Summer is here (hooray!) and we can finally enjoy the warm weather, longer days and shorter work hours that accompany this time of year.

But while the snow has subsided to allow us a few months of much-needed sunshine, it’s important to consider the potential impact (for better or worse) this can have on your finances.

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Now that the deadline for filing tax returns has passed, the flurry of tax season is behind us. Whether your tax return turned out just the way you’d hoped (maybe you’re getting a healthy refund) or you ended up with an unpleasant surprise (perhaps finding out that you owe more money than you’d planned), the season is behind us and it’s time to look toward our financial futures.

The end of tax season is also marked by the start of warm weather, getting many people in the mood for spring cleaning. As we’re doing yard work, cleaning out the closets and opening up swimming pools, there’s no time like the present to also do some “spring cleaning” for your finances.

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Those of us that invest a great deal of time managing our finances may think we know the answer to the question “how much is money worth?” While it’s a complex topic, we think we have a straightforward, quantitative, clear-cut answer which involves exchange rates and currencies and inflation and the passing of time. We pull out our calculators and let the numbers do the talking.

But there’s another way to look at how much money is worth that doesn’t involve numbers or currency conversions. I’m speaking here about the qualitative side of the coin and where finance fits into your value system and life goals.

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As tax season continues, and the deadline for filing taxes approaches, many people are finding out where their finances for last year netted out. While some people are getting the pleasant news that they’re getting a refund back and can plan accordingly, others are coming to the realization that they may owe a (potentially large) sum of money.

If the results revealed by your tax return come as a surprise to you it may put you in an uncomfortable financial situation, particularly if you owe money. We’ve often said on 22Dollars.com that no plan is a plan to fail, and it seems that this saying holds true in this case as well. Rather than scrambling to find a fast financial fix, it’s certainly going to be better for you both in the long and short run to do whatever you can to plan ahead for this type of expense.

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When it comes to money, everyone has something to say. Each person has an opinion, and these individual opinions can vary widely. From those that believe in high stakes investing to those that do not believe in investing at all, the things people say about finance can be quite different. But the bottom line is that everyone has something to say.

At the same time, finance can be one of the most difficult things to discuss, because it’s a very personal topic that links many of the things that make us who we are: our values, our emotions, our pride, our status, and how we make our living. However, throughout history many people have found a way to capture their sentiments about finance in ways that can help us all express our varied opinions on money, and have helped us learn a thing or two about this complex topic.

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As the deadline for completing 2007 tax returns approaches, more and more people are filing returns each and every day. Once the headaches of making sure all your information is accurate and all your paperwork has been submitted, you should know in advance if you can expect a tax refund this year.

As with any income, it’s a good idea to think about what you’re going to do in advance and make a plan for how you will use it. We always quote the saying that “no plan is a plan to fail,” and it seems true that many of the worst financial decisions are those made compulsively. Since tax refunds are getting turned around more quickly than ever these days, take the time in between when you file and when you receive your refund to really think about what you’ll do with the money you get back.

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If you find that you are steadily sinking into the dark abyss of endless debt, there is probably a reason. No one swipes your credit card, signs your name at the bottom of loan applications or borrows money without your consent, so it’s time to look inward for the reasons you can’t get out of debt.

According to Wendy Nesbit, who counsels consumers on debt management skills on a regular basis, there are eight basic reasons for the continuation of the debt cycle.

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As I’m sure the readers of 22Dollars are aware, tax season is in full swing. By now, we all should have received the necessary paperwork from our employers, banks and other investment institutions and can get to work on our tax returns if we haven’t already.

It seems like each year there are more and more options for individuals looking to prepare their tax returns, and it can be difficult to know who to trust. Lately the news has been filled with stories about tax-related scams to watch out for and everywhere you look there are advertisements offering “worry free” solutions.

So with the April 15 deadline looming, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind as you’re preparing your taxes:

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A wise person once said that time is money. In many ways that’s still true today. People are paid on an hourly basis and most companies rate their employees as part-time or full-time, based on the number of hours they work each week. We pay rush charges for packages that are delivered quickly and fees for movies we return late. But when looking at time and money - is one more important than the other?

Retailers often charge extra for goods or services that are intended to make our lives easier – like dry cleaning delivered to our houses, bottled water or pre-chopped, pre-cleaned lettuce for our salads. In this hectic day and age, many people are willing to pay for these conveniences. For some, anything that saves time or puts a few minutes back into their day is worth the additional costs associated.

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Chart pattern trading is something that takes a lot of discipline. By this I mean stock charts cannot look "kinda" like a pattern or have certain elements of a pattern. They need to match the pattern's characteristics by 100% or they will not work. Think of it like you are taking a test and the only way to pass is to get exactly a 100%. Anything less and you could be setting yourself up for danger.

The Ascending Triangle chart pattern is one of the most easily identifiable patterns and also one of my favorites to trade upon a confirmed breakout. Correctly identifying this pattern has made me a lot of money in the past and continues to prove itself as one of most profitable trades. The pattern is a bullish pattern sporting a triangle shape with a horizontal top and upward sloping bottom.

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For those of you that are financially conscious, or just like to get a good bargain, you’ve probably been carefully planning your holiday spending for a few weeks now. Scanning the weekend papers for good coupons, keeping an eye out for holiday-related sales and carefully budgeting how much you can spend on each gift to make sure you make the most of your money and avoid getting yourself into debt. I know some things that have worked well for me in the past include deciding what I want to get each person on my list before heading to the store (so I don’t make impulsive decisions while at the crowded malls) and start my shopping early (so I don’t feel rushed on Dec. 24 and end up spending more than I had planned).

But what about the flip side? Most of us have probably thought at length about how the holiday gifts we give impact our own finances (whether it’s in the budgeting stage, or after the fact when we get our credit card bill). However a recent article on Yahoo Finance made me stop to think about how the gifts I give this season may impact the recipients’ finances.

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If you’re a fan of Wall Street Warriors or stay on top of the financial publishing scene, you’ve probably seen and heard Timothy Sykes’ name pretty frequently these days. Timothy’s recently released book, An American Hedge Fund: How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator and Created a Hedge Fund, details the true story of how he turned the $12,415 he received for his Bar Mitzvah into $1.65 million in just three years and all before he turned 26. Timothy sent 22Dollars.com a copy of his book (check out the fourth page to see our review!) and recently provided us with a behind-the-scenes look at the man, the myth and the market. Make sure to check out Timothy’s responses below and grab a copy of his book if you haven’t already!

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It’s nothing new for gas prices to make headlines. It seems like every day for the last few years the media has kept a very close watch on the daily fluctuations of fuel. And Americans across the country have been tracking prices at the pump and feeling the effects. While 22Dollars.com stresses taking control of your finances, the topic of gas prices instantly causes anxiety and controversy due to the fact that it’s one area of our budget over which we feel little control.

The impact of the increasing price of gasoline touches everyone - not only those who depend on a car for their daily transportation. In somewhat of a chain effect, everything from surcharges on airline tickets to higher prices for transported vegetables is impacted and we all feel the effects on our finances. But can this even reach our personal lives during the holiday season?

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Over summer vacation many students work hard at jobs they may or may not like, earning money to help them get through the school year. This is perhaps especially true for college students who, away from home for the first time, are just getting their feet wet with managing their expenses (of which there are many) on a shoe-string budget.

As college students are settling into the fall semester, many are probably realizing how quickly the money they earned over the summer can go. When you’re a full-time student it can be difficult to find ways to earn enough money to cover your expenses during the school year. As a result, it’s vital that college students are smart about how they spend their money and maintain a strict budget.

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The summer has gone WAY too quickly, and while that means we need to begin bracing ourselves for cooler weather and shorter days, it also means that it is officially the back to school season. Students, teachers and parents are enjoying their last few weeks of summer vacation and making plans to get back into the scholastic routine.

But whether you’re heading back to school, supporting someone that’s going back to school, or think the first day of school has no bearing on you, this year, instead of just thinking about school supplies, lunch boxes and cool new clothes, we at 22Dollars.com encourage you to also use this as a chance to reflect on your finances.

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A few weeks ago I went to a museum featuring life and society in the 1800’s. Seeing the stark contrasts between life then and now got me thinking about how the technological developments that have happened in that span of time have impacted the way we handle daily tasks.

Some have said that there have been more technological changes in the last 100 years than in the previous 1,000 years before that. Certainly such changes have impacted every aspect of our lives, from travel to dining to housing to healthcare. Despite the obvious inflation that has occurred since the 1800’s, there have also been developments in how we make, manage and spend our money as a result of technological developments. Here are my thoughts…

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Since finishing school in May and June, many college graduates are realizing that there are many new experiences, challenges and opportunities ahead. Between finding a job, moving away from home, leaving comfortable sets of friends behind and giving up the flexible college schedule for the more rigid 9-5 work week, there are many changes that come with finishing school.

In addition to all these changes, students also begin to work toward achieving financial independence. Throughout college, most people find that there is more money going out than coming in, as they are paying for tuition and living expenses and have little or no time to hold down a paying job. As a result a certain amount of debt accumulates. While there is the plus side that finishing college means graduates will have the chance to put their skills to use in jobs that will earn them money, graduation also marks the point in many peoples’ lives where they take on full responsibility for their finances, without the support of family or college financial aid advisers.

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Mutual funds are increasingly making use of Derivatives in its portfolio as a strategy to boost the returns from investment. Peruse your Fund's portfolio in the monthly and quarterly fact sheets to ascertain the exposure that your fund has taken in these Derivatives. Comparing these across periods will reveal the extent of churning that your fund manager dolls out in these funds.

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Many people think that the only way to reduce financial risks is to make more money. However many forget that it’s just as important, if not moreso, to manage the money you have. A friend once told me, “it’s not how much money you make, it’s what you do with that money that really counts,” and I truly believe that. Proof of this can be seen in the number of celebrities that earn large sums of money then end up declaring bankruptcy within a few years. Hollywood is filled with stories where people lived beyond their means and did not know how to handle all the money they had and as a result ended up in trouble.

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Bonds provide an stupendous medium of diversification. They could, on occasion comport as even more lucrative investments than equities provided one has accoutered the know-how of when to invest, i.e. Investing when the interests rates are postulated to fall in the future, and pulling out when the scenario is reversed.

The risks that are confederated with investing in bonds are several, the primary being the interest rate risk. Other risks are the risk from the change in the shape of the yield curve, credit risk, liquidity risk, inflation risks (which tend to diminish the real returns from one's investment), Volatility risks etc.

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Typically the articles on this site address investing through stocks, bonds and mutual funds. However many people have made their fortunes, or at least a comfortable living, by investing in real estate. Whether we turn out to be real estate moguls like Donald Trump, or just need a roof over our heads, we all need to make real estate decisions at some point in our lives.

There are many choices that need to be made when you’re building, buying or remodeling a home. Certainly style is one of them – you want your home to look nice and serve as a representation of your personality. Comfort is another one high on most peoples’ lists – you want your home to be a place you can relax and unwind. Now what about the financially driven decisions you make with respect to your home?

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Every individual saves to consummate some financial goal in the future. It could be saving for retirement, purchasing a house property, education, vacations etc. Whilst most of our needs may be current, we do tend to direct a large pie towards saving for our long term goals. While this is an ideal praxis, in the long term, our invested capital faces market risks, credit risks, currency risks, liquidity risks, default risks etc. Most of these center on the kind of asset class and quality of investments we buy into. However, each long-term investment faces risk from inflation, which escalates cost of living on one hand, and shaves off our investment surpluses on the other. In other words, inflation increases the prices of our essential commodities and attenuates the value of our money.

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How many of you don’t think you have enough money to start investing? Living paycheck to paycheck and keeping track of where every penny goes, you have enough trouble making ends meet from day to day, much less putting money away for a rainy day. Many of us that are just starting out, or perhaps starting over, might read this blog to get investment ideas for the future. Not seeing how investments can fit into our tight budgets in the present, we think all the advice we hear is for someone else, or for us to file away for “someday.”

While those of us that live on a shoestring budget are wise to be cautious, the truth is that we should not allow this caution to stunt our growth. Everyone has the potential to invest in their futures – we just may need to take different approaches.

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