Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Miranda

Don’t Let Your Goals Fizzle Out! – 5 Reasons Goals Fail, and What You Can Do To Make Yours Succeed

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It’s become a yearly ritual for many: Set ambitious goals for the New Year, tackle them enthusiastically for a few weeks, and then give up on them completely by March.

This is a vicious cycle that encourages you to feel bad about yourself, and feel as though you’ll never get out of your rut.

Whether you are setting goals for your finances, or whether you are attempting to substantially improve your life, the yearly attempt (and subsequent failure) associated with resolutions can be frustrating.

If you’re ready to break the cycle, it helps to understand why you fail, and what you can do to create success in your life.

Here are 5 Reasons Goals Fail — and What You Can Do to Overcome the Pitfalls of Resolution-Setting and Succeed This Year:

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Where’s My Tax Refund? How to Check the Status of Your Tax Refund

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When you are expecting a tax refund, it is normal to file a little bit early.

The very next thing you say once you file is “where’s my refund?”  We can’t wait to get that money owed to us.

Indeed, many people have already received their tax refunds.

When you get your tax refund depends on two main factors:

  1. How you filed (mail or e-file)
  2. How you receive your refund (paper check or direct deposit)

If you mail in your tax return and opt to receive your refund in the form of a check from the United States Treasury, it can take as long as two months or more to see your tax rebate.

This is the combination that takes the longest.
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Your Guide – Tips for Holiday Tipping (and My Story Working for Tips)

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TiThis week, I’m reviewing all of the people who provide me with services, and figuring out how much to tip them.  The following are my tips for holiday tipping.

It’s appropriate to tip service providers that you see on a regular basis at holiday time. And avoiding services in December in order to weasel out of tipping someone who provides you with services throughout the year is frowned upon.

Read on and see my story on working for tips and who I think you should give a little extra to for the holidays.

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Don’t Ruin Your Finances! Watch Out for These 6 Behavioral Finance Mistakes

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Behavioral finance is the study of how our behaviors affect our finances.

In many ways, the way that we see the world, and our reactions to what is happening around us, define our finances.

We might not even realize how our biases affect our finances.

The first step to overcoming biases in your life, especially if they are psychological, is to acknowledge them.  You need to be aware of what is holding you back.

Once you recognize the reasons for your difficulties, it will be easier to address them — and to come out ahead with your finances.

Here are 6 behavioral finance mistakes that might be holding you back:

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File Later Or Fix A Mistake? – Extension of Time to File Taxes vs. Amended Tax Return

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This year, you have until April 15 to file your tax return (some years the date is off).

But that doesn’t mean that you’re ready to file.

You might want a little more time to get things together, or you might need to make changes to an already-filed return.

It is important to understand the difference between a tax extension and an amended return.

Read on and you’ll know for sure which of these 2 choices is right for you.

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