Darwin's Finance » Personal Finance

It’s That Time of Year – How to Calculate Your FSA Contribution Amount for 2012

Darwin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:14:56 +0000

For those of you who have a Flex Savings Account option at work, it’s time to set the total annual allotment for 2012 before the year starts. I’ve always had mixed emotions about this provision of the tax code. On one hand, you’re allowed to deduct medical expenses from your income normally subject to federal [...]

It’s That Time of Year – How to Calculate Your FSA Contribution Amount for 2012 is an article from Darwin's Finance

2011 Average Raise – Will Raises Stink Like Last Year?

Saving Money at the Risk of Personal Safety – Balance?

Darwin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:45:03 +0000

When is taking on risk to the personal safety of yourself or others worth saving money? This weekend, somewhat on a whim, my wife suggested we go skiing. We already had a trip planned in a couple weeks and would need to be doing a seasonal rental anyway, so she suggested we go pick up [...]

Saving Money at the Risk of Personal Safety – Balance? is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Winning the Lottery Brings Misery, Loss, and Death – Why Bother?

Darwin — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:45:31 +0000

We often wish for things that we probably shouldn’t. I remember in middle school we were studying the middle ages and our teacher went off on a tangent about how little girls all say they want to be a Princess but what a horrible life it was. After all, Disney has about a dozen movies [...]

Winning the Lottery Brings Misery, Loss, and Death – Why Bother? is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Paying for Christmas Light Hanging Service? Absurd

Darwin — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:14:26 +0000

You’ve probably heard about the services that will hang Christmas lights on your house for you each year for a fee. I knew the services were out there but never actually knew anyone that used one, nor did I contemplate what the service would cost. I figure regular able-bodied people either hang the lights themselves [...]

Paying for Christmas Light Hanging Service? Absurd is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Financial Advisors Keeping You in the Dark?

Darwin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:54:22 +0000

I have nothing against Financial Advisors as a whole. Most of the time, they fulfill an important void in delivering valuable advice and guidance in an arena where people are very unfamiliar – investments, money management, tax planning, saving for college, and other areas. This is really no different than getting legal advice from an [...]

Financial Advisors Keeping You in the Dark? is an article from Darwin's Finance

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You’re an Impulse Buyer. Blame Yourself? Or This Chemical in Your Brain?

Darwin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:43:10 +0000

I read an interesting story in NPR this weekend showing how impulsiveness is tied to the chemical content in your brain. Akin to how plaintiffs attorneys have tried to use genetic makeup to explain why criminals do what they do, I wonder if people knew what their dopamine levels were in their brain, if they [...]

You’re an Impulse Buyer. Blame Yourself? Or This Chemical in Your Brain? is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Charitable Contributions – Avoid being Ripped Off

Darwin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:56:42 +0000

While people mean well by donating money to seemingly noble causes, often times that money ends up being eaten up by administrative costs, waste, or outright fraud. The other day, I came home from work and my wife was at the door with a teenage kid holding a clipboard talking about clean water and pollution [...]

Charitable Contributions – Avoid being Ripped Off is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Is a Security System Worth It? It Depends

Darwin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:54:25 +0000

Last night was one of those nights I wish I had a security system. I’m a light sleeper to begin with, but when I hear a huge bang in the house, I spring out of bed, fists clenched ready to take on the invisible intruder. This happens about once a month and it drives me [...]

Is a Security System Worth It? It Depends is an article from Darwin's Finance

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Stolen Driver’s License? How to Protect Your Identity and Credit

Darwin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:53:34 +0000

The other day, my wife was at the town pool with the kids (for the first time ironically), and she had her Driver’s License stolen out of her beach bag, presumably because it was in a plastic bag with a few bucks. She had her guard down because she was sitting with other moms she [...]

Stolen Driver’s License? How to Protect Your Identity and Credit is an article from Darwin's Finance

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With Rates This Low, Should You be Borrowing to Invest?

Darwin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:47:40 +0000

I read a rather controversial article recently in the Wall Street Journal aptly entitled “Leverage Baby!” outlining the case for taking on debt to invest it at a higher rate. The main premise of the article was that now may be an optimal time to actually take out loans at extremely low interest rates, use [...]

With Rates This Low, Should You be Borrowing to Invest? is an article from Darwin's Finance

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