Friday Finance Findings for April 17th

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad tax day has finally passed. April 15th is the worst day of the year for my bank account. Between 2008 taxes owed and 1st quarter estimated taxes, it’s a lot of money headed to the IRS all at once. Luckily, we now have one new deduction and with a few extra debts paid off this year we should be able to pump a little more into pre-tax retirement accounts to bring down the tax bill next year.

In other news, I’m also looking for some input. Over on my About.com site, we’ve introduced a new feature called “User Answers”, where I ask a question, and the users get to answer. It’s a nice opportunity to collect input from readers and share them with the rest of the site. To kick this feature off, I asked how you save money on groceries. Since this feature is a bit new and I’m trying it out for the first time, I figured it would be good to open it up to everyone here to get the tips rolling in. So, if you have a grocery shopping tip that can help people save money, I want to hear about it!

Saving Money When You’re Single – Think being single means you can slack off on serious financial issues until you’re married and have kids? Think again. There are a lot of things you need to address when single, and some are even more important than if you did have a partner.

How to Claim Your Home Office – The home office deduction was a first for us this year. I’ve always been a bit intimidated by it when I did my own taxes, but having an accountant this year made it simple. And when you start to add everything up, the tax savings can be pretty substantial. Here’s what you need to know if you plan on claiming your home office deduction.

Don’t Forget the Big Picture – For personal finance junkies like me, this is an important reminder. It’s easy to get caught up in all the little details and try to maximize every possible penny, but you have to occasionally remind yourself about what it’s all for. Make sure you don’t lose sight of the big picture.

Should You Earn A College Degree? – The answer isn’t always yes. While a college degree will open a lot of doors or maybe even be a requirement for certain professions, there’s more to that decision than just getting a degree for the sake of getting one. It can be expensive, so learn about your options before plunking down that tuition or going into massive debt.

Free Garmin nüvi GPS from KeyBank – Do you like free stuff? I do. Luckily, we have a Key Bank not far from us, and with no minimum balance requirement for this deal, it could be an easy way to score a decent GPS device for free. Go check it out!

How Long Does It Take Your Broker to Answer Your Call? -  This is interesting because I’ve never had to call my brokerage company in the 5 or so years I’ve been with them so I didn’t know there was such a discrepancy between companies. Here you’ll find a comparison of the major brokerage companies and their average response times when you call. If being able to get a hold of someone quickly is important, this might be good to know.

How to Handle Marriage and Money Talks – Money causes a lot of problems in marriage. When you have two people sharing the same money but who have different goals or ideas about what should happen with that money, tensions can easily surface. Here are a few tips to help you manage money when married.

So You Married Types: Joint or Separate Accounts? – Continuing with the marriage theme, for those of you who are married, do you have joint or separate accounts? There are clear arguments for both, but the Weakonomist is asking you.

How to Pay Less Income Tax – Want to pay fewer taxes? Make less money. Ok, kidding aside, there is a way you can actually maintain or even increase your overall income while keeping taxes at bay. At least for now…

How Many Credit Cards Do You Carry? – Frugal Dad is asking the readers how many credit cards they carry. I answered with 3. One personal, one for my business, and one corporate card issued by my employer. Rarely used, but always in my wallet.

Save Money at Baseball Games – Spring has sprung and that means it’s baseball season. Personally, I can’t stand the sport, but I know a lot of people enjoy it. If you plan on going to any baseball games this year, you’ll probably want to save some money while you’re there. So, here’s some advice to help you get the most for your money at your next ball game.

Best Deals Sites Online – SlickDeals – I love a good deal, and the internet is a great way to find them. One of my favorite sites is SlickDeals, which Ben reviews in great detail. If you’re looking for good deals online, here’s what you need to know about the SlickDeals site.