ArtBistro

Taxes are overwhelming and complicated. There is form after form and it gets tough to keep them all straight. The most painful part, however, is seeing the toll it takes on you wallet. TurboTax, Military.com and ArtBistro have brought you expert financial advice to make your taxes and painless as possible and hopefully save a lot of money in the process. ...

Commitment to your job sometimes requires digging into your own pocket to purchase a uniform or treat a client to 18 holes of golf. But such unreimbursed expenses can pinch financially, unless you learn IRS rules for deducting work-related costs from your taxable income. Fastidious record keeping and advice from a tax professional can also help mitigate the suffering. "Many of ...

We all know that before bringing you on board, a potential employer will do some vetting. They'll scour the internet searching for digital dirt, or any discrepancies from your resume. They'll try to get a glimpse into your personality. They want to know as much as they can about you. After all, they’re about to let you – an unknown quantity ...

No one can guarantee you a healthy and prosperous retirement. Life is just too unpredictable. But you can increase your odds of enjoying your twilight years in comfort by pursuing a regimen of common-sense steps. Here are six top ones: h4. Decide carefully on health care You can do at least three things to help secure your health in retirement: Take ...

We all have our little fears: The frayed wire on the coffee maker. That knocking noise from the left-rear tire. The zombies staggering around in the backyard. For investors, one of the biggest fears today is inflation — a period of rising prices. Inflation erodes the buying power of your money at home and abroad. In a worst-case scenario, it can ...

During the worst economic crisis in a lifetime, the right financial decisions are crucial. BusinessWeek asked financial planners for some advice on what to do—or not to do—with your money in the New Year. As we bid farewell to a dreadful 2008, these "resolutions" may help keep your finances on the right track in 2009: h4. 1. Don't try to predict ...

Learn how one business saved this amount each month by cutting back on non-essentials. Your business can use these methods to decrease expenses, too. There's no escaping it: The economy is officially dismal. Many companies are being forced to increase sales and/or decrease costs in order to remain competitive or, in some cases, survive. That's why we decided to do ...

When you are laid off from your job, one of your hopes is that you receive a good severance package, equipped with both severance pay and continued benefits. Most often, severance is based on how long an employee has been employed by the employer, but benefits often vary depending on the employer. In addition, employers are not required to provide severance ...

Did you spend substantial amounts of money looking for a new position last year? You may be able to succeed where Nelson Rockefeller failed and take a tax deduction for many of your job search-related costs. When New York Governor Rockefeller was appointed vice president in the '70s, he deducted expenses incurred in connection with his congressional confirmation hearings. Years later, ...

A BW senior correspondent details his quest to repair his retirement portfolio and get his family's finances in order It could have been worse. At the end of February—a year and change since my wife and I had shifted our money to professional wealth management advisers—our equity holdings were down 48% for the 16 months they had managed it. But our ...

Today's managers are charged with getting the most out of workers no matter what. But the reality is that many managers must coax top performances from their employees while working with a minimal budget that may require salary freezes; cuts in benefits, bonuses or perks; reductions in hours; or even layoffs. If you're faced with a less-than-optimal budget situation, follow these ...

It's hard enough to job hunt in a thriving economy, but now, even the heartiest job seeker may be inclined to roll over and catch a few more z's rather than hit the streets. Don't quit looking before you start. Job hunting requires you to pull out all the stops and take the basics to a new level. You truly have ...

The current financial crisis has thrown terminology from the business pages onto the front page of newspapers, with jargon now abounding everywhere from the water cooler to the back of a taxi. Here is a guide to many of the business terms currently cropping up regularly, as well as some of the more exotic words coined to describe some of ...

It's one of a heap of financial worries that come with a layoff: What happens to your company-sponsored retirement plan? The answer depends on how long you worked for the company, the amount you saved up and whether the money's in a 401(k) or a pension plan. For the most part, federal regulations protect retirement savings, even if a company goes ...

Loans are a time-tested way of raising capital for your business. We would love to tell you that it is as easy as going to the bank and asking for money, but as you probably know by now it is quite the opposite. We wrote the following steps to help you raise the right amount of capital to get your business ...

Everyone has at least one frugal friend who always crows about how much money he saves by clipping coupons or frequenting discount stores. And while this friend’s behavior/bragging is a great reminder of how you should be more financially savvy — especially when the U.S. economy isn’t in the best shape — he may overlook some simple savings strategies that you’ve ...

To help lighten the blow of Tax Day across the nation, various dining establishments and retailers are offering consumers freebies, deals and discounts — just for today!Here are a few we dug up, but be on the look out for local deals in your area! • Chick-fil-A is offering a “Tax Relief Day Special” that, according to a SmartMoney.com article, ...

As the economy weakens and prices soar on everything from gas to groceries, Americans are looking for quick ways to cut their expenses and hold on to more cash. Fortunately there are plenty of ways to chop your spending without a lot of time or hassle. Some of these cuts will save you just a few dollars, while others can net ...

In 2008, legislation was passed to help rescue US markets and the economy. But did you know that these bailout bills also included a bundle of income tax breaks? The biggest ones are known as "extenders" - popular tax breaks that might seem permanent to most taxpayers, but actually must be renewed every year or two. Stuffed inside the *Emergency Economic ...

Once you have been laid off, one of the first things you are likely to think about is how you are going to replace your income. Unemployment Insurance (UI) was established by the government to provide unemployment benefits to workers when become unemployed due to factors outside their control to financially assist them while they are looking for employment. UI is ...