The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Personal Finances Click Using The Web
Heck, forget the quest to cut down on salt, caffeine, donuts and all the other things worth living for. I've decided '99 is gonna be the year for me to get my personal (finance) life in order. Thank gawd I’m not alone - in fact, it's rather crowded in the halls of Personal Financeville these days. Over the past few weeks I've received a slew of emails from readers who want to take care of their personal finance homework. It ranges too. Some of you need to get it together before April 15th and others are more concerned about getting it together before retirement comes screaming down The Hill (as in the one we're all going to be over at some point). Read on. The Web can assist. As always, if you have questions for The Virtual Woman write or send me an e-mail. Mailing information can be found at the end of the column.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I consider myself
pretty conservative--financially--which is why I invested in bonds for the
past ten years. Is there a reliable site where I can calculate how much I
can gain after taxes, should I cash out? I want to make as educated a
decision as possible before conferring with my financial advisor.
- Charlotte G., Knoxville, TN
Dear Charlotte:
There are several calculator sites out there (great for some of us who couldn't wait to finish Algebra I), but I'd recommend http://www.financenter.com/calcsjs.html for your speculations and other financial planning. At Financenter.com, you not only find tools to help you determine the value of selling your bonds from a tax standpoint, it also provides mortgage, college, retirement, car, loan, stocks, mutual fund calculators and more. It's a fabulous one-stop calculating site which beats most commercial investment groups and banks sites.
When you select your preferred area of finance, you will find a drop-field which will give you several options that best suit your needs. Make sure you have all your information on hand for the most accurate calculation. For example: the price you paid for your bond, face value, coupon rate, federal and state tax rates, and other relevant information. Good luck!
Dear Virtual Woman:
I've been solicited by
a nonprofit organization that I have always supported on an annual basis to
participate in a planned giving program in which I can even earn money by
giving to them. The organization strongly recommends talking to my lawyer
before giving a gift annuity. I've tried to find philanthropic articles on
this matter, with little luck. How about the web? Do you have any idea where
I could go to find out more about charitable gift annuities.
- Fumbling Philanthropist, Santa Rosa, NM
Dear Fumbling:
Check out http://www.annuityshopper.com, otherwise known as Annuity Shopper. This site is informative, clear, and intuitively navigational. At Annuity Shopper you can find a library dedicated to your questions about various annuities and rates. Also, its internal search engine will lead you to the answers to questions you had in the back of your mind, but may not have considered. This is a great site to go to when thinking about retirement benefits, IRAs, pension administration, and many more nooks and crannies of the financial realm.
To find more information about the legalities of charitable giving and particular tax incentives visit http://www.policy.com/issuewk/97/1222/122297f.html, the homepage is Policy.com. This is an excellent resource where you can dig up legislation (existing and forthcoming) on the benefits of charitable giving. It's a well-maintained site, targeting the savvy philanthropists who want to make the most of donations. For a more glossed over view of how to go about giving to a nonprofit, Money Magazine's site, Money.com would be worth checking out, particularly Jean Sherman Chatzky's article found at http://pathfinder.com/money/moneytalk/archive/981130.html. Her article "Smart Ways to Give to Charity" gives an overview on donating to your preferred charity.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Mary C. Ray
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