TessMore Finance Blog

Even with the possibility of a refund dangling in front of us, most of us hate to do our taxes. Online tax prep and filing services significantly ease the burden without paying personal-accountant-level dollars. But of the many available tax preparation companies, which is the best? In this review, we’ll cover TaxAct , one of the lesser-known income-tax filing programs — but a frugal filing option you’ll want to check out. Here’s what you need to know about TaxAct. How Does TaxAct Work? TaxAct offers DIY online tax software that helps you file your tax returns neatly, completely and accurately. Even if you’re a tax whiz, having a guide streamlines the process and could save you time and money. These services scan hundreds of credits and deductions to ensure you get the biggest refund (or lowest tax bill) possible. Compared with the better-known e-filing products, like H&R Block and TurboTax, TaxAct is pretty scaled down — and thus, more affordable. Rather than inundating you...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . These days, our pets are such a huge comfort to us. They’re huge stress relievers and help keep us sane in these crazy times. Study after study shows pets help stave off loneliness and depression. Anyone who has a dog or cat knows the value of taking a quick mental health break to go pet Rover or Fluffy. They’re little four-legged antidepressants. They do get a little expensive, though. Between pet food and vet bills, the cost of owning a cat or dog can quickly run into thousands of dollars. And these are tough economic times. We’ve got six suggestions for simple financial moves you can make that’ll help you spoil Fido and Simba like they deserve. 1. Save Money on Pet Food Pet owners spend hundreds of dollars a year on pet food. (How much exactly? It really depends on the pet.) You may as well be getting...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . There’s a way to buy or sell a car that doesn’t involve negotiating with people who earn a living based on their extraordinary ability to sell things that go “vroom.”  Carvana lets you research automobiles online, have your trade-in appraised, apply for financing and buy used cars without stepping foot on a dealership’s lot. You can even have Carvana deliver your new car to your home or come pick up a car you’re selling. You can also use one of their vehicle vending machines. Annoying sales tactics aside, what are the advantages of buying a car totally online? Well, turns out there are plenty. What Is Carvana? Carvana is an online car dealership, though its multi-story car vending machines and hubs give the company a physical presence in dozens of metro areas around the U.S.  It sells used cars...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . Some people just love going to a car dealership and spending hours haggling with the sales people. It’s almost a game for them. And then there’s the rest of us — who don’t exactly live for the thrill of the car-buying process, yet we do the negotiation dance because we have no choice. We still need to buy or sell a car, after all. If you’re in that camp, there are a few websites that have simplified the car buying and selling process that we can compare head-to-head: Carvana vs. Carmax. Both tout a haggle-free, less-stressful buying and selling experience for used vehicles, but there are some key differences that may make you choose one over the other when deciding what to do about your car. We’ll cover these differences in more detail to help give you a better understanding of which company you should c...

Don’t want to go through the effort of changing cell phone companies to get a better deal? Still want to save a few bucks? You may want to consider using a bill negotiation service to reduce your business and personal expenses. They’ll negotiate your bill for you, saving you hassle and money. Below, we compare a few of the most popular bill negotiation services available today. 1. BillFixers Most bill negotiation services use the same basic business model. For this reason, BillFixers is similar to BillBargain in many regards. They provide their services for free unless they lower your bill. But BillFixers is pretty confident that they will be able to get you a lower monthly payment on your bills. They say they lower 95% of the bills that they get. That’s pretty impressive. How Does BillFixers Work? Once again, this section is going to look familiar. With BillFixers, you simply upload a PDF of your bill and they immediately get to work trying to negotiate it down. One of the ...

Do you have an FSA? An HSA? Is it possible you mix up the two? If so, you’re not alone. Lots of people confuse these accounts. Both a flexible spending account (FSA) and a health savings account (HSA) are used to help you set aside funds for medical expenses and save money on taxes. They share a few similarities, but it’s important to understand their key differences if you want to pick the right account for you. HSA vs FSA: Similarities An HSA and FSA are both tax-advantaged accounts that let you stash your own money away for future health care costs. You can open an HSA or FSA at work if your employer offers them. Employers can also make contributions to these accounts. If you open an account at work, your paycheck funds the HSA or FSA with pre-tax money. That means any money you deposit won’t get taxed for things like Social Security, Medicare or federal income tax. HSAs and FSAs can be used to pay for qualified medical costs for yourself, your spouse or dependents. Eligible ...

You didn’t think anything of posting that video on TikTok of you cooking up the famed feta pasta dish or showing off your best moves for the Sun Goes Down Challenge . Just having fun, right? Well, lawsuits against TikTok claim that the video-sharing social app collected “faceprints” from users without their consent. The collection of data was allegedly used to recommend content and users to follow. Some suits claim that the information was gathered from draft videos never publicly shared. TikTok denies the allegations but has agreed to a $92 million payout to settle the claim. As of September 2021, TikTok has 1 billion users worldwide. Claim Deadline Coming Fast What does this mean for you? Anyone in the United States who used the TikTok video-sharing app before Oct. 1, 2021, can make a claim to be a part of the $92 million class action settlement against the company. But hurry. You’ve only got until March 1, 2022 to file your claim . Users who lived in Illinois during the time...