Money Talk: Set Up IRS Payment Plan Yourself
Question: I fell behind on making my quarterly estimated tax payments for a long list of reasons, and when I file my return, the IRS will find out. I have heard they can seize your IRAs, which I have but do not want to cash out to pay. I found a service on the Internet with good references and no bad reviews. The company said it can help get a payment program and often a reduction in the amount owed. It seems worth a couple of...
Money Talk: Options for Paying for College
Question: I have two kids heading to college. Both need co-signers for their student loans. Will me co-signing have a negative effect on my credit? The kids have no choice. I’m middle class, having made enough to get myself by as a divorcee, but there’s no college savings. To make matters worse, I make just over the base for them to get a Pell Grant. I’m concerned about my credit, but my kids need to go to college. Answer: Your...
Money Talk: How to Deal With Collections
Question: I am trying to help my daughter deal with enormous student loans. She is a doctor and very busy and simply cannot deal with the stress of almost $350,000 of education debt. I want to help her refinance, but to get the best rate I would like to help her improve her credit score (even if it is already 712). She had three small debts turned over to a collection agency after a visit to an emergency room a couple of years ago. We...
Tax Filing Details Top D-H Payouts
Lebanon — The $675,000 severance payment awarded by Dartmouth-Hitchcock during 2013 to a “former senior advisor” to its chief executive barely made a public ripple or financial splash. Nor did the $320,000 “change of control payment” made to a staff physician who had been working as an executive at the large, Lebanon-based medical complex, or the $105,000 severance payment to a former human resources director that year. In fact, the...
Technology Adds To Our Tipping
By now, you’ve probably experienced it: After grabbing a cup of espresso, buying some ice cream or taking a cab, you swipe your credit card and prepare to sign — but you’re thrown a curve ball. The payment screen prompts you to make a decision about a tip you weren’t planning to give or at a rate that seems totally unreasonable. You see yourself with two options: Stand your ground and look stingy, or pay a small price to protect your...
