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If you received a state stimulus check in 2022, you may be wondering, as you prepare your taxes, if those payments are considered income and thus taxable at the federal or the state level. Fortunately, the IRS issued a statement in early February that will help answer your question. In short, most of the payments … Read more

Many cryptocurrency exchanges offer sign-up bonuses to draw potential customers. You can receive free Bitcoin or funds you can use to purchase your preferred altcoin, depending on the offer. The terms and conditions vary, from the bonus amounts to the qualifying criteria. Most exchanges will pay you a few dollars for completing your first trade. … Read more

Traditional banks aren’t always the best option, as their fees are often higher, and you can’t always maximize the benefits. In addition, the membership requirements can also be challenging if you don’t have a clean financial history. Thankfully, there are alternatives, like Spruce Money. Spruce offers free mobile banking and other hands-on tools to make … Read more

Credit score apps make it easy to keep track of your credit from your smartphone or tablet. In addition to regular credit reporting, many credit score apps come with added features, like budgeting and credit-building tools, identity theft protection, and more. But not all credit score apps were created equally. Some of the apps allow … Read more

If you have a checking or savings account at a large brick and mortar bank, you’re making nearly nothing in interest. The rates are abysmal… and they know it. They will never increase it. They expect some of you to keep your cash there and they boost their profits. They also expect the savvier customers … Read more

If you’ve ever “linked” your bank account to a fintech platform, chances are you did so with Plaid. Many finance and investing apps such as Empower Personal Dashboard, Acorns, and Vyzer use Plaid to connect your bank account to their platform without storing your sensitive credentials on their servers. In addition to the added security, … Read more

With credit card interest rates on the rise, you may be wondering how to lower your credit card interest rate, or if it’s even a possibility.   The interest rates of many popular credit cards are now hovering close to 30%. According to this Forbes article, the average credit card balance in 2022 was roughly … Read more

In photography, “golden hours” refers to the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise. It’s when you get perfect light for the best photos. The light isn’t enough to transform a terrible photo into a great one, but can help a good photo become a great looking one. But the concept of … Read more

If you’re a real estate investor or plan to be, you need to be familiar with a 1031 exchange, which is a strategy that enables you to sell one property in exchange for another without incurring taxes in the process. Does that sound too good to be true? Maybe so, but 1031 exchanges are recognized … Read more

It wasn’t that long ago when even the best CD rates paid next to nothing due to record-low interest rates. Well, times have changed, and short-term Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are once again offering decent returns for conservative and short-term investors. But how high have rates risen? Is it possible to earn 6% on a … Read more