The Sun's Financial Diary

Anyone who believes in the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” will also agree that the best way to save money is by managing what you already have well. Without some kind of organization in place, this can be easier said than done. That’s where a home directory comes [...]

If there were one phrase in life that sums up lessons learned the hard way, it would be the infamous “I told you so.”  At one point or another, you were informed by a friend, family member, or a professional, exactly what you should do, disregarded it, and paid the price.  So for your entertainment, [...]

Have you filed your 2009 taxes yet?
I haven’t. I have received most of the tax documents already, but haven’t started the process because, like what happened in the past few years, I don’t expect to have a refund this year. So I am not that hurry, but I did get my tax software already.
If you [...]

When it comes to saving money (and even getting more for your money), the old saying is true: the squeaky wheel truly does get the oil. So speak up to make sure you’re getting your fair share and then some.
It’s amazing how simply being friendly and approachable can turn into real profits for your pocketbook. [...]

Though it’s still almost two months away from the 2009 tax deadline, April 15, 2010, brokerage firms and mutual fund companies have already rolled out promotions to lure taxpayers to open IRA accounts with them. Among them, OptionsHouse is offering 100 commission free trades if you open an IRA account, such as Traditional, Roth, SEP, [...]

As news surfaced that some of the nation’s biggest financial institutions would be paying out record bonuses to executives in 2009 (AIG drew particular fire for planning on dishing out $165 million) following the federal government’s half trillion dollar TARP bailout, a growing and increasingly vocal movement of U.S. taxpayers are letting it be known [...]

I was once a big fan of stocking up on things when they were on sale. I used to think this was a great way to be frugal — buying things on sale before I needed them in anticipation of the time when I would. After a few years I accumulated so many unused items [...]

The Simmons First Visa Platinum Rewards Card, issued by Simmons First National Bank, is designed for those with very good credit who are looking for a low cost credit card with a rewards program. Features of the Simmons First Visa Platinum Rewards Card include:

Excellent Credit Required – Applicants who do not have excellent credit will [...]

Do you file your 2009 income taxes electronically or still do it the old fashion way?
I never used E-file, not since when I knew there’s such an option to file my tax returns. The reason for me to avoid e-filing my taxes is very simple: I didn’t have a refund to claim. Since we seem [...]

Today is a special day, a very special day. It’s Valentine’s day. It’s our daughter’s birthday. And, coincidently, it’s also the Chinese New Year, The Year of Tiger! All on the same day, on the weekend, after the snow storms of the past two weeks. This doesn’t happen very often as I know, so we [...]