids College Education
September 14th, 2007 Tushar Mathur
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My daughter will be turning 2 in January. So for my wife and I, its time for us to start planning for her college. Should we go for a College 529 plan, an Education IRA or a Regular Investment account ? What should we do?
Features that Lower The Resale Value Of Your Home
September 12th, 2007 Tushar Mathur According to Bankrate, the 10 things listed below that “DECREASE” the value to your home. Based on my recent purchase of a new construction single-family home, I have added my comments for each of these items.
1. A Pool
Personally, I’m not too fond of having a pool in my backyard, mainly because of the maintenance costs.
10 Features That Add Resale Value To A Home
August 11th, 2007 Tushar Mathur According to bankrate, the 10 features listed below add a lot of value to your home.
Based on my recent purchase of a new construction single-family home, I have added my comments for each of these features.
1. An updated kitchen
When we visited the model home, we really liked the granite counter tops, new appliances (that got me excited too!), lot of cabinets for storage, and an island in the center of the kitchen.
