SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST POSTS VIA EMAIL!Sprint Wireless Adds Nationwide Unlimited Calling Plan
February 29, 2008
Adding to my earlier Post on Unlimited Cell Phone Plans, Sprint has added their own nation wide Unlimited Calling Plan. Sprint did have a trial unlimited plan going on, but it looks like this replaces it.
Sprint calls this the Simply Everything plan which gives subscribers unlimited voice calls, and also includes unlimited data, e-mail and Web surfing for $99.99 per month.
Here are the quick details on the plans from the other 3 carriers:
- AT&T Talk Unlimited – $99.99 Unlimited Calling Only (available: now)
- Verizon Truly Unlimited Calling – $99.99 Unlimited Calling (available: now)
- T-Mobile – $99.99 Unlimited Calling, Text Messaging, and Picture Messaging (available: TBD)
When you line it up against the other guys plans, Sprint clearly gives you the most features for the money. So you just need to make sure you have decent coverage in your area.
I don’t make enough cell phone calls to go this route. I currently use T-Mobile’s Hotspot @Home where I get unlimited WiFi calls for $9.99 added to my regular phone plan. This suits me fine. Besides Sprint coverage is horrible in my neighborhood, so I couldn’t go after this deal if I wanted to.
2008 Tax Rebate Stimulus Plan Payout Update
February 28, 2008
Update: See my latest posts on the Tax Rebate Payout Details in the 2008 Tax Rebate Category!
I have been asked by a bunch of readers what the stimulus plan payout schedule is going to be for the 2008 Tax Rebate. Unfortunately they still have not released an updated payout schedule yet. My source inside the IRS says it should be coming in the next few weeks, so please keep checking back as I will post it as soon as it is public knowledge.
Another item that I have received a bunch of questions on is whether or not we will have to pay taxes on the rebates that we qualify for. The good news is no. Check out the IRS Frequently Asked Questions Site and at the bottom you will find this:
Q. Is my stimulus payment taxable?
A. No. You will not owe tax on your payment when you file your 2008 federal income tax return. But you should keep a copy of the IRS letter you receive later this year listing the amount of your payment. In the event you do not qualify for the full amount this year but you do next year, you will need to have the letter as a record of the amount you previously received.
Q. Will the payment I receive in 2008 reduce my 2008 refund or increase the amount I owe for 2008?
A. No, the stimulus payment will not reduce your refund or increase the amount you owe when you file your 2008 return.
This is definitely great news, because if I was going to have to pay taxes on it I was just going to save it, but now, that Xbox 360 is looking better and better.
Subscribe to my RSS Feed to get the latest updates. You can also see all my posts on the 2008 Tax Rebate Stimulus HERE!
Advanta Mastercard – 2.9% Balance Transfer For Life
February 28, 2008
EDIT: Please note that the Advanta Balance Transfer For Life Offer is no longer available. You might like the Advanta Mastercard that offers no interest for 90 days every month!
Advanta has a pretty good offer going on for those of you carrying some credit card debt. They are offering 2.9% on balance transfers for life when you sign up for the Advanta Life-of-Balance Platinum Card and transfer balances within 3 months of the account opening. And even better, there is no balance transfer fee!
One thing to note, this is a busniess card, but it appears that anyone can get it. I also had a reader report that they were able to transfer balances from their personal cards to this card. I just signed up and was approved, since I couldn’t pass this one up. I have about $8,000 on a 0% balance transfer that I need to do something with soon so this will work out great.
There is no annual fee for this card. It was a very easy application process. I have had Advanta cards and the past and have had no complaints with their service.
Advanta Life-of-Balance Platinum Card Details Page
Bank Failures Expected to Grow
February 28, 2008
According to the FDIC, they are expecting in the upwards of 100 or more bank failures in the next 2 years. This is very high considering there have only been 4 failures in the last 12 months. 65 banks and thrifts were identified as “problem” institutions at the end of the Q3 last year.
The Wall Street Journal Article doesn’t identify the banks the FDIC has identified as “problem institutions” or any others that they think are falling into that same basket, but this should make you readdress your situation and make sure all your accounts are under FDIC insurance protection. That usually means having less than $100,000 on deposit per bank. There are other ways around this such as setting up the account as a POD account (Payable on Death), that would increase your insurance to $200,000. See this FDIC site for more details on FDIC insurance coverage for your situation.
Can you make money on a bank failure? Sure, if you have “skills in performing duties associated with a financial-institution closing, such as receivership management, resolutions and/or asset disposition; knowledge of the resolutions process as it relates to complex financial institutions.” Apparently the FDIC is willing to pay as much as $180,770 per year if you’ve got the experience. With such a shortage of resources they are trying to bring some folks out of retirement to help.
Anyone know of a “Teach Yourself Bank Failures in 21 days” book?
Free $50 From Discover Miles Card
February 28, 2008
EDIT: The $50 Promo is no longer available on the Discover Miles card. There is a new $50 discover promo that can be found here
Discover Card has a new promotion where you get 12,000 miles when signing up for the Miles by Discover® Card. To get the 12,000 miles, you need to make 1 purchase every month for 12 months after appying for the card. You will earn 1,000 miles each month the purchase is made, up to 12,000 miles. The 1,000 miles will be posted within 8 weeks after the purchase.
The 12,000 miles can be converted into the following:
- $25 Account credit for every 5,000 miles(12,000 miles = $50 Statement Credit + 2,000 miles)
- $50 Travel Credit for every 5,000 miles (12,000 miles = $100 Travel Credit + 2,000 miles)
- Redeem for gift cards starting at 1,000 miles.
There is no annual fee on this card. There is also a 0% Balance Transfer option for 12 months available. Please note that the balance transfer fee is 3.0% of the balance with a minimum of $10 and a maximum of $75.
401k Loans Via ATM?
February 27, 2008
In an effort to get you to squander more of your requirement, the powers that be have created the 401k debit card. This one is good. Basically once you are approved for a 401k loan you then have access to the funds via a debit card.
The interesting piece is how you pay back the loan. Rather than a payroll deduction, you would receive a statement in the mail that you would have to pay just like a regular credit card. Hmm, I always thought the reason they did payroll deductions was to force you to pay it back.
Ok, lets talk about this. There are people in severe credit card debt as we speak and they were using the bank’s money. Can you imagine what this would be like knowing that it is their own money? I think they apprehension would be much less. Also, let’s not forget that once you leave your current position, most 401k plans require that you pay back the loan immediately. Not to mention the fact that you are reducing your overall investment potential by reducing your balance.
This idea has government bail out written all over it. So I guess it works like this… You charge your retirement on items you don’t really need. You can’t pay the bill. Now your retirement is gone. What to do? Get Congress to bail you out of course at the expense of taxpayers. I think they should kill this thought now before people start using this to buy houses that they can’t afford!!!!
Why not create an account like Bank Of America’s keep the change where after every purchase with your debit card they round up and put that change in a retirement account. People let’s focus on saving for retirement not finding easier ways to reduce it!
See the Full Article @ Street.com
