Advertiser Disclosure The credit card, banking, and other financial offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us – for example, when you click a link, are approved for a product, or open an account. This compensation may influence how and where offers appear on the site, including the order in which they appear on category pages. It does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions, which are ours alone. We do not include every bank, credit card company, or offer available in the marketplace. Many credit cards include purchase protection covering new items against theft or accidental damage for 90-120 days at no extra cost. Extended warranty coverage adds one to two years on top of the manufacturer’s warranty automatically. Most cardholders never use these benefits because they don’t know they exist, so read your card’s benefits guide today. Many credit cards include purchase protection covering new items against theft or accidental damage for 90-120 days at no extra cost. Extended warranty coverage adds one to two years on top of the manufacturer’s warranty automatically. Most cardholders never use these benefits because they don’t know they exist, so read your card’s benefits guide today. Every dollar you contribute to a traditional 401k or deductible IRA lowers your taxable income for the current year. At a 22% marginal rate, a $5,000 IRA contribution saves you $1,100 in federal taxes today. The tax break is immediate, and the investing benefits compound from there. Every dollar you contribute to a traditional 401k or deductible IRA lowers your taxable income for the current year. At a 22% marginal rate, a $5,000 IRA contribution saves you $1,100 in federal taxes today. The tax break is immediate, and the investing benefits compound from there. If you’ll owe the IRS $1,000 or more after withholding this year, your third estimated payment is due September 15. Don’t guess the amount. Pay a quarter of last year’s total tax each installment, 110% of that if last year’s adjusted gross income topped $150,000, and the underpayment penalty can’t touch you whatever this year earns. If you’ll owe the IRS $1,000 or more after withholding this year, your third estimated payment is due September 15. Don’t guess the amount. Pay a quarter of last year’s total tax each installment, 110% of that if last year’s adjusted gross income topped $150,000, and the underpayment penalty can’t touch you whatever this year earns. Retailers frequently inflate prices before sales events to make discounts look larger than they are. Price history tracking tools show you what an item actually sold for over the past year so you can tell whether today’s price is genuinely low or a marketing move. Check price history before any significant purchase, especially around major sale events. Retailers frequently inflate prices before sales events to make discounts look larger than they are. Price history tracking tools show you what an item actually sold for over the past year so you can tell whether today’s price is genuinely low or a marketing move. Check price history before any significant purchase, especially around major sale events. If your itemized deductions hover just below the standard deduction threshold most years, try bunching. Concentrate two years of charitable donations or other deductible expenses into one year so you can itemize that year and take the standard deduction the next. The total giving stays the same, but the tax benefit doubles in the bunching year.

If your itemized deductions hover just below the standard deduction threshold most years, try bunching. Concentrate two years of charitable donations or other deductible expenses into one year so you can itemize that year and take the standard deduction the next. The total giving stays the same, but the tax benefit doubles in the bunching year. The IRS Free File program offers free federal tax preparation software to anyone earning below a set income threshold, plus free fillable forms for everyone else. Millions of eligible filers pay $50-150 for tax software every year without knowing the free option exists. Check IRS.gov/freefile before you pay for anything. The IRS Free File program offers free federal tax preparation software to anyone earning below a set income threshold, plus free fillable forms for everyone else. Millions of eligible filers pay $50-150 for tax software every year without knowing the free option exists. Check IRS.gov/freefile before you pay for anything. A carrier’s free phone is 36 monthly bill credits that stop if you cancel, pay the phone off early, or drop to a plan the deal doesn’t cover. Multiply the monthly gap between the plan the deal requires and the cheapest plan you’d otherwise carry by 36. If that beats the phone’s unlocked price, the deal costs you money. A carrier’s free phone is 36 monthly bill credits that stop if you cancel, pay the phone off early, or drop to a plan the deal doesn’t cover. Multiply the monthly gap between the plan the deal requires and the cheapest plan you’d otherwise carry by 36. If that beats the phone’s unlocked price, the deal costs you money. Before your lease ends, compare the buyout price in your contract against what the car sells for today. If the car is worth more, keeping it beats handing it back and the gap is yours. If it is worth less, return it and walk away. Before your lease ends, compare the buyout price in your contract against what the car sells for today. If the car is worth more, keeping it beats handing it back and the gap is yours. If it is worth less, return it and walk away. The beneficiary listed on your 401k, IRA, and life insurance policy receives those assets regardless of what your will says. An ex-spouse, a deceased parent, or a forgotten name can inherit funds your will directs elsewhere. Review every beneficiary designation after any major life event: marriage, divorce, death, or a new child. The beneficiary listed on your 401k, IRA, and life insurance policy receives those assets regardless of what your will says. An ex-spouse, a deceased parent, or a forgotten name can inherit funds your will directs elsewhere. Review every beneficiary designation after any major life event: marriage, divorce, death, or a new child. Most employer-provided life insurance covers one to two times your annual salary. The guideline is 10-12 times your income to replace earnings and cover debts, childcare, and future expenses for dependents. Supplement your employer coverage with a personal term policy you own, one that doesn’t disappear if you change jobs. Most employer-provided life insurance covers one to two times your annual salary. The guideline is 10-12 times your income to replace earnings and cover debts, childcare, and future expenses for dependents. Supplement your employer coverage with a personal term policy you own, one that doesn’t disappear if you change jobs.