Tax laws change every year, and 2009 was no exception. Many of these changes can lead to bigger refund checks or smaller tax bills, but that won’t matter if you don’t know about them.
Tax Bracket Changes.
It may be lower than you think. The minimum income level for each tax bracket has been increased by at least 4%. So, if your income went up by less than 4% last year (for instance, you got less than a 4% raise, or received a higher raise later in the year), it’s possible that the new rules bump you down to a lower bracket. [...]

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Phase two of the Credit Card Reform Act (also known as Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 and the CARD Act) is going into effect on February 22. If you haven’t already, you must review, review, review your credit card agreements, as lots of changes are going on. We personally have a card whose issuer just added a $60 annual fee (though it’s refundable if we charge at least $2,400 per year). So, now, we can choose to accept these new terms or close the account and pay our balance according to the original terms.
Here are some [...]

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Great news, both for you and for the Haiti relief effort: Donations to help the impoverished, earthquake-stricken country can count for your 2009 tax return.
(If you haven’t contributed already, read our article for ideas to help Haiti.)
Background On The Haiti Tax Provision.
Enacted toward the end of January, the US government passed a special provision to give you tax relief if you helped this cause. In order to count on your 2009 tax return—instead of waiting to itemize the deductions next year—you need to have contributed between January 11, 2010 and March 1, 2010. Of course, you can claim the deduction [...]

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Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union speech, which addressed the most palpable pain point affecting Americans today: the state of the economy.
Here are some key takeaways from the President’s speech that will affect LearnVesters:
“Jobs Must Be Our Number-One Focus In 2010.”
While the nation has shown significant economic recovery since last year, Obama noted, one out of ten Americans remains unemployed. He called for a new jobs bill to address this issue immediately.
The Government Will Regulate Financial Institutions—And Protect Consumers.
“We need to make sure consumers and middle-class families have the information they need to make financial [...]

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Another day, another mailing chock full of fine print from your credit card company. But, as lenders prepare for the Credit Card Reform Act to take effect on February 22, they’re making lots of changes to their terms of service. But, if you always pay your credit card bill on time, then take a deep breath. These changes won’t really affect you. But if you do have credit card debt, grab your change of agreement mailing and read closely.
Changes, Fees, And Threats To Your Privacy.
The Credit Card Reform Act has a lot of consumer protections, which is great. But that [...]

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