Author: Kathyrn Vercillo

Check the New IRS Tax Withholding Estimator Now So You Aren’t In Trouble Come April 2020

tax withholding

Tax time is a funny time of year. Some people are really excited when April rolls around. That’s because they get a lot of tax withholding money taken out of their paychecks throughout the year. Therefore, after filing their taxes, they get a nice big refund.

On the other hand, if you’re the type who tends to owe money, then tax time is no fun at all. One of the best ways to avoid the dread of this season is to act in advance. If you make sure that you’re withholding enough from your paycheck throughout the year, then you don’t have to stress about tax time in April.

The IRS has released a new tool that can help.

New IRS Tax Withholding Estimator

The IRS has always offered a tax withholding calculator. However, there were a lot of changes to taxes last year. Therefore, they felt that it was an important time to update. They’ve released a new tax withholding estimator that takes into account all of the latest tax rules.

You can use the tool to enter some basic information about your paycheck and current tax withholdings. Before using the tool, you should gather your recent pay stubs and last year’s tax forms. Then you can easily use this information to enter the required details into the withholding estimator.

The tool will also ask you a few basic questions that affect how much you’ll pay in taxes. For example, it will ask how many dependent children you have. The more accurately you answer all of the questions, the better result you’ll get from the estimator.

This tool will tell you how much money you should have withheld from each paycheck. If you follow the advice, then you shouldn’t owe any money come April 2020.

How to Use Information from the Tax Withholding Estimator

The Tax Withholding Estimator will give you a number. That number is the amount that you should have withheld from your taxes. It’s a good guess that should leave you owing nothing come tax time.

You can use this information to your advantage in a few different ways. For example, let’s say that the tool estimates you should have $500 withheld from each paycheck. If you withhold that amount, then you should break even come tax time. Now you can look at how much you’re currently getting withheld and make some choices.

Let’s say that you’re currently getting exactly $500 withheld. You could make the choice to keep things exactly as they are. Alternatively, you could make the choice to increase that slightly. This would cover any unexpected costs that might arise to help guarantee that you don’t owe taxes in April. Plus it might mean that you get some refund money back come tax time.

On the other hand, let’s say that your tax withholding is currently $1000. After the tax laws changed, people didn’t need to pay as much. However, if your taxes were already set up with your employer, perhaps nothing changed. Therefore, you’re paying in much more than you need to. You could keep things as they are and get all of that money back come tax time. On the other hand, you could safely reduce your tax withholding, which would give you more money in each paycheck now.

How will you use the new Tax Withholding Estimator to help you adjust your paycheck?

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How Much Does It Cost To Replace Car Keys?

I used to lose my car keys fairly regularly. Even more often, I’d lock them inside the car. It was inconvenient, to say the least. But at the time, it wasn’t too expensive. Wondering how much it cost to replace car keys back in the 90’s? It was only a few dollars if I could get someone to take me to the hardware store where they could copy a spare key for me. If I had to get them to make a brand new key, rather than a copy, it was less than $100.

Replacing Lost Car Keys in the 20th Century

I gave copies of my keys to several friends and family members. That way, they could come help me out. If they weren’t available, then I’d have to get a new key made.

I do recall one awful time when I was out of town and had lost my car keys. I needed to call someone out to my car in the middle of nowhere so he could cut me a new key. It was snowing. The guy didn’t seem to know what he was doing. Therefore, the whole thing took hours.

I was sick, and cold, and frustrated. But, in the end, I got my new key and went on my way. Annoying, but simple enough. I don’t remember how much it cost to replace car keys that time but it was less than $100.

It Costs A Lot More to Replace Car Keys Today

Replacing car keys today isn’t as easy as it was back then. Take a look at your car keys and you’ll notice that they don’t look anything like the kind of key that you can just take to the hardware store and get copied. Instead, they are high-tech electronic keys. If you lose one, it could cost you several hundred dollars to replace it.

You don’t just pay to replace the key. You also have to pay for the electronic key fob. Moreover, you have to pay the dealer to reprogram the car so that it accepts the new key. Of course, all of this is designed to make your car convenient. It also makes it safer from theft. But it means that if you lose your keys, you’ll pay a pretty penny to replace them.

How Much to Replace Car Keys Depends on the Car

Back in 2013, Consumer Reports shared that the cost to replace a Toyota Prius key was about $600. That was the most expensive replacement on their list. BMW key replacement was closer to $500 while Lexus was less than $400 at the time. Meanwhile, the cost to replace a key for a 2005 Honda Accord was about $200. So, how much to replace car keys really depends a lot on the car and the type of key it uses.

Edmunds reported these average prices to replace car keys in 2019:

  • Basic transponder key: $160 (plus fob replacement adds another $75)
  • Switchblade keys: $70 (plus fob replacement adds another $75+)
  • All-in-one laser-cut keys: $150 – $250
  • Smart keys (AKA keyless entry remote): $220 – $500+ depending on vehicle

Notably, you can sometimes get a discount on replacement car keys. Work with your dealer to see if they’ll offer a lower price. Consumer Reports notes that you can get huge discounts if you buy replacement keys online. Of course, as with all shopping on the Internet, you buy at your own risk. Read that fine print before trying to save money that way. And remember that you’ll still need to get a locksmith to program the new key, which adds additional costs.

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Dave Banking App Review

Dave Banking App

Chances are that you’ve already heard of Dave, the personal finance app. However, did you know that there’s a new Dave Banking App? The new tool expands upon what the original app offered by provide a complete online-only banking solution.

What Is The Dave Banking App?

Dave Banking is a mobile bank geared specifically towards millennials, which is obvious from their website design. It implements some of the things that Dave was already known for and adds additional services. For example, you can set up an account with no monthly fees and no overdraft charges.

Dave Banking Benefits

Obviously, people who are concerned about overdraft charges will benefit from utilize this banking option. Here are some of the other benefits:

  • You can easily open an account by connecting your Dave banking app to your existing bank account. Alternatively, you can open your own brand new Dave checking account. There is no account minimum. You do not have to pass a credit check.
  • Dave has partnered with Credit Pop to offer a free credit-boosting service. The app reports your on-time rent and utility payments to the credit agencies. Therefore, you can improve your credit score by switching to this bank.
  • You get a $100 advance free of charge. There is no interest. In other words, if you run out of money, the account will help you without penalty.
  • Dave accepts direct deposits from tens of thousands of different employers.
  • The account is FDIC-insured. Therefore your money is protected as it would be with any other regular bank.

Budgeting Help and Predictive Account Info

The Dave Banking App offers some key benefits that many other regular banks simply don’t provide. For one thing, the tool gives you automatic budgeting help. You can easily use the app to see what you regularly earn and spend, plan for upcoming big expenses, and get other assistance with keeping to your budget.

Moreover, the app has a built in Artificial Intelligence tools. This helps predict your account balance before your next paycheck. Whenever it looks like you’re at risk of going empty in your bank account, you’ll receive an alert. Of course, you can rely on that $100 no-interest cash advance if you do go empty. But this AI and budgeting information helps you avoid that problem.

Dave Banking App Helps You Find a Side Job

This is another really unique featuring of banking with Dave. After all, when was the last time that your regular bank offered to help you find work? Dave has partnered with gig economy / sharing economy companies to help you find local work whenever you need extra money. You can apply for jobs directly through the Dave Banking App. It’s one of the most unique cutting-edge tools for a mobile bank to offer. And although it’s geared towards millennials, people of all generations can take advantage of earning a side income with a new gig.

Important Things To Know

Here are a few key things you’ll want to know before you choose this tool:

  • The Dave Banking App is available on Google Play and in the Apple Store.
  • You can tip the app and for every 1% that you tip Dave will plant a tree.
  • It costs $1 per month to bank with Dave.
  • This is a checking account, not a savings account, so you won’t earn interest on your money.

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