Free From Broke

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Money

5 Reasons Getting a Large Tax Refund is Bad

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The stress of doing your taxes is over.

You filed all of your forms and to your joy you’re getting back a tax refund.  And it’s a nice sized one too!

It’s awesome, right?

Not so fast.

Getting a lump sum payout after filing your taxes feels great.  But I’m going to show you that it may not be as great as you think.  There are better ways you can use your money (and it is your money).

Read On as I Tell You 5 Reasons a Large Tax Refund is Bad.

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President’s Day Money Quotes

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In honor of President’s day here are quotes from twelve of our esteemed leaders:

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.

–John Adams

It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it.

–George W. Bush
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8 Places to Research Your Potential House Before You Buy a Home

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Buying a home is a big deal.  

You don’t want to go into it unprepared.

Before you buy a house, you want to make sure that you are getting the right house for you — and that it’s in the right neighborhood. The steps to buying a house start with thorough research on the topic.

As you research buying a house, here are 8 web sites that can help you narrow the field and find what works best for you:

1. Trulia

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5 Tips to Help You Deal with Economic Uncertainty

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We live in uncertain economic times.

No one knows what will happen next. Between a difficult job market, a housing sector that refuses to recover, and Europe on the brink of complete financial disaster, it’s easy to feel anxious about your money.

Will we see another recession? Could things turn around and be great? Are a eurozone collapse and slowing growth in China about to dump us into another global financial crisis? While you want to be prepared for the possibility of economic problems, it’s not a good idea to let fear rule you.

Once you let fear master you, you start making very poor decisions based on that fear.

Whether it’s making a bad investment decision, a risky business choice, or sabotaging your relationships, fear and anxiety can lead to problems in your finances and your life.

Before you let your worries about economic uncertainty turn into a full-blown financial emergency, it’s a good idea to take a deep breath, step back, and consider these 5 tips to helping you cope with the uncertainties that come in an economy like what we’re seeing now:

Tips to Help You Deal With Economic Uncertainty

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Have You Thought About the Costs of Being Self-Employed?

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The dream of self-employment is something that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.  Thanks to the Internet, almost anyone can start a side hustle from home.

Not only is it technically easy to become self-employed, it’s also relatively inexpensive — depending on the strategy you use.

A number of side hustles require only a computer and a fast Internet connection.  Even if you choose a more expensive venture, you can still save money by starting out at home.

Because of the ease involved, and the low startup costs that are possible, many would-be solopreneurs fail to account for other costs that they might run into.  While being self-employed works for many people, it isn’t the only satisfying career path.  And there are costs involved that you might not have thought about.

Some of the costs of being self-employed include:

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