Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Pay Taxes and...




If you, like me, just filed your taxes in the nick of time you may have also been inspired to do a little financial fitness. Kind of like when you wash the dishes and decide to throw away the mold extravaganza growing in your fridge's to-go containers. Not always fun, but occasionally necessary.

But where to start? WNYC recently did a four part series titled Money U with Saving, Credit, Debt Collection, Banking 101.

I first saw Deyarina del Rio at The New School's Banking Under the Mattress: Financial Literacy and Unbanked New Yorkers and she is one smart cookie. She's the Associate Director for the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, a great non-profit that works towards financial justice.

Honestly, if the only annual financial thing you do is hold yourself accountable to the IRS, then we need to revise that to-do list. Banking and credit report, how about that? Once a year evaluate your banking fees, if you spend more on banking fees than you do on Spanx, then you need to move on. In other words, NO FEES! I'll get to where to park your money in a later post. And get your FREE annual credit report while you're at it. Two things. Well, three, if you count pay your taxes. Trust me, they're easier than filing a 1040 and just as important. And let's face it-- multi-national banks don't need your hard earned money, and that cultural attaché from Nigeria who's been sending you emails about a fat inheritance really shouldn't have your social security number.

photo courtesy of thebrooklinelibrary via flickr

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

End of Hiatus


Well, after two years of sleep deprivation and the unhinged joy of parenting, I am back in the saddle. While I missed the great economic meltdown, I am sure you did not miss my commentary because, well, everyone was talking about it.

So, I will kick off with a low pressure post, nothing too fancy and nothing too serious. Freelancers Union is a free organization, a non-socialist non-state-budget-villain-of-the-year "union", if you will, that is open to freelancers in the United States. From health care to retirement, they offer competitive services for freelancers. Equally important, they are a community of freelancers who have a wealth of information that flows freely. So drink up.

They also have great educational events, and coming up on Wednesday, April 27th, is an educational webinar (no, I did not make up that word), Retirement Strategies Every Freelancer Needs to Know.

So check 'em out, and come back to PiggyBankBlues, where the not-so-nine-to-fivers build a nest egg, don't lose their shirts or their balls in the economic roller coaster, and learn about the nuts and bolts of financial planning with the over-use of the nifty hyphen. Welcome!

photo courtesy of charsplat Jeffrey Clement via flickr