Money Hacks Carnival #60: The File Your Tax Return Edition

Welcome to the 60th edition of Money Hackers Carnival.  Being on April 15th, what not more fitting than making it The File Your Tax Return Edition. Be sure to file your taxes or else face the wrath of the IRS.

A Little Housekeeping:

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Editor’s Picks

First, I have to mention the only three tax posts that were submitted in honor of the “Tax Return Edition”:

• Sun presents File Tax Extension Electronically for Free posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.
• Jeff Rose presents What Happens When You Don’t File Your Tax Return posted at Good Financial Cents
• Patrick presents How to File a Tax Extension posted at Cash Money Life
• Certified Financial Planner presents Debt Consolidation Loan posted at Good Financial Cents.

And the rest of the editor picks:

• PT presents How to be a Millionaire: As Explained by a 4th Grader posted at Prime Time Money.
• Kyle presents Suburban Dollar – Upromise College Savings Review posted at Suburban Dollar» Suburban Dollar: Personal Finance Blog from a Suburbanite’s Perspective, saying, “A look at the Upromise college savings accounts.”
• Pete presents Government Making Home Affordable Refinance And Loan Modification Program: Do I Qualify? posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “The government’s new “Make Home Affordable” program can help you to refinance and get a lower rate!”
• Flexo presents Helping Your Parents With Their Finances posted at Consumerist Commentary.

Career

• Ralph Jean-Paul presents Building Self-Discipline posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “The most disciplined business people are usually the most organized, efficient and successful. Learn to build self-discipline in your personal and professional life and see the difference it will make.”
• TStrump presents Can You Be Too Nice? posted at The Strump – Financial Blog, saying, “Working in an office, it’s always important to be courteous and professional. But, can you be too nice?”
• Margaret Garcia presents 100 Resources for Laid Off Employees and Job Hunters posted at Construction Management Degrees.
• FMF presents Six Steps to a Six-Figure Income (You Really Only Need Two) posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “There are really only two steps needed to get to a six-figure income.”
• Olivia presents Getting Hired: How to Write the Perfect Resume posted at IndependentBeginnings.com.

Debt & Credit

• Kate Kashman presents Regaining Control of Your Credit Cards posted at The Paycheck Chronicles, saying, “If you’re still carrying credit card debt, you need to make sure that you are in control of it! Don’t let the credit card companies get more of your money than they’ve earned.”
• Credit Shout presents Best Gas Credit Cards posted at CreditShout.
• Pinyo presents How To Transfer Credit Card Balances posted at Moolanomy.
• Raj Patel presents The Awesome Power of Compounding Interest posted at DebtGoal.
• jim presents How to Pick the Best Credit Card posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
• ChristianPF presents Reverse Mortgages: Advantages and Disadvantages posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “We have all heard the bad with Reverse mortgages, but could there be some benefit?”
• Mr Credit Card presents Credit Card Refunds posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Prevent Identity Theft: Some Credit Report Monitoring Services and Options posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks! New to your site, and it’s great! ”
• Brian McKay presents Home Equity Loan posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, “A home equity loan is a fixed-rate loan with a fixed payment schedule based on the available equity in your home. You receive your loan money all at once and then pay it back in predictable, fixed monthly payments”

Economy

• freefrombroke presents Sell Then Buy posted at Free From Broke, saying, “With the way the economy is we are making sure to sell our home before we buy another!”
• Len Penzo presents Is It Finally Time to Get Rid of the Penny? posted at Len Penzo . Com, saying, “In 1857 the US government finally got rid of the half-cent piece. Here are several reasons why the penny is officially living on borrowed time…”
• The Financial Blogger presents Is The Economic Crisis Responsible For The Fall of Automakers like GM and Chrysler? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “recession is a blessing as it gives the market the opportunity to clean up bad companies that destroy wealth of shareholders.”

Frugality & Saving Money

• Mark Foo presents Managing Your Money The Rich Way posted at The Big Dreamer.
• Jason presents How I Saved $936 in Less Than 30 Minutes Online posted at Automatic Finances.
• Travis presents Create your own Easter Baskets posted at Christian Money Mountain, saying, “Save Money and Make Your Kids Love You More by Creating Your Own Easter Baskets.”
• FitBuff presents 3 Easy Vegan Recipes posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, “Eating out is expensive, and most people are looking to cut costs anywhere they can right now, so give these quick and easy vegan recipes a try for a fun and inexpensive meal for the entire family…”
• Peak Personal Finance presents 3 Smart Personal Finance Tasks You Are Probably Putting Off posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, “Why not start today!”
• RJ presents Successful Financial Habits posted at Our Financial Planner.
• Clare Kierans presents If You’re Broke and You Know It, Do These Four Things posted at MoneyEnergy.
• MoneyNing presents Everbank Review posted at Money Ning, saying, “EverBank is one of the best banks and it offers a very high rate with its money market account and even checking account. You should check it out.”
• My Life ROI presents Good Shopping Habits Make Cents posted at My Life ROI, Getting the Best Return On Life, saying, “I use a lot of different sites to try and snag deals. I am a chronic researcher and find it hard to make purchases without researching them for weeks, sometimes months, on end.
• Tiffany Colter presents Free Webinar coming, but until then? posted at Hidden Leaks, saying, “Coupons can be a valuable tool to stretching your dollars, but sometimes they cost more than you think. Find out when you should use them and when you should leave them at home. Plus, sign up for free webinars and get more money-saving tips!”
• Aryn presents How My Parents Taught Me about Money posted at Sound Money Matters.
• Charlie Peters presents Insider Restaurant Secrets That Save You Money posted at Pay Less For Food.
• Wren Caulfield presents Forget Coin Rolling: What I do when the piggy bank gets full posted at True Adventures in Money Hacking.
• Chance.pfsr presents Quicken Deluxe 2008 posted at Personal Finance Software Reviews, saying, “Thanks for considering my post. It’s a very detailed review of Quicken Deluxe that many people might find very helpful.”
• Money Blogger presents Turning Off The Financially Irresponsible Mindset posted at Another Money Blogger, saying, “Thanks for taking the time to consider my post.”
• Mike G presents Ten Ways To Save on Printing posted at Money TLD, saying, “I’ve compiled ten tips for saving money on printing. Many are definitely non-obvious!”
• George presents Banking Your Savings posted at Fat Pitch Financials, saying, “This post provides a basic overview of how to save cash and bank it away.”
• One Family presents Kids Video Game Software and Consoles – An Introduction for Frugal Families posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “A comparative review of frugal alternatives to popular but expensive hand-held video game console offerings from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.”
• PFCreditCards presents Cost of Wells Fargo Business Checking vs EverBank posted at PF Credit Cards, saying, “I’m done with Wells Fargo. No fees, high interest rates, same hassle free as traditional banking. EverBank is for me.”
• Barry presents Buying Groceries From Auctions posted at Associate Money.
• Pamela Grundy presents Grocery Store Loyalty Cards: Savings or Trouble? posted at Personal Finance Analyst.
• Matt @ StupidCents presents A Frugal, Cheap Lunch Always Wins | StupidCents posted at StupidCents.

Income

• vh presents Financial Records: Keep them forever! posted at Funny about Money.
• passive family income presents 6 Benefits of Passive Income not Related to Money posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “Benefits that passive income can bring other than making money.”

Investing

• Walter W. Fouse presents 7 Ways to Pick the Best Noload Mutual Funds and ETFs posted at Best No Load Funds, saying, “The vast body of investment research studies show that there really are better approaches to buying and owning mutual funds and ETFs. You do not need to frantically chase fund performance. Performance chasing simply does not work.”
• Tallahassee Real Estate presents How To Make An Offer In Today’s Real Estate Market posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “Regardless of who is receiving the offer, there is a definite plan one should follow if attaining the property at the best price is the primary goal. Too often, I see buyers and agents alike making amateurish mistakes that end up costing them the home that they wanted to buy.”
• Richard M. Rothschild presents The Top 14 Low Cost Taxable United States Bond Mutual Funds (Low Minimum Deposit) posted at Bond Market Index Funds, saying, “The top 14 low cost taxable US fixed income funds with a $10,000 or lower initial deposit. Low investment management fees are very important with fixed income funds. Simply put, if you pay higher bond mutual fund fees, then these bond management expenses tend just to be a deadweight loss to you. When you pay more in bond mutual fund fees, you are just wasting your money.”
• Stock Trading Brokers presents SEC Considers Proposal for Uptick Rule posted at Stock Trading Brokers, saying, “Bring back the uptick rule. There was actually no harm done when it was there. When it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Now that people have shed light on it, of course there are criticisms.”
• Dividends4Life presents 10 Dividend Stocks That Excelled In March posted at Dividends Value, saying, “For many investors, the glass is always half full. Even in the darkest of times, they always see the bottom just around the corner and it really doesn’t take much good news to get them into the buying mood. The month of March provided those investors with a lot to celebrate, and they did!”
• Dan at Everydayfinance presents Best CD Yields in April 2009 posted at Everyday Finance, saying, “This article shares the highest current CD yields available from around the country, including special offers.”
• Darwin presents Colombia ETF – A Return to Supercharged Frontier Market Returns? posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “This review of a newly launched Colombia ETF considers whether the 2000%+ returns we saw in Colombia’s only US-traded ADR are a predictor of the broader ETF performance when the global economy recovers.
• Ripe Trade presents Ripe Trade: Leveraged and inverse ETF pitfalls posted at Ripe Trade, saying, “This post explains the underperformance of leveraged and inverse ETFs because they are designed to track the underlying index based on a 1 day performance, these ETF’s wont track well over longer periods of time.”
• J. Savings presents Brokerage Roth IRA’s are where it’s at baby! Yesirrr… posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “Wanna pick up cheap stocks and afraid you’ll start day trading? Check out a Brokerage Roth IRA!”
• Investing School presents Etrade vs Tradeking vs Zecco – Trading Commissions Comparison posted at Investing School, saying, “Have you written Etrade off just because the commissions are higher? Is Zecco or TradeKing better? This takes a look at these three stock brokers on a fees comparison.”
• Dorian Wales presents Stock Surges Are Usually Unexpected – How To Make Sure You Won’t Miss Out posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “Historical market data explains why many investors, including myself, missed on the recent surge in stock prices”
• The Smarter Wallet presents S & P Index and Crude Oil Market Trends: Next Steps? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”
• Summer Munyon presents How To Construct A Well-Written Real Estate Offer posted at Really Better Real Estate, saying, “This weekend I received a text from a friend whose Tallahassee home I recently sold. She plans to place an offer on a home in TX this weekend and wanted to know the binder amount that she should place on the home. Literally, the text states that the list price is $350,000. She plans to make an offer of $300,000, and how much binder should she offer? Unfortunately, it’s far more complicated than a numeric reply with the “send” button.”
• VC presents When Will The Economy Turn? posted at The Penny Daily, saying, “What direction is the economy going in? This article discusses how you can tell if the economy has been past the worst or not.”

Other

• d. ninja presents Emergency $100 in your wallet….no thank you! posted at Punch Debt In The Face, saying, “Thanks for hosting!”
• Ray presents Organizing Your Finances-Financial Planning Basics posted at Financial Highway, saying, “A very important part of financial planning is organizing your finances. This post goes over some tips and ideas for organizing your finances.”
• Chris Holdheide presents Readers Story: Milton Hayward Scam Ripping Off People posted at stumbleforward.com.
• Twenties Money Magazine presents 5 Pieces of Advice for 20 somethings posted at Twenties Money, saying, “5 tidbits of advice for 20 somethings from finance bloggers over 30.”
• Money Beagle presents Do You Have A Backup Plan? posted at MoneyBeagle.
• Rob presents Google PowerMeter posted at Energy Saving Gadgets, saying, “The Google PowerMeter underscores, why a company like Google is head and shoulders above a company like Yahoo! It’s called innovation. Google does it; Yahoo! doesn’t.”
• The Dough Roller presents Get Your Green On–13 Energy (and Money) Saving Gadgets posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “The technology that is available today is quite remarkable, and many green gadgets can not only lessen our impact on the environment, but also save money.”
• Madison presents Free Garmin nüvi GPS from KeyBank posted at My Dollar Plan.
• Miss M presents The First Time Home Buyer – Welcome Home posted at M is for Money.
• Diego Cervantes presents What Everyone Ought to Know About the ‘World Currency’: What Geithner Really Meant, SDRs and More posted at Bankling.
• Michael Haltman presents Mark To Market Eased: Making A Silk Purse From A Sow’s Ear? Example Included posted at The Political and Financial Markets Commentator, saying, “These are complicated products that even the banks themselves, save for a few of the quants that created them, could either explain or describe. Products created with and about most every type of esoteric financial product available. Products with bid/ask spreads wide enough to drive a truck through. Products so illiquid that they may never trade and therefore can’t be priced yet that allow the firms selling them to make huge money on them. You get the gist.”
• debt kid presents Getting a Mortgage After Foreclosure Not So Simple posted at DebtKid.
• Matthew Paulson presents How to Get a Lower Rate on Your Mortgage posted at American Consumer News.
• Debt Freedom Fighter presents Looking for a Way to Repair a Bad Credit Score posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.
• Savings Toolbox presents How to Get the Best Mortgage in Today’s Market posted at Savings Toolbox.
• American Entrepreneurship presents Tips to Reduce Business Credit Card Debt posted at American Entrepreneurship.
• Leave Debt Behind presents Quick and Easy Ways Your Teen Can Make Money posted at Leave Debt Behind.
• Shaun Connell presents The Case for Buying Gold posted at Financial Planning, saying, “Buying gold is a polarizing investment. I know several people who are putting all of their current investments into gold out of fear of runaway inflation in the next few years. Others are scoffing at the idea, and think this is the perfect time to buy stocks, not metal.”
• Tushar Mathur presents Getting finances in order posted at Everything Finance, saying, “Keeping organized records is a gift to your family and to yourself. It helps ensure that your wishes are followed, that your assets are accounted for, and that your money is available to meet your family’s needs in a timely fashion.”
• marjorie presents 5 Job Hunt Tax Deductions You Can Take posted at Wealth Junkies, saying, “If you found yourself looking for a new job in 2008, you have an opportunity to take some major tax deductions before April 15. There are a few conditions, of course. You can’t be currently employed and looking for work — and you can’t have taken a long chunk of time off between your last job and your new one. You also must itemize your job hunting expenses in order to claim them, and complete a Schedule A. Read on to find out which job expenses you can deduct and what you need to do to get those deductions.”
• C. E. Dowalt presents President Obama: Groveler in Chief posted at Money Confidential.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of money hacks carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.