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Now that 2010 is here, it is time for me to start thinking about purchasing my tax software for 2009. I have been using TaxCut for the last decade (God I am old!), but it looks like the product name has changed to H&R Block at Home. A horrible name – but then what kind of branding creativity can you really expect from a tax accounting corporation?

But then I don’t buy the software for the name, I buy it for its functionality and price. Years of purchasing the software has taught me to pay attention to the calendar, sales, and rebates. Read more…

Last May, 35,000 shareholders crowded into Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK.A, news, msgs) annual shareholders meeting. One of the faithful asked a fundamental question: “What is the secret to value investing?”

According to an article in Harper’s Magazine — “The Church of Warren Buffett: Faith and Fundamentals in Omaha” — Buffett replied with all the serenity of the Buddha: “Independent thinking and inner peace.”

Independent thinking is the traditional left-brain wisdom you’d expect from a Western leader. But inner peace?

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It’s Friday, so here’s an easy slam dunk resolution involving emergency funds. If you’ve done any sort of financial reading lately, you know that many folks recommend having at least 3-6 months of living expenses put aside. Given the current high unemployment rates, I personally wasn’t comfortable until I had 12 months of expenses. Not only could you lose your job, but there could be unexpected health expenses, car repairs, or whatever. But that’s not the main point here.

The easiest way to build your emergency fund is to put it on auto-pilot. Your task

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Credit cards can be an invaluable resource for people who are on vacation, whether in the United States or elsewhere. However, some travel industry experts are warning cardholders to be on the lookout for possible changes in 2010.

Writing in a column that appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Ed Perkins discussed some of these changes, which could include more fees for people who pay for airline tickets and other such costs with their credit cards as opposed to cash.

Perkins also suggests that travelers can avoid extra fees by conducting transactions in the currency of the country they are visiting as opposed to having them changed to U.S. Read more…

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There are some people that spend a lot of money on carpet and flooring for their home.And you will surely know why they have spent so much especially when you see and feel the carpet.You can really tell a noticeable difference between cheap carpeting and expensive carpeting. You really need to know how to take good care for those fine carpets especially with that being the case.  In this article we are going to look at some ways to care for that fine carpet.

First and foremost, you really have to get on a regular carpet cleaning schedule.  That isn’t just sales talk from a carpet cleaning company but it is fact.Just like your practice of having to always take a bath everyday, you also have to make sure that you clean your carpets regularly. Tha

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Alright, now for a 15-minute 2010 Resolution that doesn’t make you spend less, just better. Huh? Achieving financial success doesn’t mean pinching every single penny all day long and watching your net worth ticker inch upwards. It means spending money on what you enjoy, and not wasting it on things that you don’t (like credit card interest).

An interesting exercise to help you focus is to list ALL your voluntary expenses, and then organize them by priority. When I say voluntary expense I mean that you should generally ignore bare expenses like rent for a single room and basic food. This

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