Evolving Personal Finance » Archive
What Constitutes Joint or Separate Finances?
I got into a (very polite) disagreement with Grayson from Debt Roundup in the comments section of his recent post, which argues that married couples should keep separate finances. (His post was in response to a recent debate Holly from Club Thrifty engaged in regarding joint finances – in print and on TV.) My position was that Grayson does not actually keep separate finances in his marriage because he and his wife have a joint … Read entire article »
Filed under: marriage
Blog Statistics Update February – March 2014
I’ve mentioned this a few times in the past, but this time I really think I’m going to do it… I want to reduce my posting schedule here on EPF. My Money Design’s post this week titled How Do You Really Want to Make Money with a Blog? really struck a chord with me. I’m motivated primarily by comments and serving my community. While I love the commenting culture on EPF, I don’t think it’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: blogging, month in review
How to Enter 1099-MISC Fellowship Income into TurboTax
Update February 2017: I have updated and expanded this post into an entire section of Grad Student Finances. Read the entire 2016 grad student tax guide, jump to the step-by-step instructions for entering grad student income of various types into TurboTax, or go directly to the equivalent of this post on entering 1099-MISC fellowship income into TurboTax. This post is a step-by-step guide to show you how you can enter 1099-MISC box 3 income and withholdings that … Read entire article »
Filed under: grad school, taxes
Why Don’t More People Do Their Own Taxes?
First, I need to get this out of the way: I don’t consider using tax software to be “doing your own taxes.” I hear that kind of language all the time, but I disagree with it. When you use tax software, you are not using your brain and you don’t gain any understanding of how income taxes are calculated or why. I have observed that very few people I know prepare their own tax returns, despite … Read entire article »
Filed under: grad school, taxes
Favorite Posts, Mentions, and Top Comment Week of 9 March 2014
This week was an unusual one for me because I skipped my Wednesday night church small group meeting. 🙁 Kyle has been playing hooky from it for a couple months (thesis hermitage) but I am an incredibly regular attender. This week I just wasn’t feeling up to the game night we had planned. Trying to get a date set for Kyle’s defense has been emotionally exhausting for both of us. The news this week is that he is 1) not able to find a date before this semester’s deadline (April 10) because of his committee members’ schedules and 2) he can’t defend between April 10 and the end of the semester for funding reasons. So now he’s looking at the second half of May but still doesn’t have a date set. … Read entire article »
Filed under: weekly update
Do You Vacation with Friends?
I’m always jealous when I see that other people are vacationing with friends! For example, Holly from Club Thrifty recently went to Jamaica with a group of friends and Michelle from Making Sense of Cents is planning a Las Vegas bachelorette party with her bridal party. I would really love to vacation with friends but it’s not something we’ve done very much. Our experience with vacationing with friends in the past is limited but very positive … Read entire article »
Filed under: travel
Why We’re Holding on to My Student Loans
While reading a blog this week (can’t remember which, sorry!), saw a paraphrase of some advice from Suze Orman wherein she called student loans the most dangerous type of loan you can have and advised paying them off before paying off any other type of debt. Even though I’m not a Suze Orman consumer (the way I am with Dave Ramsey and Ric Edelman) and so I’m not familiar with her philosophy, I could hardly believe that this was an accurate portrayal. But it was. Check out this short clip of her telling a questioner to pay off student loans first, regardless of interest rate. I understand that it’s noteworthy that student loans aren’t bankruptable, but is the possibility of bankruptcy so immediate for so many borrowers that it becomes worthwhile to … Read entire article »
“I’m Not Going to Rob You”
“Sir?” Kyle and I stepped out of a popular new burger joint on Friday evening after a nice date, checking to see if the rain had resumed while we ate. “Sir?” Realizing someone must be addressing Kyle on the otherwise deserted street, we turned around to see the speaker standing a few yards down the sidewalk from the entrance to the restaurant. He was a tall man in his 30s with both his hands stuffed in his sweatshirt. Speaking … Read entire article »
Filed under: giving
Favorite Posts, Mentions, and Top Comments Week of 2 March 2014
Kyle is dissertating like a madman and it’s taking over our lives! He is literally attending zero activities outside of church and is working nearly every waking hour. He didn’t even watch The Big Rivalry Game with our basketball group last night!! (That is a huge sacrifice!) I have been feeling a little neglected and lonely (my primary love language is quality time) so Kyle took me out on a proper date on Friday evening, which was lovely. Well, being together was lovely. Our expectation for the restaurant was probably too high (some say it’s the best burger in Durham – I don’t think so but if it isn’t that’s kind of sad) and we were accosted by a homeless person as we walked back to our car which was … Read entire article »
Filed under: weekly update
February 2014 Month in Review: Money
This was one of those rare months where we were way over budget and were in the red at the end of the month. We had a crazy high power bill because of the unusually cold weather and we made a really stupid mistake that took a pretty penny to clean up. We came in under budget with our groceries, which almost never happens, but that doesn’t help us because we save the differential. The Everyday … Read entire article »
Filed under: month in review
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