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Real Estate Closing Costs Exposed
Closing costs can come as a shock to anyone buying or selling real estate - especially to investors. Here's an explanation of the various expenses you must plan for: Down Payment Most lenders require a down payment of from zero to 20% for a...

Small Business Tax Tips - Product Review of Tax Reduction Toolkit
Product Review – Introduction Product Review – What I liked Product Review – What I didn’t like Product Review – Best Features Summary Table of Contents – Seven Sections – 29 Tax Tips Final Comments and Pricing (under $40) ...

STARTING A BUSINESS? WHAT NEW (AND EXISTING) BUSINESS OWNERS SHOULD KNOW
Starting a business can be overwhelming enough trying to get up and running but when you think about all the tax requirements, your cup may runneth over. Here is what you must know in order to start your own business on the right foot and avoid...

Tax Trap #1: Waiting to Incorporate: What A Difference A Date Can Make
NOTE: This is the first in a series of 5 articles: "Small Business Tax Traps and How To Avoid Them" If you're a sole proprietor, perhaps you've considered incorporating your small business or self-employment activity. And so maybe you've been...

Ten Ways to Become a Mulitmillionaire
Have you dreamed of becoming a millionaire? Then this article is for you. We live in a world of opportunity, and yet most Americans are buried in credit card and other debt. We are surrounded by people who are getting rich, but most of us are...

 
Auto Loans: Don’t Dig a Money Pit in Your Garage

Carloans are certainly less costly than home mortgages, student loans, or
other kinds of loans. So why do so many people end up defaulting and
losing their cars? Find out these hidden dangers:



Biggest Hidden Car Loan Danger: The Inherent Money Pit

Unlike home mortgages, student loans or other
big-ticket loans, car loans are inherently money pits. A house can
build equity; higher education can increase earning potential; even
jewelry can sometimes be re-sold for as much as was paid for it. If you
borrow to buy one of those things, you may eventually get a return on
investment. But every single car loses significant value and keeps
losing it as time goes by.



Unlike home mortgages, student
loans or other big-ticket loans, car loans are inherently money pits. A
house can build equity; higher education can increase earning
potential; even jewelry can sometimes be re-sold for as much as was
paid for it. If you borrow to buy one of those things, you may
eventually get a return on investment. But every single car loses
significant value and keeps losing it as time goes by.

Solution: spend as little on your car as possible.

Of
course, in order to spend as little as possible over the life of the
vehicle, you need to get a well-made, fuel-efficient car, rather than
the one with the lowest price on the windshield.

But
a pickup truck, SUV, sports car, or "luxury" model is a guaranteed
money-loser. Don’t worry about what other people will think. Think
about it: when was the last time you saw an expensive automobile and
thought, "I really like and respect whoever owns that!"

The
best buy? Many economists actually recommend buying a used car that's a
year or two old. That way you can actually benefit from the fact that
cars only drop in value. Even a car that’s just six months old may
offer you a substantial savings. Just have it inspected thoroughly so
you don't lose what you've saved on maintenance payments.



Hidden Car Loans Danger: Dangerously High Monthly Payments


Unfortunately, most people
never figure out the total cost before signing on the dotted line. They
end up staying up late at night trying to figure out how to make ends
meet. They live in smaller houses. They skip going out at night. They
don’t go on vacation.


All that sacrifice to have a brand-new SUV in the driveway!

Take
a hard look at your finances, and figure out how much you can pay


total
each month for your car. Be sure to take into account insurance, tax,
maintenance, and fuel. Usually, when people actually do calculate the
total monthly cost of the car they’re considering buying, they’re
amazed by how high it is.



How Much Car Debt Can You Afford?

1) Make a list of your average monthly non-car expenses, and subtract them from your earnings.



-___your monthly after-income-tax income

-___any other taxes

-___housing (including any fees and property taxes, and utilities)

-___food

-___health insurance or HMO

-___life insurance

-___debt payments

-___401 (k), IRA, or other long-term savings

-___short-term savings

-___telephone, cellular phone, cable, internet, etc.

-___entertainment and fun stuff (be honest!)

-___cost of yearly vacation(s) divided by 12

-___other expenses

= ____what you can spend on a car



2) Subtract your monthly car-related expenses from the amount you have left over from your other expenses.



___What you can spend on a car (from above)

-___Amount
you’re spending per month on gas (raise or lower this figure depending
on whether you are getting a car with higher or lower gas mileage).

-___Monthly maintenance (remember: your new car won’t stay new long, so maintenance will be an issue).

-___Monthly insurance (remember that for a new car, your insurance premiums may go up).

-___Tax.

= ____ Maximum monthly loan payment.



Now plug the number above into a vehicle loan
rate calculator to figure out big of a car loan, and how much interest
you can afford.




Final Hidden Auto Loan Danger: Unnecessarily High Rates

If you simply take the
first loan the dealer offers you, you are probably paying too much. Do
some comparison shopping on the internet, and bring a list of the best
loans with you when you negotiate loan terms with the dealer.

Don’t
let the dealer cheat you by shifting the cost from the car loan to the
car price to the deal on your trade-in. Make sure you get a good deal
overall.

Congratulations! You now are far better
prepared to stay out of an auto loan money pit than the vast majority
of car buyers.


Joel Walsh is a regular contributor to Auto Loans :http://cars-auto-loans.com, where he writes about how you can get the best car loan


 

Internal Revenue Service
The US government agency responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement. Includes income tax forms, instructions, and agency publications.
www.irs.gov
 
Tax Information for Individuals
Access to useful information, booklets and other tools from the Internal Revenue Service.
www.irs.gov
 
Tax Center - Yahoo! Finance - Tax forms, tips and calculators.
Yahoo! Finance: Tax - Find all the resources you need for tax season. Review recent tax law changes, estimate your taxes, find tax tips and expert answers ...
tax.yahoo.com
 
Taxes: Tax Planning, Tools and Advice - MSN Money
Microsoft's Tax Preparation site, in association with Tax Server.
moneycentral.msn.com
 
Tax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Governments use different kinds of taxes and vary the tax rates: ... Taxes are most often levied as a percentage, called the tax rate, of a certain value, ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
H&R Block | Taxes, Online Tax Preparation, Tax Software, Filing ...
Offers online and in-person tax preparation and tax software, mortgages, brokerage and financial services, consumer tips and tax planning information.
www.hrblock.com
 
TaxCut Online | H&R Block | Online Taxes, File Taxes Online ...
File your Taxes online with TaxCut Online. Learn how to file taxes online here.
www.hrblock.com
 
Income Taxes, Tax Returns, Refunds, Deductions and E-File Software ...
Popular tax preparation software by Intuit. Integrates with Quicken, spreadsheets and offers state by state electronic filing.
turbotax.intuit.com
 
Taxes & Estates, Tax and Estate Planning Advice - Forbes.com
Personal Finance - Get tax and estate planning advice and information from Forbes.com.
www.forbes.com
 
Essential Links to Taxes
TurboTax Premier For Federal Returns 2005 Win/Mac, TurboTax Total Tax Solution Deluxe 2005 with State Win/Mac, TurboTax Basic 2005 Win/Mac... ...
www.el.com
 
Government > Taxes in the Yahoo! Directory
Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Government > Taxes.
dir.yahoo.com
 
Taxes - Tax News for Home and Business from CNNMoney
The latest in tax law updates, news, forms & advice from CNNMoney.com. Includes a refund savings calculator, and interactive tax lessons.
money.cnn.com
 
The Tax Foundation - Educating Taxpayers Since 1937
Devoted to educating taxpayers about tax policy and the total tax burden borne by Americans at all levels of government.
www.taxfoundation.org
 
Welcome to the Vermont Department of Taxes
Welcome to the Vermont Department of Taxes... ... Changes to Property Tax Adjustments in 2007 - updated 10/18. - Tax Expenditures Transition Report on ...
www.state.vt.us
 
Franchise Tax Board Homepage
The department that collects state personal income taxes and bank and corporation taxes for the State of California. Access to forms and tax information.
www.ftb.ca.gov
 
HM Revenue & Customs: Home Page
News and information on tax and national insurance, including downloadable leaflets and forms and the latest news on filing tax returns on-line.
www.hmrc.gov.uk
 
State and Local Tax
Piper Resources; State Tax Rates and Structure ...Federation of Tax Administrators; State Payroll Taxes Information ...Symmetry Software ...
www.taxsites.com
 
Quicken.com
www.quicken.com/taxes/ - 3k - Cached - Similar pages
 
Tax news and advice from Bankrate.com
Information on all phases of tax planning and preparation.
www.bankrate.com
 
Online Tax Advice - Tax Preparation Help - Income Tax Tips
Income Tax Tips - MarketWatch offers online tax advice and tips. ... IRS inflation adjustments mean tax break on next year's taxes. ...
www.marketwatch.com
 
 

 

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