Should you switch to an online-only bank?

By Jennifer Goforth Gregory

Many of us bank online today without a second thought. I use online bill pay to handle the electric bill each month, and regularly check my accounts and transfer funds without leaving my house. And while I haven't accessed my bank account from my mobile phone, according to a recent study from the Federal Reserve, 21 percent of mobile phone users have accessed their accounts through mobile applications in the last year.

But when my husband recently suggested moving our funds to an online-only bank account, I was a little surprised. Each year we sit together and review the rates and terms on all our accounts to make sure we are getting the best deal possible. While looking at the information, my husband pointed out that our credit union offered an online account with a higher interest rate than we were currently earning and much lower fees.

But when I looked at the fine print, I realized that this account would not grant us free access to our local branch and would require us to give up our checkbook. Not all online-only banks require you to give up your checkbook -- many now offer check-writing privileges just like an ordinary bank -- but that was the deal with this particular account.

Because we were already comfortable using online banking, our main concern was what we would lose in services and convenience by changing accounts. Here are three key questions that we asked ourselves when trying to make the decision.

By Justin Boyle

A friend of mine recently sat me down and told me that she was in a dismal, one-sided relationship with her credit provider. She had been a responsible customer, never missing a payment and never maxing out her limit, but the terms of her contract hadn't changed since college and she didn't feel like she could talk to them about it.

Luckily for her (and for all of us), not only is it possible to reason with credit companies, but there are proven pathways to the raised limit or lowered rate that you know you've earned. By arming yourself with a few key pieces of information, you can gently but firmly encourage your issuer to hear what you have to say.

1. Know who to talk to

First of all, most companies put customers through an automated phone tree for routine services. You're not going to get anywhere presenting your reasoned negotiations to the robot that answers your call, so get out of the tree as soon as you can (this is often achieved by mashing the 0 key until you're asked to hold for an operator).

Even when you get a human voice on the phone, you're still not all the way to your destination.

By Peter Andrew

When I wrote 3 tips for avoiding an IRS audit last month, I was amazed by two statistics my research turned up: The National Taxpayer Advocate's 2012 report reckoned that nearly 60 percent of federal filers hire tax preparers, while another 30 percent use commercial software for their filings.

In my mind, another icon of Americana crumbled: No longer do most moms or dads perform the annual ritual of grim evenings spent at kitchen tables, growling at passing kids and muttering under their collective breath as they wrestle with piles of forms, receipts, pencils and erasers. Now, it's all outsourcing, laptops, tablets and even smartphones -- appropriate, I suppose, for modern America.

Of course, it's the ritual, not the reality, I miss. It's hard to get nostalgic about an annual stress-fest that saw millions with lousy arithmetic skills struggle to meet their obligations. How much better to let someone else or an electronic device take the strain. And, as families cut back further on unnecessary spending, it may well be that cheap -- or free -- software applications and e-filing services could become increasingly popular. So what do you need to know when choosing your tax-filing package?

Online or on-board tax-filing applications?

The first thing you have to decide is whether you want to buy or download an application that's going to save your results onto your computer, or one that operates in the "cloud" as a browser-based e-filing service.

By Jennifer Goforth Gregory

I excitedly told my father that I was getting a large tax refund, expecting him to be as happy as I was. I was 22 years old. I had been working at my first professional job for less than a year and struggling each month to pay rent. To me, the $4,500 IRS check headed my way was the equivalent of winning the Powerball lottery.

But instead of being happy for my windfall, my father, who has worked his entire career in the financial and banking industries, gave me a gentle but firm lecture about how I had given the government an interest-free loan on my money.

Who doesn't like lump-sum payments?

I was not alone in my joy over a large refund. According to a March poll from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), 58 percent of people intentionally receive an income tax refund instead of keeping a larger portion of their take-home pay throughout the year. But as my dad so wisely pointed out, this really isn't the best financial move.

By Libby Kane, LearnVest

This article comes from our partner LearnVest.

Just before the Enron scandal broke, the company's CEO immediately put his money into annuities—in his wife's name.

Why? Because those assets are creditor-protected, so they can't be seized (in this case, by the government).

This is just one example of many—remember the 14% tax rate Mitt Romney paid on his $13 million income?—illustrating how extremely wealthy people get the most from their money. And most of them do it legally.

Much of their success comes from knowing where to find loopholes in the financial system—"hacks," if you will. While we would never recommend any illegal or dishonest money moves (seriously, don't break the law!), there are a handful of legal personal finance hacks that are available to all of us—like these seven incredibly useful, low-profile tricks.

By Tim Sullivan

Credit cards have made it easier to spend money today than any time in the past. Before credit cards, you had to go to the bank and fill out a withdrawal slip whenever you needed easily spent funds. But now we have our money available to us 24 hours a day, which can be both a blessing and a curse.

Imagine making a few bad financial decisions while out on a Saturday night. Back in the day, if you spent all your money on Saturday, you wouldn't have it on Sunday. The banks were closed on Sunday, so unless you could find a place that would accept a check, football would be accompanied by whatever was in the fridge instead of a pizza delivery.

These days, with the easily available funds offered by credit cards, you can continue your spending unabated throughout the weekend. Because of this, many personal finance experts (and others) feel that credit cards are a saver's worst enemy.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Ease of spending doesn't have to come with lack of consciousness. Credit cards can make you a smarter spender as well. By keeping a close eye on your credit card records, you can use your card to improve your spending habits and realize more of your financial goals.

A helpful record

Unless you are saving every receipt and keeping a watchful eye on your budget, having cash in your wallet can lead to untracked spending.