Author: troyashbacher

Target is offering 30% off women’s pjs today.  There are a bunch to choose from including some sets that are so perfect for after Christmas.  I love the red sets of the model pjs and you can get a cream pair with little red hearts or a red set with cream hearts.  That will be so cute for Valentine’s Day.   In addition to the 30% off, select sets are part of the promotion to save an extra $5 when you spend $25.   I tested the cream hearts set that is normally $35.  It is on sale for $24.50 and is…

The one-year high-yield CD average dipped slightly while high-yield savings rates were unchanged from yesterday.The average high-yield savings APY is 3.84% (unchanged from yesterday).The average 1-year high-yield CD APY is 3.77% (-0.01 percentage point from yesterday).How high-yield averages are calculatedThe national average rates are 0.40% for savings accounts and 1.64% for one-year CDs.Banks can adjust deposit rates on savings accounts and CDs at any time, but broader shifts to the entire savings landscape tend to be gradual. If you’re shopping for a better yield, compare savings accounts side-by-side and consider locking some funds in a CD if you want to…

Disney’s deal with OpenAI will allow fans to make short-form clips using Disney characters.

If you provide financial help to family, friends, or others — whether paying tuition, covering medical bills, or sending money through an app — you might be wondering about possible IRS or tax implications.But here’s some good news: most people will never come close to exceeding the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption, which, due to the new 2025 Trump/GOP tax law, will remain extraordinarily high for the average household.And even before you’d ever get anywhere near that limit, the IRS has several categories of financial gifts that don’t count toward annual gift tax limits, as long as they meet…

Target is offering 30% off personal care gift sets.  Some of them are sold out but there are others still available.  There are some good skincare sets, haircare sets, fragrance options and cosmetics.   You can get very good deals on these items and it doesn’t hurt to look just for your own use not just as gifts.   I picked up the Abbey Yung haircare set with 3 full size OGX products inside for $14.   This lip gloss set is $14 or $4.66 each and these are normally $10 each.   Click here to see the sets on sale.  

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by 25 basis points at its December meeting. As with previous cuts in September and October, mortgage markets had been expecting this cut, and had largely priced it in. In other words: Don’t expect mortgage rates to plunge in response to the news.Today, the average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage ticked down to 6.14% APR, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. This is just one basis point lower than yesterday but 14 basis points higher than a week ago. (See our chart below for more specifics.) A…

“I’ve never had any issues with my internet, so I’m not sure what’s going on.”

Anyone who’s a fan of holiday movies is no doubt familiar with Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”The story is about how Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who swims through hoards of gold coins in some retellings, is transformed into a generous soul after he receives a visit from four spirits on Christmas Eve.While most of us probably hope we’re not as frugal as Scrooge, we still enjoy a good deal when we see one. That’s why his dramatic change of heart holds a critical tax lesson: The most powerful way to lower your tax bill this season may be…

A lot of these deals are repeat deals but definately worth mentioning if you missed it the first time around or need a few more things.   One deal available today is 30% off Cat & Jack clothing for little ones.  This includes jackets, sweaters, dresses, shirts and more at great prices.  You can also find accessories like tights and socks.   This sale ends Saturday but I am seeing items selling out.  Click here to take a look.  Shoes are also on sale for 30% off– click here to take a look.

For most of us, the only time we want to see an envelope from the IRS is if it contains a tax refund check. So when we see an envelope from the federal tax agency that doesn’t contain money, we get nervous.Wondering what we did wrong, we tear open the envelope. We pull out a short, cryptic letter that says the IRS had discovered a math error on our return. The letter states that the IRS has corrected the mistake, increasing our tax liability.That might be a relief if the amount of money involved is nominal, but what if we…