This is a guest post from my wife, and features a story I’ve come to look forward to updating every summer: the tale of two entrepreneurial girls.

Last weekend I explored Portland’s beautiful Eastmoreland neighborhood during its annual 140-family garage sale. In the past, I’ve come away with major bargains, but this year I had to be content with enjoying the first day of summer with a couple of friends. We admired the homes, gardens, and assorted cast-offs of the well-to-do.

Many of the adult garage-salers were raising funds for charities. Sidewalks and curbs were also strewn with young entrepreneurs selling their wares: homemade cookies (still warm from the oven), beaded jewelry, rice-krispie treats, iced bottled water, and grilled hotdogs.

Over the past two years, J.D. and I have had fun meeting one pair of entrepreneurial sisters who rise above the run-of-the-mill baked goods and soda. I was pleased to see them once again. In 2006 they were selling jokes:

Last year they were selling stock tips:

My friends and I each bought a cup of lemonade, which we downed while questioning these young businesswomen about this year's products. The elder girl was selling bottle-cap magnets — each individually created and carefully crafted — at two price points. She told to us some of her inspirations, and compared the relative strengths of the magnets. (The one dollar bottle caps had stronger magnets than the seventy-five cent magnets.) She was proud of her creations, but, like any good salesperson, she didn’t oversell. I selected one with a cancelled 26-pence Queen Elizabeth stamp and moved on to see what her younger sister was selling.

The younger girl had created two issues of a neighborhood newspaper: The Lofty Times. Typed on an actual typewriter (without correction tape!), the publications bear phonetic misspellings and creative punctuation, but are brimming with enthusiasm and real journalistic gusto. We purchased a copy of each issue, did some negotiating to arrange limited re-print rights for Get Rich Slowly, and exchanged email addresses. Here’s a sample story from The Lofty Times, reprinted by permission of 8-year-old author Grace:

the Eastmorland goroge sail

Thouthins of peaple look forwerd to this moment in Eastmorland it is the garage sale! A man named Jared Seger is selling different parts of a house, such as windows, doors, and other things.

In th past years my family has allways gone big on the garagesale. one year DAD beleave it or not bot a hool stack of inapropryite gossap maggaseens, it was hollywood gossap and lemenaid, every year it was a tradishon to have lemenaid.

Other years were forchentelling, jocks, stack priceed, and so many more things that even if I tried, I probly could not name them all! this year is going in a todaly different path. AT ages of 8 and 10, my sister and I have lerned so many things, I, as you can see am making my newspaper. Madeline is making bottlecap prodex.

I have many, many good thouts about the garagesale, I hope you do to.

The girls and their mother gave us a crash course in their annual entrepreneurial endeavors. Their parents loan them seed money for the projects, which the girls must pay back from their profits. Any profit is theirs to spend. With parental support and guidance, these sisters are well on their way to understanding the value of money and the joy of making and selling their own goods — as well as knowing how to stand out in a crowd!

I’m sure that it would be easier for these parents to just give their daughters spending money, but they know that the lessons learned here are priceless and the extra efforts worthwhile.

My friend Rhonda and I later discussed the merits of each girl’s choice:

• The magnets clearly had higher start-up costs, but broader customer appeal.
• Yet the newspapers were well-worth the cover price for entertainment value.
• Both projects showcase the imagination of the creators.

I wish I could eavesdrop on these girls as they consider, reject, and perfect ideas for each year’s merchandise. And I hope that by the end of the weekend, Grace and Madeline were both sold-out! May they return next year with their contagious entrepreneurial spirit, and Bravo, parents!

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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:

• Accidental Entrepreneurs Turn Hobbies Into Livelihoods
• Resources for Would-Be Entrepreneurs
• Some Thoughts on Discouraging Materialism in Children
• Sponsor Get Rich Slowly for Blogathon 2006
• Marketing Affects How Children Perceive Food

Everyone loves a good tax tip. And now that tax season is in full swing, the IRS and other experts have started to issue tip after tip after tip. Here?s a recap:

Getting a jump on your taxes long before the April deadline is the best tip of all. To do so, the IRS recommends gathering your records in advance, including W-2s and 1099s. In addition, the IRS recommends getting the right forms, all of which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the IRS Web site. That site also has some helpful calculators to get you started.

That being said, tax payers should avoid getting too early a jump on their taxes. With the preferential qualified stock dividend rate, complicated foreign tax credits, lower capital gains rates and other changes over the last few years, many investors are finding that they receive Revised 1099s, or other tax reporting documents, well into March. If you?ve already filed your return, this can lead to costs of re-filing an amended return that you may wish to avoid. The best bet may be to get your tax return all completed, and then hold off filing it until the end of March, to see if any amended 1099s arrive.

Of course, keeping organized, thorough records is the key to filing on time. The IRS suggests that you can avoid headaches at tax time by keeping track of your receipts and other records throughout the year. Good record-keeping will help you remember the various transactions you made during the year and help you document the deductions you?ve claimed on your return. You?ll need this documentation should the IRS select your return for examination. Normally, tax records should be kept for three years, but some documents ? such as records relating to a home purchase or sale, stock transactions, IRA and business or rental property ? should be kept longer.

To be sure, some citizens wonder whether they need to file a tax return. According to the IRS, you must file a tax return if your income is above a certain level and that amount varies depending on filing status, age and the type of income you receive. For example a married couple, under age 65, generally is not required to file for the 2006 tax year until their joint income exceeds $16,900. Even if you do not have to file, the IRS notes that you should file to get money back if Federal Income Tax was withheld from your pay, or you qualify for certain credits.

It?s also important to choose your correct filing status, of which there are five options. According to the IRS, your federal tax filing status is based on your marital and family situation. It is an important factor in determining whether you must file a return, your standard deduction and your correct amount of tax.

Besides choosing the correct filing status, it?s important to calculate whether you should itemize deductions or not? And that will depend on how much you spent on certain expenses last year. According to the IRS, money paid for medical care in excess of 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI), mortgage interest, taxes, charitable contributions, casualty losses and miscellaneous deductions in excess of 2 percent of AGI can reduce your taxes. If the total amount spent on those categories is more than the standard deduction, you can usually benefit by itemizing. The standard deduction amounts are based on your filing status and are subject to inflation adjustments each year.

Also of note, if you gave any one person gifts in 2006 that valued at more than $12,000, you must report the total gifts to the IRS and may have to pay tax on the gifts (if, including prior taxable gifts, in excess of your $1 million lifetime exclusion). The person who receives your gift does not have to report the gift to the IRS or pay gift or income tax on its value. Gifts include money and property, including the use of property without expecting to receive something of equal value in return. There are some exceptions to the tax rules on gifts.

In some cases, a taxpayer may want to consider using a paid tax preparer. If so, the IRS has tips on its Web site to follow. Of note, only attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in all matters including audits, collection actions and appeals. Although you might not find that you need the services of a paid CPA or accountant every year, having a relationship established when unexpected opportunities or events occur will make getting timely professional input that much easier. Someone who knows your income and deduction patterns, and can quickly answer routine questions or research the more complicated issues, may well be worth the price ? even in the years when things seem straightforward.

When completing your tax return, make sure that you take your time, double-check your math and verify all Social Security numbers. Math errors and incorrect Social Security numbers are among the most common mistakes found on tax returns.

And remember, if you are getting a tax refund, consider making an automatic contribution to your IRA; this is the first year that this can be done.

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As I mentioned on Monday, May brought the highest numbers of visitors this site has seen so far.  I decided to take a look at what people were most interested in over the course of the month.

Tracking your stimulus check was the most popular article, there must be a lot of people waiting to get their rebate money.

Gas prices are obviously on everyone’s mind, the topics of riding the bus to save gas money, different ways to save gas money commuting to work, and the best gas credit cards were popular with readers as well.

The series on personal finance issues for college graduates has garnered alot of interest from former college students entering the working world for the first time this summer.

People are getting ready for their summer trips and have found the saving money on vacation series useful in making their preparations.  This one is only partially complete with several more articles on the topic coming up soon.

With high gas prices, people must be looking for more in home entertainment. Saving money on online movie rentals with a free trial of Blockbuster Total Access was another popular one for the month.

Here are some of the more popular articles from The Money Writers during the month of May:

• Investing in the Stock Market Over the Past 10 Years: How Did Dollar-Cost Averaging Fare?
• how to make money without a job and why you should
• Frugal Tips I Can’t (or Won’t) Do
• Save Money on Gas Tips from Consumer Reports
• The Future of Personal Finance Tools
• Is Investing In Rental Property A Good Move?
• Why your Retirement Account is NOT an Emergency Fund

In a clear sign the federal government is far more concerned about the financial health of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than its public comments indicated as late as Friday, the U.S. government Sunday night announced what some are calling a “massive aid” package to the two shareholder owned and run companies officially cementing a government relationship that till now was only implied but never admitted to.
According to a Reuters dispatch, the plan, which will require swift approval from Congress, is designed to “head off a potential meltdown in financial markets.”

Here’s what the government is offering Fannie and Freddie:

1. Access to its emergency cash–the so-called discount window
2. A huge “temporary” increase in the line of credit available
3. The U.S. Treasury will, for the first time ever, purchase equity in both companies should it be needed
4. Investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission to stop the spread of “false information.”

Both Fannie and Freddie are vital to the housing market–they buy mortgages from banks and other lenders and either keep them or repackage them into securities that are sold to investors.

“Welcome to the socialist state”

Strong words from some critics are already greeting the government plan. Josh Rosner, the managing director at Graham Fisher in New York told Reuters, “It’s outrageous. It’s offensive. Welcome to the socialist state. In capitalism, winners are supposed to reap rewards and losers are supposed to take losses for bad risk management. These are private companies.”

But others are deeply concerned that should Fannie and Freddie fail–though they both say they are well capitalized–the shockwaves would cause a financial meltdown world-wide.

The most troubling part of the government plan,perhaps, is the possibility the Treasury might buy equity in Fannie and Freddie. Some critics charge this could end up costing taxpayers enormous sums of money.

It will be interesting to see whether Wall Street gives the plan a thumbs up or thumbs down during Monday’s trading.

Here are 2 more articles worth reading:

• Government as the Big Lender
• Treasury Acts to Save Mortgage Giants

Advertisement: Real Estate Investing Forums Discuss real estate, network, or learn about investing on our forums!

This Post is from the BiggerPockets Real Estate Blog. Copyright © 2008 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

FEDS BAIL OUT FANNIE AND FREDDIE; EMERGENCY MEASURES TAKEN

Kris and I went grocery shopping this weekend. We stopped at Bob’s Red Mill — a local health-food store — to use some “buy one, get one free” coupons. “You can get anything you want,” Kris told me, “except hot cereal.”

“Why can’t I get hot cereal?” I asked. “I love hot cereal.”

“I know,” Kris said. “But you buy it all the time. You buy it faster than you eat it. Just last week, you bought another box of that blueberry oatmeal from Trader Joe’s. You never remember what we have at home. You need to shop with a list.”

She has a point.

A shopping list is a useful way to remind yourself what you do and do not need to purchase. But most frugality experts emphasize shopping with a list because it prevents impulse purchases. Impulse purchases wreck grocery budgets. In Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, Paco Underhill writes:

Supermarkets are places of high impulse buying for both sexes — fully 60 to 70 percent of purchases there were unplanned, grocery industry studies have shown us.

More than half of all grocery purchases are unplanned! No wonder creating and sticking to a list can bring down grocery costs.

But that’s not the only way to save money at the supermarket. Over the past two years, I’ve published a lot of tips for saving money on your grocery bill. Some of these have been obvious — others less so. All of them can help you save at the supermarket. Here are some of the best:

Make a list — and stick to it.

This is the cardinal rule of shopping. The list represents your grocery needs: the staples you?re out of, and the food you need for upcoming meals. When you stray from the list, you?re buying on impulse, and that?s how shopping trips get out of control. Sure, a magazine only costs $5, but if you spend an extra $5 every time you make a trip to the supermarket, you waste a lot of money.

Compare unit pricing.

The biggest package isn?t always the most cost-effective. Stores know that consumers want to buy in bulk, and so they mix it up: sometimes the bulk item is cheaper, sometimes it?s more expensive. The only way you can be sure is to take a calculator. Our grocery store posts unit pricing for most items, which makes comparisons easy.

Ditch the basket or cart.

If you’re dashing into the supermarket to pick up milk and bread, don’t use a basket. Baskets induce people to buy more. If you’re limited to what you can carry, you’re more likely to avoid impulse purchases. Only use a basket (or shopping cart) if it’s absolutely necessary.

Don’t examine things you don’t need.

The more you interact with something, the more likely you are to buy it, says Paco Underhill in Why We Buy: “Virtually all unplanned purchases…come as a result of the shopper seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting something that promises pleasure, if not total fulfillment.” Do you know why grocery stores place those displays in the aisles? To intentionally block traffic. They want to force you to stop, if only for a moment. It only takes a few seconds of idly staring at the Chips Ahoy! to convince you to buy them. Stay focused.

Live on the edge.

Health-conscious shoppers know that the perimeter of the store is where the good stuff is. The baked goods, dairy products, fresh meats, and fruits and vegetables are generally placed along the outside edge of the supermarket, while the processed stuff can be found up and down the aisles. But shopping the edges isn’t just healthier — it’s cheaper too. Stock up on the fresh food first, then venture to the middle of the store.

Discard brand loyalties.

Be willing to experiment. You may have a favorite brand of diced tomatoes, for example, but does it really matter? Go with what’s on sale for the lowest unit price. You may find you like the less expensive product just as well. If you try a cheaper brand and are disappointed, it’s okay to return to your regular brand.

Choose generic.

Better yet, try the store brand. Generic and store brand products are cheaper than their name-brand equivalents and are usually of similar quality. But do you know why you’re reluctant to try generics? The power of marketing. Most generics have unappealing packaging. If they cost less and taste the same, who cares?

Use coupons wisely.

Coupons really can save you money. But you have to know how to use them. Clip coupons only the things you need — staple foods and ingredients — not for processed junk food. Learn to use special coupons. Once each month, one local store sends us a “$10 off a $50 purchase coupon”. We know it’s coming, so we plan our trips around it.

Make one large trip instead of several small ones.

Each time you enter the grocery store is another chance to spend. By reducing the frequency of your trips, you’re not only avoiding temptation, but you’re also saving money on overhead (time and fuel).

Buy from the bulk bins.

Some stores offer bulk bins filled with baking ingredients, cereal, and spices. When you buy in bulk, you get just the amount you need, and you pay less. Much less. (One GRS reader recently shared how he saved over $150 by buying spices in bulk.)

Check your receipt.

Make sure your prices are scanned correctly. Make sure your coupons are scanned correctly. Sale items, especially, have a tendency to be in the computer wrong, and yet few people ever challenge the price at the register. You don?t need to hold up the line: simply watch the price of each item as it?s scanned. If you suspect an error, step to the side and check the receipt as the clerk begins the next order. If there?s a problem, politely point it out. It?s your money. Ask for it.

Shop alone.

In Why We Buy, the author notes that people tend to buy more when shopping in groups than when shopping alone. “But men are especially suggestible to the entreaties of children as well as eye-catching displays.” Kris complains that we always spend more on food when we shop together. She’s right. If possible, shop alone.

Use a grocery price book.

A grocery price book is an ongoing list of the items you most commonly purchase and how much you paid for them. This list allows you to detect price cycles, spot bargains, and plan your shopping trips for maximum savings. A price book allows you to practice strike-point shopping.

Shop on a full stomach.

Studies show that folks who shop when they?re hungry buy more. This is certainly true for me: If I go to the store for milk on a Sunday morning without eating breakfast, I?m likely to come home with donuts and orange juice and Lucky Charms, too.

Walk or bike.

In our recent discussion about how to pay yourself first, Ross Williams suggested another way to reduce impulse purchases. By walking or biking to the store, you can automatically limit your spending. “It’s amazing how focused you can be when you are limited to one shopping bag full of groceries,” he writes. “Once you are very conscious of each purchase, it seems to carry over even to the small items where space isn’t really an issue.”

Any of these tips can help a savvy shopper save money at the supermarket. But when combined to create a cohesive shopping philosophy, they have the power to slash your grocery budget significantly. I’m not promising that you’ll be able to feed yourself for $15 a week, but you might be able to save enough money pay down your debt or to jump-start your savings!

Here are some related articles:

• How to save hundreds by playing the drugstore game
• The lazy man’s guide to groceries on a budget
• Grocery store vs. farmers market: Which has the cheapest produce?

Kris requested I offer some final pointers for the gentlemen. “Check with your wife before you go shopping,” she says. “Check with your wife before you put anything into the cart. And remember: Just because you like a food doesn’t mean you need to buy it every time you go shopping.”

Bulk food photo by mattieb.

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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:

• Use a Grocery Price Book to Slash Your Food Spending
• The Grocery Game
• How to Spend Less - Lessons From ‘Why We Buy’
• Daily Links: Money Saving Tips Edition
• Price vs. Ethics: Is the Best Price the Best Choice?

Do you cram your holiday shopping on Christmas Eve? If you’re a holiday procrastinator, maybe these simple, convenient, last minute gift ideas and shopping tips will take some of the pressure away.

I, Procrastinator

“Procrastinator” should have been my middle name. I’ve always thought that anything worth doing is worth doing well — tomorrow. Or maybe the day after. I blame my dad, to be honest. As soon as I was old enough to use the pointy scissors, it became an annual tradition for my dad to drag me out after dinner on Christmas Eve to do his Christmas shopping for my mother. This usually took a few hours and involved a fair amount of money, as there was no real plan. Then after she went to bed for the night, Dad would boost all of the packages through my bedroom window, and I’d spend a couple of hours wrapping everything and getting it all under the tree. He paid me $0.25 per package, which I then spent on New Kids on the Block trading cards .

Similarly, now that I’m all grown up, I find myself putting off holiday shopping and spending too much at the last minute because I’m desperate for a gift. I recognize that this is not a good habit and vow each year to mend my ways, but I’ve found that the rate of recidivism when it comes to procrastination is quite high. Oh sure, I do the easy stuff early in the season: the spousal unit always needs new socks and underwear, Mom looks forward to the annual box of See’s candy, etc., etc. The tougher things, thoughtful gifts, are the ones I put off buying.

I’ve come to realize that procrastinating is silly — good gifts don’t need to take a whole lot of effort (or money). For instance, my friend loves snowman ornaments. She also likes to be pampered but doesn’t like to spend money on herself. But instead of searching for and spending too much on the perfect snowman decor, I head over to the salon we both use and pick up a gift certificate for a mid-winter pedicure. She loves getting her scaly winter feet prettied up, even if they spend all of their time in winter boots or fuzzy slippers. See? Easy, no more expensive than the ornament, and interpreted by the recipient as thoughtful. Trifecta!

Last Minute Gift Ideas For Those Who’ve Run Out Of Ideas

Not sure what to get? Here are a few more shopping tips as well as holiday gift ideas that may be convenient, simple enough and good for last minute scrambles, but I believe they’ll make even the biggest procrastinators look pretty good (yes, this list is “gift card heavy”):

• Keep a few basics on hand. There happens to be a fairly large Amish population in my area, and they make and sell beautiful hand woven baskets of all shapes and sizes. I’ve always got a few of these baskets stashed in a closet, and can quickly pick up nuts, cheeses, jams (sometimes also Amish made), candies, wine, etc. Load the goodies into a basket, wrap the basket in cellophane, tie a pretty seasonal ribbon around the top and, ta-da! Insta-gift.
• AAA Membership: Got a friend that drives a clunker? How about a loved one that just has a long daily commute? An annual membership to AAA might save them some enormous headaches, not to mention a lot of money, in the event of a breakdown.
• Wine Club: Does your mom enjoy a glass of wine with dinner? Sign her up for a wine club. Wine.com offers clubs starting at 3-months and $89. Just select reds or whites and you’re on your way. Or perhaps this will do: a wine basket from what else but Winebasket.com, with 5% off your order above any additional discounts you get from items on sale!
• Gift Cards/Certificates: I’m a little tired of hearing people say that you’re “cheating” when you pick up gift cards for those on your list. I disagree with the notion that these aren’t thoughtful gifts — some of the best things I’ve received were made possible through such cards! Actually, I’m always thrilled when someone who knows I’m a reader gives me a Barnes & Noble gift card. And, like the friend I mentioned above, these cards are a good way to treat someone to something that they like but might not otherwise buy for themselves.

  On the plus side, they are easy and convenient gift choices; the downside, however, is that your gift recipient will know how much you’ve spent on them. Or worse, the cards or certificates may go unused, if forgotten. But if you do decide to go this route, then just make sure that what you purchase doesn’t have an expiration date or fees for non-use.

  Some great places that offer general gift cards or certificates?

  • Try GiftCertificates.com, which provide e-gift cards that are redeemable online.
  • You can also pick up cards from the big e-tailers such as Buy.com and Amazon.com.

  I’ve listed more sources for these items below.

• News and Magazine Subscriptions: Every year, my dad renews my husband’s “Sports Illustrated” subscription, and my husband renews my dad’s Wall Street Journal subscription. Everyone drinks some eggnog and goes home happy.
• Entertainment Subscriptions and Gift Cards: One of the easier gifts to give out are those relating to some form of entertainment or another. I’m sure you know more than a few couch potatoes, game enthusiasts and music aficionados who’ll appreciate a subscription, gift card or access to Blockbuster, Gamefly or eMusic respectively! And if you’ve got a frugal aunt (like, who doesn’t? ), maybe the 2009 Entertainment Book will thrill them with its countless discounts for almost everything under the sun.
• Fancy Food for Cheaper? Well, we all have to eat right? You don’t have to be a gourmand to enjoy the gift of a pleasant meal from your choice restaurant. And one of the most affordable gift ideas I’ve come across, which I’m thinking of picking up for several people on my list is a gift certificate to Restaurant.com. In the past, I’ve been presented with a Home Bistro gift certificate, but I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t too impressed by the meals I’ve received from them. But who knows? That was a few years ago, so maybe things have gotten better since then.
• Gift Cards for the Work at Home Type: Those who want to beef up their home offices or who enjoy gadgets and electronics may love a gift card from Sony’s e-store.
• Beauty and Wellness: A gift that pampers and beautifies will be very apropos for any lady who’d love to look and feel better. Maybe a nice scent or some bath, body and face products from FragranceX or SkinStore.com will tickle her fancy! And since fragrances and beauty products are personal, a gift card is a practical choice.

Once again this year, I vow not to procrastinate when it comes to holiday shopping. But even if I do, I hope not to rack my brain over what presents to give, given how much easier today’s retailers and e-tailers are making it for us to get our shopping done.

At any rate, I’ve started my list already using some of the ideas above, and plan to finish my shopping by December 1. If all goes well, I’ll be able to spend the days leading up to the holidays enjoying my friends and family (and all the holiday food and drinks!), and not panicking about what I’m going to get for whom.

 
SVB’s POV: Thanks to Emiley Thacker for sharing her thoughts with us in this article. As far as I know, there are no Amish communities around where I live .

This is a post from The Digerati Life.

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Here is an excerpt from an interesting article I read a few days ago:

Says Anthea Butler, an expert in Pentecostalism at the University of Rochester in New York: “The pastor’s not gonna say, ‘Go down to Wachovia and get a loan,’ but I have heard, ‘Even if you have a poor credit rating, God can still bless you ? if you put some faith out there [that is, make a big donation to the church], you’ll get that house or that car or that apartment.’ ” Adds J. Lee Grady, editor of the magazine Charisma: “It definitely goes on, that a preacher might say, ‘If you give this offering, God will give you a house.’ And if they did get the house, people did think that it was an answer to prayer, when in fact it was really bad banking policy.” If so, the situation offers a look at how a native-born faith built partially on American economic optimism entered into a toxic symbiosis with a pathological market.  …

“Narratives of how ‘God blessed me with my first house despite my credit’ were common. Sermons declaring ‘It’s your season to overflow’ supplanted messages of economic sobriety,” and “little attention was paid to … the dangers of using one’s home equity as an ATM to subsidize cars, clothes and vacations.”

Read the rest of it here.

In addition to Wall Street, it looks like the faith business also needs a little more scrutiny. Apart from that, I am always surprised at how gullible people can be when it comes to being sold out divine rhetoric.

If we keep up with this even God will need a bailout someday!

Finally, God helps those who help themselves, for everybody else there is Mastercard everybody else needs to clearly understand the meaning of the words “deliquency” and “foreclosure”.

If you’re covered by a health plan, you’ve probably encountered the words deductible, co-pay, and co-insurance a number of times when examining your bills, paying your doctor for a visit, or simply looking at the benefits package from your employer. These terms can be a bit confusing, and with all of the limits, maximums, and different coverage options, it is important to understand what they mean so you can obtain the best coverage for the right price.

When looking at your health insurance options, it’s important to go beyond the premium. The premium is the amount you pay each paycheck or month just to have the coverage. Obviously, you want the lowest premium you can get for the coverage you want, but you really need to look beyond that. Saving $20 a month on your insurance premium may end up costing you hundreds of dollars in co-pays or out-of-pocket expenses. So, let’s take a look at how you can make sense of all these terms.

Defining the Terms

Deductible

This is probably the most straightforward, and easiest ways to change the premium on your policy. The deductible is the amount that you need to pay for a claim before the insurance kicks in. If you have a $50 deductible and you are billed for $500 in services, you’d need to pay $50 out of pocket before the remainder is sent off to the insurance company.

Obviously, the higher the deductible you choose, the lower your premium will be since you’ll be covering more of the expenses out of pocket. So, you have to be careful. If you choose a high deductible in an effort to keep premium costs down, a period of poor health or unexpected medical treatments could add up quickly.

Don’t forget the maximums. Deductibles usually have an annual maximum, for both individuals and families. When comparing plans or options within your plan, determine how likely it would be that you’d reach those maximums, and if two plans have different maximums, think about which one provides the best cost-to-benefit ratio.

Co-pay and Co-insurance

The co-pay is probably another common term you’ve heard, and have probably paid a number of times without thinking much of it. Co-pay and co-insurance are basically the same thing, but cover different items. In either case, this is the amount of money you have to pay for a claim or service rendered. The difference is that a co-pay is typically a flat dollar amount for a specific item such as an office visit, exam, or prescription. Co-insurance is typically based on a percentage. This means that you’re responsible for a certain percentage of a claim, and the insurance provider is responsible for the rest.

Again, when comparing plans, the co-pay amount or co-insurance percentage can play a big role in how much your premium is. A plan with an 80/20 co-insurance (insurance company pays 80%, you pay 20%) will have a higher premium than a 50/50 plan, and so on.

Compare All the Numbers

So, when you’re exploring your health insurance options, it pays to look at more than the premium. While the premium directly affects your bottom line, saving a few dollars on the premium could cost you much more in the long run, and paying a higher premium for coverage you might not need may also cost an unnecessary bundle.

This is especially important if you have a certain condition that requires specific tests or drugs, or if you are planning on having a baby, as the amount of coverage provided for these items may require digging a little deeper than glancing at your premium. So, take the time to completely understand your health benefits, and you can be sure that you’re getting as much coverage as you need, and paying no more than you have to.

Comparing Deductible, Co-Pay, and Co-insurance When Looking at Your Health Insurance Benefit Options

I’ve always found it a challenge to find good books to read. What I usually do is go to Amazon and look at the best sellers in categories I’m interested in like finance or business. I spend countless hours reading the reviews before finally deciding on a book. Well there’s a better way of finding good books and that’s joining a book club.

Book clubs are a great way to save on your favorite books because you can sometimes get good deals on books if you buy from the book club. You can order books of any genre from book clubs, from mystery to romance to westerns to science fiction. Get the latest best-sellers or beloved classics for less than you’d pay in a bookstore. Anyone who enjoys reading can benefit from the savings and selection that come with book club membership.

At the book club books website, there’s several different clubs to join including ethnic book clubs or the self-help section which is my favorite.

What now? I’ve put off writing this article for a while. Like many of you out there I’ve watched the Dow retreat in huge, wealth-destroying, multi-hundred-point chunks. Every time it looks like the end is in sight it takes another single-day 5% lurch in the wrong direction. Not a pretty sight.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Business Economists in Washington D.C.. The event featured some interesting speakers, including recent Nobel laureate Paul Krugman and Fed Chairman Ben Bernenke. After a day of hearing smart guys w/ lots of letters after their name wax poetic about credit default swaps, mortgage backed assets, and government bailouts I came away with a single conclusion: no one knows how this thing is going to turn out. There was some suggestion in using the word “bailout” the Treasury did a poor job in selling the $700billion plan to the American public – perhaps “rescue” would have been more appropriate. Krugman added some levity by suggesting some media-friendly nicknames: how about “Bailie May?” Or perhaps “Hanky Panky” after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

So I came away from the three day event with a more profound understanding of my failure to understand this whole mess; but I don’t feel particularly bad about it because no one else really understands it either. Bernenke’s reassuring message: we don’t really know how we’re going to price these distressed assets that the Treasury is gonna be buying with your $700 billion, and we don’t know who we’ll by them from or how we’re going to do it. This will be a trial and error process. But we’ll work it out.

Mmmmmkay. But Bernenke delivers the message with such an aura of academic cool that the audience seemed assured that he’ll succeed in making the best of a bad situation.

So, generally speaking, I’m not feeling to great about all of this. Basically I think we’re headed into one of two possible scenarios:

• Scenario 1: We’re already in a recession but we’ll muddle through. The market is cyclical. This is a particularly brutal cycle we’re dipping into, but fundamentally no different than those we’ve slogged through before. We’ll get some discouraging GDP numbers, the Dow with flit around 9,000 for a while, but eventually the market will give back some of that money it’s taken out of your 401k plan.
• Scenario 2: The wheels are about to come off. The banking system is not just in a superficial funk fueled by poor investor-confidence; it’s really in trouble. As banks write down toxic mortgage backed assets their balance sheets will be fundamentally damaged to the extent that credit will continue to tighten, consequentially decreasing spending, chopping profits, raising unemployment, and fueling foreclosures – which in turn worsens the state of the mortgage backed assets which started the whole mess. Repeat. Deflating prices, which initially feel kinda good (who can argue with $2.50 gas?) accentuates the woes of the business community which will be unable to justify new investments at lower revenue levels, further cutting business spending and jobs, pushing down demand, and deflating prices further. Repeat. Once you’re in this spiral it’s tough to engineer an exit.

Now I think (hope) that we’re in scenario #1. That’s the best case. I don’t think we’re headed towards the meltdown case, but it is something that I worry about. As further evidence that I believe in scenario #1 I recently made two long term trades, buying exchange traded funds (ETF) that track the S&P (RSU) and the Dow (QLD). Someday we’ll look back at 2008 and realize that the dow in the 8,000’s was a buying opportunity.

A few observations:

• You know this already, but if you’re going to need your retirement money in the next few years then you can’t have it socked away in the stock market.
• If your company 401k plan automatically loads you up with company stock, then you need to periodically go in and rebalance. I never cease to be amazed at smart, educated folks who have 40% of their wealth in a single stock. This is goofy.
• Rethink “diversification”. I have stocks divided between small-cap funds, large-cap funds, value funds, growth funds, and international funds. They’re all in the same toilet now. One lesson of the current crisis is that markets are now linked like they’ve never been linked before.

And yes, this is a real estate blog, so a few thoughts here:

• Hooray for Texas: We didn’t run up during the boom so we’re not getting whacked right now, but I’m expecting flat prices for a while. My strategy for finding and investing in long-term value projects is treating me pretty well right now. Plus, that’s a hunk of money I have in properties instead of in the stock market. This is effective diversification.
• Some markets really are feeling the pain. I was in Minneapolis last weekend, and as I walked the streets of some of these neighborhoods it seemed like every third house was a foreclosure. It’s gonna take a while for the market to absorb this carnage.
• All real estate is local – that is, unless the economy is melting down. I won’t be feeling so smug about Texas property values if we got into the doomsday economic scenario that I outlined above. If the banking system goes into the tank then we’re all gonna be in the same boat.
• A buying opportunity? I’m nervous about our economy, but I’m not quite ready to bury my life savings in coffee cans in my back yard. Investors who can still get loans should think about investing now, depending on how your local market conditions look.

I read somewhere over the weekend a letter to the editor of some newspaper (I can’t for the life of me remember where I read the comment) by a guy who was lamenting the fact that investors get screwed no matter who is president. His letter mentioned that some stocks do well when a Republican is in office and other stocks do well when a Democrat is in office—he just didn’t know which ones.

I have a suggestion:

Buy the index and don’t worry about it.

Yes, we can make more money IF we know which stocks are going to outperform the market. The problem is either WE DON’T KNOW or it’s hard to know. Therefore, buying the index is the prudent way to go because you don’t have to worry about picking stocks (unless that’s something you love doing).

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Buy books that are used. Most are in good condition. You’re buying the book for the words so don’t worry that the spine is a little bent or the pages are a bit folded. I just bought a $35 dollar book on Amazon.com for $15 bucks used.

Some people are irked by buying books used. They’re afraid that the previous owner had abused and neglected their book before putting it on the market. Rest assured: They’re nothing wrong with most used books. The previous owner is selling it because they need the money. Or they do what I do and buy books and then not read them.

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Sponsor: Parlayer - Henry and Matt blog about sports and stuff.

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Back in 2003, a friend said to me, "isn't it sad that we all know who Donald Rumsfeld is?"

"Bizarre," I thought.  Why is it sad that we know who the Secretary of Defense is?

Well, the point was that my group of friends, while intelligent and educated, did not follow most of politics closely.  So, the fact that we all knew Donald Rumsfeld was seen as a sad state of the political environment.

Case in point... 

Quick, name the three men who served as Secretary of Defense under Clinton!

Very few of you were able to rattle them off.

And now Hank Paulson is a household name.  Quick, name the three Secretaries of Treasury under Clinton!

Live Search Cash Back is a new Microsoft initiative that is supposed to provide a rebate to consumers for items found via the Microsoft Live search functionality and purchased online.

The word on the street says this is Microsoft’s attempt to compete with Google in the online search market.  The concept is that in return for being listed in Microsoft’s search results, merchants have to offer cash back to consumers instead of paying Microsoft for placement.  Microsoft doesn’t make any money off of the transaction but their hope is that more users will start using Live Search instead of competitors such as Google.

Shopping Comparison Features
 Always looking to save a few bucks, I poked around the Live Search cash back interface to see if it would be useful for me.  I’m in the market for some new jogging shoes so I typed in “nike mens running shoes”. Unfortunately, the search interface is lacking basic functionality that all Web users have come to expect.  For example:

• You can’t order search results by price, seller reputation, or product rating
• You can’t specify a price range for the product
• Default 16 items shown per page. You can’t opt to see more items on one page
• You can’t choose whether to see a list vs more detailed view of results

Retailer Options
Once I scrolled through 16 pages of results to find the lowest price shoe, it only showed me results from two different online stores.  I guess one of the drawbacks of only including retailers that offer cash back is that your comparison is limited to the number of retailers that participate in the program.  How do I know that there aren’t other merchants that offer the same shoe online for a lower price?  They may not offer cash back but the shoe may be cheaper in the first place, saving the hassle of the rebate all together.

Rebate Hassles
Once I chose the store with the lowest price and best rebate I clicked through the “Go To Store” button.  I was taken to the merchant page where I could complete the transaction.  You aren’t given the discounted price at checkout, first the retailer has to report the sale to Microsoft.  Here’s the description of the cash back process from Microsoft’s terms & conditions:

“Within seven days after a qualifying purchase is reported to us, we will list the purchase in your account with a status of “pending.” The purchase will stay in pending status for a period of 60 days to account for returns, refunds, fraud and other processing issues. After this point, if the purchase is eligible for awards, it will be marked as “available” in your account and the associated awards will be eligible for redemption as described below. You must ensure that we properly post awards to your account. If you believe that you have earned awards that are not posted to your account, we will not consider posting them to your account unless you contact us within six months after the date of the associated purchase. We may require reasonable documentation to support your claim.”

Sounds more like hassling with a rebate than a cash back program to me.  The money may show up in your account but if it doesn’t you have to do the work of following up for months afterwards to make sure you get your cash back.  Similar to a rebate, you’re paying tax on the full purchase price, even though you might get cash back down the road.  I say might because Microsoft has a list of reasons that disqualify you from cash back:

“You will not earn cash back awards on purchases where (a) you open the store’s web site in a different web browser; (b) your browser is not configured to accept cookies; (c) the purchase is not completed in the same web browsing session (not to exceed 24 hours) initiated by clicking on the eligible advertisement or listing; (d) the order is later cancelled or the goods or services are later returned; (e) the store does not report the purchase to Microsoft; (f) the goods or services are acquired for resale or other business purposes; or (g) you also use a separate discount or coupon.”

A little bit further in the terms and conditions there is more language that could foreshadow difficulty claiming cash back.

“There may be additional limitations on purchases on certain merchant sites, and those limitations will be disclosed on the merchant site. Your participation in the Live Search cashback service on such merchant sites will be subject to these terms and conditions as well as any additional ones disclosed on the merchant site. In the event of a conflict between any of these terms and conditions and those disclosed on the merchant site, the ones disclosed on the merchant site will apply and control.”

Live Search Summary
The limited shopping comparison features, limited retailer options, and the whole lengthy rebate process are enough to discourage me from trying the Live Search Cashback for now.   The final deciding factor for me is that you have to sign up for a Windows Live ID in order to participate in the cashback program.  I have enough user id’s already, I don’t need anymore. 

For now I’ll continue to use Google web search and Google product search when I’m shopping for items online.  I’ll just keep my eyes open for deals and sales and get my discounts that way rather than go through the whole Live Search cashback ordeal.  Hopefully, Microsoft will enhance their search functionality, add more retailers, and make the cashback process less worrisome. Until then, I’ll rely on Google’s expertise to help me find the best deals.

What gift should you get for a college graduate?  Cash is always the easiest and probably the most coveted present for recent graduates.  The problem, as I remember it, is that cash is a hard thing to hold onto once you’re out of school and thrust int the job hunt or working world.

Here are a few ideas for graduation gifts that can help them save money or get a leg up on their future finances:

Financial Filing System
The deluge of bills, paystubs, receipts, and tax forms can turn into an ugly mess stuffed into a drawer in a graduate’s tiny new apartment.  A simple system such as the Homefile Financial Planning Organizer Kit should cover all their financial paperwork filing needs.

Free Entertainment
Going to a full time job all week every week can be a real drag after the flexible college lifestyle.  It can be tempting (and also expensive) to blow off a little steam at the end of the workday by meeting up with friends for dinner, drinks, or a movie.  A cheaper alternative for a graduate is bringing friends back to their place to eat and hang out. 

Help them out with a subscription to Blockbuster online video rentals and gift certificates to a cook it yourself pizza place like Papa Murphy’s.  Popping in a DVD and eating an oven cooked pizza on weeknights is much cheaper than heading out on the town after work.

Investment Matching Program
Offer to match all or a portion of money that they invest for the future.  My parents did this for me and I invested the maximum amount that they’d match.  They can invest whatever they can afford each month with automatic investments of small amount if they open a ShareBuilder Account. 

Another option is to open a Roth IRA that has no no minimum balance and no account fees. For example, open an Etrade IRA, they waive minimums and fees if they sign up for online delivery of statements and confirms.

Emergency Fund
Most college grads already have some level of debt when they graduate, they don’t want to add anything else onto their credit cards if the car breaks down or some other emergency arises. Help them setup an emergency fund. Signup for an ING Direct savings account, then send them an invite from within your account.  Both the graduate and you get a signup bonus using this method and you can choose to send your bonus to the graduate as well.

Financial Education
Sign them up for a magazine subscription to Kiplingers or Smart Money magazine.  Sure, they can get it for free online but when they’re on the computer they’re probably catching up with college buddies. Give them them a copy for the coffee table, bus, or bathroom reading : )

Keep them Healthy
If you know where the graduate will be living, get them a gym membership nearby.  Staying healthy will save them countless dollars over the course of their life. Plus, the gym is a great place to socialize, maybe they’ll meet their future spouse there. Two people paying rent makes housing much more affordable : )

Buy Health Insurance
There’s sometimes a gap in health insurance coverage between graduation and finding a first job with benefits.  Especially if they’re avid atheletes with a higher risk of getting injured, make sure they have some type of short term health insurance.  A huge health care bill is the last thing a new graduate wants to worry about.

Financial Advice
Let the graduate know you’re always there if they have any questions on investing, taxes, bills, etc.  You’ve already traveled the financial maze and have many of the answers they’ll be looking for.  Setup an “unofficial meeting”, set some time aside where you just talk finances.  Let them voice their concerns, ask their questions, and tap into your knowlege. 

This post was my take on Gifts to Give Grads a Headstart.

Andrew Lahde, manager of a hedge fund that profited enormously by speculating on the failure of firms that made major bets on sub-prime mortgages, has called it quits.

His "so long, and thanks for the fish" comes in the form of this letter.

Enjoy.