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From now until April 15th, you can get up to a $500 cash credit for rolling over your 401(k) into an E*Trade Securities IRA.  The cash credit depends upon the initial deposit.  Deposits over $250,000 receive $500; deposits between $100,000 and $249,999 receive $250; deposits between $50,000 and $99,999 receive $100; deposits between $25,000 and $49,999 receive $50. They have a tool to help with roll over information.

E*Trade is really making a push for IRA business.  Last month we mentioned their 100 Free Trades Offer.  That is still available as a separate offer.

See:
https://us.etrade.com/e/t/jumppage/viewjumppage?PageName=individual_retirement_account
https://us.etrade.com/e/t/plan/retirement/irarollovertool
http://moneycafe.com/blog/2009/02/etrade-ira-get-100-free-trades/

The tax filing deadline is less than a month away.  If you plan on using TurboTax (the program most people who self-prepare will use) you may want to get a jump on it this week.  As they do every year, they raise the price at the end of the tax season to encourage people to file earlier and not all show up at once on April 15th.  This year the price increase will take effect on March 28th.   Save some money and get started today.  They have  TurboTax Tools and Calculators and a Tax Preparation Checklist to help get started.

If you are undecided about which solution is best for you, we took a look at the major do-it-yourself tax solutions back in December.  The link is: http://moneycafe.com/blog/2008/12/time-to-look-at-tax-software/.

Here are some excellent articles courtesy of TurboTax to help with your taxes this year. 

• TurboTax – The 11 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions
• Turbo Tax – 10 Oddball Tax Deductions
• TurboTax – Should You Itemize?
• TurboTax – Tax Law Changes

See:
File online with TurboTax: #1 rated and #1 selling tax software
http://moneycafe.com/blog/2008/12/time-to-look-at-tax-software/

It looks like banks are making another go at reducing credit limits.  A few months ago we warned about precipitous reductions in credit limits on home equity loans and credit cards.  SmartMoney.com is reporting that credit card issues are again getting “slash happy” on credit card limits.  In some instances credit card issuers have reduced limits below what is actually owed by the cardholder.  And the kicker, this is done without notice to the cardholder.  This situation not only puts the consumer in a bind when new charges are unexpectedly declined, but also instantly makes the account over limit unbeknownst to the cardholder.  As most know, being over limit can bring about higher interest rates and fees.  According to this article people are getting hit with fees in this situation.

Credit card companies are within their rights to reduce credit limits without notice.  They can also charge fees for being over limit.  However, to reduce a credit limit without notice and then charge extra fees is reprehensible and not what I would consider dealing in good faith with its customers.  If you have been hit by a fee for overcharging when you didn’t know or by being over limit when you had no chance to pay the account down, I would encourage you to contact the credit card issuer and request the fees be removed from your account.

If you have an experience with this situation, please share in the comments below.

See:
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/106716/How-to-Blow-Your-Credit-Limit-Without-Spending
http://moneycafe.com/blog/2008/12/credit-line-reductions/

Google has a service called Google Tip Jar that allows people to share information and tips.  They have a Finance category where people share tips for saving money and dealing with your finances.  The Tip Jar is powered by Google Moderator software, which allows people to vote upon and rank the best tips.  Ideally, the best and most effective tips will rise to the top of the list.

See:
http://moderator.appspot.com/#15/e=3cfc&t=16fdf

A few weeks ago we added our Stock and Mutual Fund Screener to help our community find the right investments in these trying times.    We now have an Editable Watchlist that allows you to customize your list and track your stocks, index funds, mutual funds and market indexes in one convenient location.

See:
http://www.moneycafe.com/markets/index.htm?qm_target_page=Watchlist
http://www.moneycafe.com/markets/stockscreening.htm

We’ve got a pretty good Savings Calculator at http://www.moneycafe.com/content/articles/23/1/Savings-Calculator/Page1.html.  If you are thinking of starting a savings plan, or just have money in a savings account, this calculator is a useful planning tool to help you see how much your savings will grow over time.  It’s simple, but quite versatile and allows a selection of different monthly investments and various interest rate scenarios.

There are some numbers already plugged-in, but you can make the appropriate changes to fit your situation.  Our default interest rate shows 5.00%, which just a few months ago was a reasonable number.  We may have to change that.