The concept of Going Green will continue to help you save on your individual taxes through the year 2016. Tax credits created or expanded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit. According to the Internal Revenue Service, "this tax credit will help individual taxpayers pay for qualified residential alternative energy equipment such as solar hot water heaters, solar electricity equipment and wind turbines installed on or in connection with their home located in the United States and geothermal heat pumps installed on or in connection with their main home located in the United States". The credit, which runs through 2016, is 30% of the cost of qualified property.

If you are looking for a personal loan to fund your energy-related project, visit theManagingMoney.com Loan Center.

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 8:02 AM | Permalink

The 30 day deadline to file your 2010 taxes is just around the corner. Every year many taxpayers miss out on hundreds of dollars in potential credits and deductions because of rushing to complete their return before the April deadline. If you owe taxes, don't panic as there are options available to you including applying for an Installment Agreement or filing for a Tax Extension. In the case of an Installment Agreement you should still file your return by the April 18, 2010 deadline and pay as much as you can to avoid penalties and interest. With regard to a Tax Extension, you can get an automatic six-month extension of time to file through October 17, 2010. However, this extension of time to file your taxes does not give you more time to actually pay any taxes due. If you have not paid at least 90% of the total tax due by the April 18, 2010 deadline you may also be subject to an Estimated Tax Penalty.

Those taxpayers expecting a refund also have options of how to receive tax reimbursement including: refund in the form of savings bonds, payment to retirement accounts or mutual funds, or cash deposited directly to a checking or savings account. Beginning this year there are new savings bond options. Last year, if you chose to receive a savings bond as part of your refund, it could only be issued in the taxpayers' name. This year, you can designate anyone to receive a savings bond and also designate the co-owner or beneficiary.

Whether you are expecting a refund or owe taxes, let the ManagingMoney.com Tax Center help get you started. In this Tax Center we have tried to make this process easier for you by partnering with brand-name tax software companies including: TurboTax, H&R Block, and CompleteTax. You can start a new tax return, file for an extension, or download individual tax forms.

Posted by Emma - Editor at 8:03 AM | Permalink

Zecco.com recently announced upgrades to their trading platform. When Zecco initially launched in 2006, their focus was to deliver solid service at a bare bones price. Over the years Zecco found that although investors wanted low commissions, they also wanted a trading service with a rich set of advanced features. Although Zecco has now eliminated their initial offer of "10 free trades per month" they continue to charge one of the lowest commissions in the industry as compared to firms such as: Scottrade, Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and E*Trade. In addition to Zecco's low commissions, they also have improved their trading service with the following newly implemented features: Zecco Streamer Lite, Zap Trade, and Zecco Mobile Lite app.

Zecco Streamer Lite is absolutely free with no obligation. This free version of the streamer gives users the choice of streaming delayed quotes covering all major exchanges or real-time bid/ask and last sale information from the BATS exchange for over 1,000 of the most traded stocks. Zap Trade is a browser plug-in that enables you to get real-time quotes and submit stock trades from your Zecco Trading account while you are visiting popular investing research sites. The Zecco Mobile Lite app allows you to watch your investments and stay current on the latest market news, stock and option quotes. It requires an Apple iOS 4.0 (or higher) device. Compatible devices include the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, and the 2nd generation (or later) iPod Touch. Get more information about Zecco here.

Zecco is a financial portal of Zecco Holdings, Inc., which provides access to Zecco Trading, Inc.'s and Zecco Forex, Inc.'s trading services. Zecco Trading, Inc. is a fully disclosed discount broker/dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

Posted by Emma - Editor at 5:58 AM | Permalink