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Personal Finance : Business & Finance

How to Prepare a Simple Family Budget

Families can use a financial budget to open up communication regarding current spending habits and financial goals. The budget is a tool to help identify areas where spending is not aligned with the financial objectives and help families get their spending on track. Creating a budget should involve

Native American Engineering Scholarships

There are several scholarships that aim to correct the historic under-representation of Native Americans in scientific fields of study such as engineering. The primary source for nationally available Native American engineering scholarships is the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. In

The Distribution Rules for Individual Retirement Accounts

All IRA withdrawals must be reported on your taxes.tax forms image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.comThe U.S. Congress first authorized traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs) in 1974 under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It introduced Roth IRAs more than 20 years...

How to Wisely Save Money for Retirement

The best way to save money for retirement, most experts agree, is to pay yourself first out of every paycheck. That way you can't spend it! A target proportion to save is 10-15% of your gross income. This takes discipline and vision, but it separates the will haves from the won't haves.

Is VA Disability Taxable Income?

No matter what branch of the military you serve in or for how long, chances are that your tax filing will be impacted by your service. Whether you are receiving combat pay or a disability pension benefit, you can rest assured that your pay won't be treated as ordinary income. These tax treatments ar

Can I Contest an Irrevocable Trust?

An irrevocable trust is not an incontestable trust. If a court recognizes you as having standing -- a stake in the actions of the trust -- you can contest an irrevocable trust just as if it were a revocable trust or a will. If you prove your case, a judge may agree to terminate the trust or invalida

Are Term Vested Employee Deferred Benefit Plans Exempt in Bankruptcy?

Thanks to the 2005 bankruptcy reform law, most pension and retirement plans are exempt in personal bankruptcy cases. The 2005 law made plans with up to $1 million (adjusted every three years for inflation) exempt in personal Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. Some states allow people filing for bankrup

How Often Can I Rollover an IRA?

An IRA rollover occurs when you move funds held in an IRA to a new IRA held at a different financial institution. The Internal Revenue Service's tax code limits the frequency with which you can conduct certain kinds of IRA rollovers, but in some instances you can move your funds between IRAs as freq

Lee Byers 5 Reasons to Buy Gold

Gold is a secure and easy investment that should comprise a percentage of anyone's investment portfolio. While buying gold in the physical form of coins and bars is the simplest way to go, there are ...

What Is a Countersignature of Checks?

Countersigning means adding a signature to a document that has previously been signed by someone else. The purpose of countersigning a check is usually to cash it or to deposit it.

Why Is My Bank Account Still Showing No Balance After a PayPal Transaction?

PayPal is an online payment method used by many merchants, as well as individual sellers and buyers of online goods and services. It allows you to send and receive money, as well as make payments or purchases online using funds in your PayPal account. Some people prefer to use PayPal as it does not

Government Grants for New Homebuyers

Your new house may be elligible for government grants.house image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.comApplying for grants after the purchase of a home can provide a financial boost.Some of these grants are specific to the home, the buyer or the purpose for which the home will be used....

How to Track Medical Bills

When you have a lot of medical bills, simply tracking methods can prove inefficient. This method of tracking your medical expenses requires you to continuously sort through the bills to determine what's due and the amount that's due. By using technology to track your medical bills, you can view each

How to Hide Personal Information in Yahoo! Chat

If you want to hide your personal information while using Yahoo! Chat, you can do so by creating an alias. This nickname doesn't reveal any personal information such as your location, email address or real name. After you create your alias, you can select it in Yahoo! Chat before entering a chat roo

IRS Qualifications for Disability Withdrawal From an IRA

The Internal Revenue Service does not have qualifications for an early withdrawal from an IRA. One of the rules governing individual retirement arrangements is that the beneficiary of the account have access to the funds anytime. However, since these funds are meant for distribution at retirement o

How to Get a Free Credit Rating Report

Keeping an eye on your credit is important for many reasons. The information it contains can affect your life in many different ways, from buying a house or new car to applying for a job or even renting an apartment. There are three major credit reporting agencies -- Equifax, TransUnion and Experian

Illinois Education Grants

As of 2011, the Illinois state government offers nine separate grant programs to Illinois students through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Most ISAC grants are reserved either for students who are Illinois residents or for students who plan to establish Illinois residency. Some Illinois