Open Enrollment -- Two Articles

Image courtesy: sxc.hu

Two articles discussing new laws affecting benefits elections. The first focuses on 2012, while the second is a two year plan.



My Open Enrollment Action Plan
Like many other employees, my husband's benefit elections enter the annual open enrollment period in November. Here are some changes I am making to 401(k) contributions, medical, dental and vision insurance, FSA withholding, and commuter expenses for 2012 because of new laws and a new family member.


Maximizing My FSA Benefit and Lowering Taxes
President Obama's health care reform has made two significant changes to FSA. Since 2011, OTC medications require a doctor's prescription for reimbursement. In addition, for 2013, the maximum FSA contribution is reduced to $2,500. Health care expenses are tough to budget, more so if you are budgeting two years out. However, by front loading some of the known spending in 2012 and getting a master prescription list, I plan to partially offset the negative impact of FSA reform. 

Happy Thanksgiving! A Couple of Articles on Being Charitable

Americans are a generous bunch--we cumulatively donated $212 billion (73% of total giving) in 2010 to over 1.28 million charities in the United States.  As we get ready to open our hearts and our wallets this holiday season, here are a couple of articles about charitable investments, and volunteering.

My Investment Approach Toward Charitable Giving
I use a disciplined investment approach toward charitable giving. This ensures the intended recipients get the maximum bang out of my buck and I see savings on our tax return.

Working for Free Worked for Me
Volunteering my time and working for free brings me a unique sense of fulfillment. However unpaid work has also provided tangible benefits that led to higher income potential down the road.

Hey Baby--Top Baby and Kid Related Articles

A selection of my household finance articles pertaining to children's purchases and saving for college. Also included are parenting articles.







Yahoo Finance Articles

• What Not to Buy for Baby
• How I Saved Over $1,000 on Baby Gear
• When I Splurge, When I Save
• No More Splurging on New Baby Purchases
• Building a Tax-Advantaged College Fund for My Children

 
Associated Content Parenting Articles

• How I Am Preparing Myself and My Older Child for a Second Baby
• Traveling with a Child? Find the Closest Public Restroom
• What to Pack when Traveling with Kids
• Ease Your Child's Transition to Preschool

Looking for my missing articles?

Due to a Yahoo glitch, some of my recent articles are not appearing on my profile and some others have gone missing. The links below should work (for now)!





 
Recent articles published in November
What I Learned as a First-Time Home Seller
Learning to Be a Landlord
Working for Free Worked for Me

Some older articles with broken links.
Building a Tax-Advantaged College Fund for My Children
Financial Lessons From My Friends
Managing the Risk and Cost of Food Borne Illnesses in a World of Food Recalls