Refinancing Your Home Mortgage

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Refinancing your home mortgage .
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Watch Out For More Bank Fees!

Read this post first if you have not already done so: Throwing Money Away, Part 1 - Bank & Credit Card Fees.

Last month, the Card Act passed by Congress banned several fees such as some overdraft and excessive late charges. Now banks are becoming more creative in the fees they charge customers for 'free' checking accounts, banking services and credit cards. Watch out for these and avoid them:

• Higher credit card cash advance fees
• Higher credit card balance transfer fees
• Higher checking account monthly maintenance fees
• Higher minimum balances required to avoid fees
• Higher overdraft protection transfer fees
• Paper statement fees
• Fees to receive copies of cancelled checks
• Annual fee for open line of credit
• Fees for using a live teller

If you find that you are being hit with unreasonable fees, complain to your bank. Most everything is negotiable. Depending upon how good a customer you have been, they might adjust your fees.

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Throwing Money Away, Part 2 - Credit Reports and Credit Scores

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Morningstar

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     Morningstar

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Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

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Want to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?

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Investing, Part 2 - Annuities

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Saving Money on Travel, Part 2 - Airlines

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Social Security Spouse and Widow Benefits

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Investing, Part 1 - Introduction

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Saving Money on Travel, Part 1 - Hotels

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Throwing Money Away, Part 1 - Bank & Credit Card Fees

This article has been updated and moved to an associate's site: Throwing Money Away, Part 1 - Bank & Credit Card Fees.

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How Much Money Will You Need to Retire?

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Buying a Car

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Do You Need Help From a Professional Financial Planner

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Should Your Property Taxes be Lower?

Is your home worth less today than it was a couple of years ago? Chances are, that's the case.

While house prices have fallen, it's a safe bet to assume that your local city and/or county government has not voluntarily lowered your property taxes based on a lower market value of your property. You may be paying taxes based upon the value of your home in 2005 or 2006!

Can you do anything about it? Yes, you may be able to appeal your local government's assessed value of your property. You could save hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars each year if you are successful.

Some governments are raising tax rates to offset lower tax revenues. If they do in your location, this may offset some or all of your savings from your appeal. However, in a situation like this, if you don't appeal, your taxes could go up!

It's time to think about this now. In our county, the time to appeal occurs only during the first three months of the year. In your location, it might be something different. If it's the last three months of the year where you are located, for example, now is the time to act!

There are companies out there who can help you appeal if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. Be prepared to pay a few hundred dollars to such a company.

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Estate Planning: Just Do It!

Everyone, male and female, should have a sound estate plan. At the very minimum, you should have a valid written last will and testament. If you don't, one will be written for you after your death and it will be written by your state's politicians! In other words, the laws of your state will decide who gets what. Is that what you want?

This is one topic where we are not going to offer suggestions regarding your estate plan. Each woman's personal situation is too unique to generalize. It's probably best for you to consult an attorney and, if your estate will be large, other financial professionals.

Here's some places to start the education process:

• Money Magazine - Money 101 Lesson 21: Estate Planning
• American Bar Association Estate Planning FAQs

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Life Insurance: Term vs. Whole Life

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