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Question: I purchased a hybrid car. Do I need to send proof of purchase with my tax return to get the tax credit?
Answer: No, but you certainly need to hang onto it in case your return is audited. Use Form 8910 to claim the credit.
The Federal Reserve's rate cutting has mostly had a positive effect on credit card interest rates. However, not every card issuer is following the Fed. Bill Hardekopf of LowCards.com points out that while the Fed has cut rates 2.25 percentage points since September, some card issuers actually increased their rates. He said the rate on the Chase Freedom card went up, from 14.24% to 17.24%. Citi Platinum Select's rate went down, from 10.24% to 8.49%. The moral of the story: Unless you pay off your card balance in full each month, pay attention to what's happening with the rate you are being charged.
If your rate has not fallen, call and ask the card issuer for a lower rate. If you're turned down, it's time to go card shopping.
Lou Pearlman's trial on federal bank fraud charges was rescheduled today from March to April. The lawyers for both sides wanted it delayed even longer, citing the volume of evidence, but Judge Kendall Sharp wasn't happy about that idea. "Court feels the case has not proceeded," is the way it's worded in the official record. Sharp said "June is ridiculous," according to the Orlando Sentinel report. There will be another "status conference" on the case in March.
Jeanne Tanzy Williams said she and her writing partner, Victoria Winslow, have completed the screenplay for the Lou Pearlman movie they hope will make it to the big screen. "I think we both broke a 'World Record" for writing an entire screenplay in just under two weeks," she said. "I guess when you've been waiting to tell your story for so many years, it just kind of pours out!" She said a "very dear old friend," LA producer Arthur Seidelman, is considering the project.
Question: I want to claim my brother as a dependent but the hesitation I am having is that he owes back child support. If I claim him on my 2007 tax return, will the IRS take my refund due to the money he owes for child support?
Answer: No. It's your return and your refund, not his. However, you cannot claim your brother unless you provided more than half his support and his 2007 income was less than $3,400. Note that if your brother lives with you, the food and lodging you provide are considered part of his support.
Remember that you cannot file before Feb. 11 (at the earliest) if your return includes education credits (Form 8863), residential energy credits (Form 5695), mortgage interest credits (Form 8396) or child/dependent care expenses on Schedule 2 of Form 1040A. IRS computers had to be reprogrammed because of the last-mintue changes Congress made in the tax law. More details.
Also--Social Security is sending out corrected SSA-1099 forms to 2.7-million people, including 196,742 in Florida. If you received a corrected form, that's obviously the one to use. If you haven't received one, the form you got is probably fine, but you might want to wait another week or two just to be sure. Waiting also is a good idea if you also get 1099s from brokerage firms, because they've been known to send out corrected forms in the past.
Not so bad, according to the statistics compiled by Florida TaxWatch. They show how the state has grown and its residents have (mostly) prospered during the first decade of the new century. Take a look. Interesting statistic: Total personal income rose 46% from 2001 to 2007, while the per person number was up 25%.
Your Trans Continental/Lou Pearlman bankruptcy claim form must be received by the clerk's office for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District no later than Wednesday. That means if you haven't filed yet, you'd better deliver it in person or send it by overnight delivery. Here's a link to info.
Congress is still working on the details, but it looks like all of us who pay federal income taxes for 2007 will get a rebate of our taxes paid up to $600 (single) or $1,200 (married joint filers) plus $300 for each child claimed as a dependent on your return. The remaining debate is over what to do for people who don't pay income taxes. The proposal the House has agreed to offers a rebate of at least $300 for anyone with earned income of at least $3,000. The Senate is looking at proposals that extend rebates to people on Social Security who don't pay taxes.
My question is: If you expect to qualify for a rebate, what are you going to do with it? If you plan to spend it, tell us what you'll buy. If you plan to save it, tell us how you'll invest it.
If your mortgage payments have become overwhelming, don't just sit idly by and wait for the bank to foreclose.
If you can't sell your house for enough to pay off the mortgage, read my column today to learn more about short sales and deeds in lieu of foreclosure.
If you really want to keep your house even though you can’t make the payments, here’s what to do next:
• Get advice from a pro. Go to www.hud.gov or call toll-free (800) 569-4287 to find a HUD-approved
housing counselor near you. Or call the Project HOPE hotline at (888) 995-4673. The earlier you ask for help, the better. A counselor can help you evaluate your options and review your budget to see what’s financially feasible for you.
• Refinance or ask your lender to modify the terms of your mortgage if that would bring the payments to a level you could afford and you can qualify. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage that recently reset or will soon, talk to any FHA lender about the FHASecure program to see if you can qualify. The drawback: If you have no equity in your home, you probably will have to put up some cash to refinance.
• Consider a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing. You’ll stop foreclosure proceedings and be put on a
payment schedule for all your debts. Eventually you may be able to refinance. The drawback: bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years.
Today's paper features comments from voters about how they are voting on Amendment 1 on next Tuesday's ballot. One of them is Betty Spivy of Ruskin, who said she lost her life savings in the Trans Continental investment scam (she's voting yes). I have mixed feelings in that I personally would benefit from the extra homestead exemption and having the Save Our Homes tax break made portable. I sympathize with those in the real estate industry who are looking for anything that might give home sales a boost. However, I just don't think it's fair to have two people living next door to each other in similar properties paying wildly different tax rates. I think of my children and other young people, not yet homeowners, who would have to carry more than their share of the property tax burden if/when they do buy a home. And I have a lot of sympathy for small business owners who also have to pay more because long-time home owners pay less. The bottom line: I'll be voting no. How are you voting?
Question: A customer asked me about investing in the Iraqi Dinar, stating that once the Iraqi War has ended, the Dinar would skyrocket, earning you thousands. I for one, believe this to be a scam; or at least an unwise investment. Can you shed some light on this topic?
Answer: I'm with you. Dinars do not trade on regular currency exchanges. Rather, they are sold through eBay and other Web sites, which makes buying them more like buying a collectible than a currency investment. Who knows what will happen when the Iraqi War ends? What's to stop the government from printing lots more dinars? What's to stop counterfeiters from doing it? Money magazine editor Walter Updegrave offers some commentary on this.
When Wachovia economist Mark Vitner was in town this week, he offered his opinion on everything from the economy (headed up in a few months) to Chinese stocks and gold (both headed down). In fact, when it comes to gold, Vitner says he's putting his money where his mouth is--he plans to sell the $20 gold pieces he bought years ago. "Gold prices are a measure of fear," he said. He said in two or three years he thinks gold will be back around $300 to $400 an ounce.
I have no idea where gold prices are headed, but the only gold I ever buy is in jewelry.
This one is the brainchild of Jean Tanzy Williams, who worked with Lou Pearlman putting together the Backstreet Boys. You can read more about her plans here. Her dream is to get Phillip Seymour Hoffman (pictured here) to play the title role. She's currently looking for young artists to play the roles of boy (and girl) band members and says this will be a major motion picture with an estimated budget of $35-million. She's still working on lining up investors.
One interesting note: The boys cast to play the roles of the Backstreet Boys will form a new boy band that will then go on tour to promote themselves and the movie.
[Photo credit: AP]
If you haven't filed a claim in the Lou Pearlman bankruptcy, your time is running out. The deadline is next week: Jan. 30. The deadline was extended from previous deadlines, but as of today, there are no additional extension requests.
Trans Continental Airlines claim form
Some advice from Jerilyn Stein (scammedbypearlman.com) regarding the forms.
Latest financial report from Pearlman bankruptcy case This includes a list of all the Pearlman-related bankruptcies and their case numbers. The $ numbers in the report are only for the primary personal bankruptcy case. Most of the cases have very few assets.
Question: I claim head of household with my three children as dependents. My eldest son is 18 and graduated from high school last year. He has a job in which he made between $12,000 and $15,000. The only bills he pays are his car payment and half his insurance bill. Is it OK for me to claim him as a dependent? And will it affect his taxes?
Answer: Yes and yes. Since he lives with you, you provide more than half his support and he is under 19, you can claim him. Next year you will not be able to claim unless he is either a full-time student or his income is under $3,400.
If you claim him, he will pay $340 more in taxes than he would otherwise pay. Each exemption is worth $3,400 off taxable income. If you claim him, you get to subtract that amount. If you don't claim him, he gets to subtract that amount. When a child's earned income is more than the standard deduction for a single person ($5,350), the child will pay more in taxes if the parent claims the exemption. The child gets the full benefit of the exemption once his income is more than the standard deduction plus the exemption amount ($8,750 total).
IMPORTANT UPDATE: If you claim your son, he will miss out on the $300 rebate available to single filers only if they are NOT claimed as a dependent on someone else's return. You can claim him as a dependent, but you can't get the $300 per child rebate for him because he is older than 16.
Question: Last year our tax adviser led us to believe that we could deduct the $10,000 we put in our IRAs for the 2006 tax year. We had additional income from the sale of some property and it turned out that all we could deduct was $5,000, which is what was put on our income tax form. The extra money that we were not able to claim was in a CD, which I cashed in when it matured in late 2007. We have now received a Form 1099-R stating that the gross distribution is taxable this year in full. Is there a form we can fill out so the IRS knows that we were unable to use the contribution last year and that only the interest should be taxable?
Answer: Yes indeed, but it's a little more complicated than you might expect. Essentially you made $10,000 of IRA contributions for 2006--half of which were deductible and half of which were not. Form 8606 has to be filed when you make nondeductible contributions and when you withdraw from IRAs after having made nondeductible contributions.
First you will need to file an amended return for 2006 including Form 8606---one for each of you if the nondeductible contributions were divided between your two IRAs. When you file your 2007 return, you will file another Form 8606 on which you will calculate the taxable portion of your distribution. Again, it will be one for each of you if the withdrawal came from both of your accounts. It will be more than just the interest you earned on your nondeductible contributions. Unfortunately, IRS rules say that when you have made any nondeductible contributions, all your IRA withdrawals will be partly taxable and partly tax-free based on the percentage of your total IRA funds that the nondeductible contribution represents. The fact that you kept the nondeductible contributions in a separate account doesn't matter. IRS Publication 590 tells all about IRAs.
Talk about a crazy day. The Fed delivers the biggest interest rate cut in more than 25 years and the traders who dominate Wall Street can't decide whether to buy or sell. The Dow is down 400-plus points in one moment and then only down 40 something at another.
Stock investors generally like rate cuts, but their happiness that the Fed is taking action is tempered by the news that the Fed economists apparently think that recession warning lights are going off like crazy. The good news is that as rate cuts work their way through the economy, they make it less expensive for businesses to borrow money to expand or just stay afloat and for consumers to handle their credit card debt and home equity loans. Of course not everybody has good enough credit to qualify for a loan and take advantage of the good rates. However, if you've got an adjustable rate mortgage that's getting ready to reset, this is really good news for you.
The bad news is that every rate cut increases concern about inflation, reduces income for retirees who depend on CDs and money market accounts and hurts the dollar.
While the important trends are clearly negative, from unemployment to foreclosures, we're not officially in a recession--that would require two quarters of negative growth. However, if your income is less than it was in the past, then you are in a personal recession. Lately my colleagues and I have spoken to some people for whom the recession is very real. Some of them are profiled in today's paper. Others were quoted in a Saturday story about rising unemployment. Others say they aren't affected at all.
How might a recession affect you?
If you're a worker: If your company's business suffers, your job might be in jeopardy or you might see your hours or commissions cut. Companies might hire fewer workers, which would mean fewer job openings.
If you're a retiree: Interest earnings on CDs and money market funds will fall if, as expected, the Federal Reserve lowers rates to try to stimulate the economy. Stock prices already have fallen and could go lower. The longer a recession lasts, the more dividends could be in jeopardy.
If you're in transition: A recession is a tough time to try to sell a house, find a job or liquidate a stock portfolio.
Question: What are the pros and cons of CDs bought with minors’ names as owners and my name as custodian? Friends tell me that buying CDs in my grandchildrens’ names would save me on taxes because the IRS does not tax minors.
Answer: Children do not pay taxes on the first $850 of investment income. If you title your CDs as you propose, you will save on your taxes but the money legally will belong to your grandchildren. You cannot take it back if you need it and they will be entitled to full control at age 21.
Money titled in the name of a child also may reduce eligibility for college financial aid. Another alternative is to use the money to set up 529 college savings plans, such as the Florida Prepaid College Plan and the Florida College Investment Plan (www.florida529plans.com).
I put together a little quiz offering an opportunity to rate yourself on 10 key points of financial well-being. If you're up to the challenge, click here.
Bankruptcy trustee Soneet Kapila and the U.S. attorney's office have reached an agreement for Kapila to take custody of property federal agents seized from Lou Pearlman. There are two checks totaling $96,935 and four cars, a 2004 rolls Royce Phantom, 2006 Cadillac Professional Limo, 2004 Cadillac Escalade and 2005 Chrysler 300. Kapila plans to pay the government for its storage and upkeep costs, to be reimbursed when the cars are sold. He says he will investigate which bankruptcy entity owns each of the assets. As with any other assets, any plan for distribution would have to be approved by the judge. The agreement says that the government retains the right to get the money back and conduct its own distribution to victims.
A hearing on the agreement has been scheduled for Feb. 7.
In spite of his daily exercise in the courtyard and the kosher meals he gets served at the jail, there's a good chance that Lou Pearlman is not losing any weight. The reason: his orders from the jail commissary, which are heavy on chocolate thunder donuts, cheese nips, Oreos, peanut butter, honey buns, swiss rolls, potato chips, M&Ms and the like. Pearlman has spent more than $2,000 at the commissary since July on snacks, personal care items and a few pieces of clothing. Here's the list of his commissary orders, which I obtained through a public records request to the jail. You'll note that some items he requested were not delivered because he exceeded spending limits in the food category.
Where did this money come from? $1,965 of it was deposited in Lou's account by his girlfriend, Tammie Hilton, and another $500 by Dave Hedrick, the electronics company owner who befriend Lou and spent thousands of dollars buying items at the two auctions. Tammie and Dave are Lou's most frequent visitors. The first $70 in his account was deposited by federal public defender Fletcher Peacock.
I thought about that question the other day as I was working on a sudoku puzzle book I picked up at a dollar store. Undoubtedly it's the best $1 purchase I ever made. The original price tag said $6.95 and its only flaw was a ripped title page. However, it's not just the good deal that made the paperback book a great purchase; it's the fact that I love these puzzles. They are billed as "very hard," which means they are very absorbing, but (here's the good part), they are not so hard that I can't solve them. I'm a third of the way through the 300 puzzles and already feeling a little sad that the day is coming when I'll be finished. Maybe I'll erase all the markings and start over at the beginning.
Do you feel that enthused about anything you ever bought for $1 or less? If so, tell us. Here's how some Times readers answered the question.
News in the Lou Pearlman case has been sorely lacking in recent weeks. However the court did approve the sale of Unit 7 in the Kingspointe commercial center free and clear of liens and mortgages to Vangarde Solutions for $536,124. Orange Bank will get the first $456,658 to repay the mortgage. The remaining money will go to the bankruptcy trustee, who then has to pay sales expenses, including a 6% real estate commission. People who think they are entitled to some of what's left have until Jan. 30 to file a claim. Here's the original motion and sales contract.
The Supreme Court ruled today that investors have no right to sue those who "aided and abetted" securities fraud but were not the primary perpetrators. This is bad news for investors looking for "deep pockets" as a source of recovery after fraud is discovered.
While I am not a lawyer, it would seem to me that in the Lou Pearlman case, this ruling would hurt investor attempts to recover from banks that Pearlman used to hold or transfer funds or from lawyers and other third parties with whom Pearlman did business. So far as I can tell, it does not apply to situations in which investors dealt directly with lawyers or sales agents who advised them to purchase the fraudulent investment.
Some other takes on this story: Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor
I'll be speaking at noon Tuesday (Jan. 15) at the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, 3200 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. I'll be offering some tips on financial planning and investments with an opportunity for questions. The program is free and open to the public. I understand there will be refreshments.
If you do come, please be sure to introduce yourself to me as a blog reader. You can call the YMCA for any other details --727-895-9622. In case you are wondering, I am not promoting any investments and I am not getting paid for the speech.
Have you got an old stock certificate and no idea whether it's worth anything? Wondering about that old bank statement or passbook that shows money you can't remember withdrawing? Can't find those savings bonds you thought you tucked in a drawer?
Today's column offers some advice for tracking down investments. Of course merely having posession of a security or bank book doesn't mean you're entitled to the money. You'll also have to prove that you own it or that you are the legitimate heir or representative of the estate.
I wrote about that topic in today's paper, but I've received a couple of emailed questions from worried depositors. One reader asked: "We have 2 CD's with Countrywide Bank. One matures in April and the other in May 2008. Are we safe in leaving there until maturity or should we withdraw them early and pay the penalty?"
The answer is that you should leave your CDs alone. Countrywide Bank's status is far more secure with this announcement than it was before. However, even if this deal had not happened, you would have no reason to be concerned if your accounts were within FDIC insurance limits. With so many banks out there, individual depositors have no need to take the risk of exceeding insurance limits. The Bank of America announcement is very positive for uninsured depositors, who did have reason to be concerned.
Reports on Wall Street that Bank of America is close to a deal to buy Countrywide Financial is good news for stocks. But I'm guessing that nobody was happier than the folks at the State Board of Administration who made a big bet last year that Countrywide would survive. The Local Government Investment Pool's troubled "B" fund holds a whopping $650-million in Countrywide CDs, obviously well over the $100,000 FDIC insurance limit. Those CDs begin to mature Feb. 5, with the last of them coming due in June. Other SBA-managed portfolios have about $110-million in Countrywide securities. The recent talk of a possible Countrywide bankruptcy has to have had a lot of folks at the SBA office feeling prett queasy.
Friday update: The deal was announced today.
Mortgage rates are at their lowest levels in two years, according to Bankrate.com, which is good news if you've been thinking of refinancing or buying a house. You should be able to get 5.45% on a fixed-rate 15-year loan or 5.88% on a fixed-rate 30-year loan, according to Bankrate's survey. That's if you've got good credit, of course.
Bonds were big winners in 2007, according to a Morningstar report issued today. Here's a look at how the major asset classes performed.
2007 returns:
Large-Company Stocks returned 5.5%, compared to 15.8% in 2006.
Small-Company Stocks were down 5.2%, compared to 16.2% in 2006.
Bonds returned 9.9%, compared to 1.2% in 2006.
Cash returned 4.7%, compared to 4.8% last year.
Inflation was 4.6%, up from 2.5% in 2006.
Beginning of 1926 through 2007 (last 82 years) average annual returns:
Large-Company Stocks (S&P 500) returned 10.4% per year (unchanged from 2006).
Small-Company Stocks (bottom 20% of companies by market cap on the NYSE and companies of similar size on the NASDAQ and AMEX) returned 12.5% per year (compared to 12.7% from 1926 through 2006).
Bonds (long-term government) returned 5.5% per year (compared to 5.4% from 1926 through 2006).
Cash (30-day T Bill) returned 3.7% per year (unchanged from 2006).
Inflation was 3.1% per year (compared to 3.0% from 1926 through 2006).
These numbers are not adjusted for inflation and assume reinvested dividends.
Source: © 2008 Morningstar, Inc.
January is often at time for turning over a new leaf and trying to do better. Here's what some Times readers have resolved to do. Feel free to add your resolutions as a comment if you like.
Start getting rid of all the stuff we have and buy or accumulate less, resulting in less clutter and saving more money.
Nancy Schreimann, Tarpon Springs
Increase my 401(k) deduction. My hope is that the down economy will continue until the end of the summer and after the election the markets will return. If this happens, it could maximize my investing for this year.
Floyd Mounts, St. Petersburg
Reduce my equity exposure from 80 percent of my portfolio to 60 percent and increase my bonds and other fixed income.
Sam Lasley, Clearwater
Use a more formalized (Quicken) approach to my personal budget in 2008. Tracking where exactly our money goes will allow myself and my family to make an informed decision on where we should be allocating our budget. I imagine this will quickly pinpoint how much we are spending on dining out on a monthly basis and we can make a choice to limit that and allocate to savings or vacation.
Scott Strepina, Tampa
Contribute more money to my Roth IRA.
Tony Rizzo, New Port Richey
Continue funding my 401(k), resume funding a Roth every month, but also start enjoying life a little bit more, buying something I really want, going somewhere I really want to go. While saving money for retirement is important, living a little now is too. Who knows what the future will bring?
Anonymous
They're buzzing over at the Bogleheads investment forum today because The Man himself, Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, signed on to offer some personal comments. The forum, formally the Vanguard Diehards Investment Forum, is a great place to learn and discuss sound investment principles. Like their hero, the Diehards are big believers in low costs, indexing and taking the long-term view.
Bogle describes himself as "unusually risk averse," but it hasn't prompted him to change his asset allocation. This is how he says he's invested: "My year-end statement from Vanguard (the only time I peek) shows about 63% bonds and 37% stocks, and--for a conservative, fairly well-to-do investor like me--I'm comfortable doing nothing. (In fact, I've made no changes in my asset allocation for 7 or 8 years.)"
Question: My granddaughter is 10 years old. I have made provision for her to inherit a small amount of money, but her mother tells me that a college fund has been set up for her. I would like to contribute to that fund. If I contribute the maximum, or any amount which I am allowed to do as a gift, what are the tax consequences to both her parents and her? They are both gainfully employed.
Answer: The general rule is that you can contribute $12,000 per year with no gift tax consequences. (If you are married, you can contribute $24,000 by splitting the gift with your spouse.) Additionally, with a 529 college savings plan, you can treat a contribution as having been made over five years. Thus you can contribute $60,000 at once ($120,000 if married) without gift tax consequences. There are no immediate income tax consequences to you, the parents or the child. When your granddaughter goes to college, money withdrawn for qualifying expenses will be taxfree. The earnings on the money withdrawn for other expenses will be subject to tax plus a 10 % penalty. Here's more info.
Question: How as a grandparent can I use EE savings bonds to pay my grandson's college tuition and deduct it from my income tax? If I use a pre-paid fund can I deduct the tuition from my income tax?
Answer: The answer to both those question is that you can't. It's great that you want to help out your grandson, but unless you claim him as a dependent on your tax return, you don't get any tax breaks for your generosity. IRS Publication 970 gives details on the tax breaks available for education.
Question: I am a retired school teacher, aged 58, with a good pension. I have recently been putting money (about $40,000.) into CD's that average about 5% interest. Is a Roth IRA a better way to go with this money? I probably will never need to use it, but would like to leave it for my companion of 20 years, who has a small pension plan, and is 13 years younger than me.
Answer: You have to have earned income to contribute to an IRA. If your friend is still working, you could open a Roth IRA on his/her behalf and invest the money in a CD. A regular or Roth IRA is a tax-deferred wrapper for your investments, with CDs one of many investment options. You have until April 15 to make a 2007 contribution (up to $4,000 for those under 50: $5,000 for 50 or older) plus you can make a 2008 contribution (up to $5,000 for those under 50; $6,000 for those 50 or older).
Question: I paid some of my father's medical bills after he died. Can I deduct them?
Answer: Only if he was your dependent. And, of course, medical expenses are only deductible to the extent that they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.
Question: My father who is now 79 has been having money taken out of his Social Security every month for a few years now. The initial debt of $2,500 has long been ‘collected’ out of his retirement. I have been paying him for what the government has been deducting. So far the sum I have replaced for him is over $6,000. When he contacted the government he was told that the $6,000 has gone to ancillary fees and interest. Isn’t this a bit excessive? They say the principal still hasn’t been touched. This is predatory.
Answer: Yes, it is excessive, but it is not unusual. Once you default on a student loan, the fees can quickly get out of line. A lot of other people share this problem. Congress recently offered some relief for borrowers in over their heads, but it's basically a benefit for recent borrowers.
Unfortunately, I can't offer any suggestions for your father. However, I hope that people now in the process of taking out student loans will consider his experience as a cautionary tale. It's important when borrowing to be realistic about how much you'll be able to repay and then to do all you can to keep your loan out of default.
Bankruptcy filings rose an astounding 75 percent in the Tampa Bay area last year compared to a 39 percent increase nationally. The numbers still aren't as large as they were before the bankruptcy law changed two years ago. However, they are rising very rapidly. In the Orlando area bankruptcies nearly doubled. Here's a story I wrote with the latest numbers and another story from November with more background information. The higher numbers locally probably reflect bigger problems with our housing market and the high percentage of subprime mortgages.
“The roughly 40 percent spike in consumer bankruptcies during 2007 presages even higher filings this year, as the heavy consumer debt load is made worse by the home mortgage crisis,” predicted American Bankruptcy Institute Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano.
 St. Petersburg Times personal finance editor Helen Huntley writes about money topics and answers questions about financial planning, investments and personal income taxes.
Helen has been following the Lou Pearlman/Trans Continental investment scam since December 2006. Read more about it in this special report and on this blog. Looking for help with your income taxes? Check out this special report
E-mail questions to Helen Huntley: |
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