Are you an early tax filer or do you wait until the last minute, or even request an extension? I tend to be an early filer and last minute payer. We usually owe the IRS a little bit at the end of the year so I like to prepare and file the return early so there are no surprises and then hang on to my money until the last day or two before the deadline. But I know for many of you you’re expecting a refund. Obviously, getting your hands on that refund as early as possible is a good idea. You can take it out of Uncle Sam’s hands and put it to work yourself.

According to a recent survey by Intuit, the makers of TurboTax, they report that that 82 percent of taxpayers who filed before the end of February got money back. In fact, 40 percent of all tax returns last year were filed before the end of February. Not only do most early filers get a refund, their average refund is typically larger: $2,869 compared to $2,753 for returns filed through April 15, according to the IRS That’s a lot of early returns and a lot of people getting a refund.

So, who are these early filers? Well, the folks over at the TurboTax Blog have put together a nice infographic to illustrate the  breakdown of these early filers. You can see where you fit in. And if you think that’s interesting, scroll down to the bottom of the page to enter my TurboTax Giveaway. I’ll be giving away two copies of TurboTax Premier Online, with both a federal and state filing.

TurboTax Giveaway

As I mentioned above, I’m giving away two copies of TurboTax Premier Online, which includes federal and state filing. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below related to taxes. Share with us whether you plan on filing early or late, if you expect a refund or owe money, or just tell everyone how much you hate paying taxes. Leave your comment before 9 pm Wednesday, February 17th and then I’ll randomly select two comments as winners. Make sure you use a valid email with your comment so that I can contact you if you win and have the activation code sent to you. Contest is only valid for U.S. residents. Thanks, and good luck!

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

82% of Early Tax Filers Receive a Refund: An Infographic and TurboTax Giveaway

I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2010 than by giving away thousands of dollars in prizes. Starting today, you all have many different opportunities to enter the Money Crashers 2010 New Year Bash Giveaway! Money Crashers has partnered with a number of financial companies and personal finance bloggers like myself to round up over $5,400 (so far) in prizes to give away — including $1,485 in cash, $830 in gift cards, the entire line of Apple iPod mp3 players, 2 Amazon Kindles, a whole bunch of popular finance books, and much much more.

In fact, I’m so excited about this contest that I’m offering up a brand new Amazon Kindle as one of the prizes. How cool is that? You have until February 3rd to get in on the action and there are a ton of ways to earn entries, so find out more on the contest site. In many cases it’s as easy as tweeting the contest or leaving a comment on the contest site to earn entries. With over 100 prizes being given away your chances of winning something are pretty good!

Enter the contest now.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Over $5,400 in Prizes to Win in the 2010 Money Crashers Giveaway

Have you heard of the Flip Mino HD camera yet? If not, you’re missing out! It’s this great little pocket-sized camera that records video in HD. It’s a pretty slick little device and are becoming quite popular. What if I told you that there are at least 60 of these cameras that usually retail at around $200 being given away this week and weekend? It’s true, because a number of personal finance bloggers have partnered with American Express to help promote their new Membership Rewards program by giving away 10 Flip Minos on their blogs.

How cool is that? Unfortunately, I’m not in on the Flip Mino giveaway myself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enter to win. I’ve compiled a list of the finance bloggers who are offering a giveaway and there’s still time to enter each of them. With so many blogs participating your odds of winning are increased. So, I’ve gone ahead and added links to the contests below, so you better go and start entering!

Oh, and if you know of a finance blog doing the same contest that I missed, please leave a comment with a link and I’ll add it to the list. So with that, good luck!

American Express Charge Card – 10 Flip Ultra Cameras to Giveaway! – Prime Time Money

American Express 10 Flip Mino Cameras Giveaway Plus $100 Bonus – The Sun’s Financial Diary

American Express Flip Mino Video Camera Giveaway – Bargaineering

American Express Charge Card Flip Video Camera Holiday Giveaway – Cash Money Life

Win One of 10 Flip Video Cameras! – Ask Mr. Credit Card

American Express Charge Card Flip Video Camera Giveaway – Moolanomy

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Personal Finance Bloggers Hosting the American Express Flip Mino Giveaway – 60+ Camera Prizes!

A few weeks ago I announced my giveaway to celebrate 1 million visitors and we’re now drawing close to the deadline. There are still a few days left, so if you haven’t entered already, you still have a shot. Entries are valid through June 21st.

To recap, I’m giving away some great prizes. The first prize is a brand new 8 GB iPod Touch. A fresh copy of Quicken Premier 2009. A deck of Nuru Personal Finance Cards. 3 copies of Wise Bread’s book: 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget. And a random assortment of finance books from my personal library.

As you can see, there are a number of chances to win, and some very cool prizes! If you want to enter there are two ways to do so. You can even enter with both methods and earn two entries!

Twitter

1. Follow @JeremyVoh on Twitter.

2. Simply tweet: Just entered to win an iPod Touch from Gen X Finance. Just follow @JeremyVoh and retweet. http://xr.com/genxipod

Sign Up for My Free Email Newsletter

1. Use the form below to sign up.

2. Check your inbox and make sure you confirm your subscription. Only verified subscriptions are eligible.

Make sure you use the sign up form above and not the one below since this one has the contest tracking code so I can keep track of your entry. Good luck, and if you’ve already entered feel free to let someone else know about it. And again, for all the contest rules and prize descriptions be sure to check out the official giveaway post.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Still Some Time Left to Enter to Win an iPod Touch and More

If you’re a regular reader, then you’ve probably heard me drop a few hints in the past week or two about the upcoming contest both on the site and in the email newsletter. A few weeks ago I noticed that I crossed the million visitor milestone, so to celebrate I wanted to give back to the readers. It has been a while since I’ve had any sort of giveaway, so I figured I should give away some pretty good stuff.

All said and done, I have hundreds of dollars worth of prizes ready to give out. After all, without readers this milestone would never have been possible. So, it’s my way of saying thanks and to hopefully find a few new readers. But let’s stop wasting time and get right to the good stuff. Here’s what’s at stake:

Prizes

iPod Touch

The top prize is a brand new 8 GB Apple iPod Touch. If you haven’t had a chance to play with one of these yet, they are just amazing little pieces of technology. You’ll be able to fit your music, videos, pictures, and anything else you want on there. Plus there are some fun games you can add as well.

Quicken Premier 2009

Next, we have a fresh copy of Quicken Premier 2009. I probably don’t need to tell you that Quicken is one of the most robust financial management programs available, but this would be a great thing to have if you’re trying to get your finances back in order.

And while I’m talking about Quicken, I just wanted to remind you that I do some occasional articles over on the Quicken Blog. They have completely redesigned it and are featuring a lot of other personal finance bloggers, so it’s certainly worth a look. I will be giving away one copy of Quicken Premier 2009.

Nuru Personal Finance Cards

I did a brief review of these cards a while back, but they are kind of a neat thing to have. Included in this deck you’ll receive 28 cards that discuss various financial topics in a way that’s easy to understand.

What I like about these cards is that the information is presented in bite-sized pieces. They can be good for a refresher or if you’re trying to understand the basics of a new concept. I’m giving one pack of these cards away.

10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget

This book just came out this week and was put out by the folks at Wise Bread. You can see my review from earlier this week. So, since I like the book so much I will be giving away a copy of this as well. UPDATE: Wise Bread is going to be providing a few more copies of the book, so I’ll have 3 total winners for this prize.

Assorted Finance Books

And finally, one lucky winner will receive a handful of finance books right from my personal collection. For this prize, I’m going to keep it a surprise. You won’t know what you’re getting until the package shows up on your doorstep. I’ll be including five random books to one lucky winner.

How to Enter

The contest is now closed!

Contest Rules

No contest would be complete without some legal copy, but I’ll keep it short. This giveaway runs until 11:59 pm Eastern time on June 21st, 2009. All tweets and verified newsletter subscriber confirmations must be timestamped on or before this time. All entries will be compiled and assigned a number after this time and a random number generator will select the winners. Winners must have provided a valid email address or Twitter account in order to receive a prize. Prizes will only be shipped to locations in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. This giveaway is void where prohibited and terms are subject to change.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Win an iPod Touch, Quicken, Finance Books and More in My 1 Million Visitor Giveaway

Win a Free Copy of Turbo Tax Premier ($85 value!)

April 15th is rapidly approaching and you only have a few more weeks to file your taxes. I know, taxes aren’t any fun, but we don’t have much of a choice. That being said, Intuit has stepped up to make this year’s taxes a little more enjoyable by providing me with some free TurboTax software to give away. I’m giving away two copies of their popular TurboTax Premier Online Edition which includes both a federal and state return plus e-file! That is an $85 value.

I know you’re excited to enter, but I wanted to provide a little bit of information about the software and what it can do for you. There are a number of different versions of TurboTax available, but Premier will be what you need if you have a rental property or have sold investments in taxable accounts in 2008.

Features of Premier:

• Imports Your Investment Info – Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution.
• Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales – Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and tells you how to deduct losses and associated expenses to help you get a bigger refund. Plus it keeps track of capital gains/losses that carry over to future tax returns.
• Determines Your Cost Basis – Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales in three easy steps, so you don’t end up paying more in taxes than you have to.
• Helps with Employee Stock Plans – Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices. Makes it easier to deduct losses, so you can get a bigger refund.
• 401(k) Maximizer – Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay, so you can save more for the future.
• Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction - Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance, to maximize your tax savings.
• Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method – Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest
  tax deduction.
• Maximizes Refinancing Deductions – Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don’t miss a single chance to save.
• Helps with New Rental Properties – Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties.

How to Enter the Giveaway

Okay, so TurboTax Premier is pretty nice, but how do you win? It’s really simple and there are three different ways to enter. You may be eligible for up to three entries if you qualify. The deadline is 5 pm EST on Wednesday, March 25. So, here’s what you need to do:

Leave a Comment

Simply leave a comment on this post. Tell me something interesting about yourself, let everyone know why you want to win, or what you love or hate about tax time. If you leave a comment, just make sure you use a valid email address so I can contact you if you’ve won.

Using Twitter

I love Twitter. It’s fun to network with others, share interesting links, and it can be a fun outlet for goofing off. There are two different ways to enter via Twitter depending on your follow status. First, if you aren’t already following me, all you have to do is become a follower. Then let me know you’ve started following me by sending an @JeremyVoh message letting me know.

Don’t worry, you can still enter via Twitter if you’re already a follower. In this case, all you have to do is tweet about this contest. To make it easy I’ve provided the text to use below so you can just copy and paste it into your Twitter client. It will also help me search and keep track of entries:

Win a FREE copy of TurboTax Premier! Follow @JeremyVoh and RT – http://tinyurl.com/GenXtax #GenXTT

Subscribe to the Newsletter

I’ve got some big things in store for the upcoming newsletter so you won’t want to miss out. Without giving too much away I’ve provided a little image of the upcoming issue. It’s going to be fun, informative, and provide the information you need to help you make the best decisions possible with your money.

Good Luck!

That’s it, so good luck. The rules are simple, but just to clarify some other fine print: You must be a U.S. resident since this is for U.S. taxes, and you must provide a valid email address or Twitter account so that you can be notified in the event you are selected. Entries will be accepted until 5 pm EST on Wednesday, March 25th. I’ll then randomly select two winners from all entry methods later that night and notify the winners.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

TurboTax Premier Giveaway Contest – Two Copies Up for Grabs

NURU Personal Finance Cards

Do you get bored reading personal finance books? Is your attention span too short to be bothered with reading for a half hour just to learn a relatively simple concept? Well, the NURU Personal Finance cards may be perfect for you. This deck of 28 cards is designed to help you learn about the most important aspects of personal finance in a short amount of time. Instead of spending a lot of time reading about finance issues that may not be all that important to you, you can focus on the topics that really matter.

The purpose of these personal finance cards is to give you the knowledge you need to make strong, smart financial decisions and to take control of your financial future. I received a few packs of these cards last week so I wanted to take a look at what they offer and see just how useful they may be. So, let’s take a look.

The Cards

The pack of cards come in a nice little package similar to any deck of cards. In this case, there are 28 cards instead of 52. What’s great about these cards is that there is a small hole punched in the top corner of all the cards, and included with the pack is a metal ring that you can attach them too. This will prevent them from getting lost or separated. Once you break into the packaging, the top card is a brief set of instructions that outline what the cards talk about, how they are organized, and the built in reference system.

The reference system itself is pretty nice. As you’re reading the cards, you’ll occasionally encounter a number in a box next to a term or concept. This reminds you to check out the information on that card number for additional information. This makes it easy flip through the deck and touch on all of the important terms relating to the card you’re currently reading.

The deck is organized into 7 different categories:

1. Essential Vocabulary
2. Personal Planning
3. Investing
4. Loans
5. Retirement Vehicles
6. Credit
7. Insurance

The instructions stress that you should take advantage of the 3-5 minute periods of downtime in your day to review a card, thus imparting the knowledge into your brain. Not a bad idea if you ask me. What would you rather do, sit and click refresh a few times on a website or check your email for the 248th time for the day, or pull out one of these cards and reinforce an important aspect of personal finance in your head?

As an added bonus, each deck has a unique registration number so you can register your cards online. By registering your cards you’ll gain access to digital copies of your cards on the NURU website, exclusive financial tips and tools, and discounts on their other products.

The Verdict

After spending some time flipping through the deck and checking out the topics and information, I’d say these cards do their job well. The information is succinct and sticks with a lot of terms and concepts that are useful in your life. Since the topics are on the basic side, these cards will have the greatest impact on younger people or those who have limited knowledge in finance. Even if you’re a seasoned personal finance veteran, there are some good reminders.

I see the NURU Personal Finance cards as a perfect gift for a high school student or grad. They may not be willing to read an entire book on personal finance, but they may certainly flip through this deck and pick up a few nuggets of wisdom. But at just $10, they are an inexpensive and fun way to really help you or someone else learn about finance.

Enter the Contest to Win Your Own Deck

Would you like to get your hands on one of these? I’m going to give two of these decks away which are pictured below. Entering is simple, and you have three different ways to enter. With three ways to enter, you may be eligible for three entries into the contest.

Sign Up for the Newsletter

The first way to enter is to sign up for the new Generation X Finance newsletter. All you have to do is add your name and email address to the form below and confirm your subscription. Each confirmed subscription will count as one entry. The newsletter goes out every few weeks and contains some exclusive material you may not otherwise find on the site, a heads up on upcoming contests and events, and other deals from around the web.

Follow Me on Twitter

To earn another entry, simply follow me on Twitter. Twitter is a great way for me to interact with readers, share other useful links, and give advanced notice on some of the happenings around the site. If you are following me on Twitter, simply leave a comment stating your Twitter name. And since leaving a comment also counts as an entry, you’ll automatically get two entries so you won’t have to leave a separate comment.

Leave a Comment

Finally, you can simply leave a comment on this post for an entry. Share what you’d do with the cards if you win, or say anything you want for a chance to win. It doesn’t matter, and each valid comment will count as an entry.

Contest Rules

The rules are simple. A maximum of one entry with each of the above methods for a total of 3 entries per person. Entries will be accepted until 9 pm EST on Friday, March 13th. I’ll then assign each entry a number and use a random number generator to select two winning entries. You need to use a valid email address so that you can be contacted in the event your entry was selected. Must be located in the U.S. or Canada and be able to provide a mailing address.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

NURU Personal Finance Cards: A Review and Giveaway

If you follow any of the finance blogs out there, you’ve probably come across a few SmartyPig giveaways. Well, it is no different here. I have some prizes to give away as well. Before getting into the details of the giveaway, I did want to briefly introduce the new service and highlight some recent changes to their fee structure.

About SmartyPig

Opening an account on SmartyPig is absolutely free. In fact, you can open your account, create a goal, reach your goal, and redeem your goal, and SmartyPig won’t charge you a thing. Some highlights of the service:

• SmartyPig savings accounts are held in West Bank and are FDIC insured, so consumers can be confident their financial information and savings are secure. SmartyPig also utilizes the services of VeriSign, HACKER SAFE and TRUSTe.
• SmartyPig is the only online savings initiative that allows family and friends to help consumers reach their savings goals.
• SmartyPig currently offers the highly competitive interest rate of 4.3% (Annual Percentage Yield) and will always maintain a competitive interest rate for account holders.
• SmartyPig gives consumers even more for their money by offering additional incentive boosts (up to 5%) from best-in-class retailer partners like Pottery Barn, Best Buy, Royal Caribbean and Home Depot when they reach a savings goal.
• SmartyPig’s smart, simple and secure approach to savings teaches the benefits of good financial habits, reverses the “buy now, pay later” mentality and makes saving money a fun and easy experience.
• SmartyPig was recently awarded “Best of the Web” by NetBanker.com.

How it Works

Unlike your typical savings account at the bank, the unique feature of SmartyPig is that you have the ability to create goals and then use your savings to fund these goals. This puts a personal touch on your savings, and for many people, this can make all the difference in actually reaching those goals. Another unique aspect is that you can share your goals and make them public. In doing so, you allow an opportunity for others to help you fund your goals.

The first thing you need to do is go to the SmartyPig site and create an account. You can then link the account to an existing bank account and electronically fund your SmartyPig account via ACH. What is great is that SmartyPig offers a current rate of 4.3% regardless of your balance. So even if you just deposit $100, you’ll still qualify for this great rate. Once you create an account, you are then encouraged to set specific savings goals.

Once you have saved enough money to fund one of your goals, you then have a few options. The default option is to take the money out via a SmartyPig Mastercard debit card. Another attractive option is to receive the money through a preferred retailer gift card. Preferred retailers give an additional 5% on your savings, which is a nice incentive.

Breakdown on Fees

Thanks to some recent changes, there is very little to report in terms of fees. Opening a SmartyPig account costs absolutely nothing, and there are no maintinence or annual fees. In addition. if you withdraw your money out with their Mastercard debit card, there are also no fees. There are a few fees to at least be aware of:

• Funding a public goal with a credit card incurs a 2.9% fee, which is comparable to sending money with PayPal. Funding a public goal with an existing SmartyPig account costs nothing.
• Purchasing a physical or electronic SmartyPig gift card with a credit card also has a 2.9% processing fee. Using ACH for purchase is free.
• Choosing to receive money via check: $25 .
• Unsuccessful attempt at funds transfer: $25.
• Replacement of a lost, stolen or discarded SmartyPig MasterCard Debit Card: $20.
• Overdrawn accounts: $27 per overdrawn item.

As you can see, the service costs absolutely nothing unless you choose to receive your money via check, have overdrawn accounts, make purchases/deposits with credit card, or need to replace your Mastercard debit card. I think these fee changes are great, and it puts SmartyPig at a competitive advantage with the interest rate and other added benefits of the account.

The Giveaway

I’m sure this is what everyone was waiting for, so here it is. I have two (2) $50 SmartyPig gift cards to give away.

* To redeem the SmartyPig gift card, you must have an active SmartyPig account. SmartyPig Gift Cards can only be redeemed into an active SmartyPig Savings Goal. If you have a SmartyPig account but do not have an active Savings Goal, you will need to create a new Savings Goal to redeem your gift card.

To be eligible for this contest, you must be a resident of the U.S. and have a valid email address. To enter, simply reply to this post and let me know what you’d use the money to save for.  It is as simple as that! This contest will remain open to comments until 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 10th. Upon closing comments, I’ll select two random numbers from random.org to select the winners. Good luck!

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

An Introduction to SmartyPig and a $100 Giveaway

Are you still putting off your taxes? The clock is ticking, but you still have a little under a month left to file. That is plenty of time to enter my TaxCut USB flash drive giveaway! TaxCut is good tax preparation software, and it is actually what I’ve used the past few years. In addition to the typical tax preparation, H&R Block has launched a new service that serves as an online community called Digits.

The community serves as a hub where tax and financial discussions can live alongside conversations about politics, entertainment, the environment and other topics of interest because we all know there’s more to life than taxes. Along with timely features like “Tax Tip of the Week” and “Ask a Tax Advisor” (which links visitors to an H&R Block tax pro), Digits also features tax season diversions such as comic web videos and personal finance podcasts. In addition to the fun stuff, Digits also provides help and details on the important stuff like Congress’ recently approved tax rebate plan and more.

Giveaway Details

I have 3 of these USB drives to give away. Each one comes preloaded with TaxCut Premium Federal + State. This alone is a $40 value, but as an added bonus, you are free to use the USB flash drive as you see fit. With 1 GB of storage, this can be incredibly handy for portable documents, music, videos, and more. If you have used other tax software in the past, I think you’ll find that H&R Block’s TaxCut very easy to use.

Entry Details

Entering the contest is simple. All you have to do is leave a comment in this post with a valid email address and list the team that you think will win the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament. If you’re unfamiliar with the teams or tournament, you can find a list of teams here. By the way, GO MICHIGAN STATE!

The deadline for leaving a comment is 9 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 22nd. At that time, I will select three random numbers from random.org to correspond with the comment numbers. I’ll then send the winners an email to request mailing information. Good luck!

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

TaxCut 1 GB USB Flash Drive Giveaway

It is tax season, and to celebrate the site redesign, I’m going to be giving away a copy of TurboTax Premier Investments & Rental Property software. This is a $75 value, and includes both federal and state returns. This version of TurboTax is ideal for those who own an investment or rental property, or manages investments in a taxable account.

The winner will receive an unopened installation CD which includes everything you need to begin completing your tax return.

This contest will run until 9 p.m. EST on Monday, February 18th. At that time, all entries from the various methods explained below will be assigned a number, and a winning number will be selected at random. To qualify, you must provide a valid email address and live in the U.S. The software will be shipped via standard first class mail.

7 Ways to Enter

For this contest, each person has the ability to earn up to 7 entries. The entry methods are as follows:

1. Leave a comment in this post stating that you’d like to win. (only one comment per person will count)
2. Mention, and link to this contest post on your website or blog. (contact me to inform me of the link)
3. Link to any post on this site from your own site between now and the contest deadline. (contact me to inform me of the link)
4. Spot the TurboTax graphic hidden in posts in the archives. There are 4 total. (contact me with the URLs of the page(s) you found)

The image you’re looking for is:

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

TurboTax 2007 Premier Contest – 7 Ways to Enter