Eric Tyson Quotations

Most people do leave it to the end for good reason. It's not an enjoyable thing to do.

People who've had the propensity to run up consumer debt often don't admit it's a problem. But your net worth -- the difference between your assets and liabilities -- is a key measure of your financial health. If it's getting worse over time, that's a problem.

When preparing their 2001 return, there are some basic tax planning issues unemployed people don't often think of. People need to be mindful of what tax bracket they're in, which may...have changed.

When people have bad experiences buying a home, it usually isn't due to lack of intelligence or good intentions. Rather, it is a result of not knowing the right questions to ask and the proper steps to take. That's why we have provided the tools for anyone ready to leave leases and landlords behind, or trade up.

I've long loved balanced funds, especially for skittish investors, because the bonds mask the volatility of the stocks. When I was doing financial planning, I saw that people often had a hard time keeping in mind the overall portfolio, and a balanced fund kind of forces them to do that.

Some people think they've got to have a brilliant business idea, but they don't. There are new tax preparers and dry cleaners going into business all the time,

Your behavior shows kids what you think is important in handling money.

A lot of people equate the Federal Reserve's actions with changes in consumer interest rates but there's not a direct connection or really an indirect connection, ... Personal Finance for Dummies.

A major illness or some other unavoidable problem can cause people to fall short of their financial goals, but more often than not, long-standing barriers to dealing well with money are to blame. I've worked with more people who need to overcome significant obstacles in their attitudes and behaviors concerning money than those who just need a bit of sound financial advice.

A lot of people who get laid off from corporate jobs end up doing some freelance work, ... But people who are coming from a job with a paycheck are not knowledgeable about the expenses they can file on Schedule C. They should familiarize themselves with those deductions. If they have considerable self-employment income, they can set up a Keogh or SEP IRA to shelter some of the income from taxes.

At a lot of Vanguard funds the minimum investment is $3,000. That's a big chunk of money.

There's this idea that you won't get caught, because the vast majority of returns aren't audited. But be careful of people who claim they can get you thousands of dollars back. You never know when you'll be audited.

The key to breaking the cycle for many people is to begin the process of questioning spending, and to not just continue to spend the way you historically have. If you're spending too much and saving too little, clearly you've got to change something.

If you have the choice between enjoying the weather and doing your tax return, it's not a hard choice.

I promise that once you try living with an older fuel-efficient car, cooking instead of dining out five days a week, and paying with cash, you'll realize that you're just as happy as you were in your free-spending old life. In fact, you'll be happier. Less money anxiety and more time spent at home with your family will make the 'sacrifices' seem inconsequential.

Higher income earners are more likely to be audited because there is more tax money at stake, ... The IRS is a business, they have employees and they do not have time to let them audit people if they are only going to earn $2 worth of tax.

If it is a relatively small thing, like you transpose two numbers, that is less likely to trigger an audit than if you omit a large portion of your income,

However, people should do their homework before jumping in with both feet and selling one house to buy another in a completely different part of the country. Make sure you understand all of the pros and cons of places you're considering and that you're not simply falling in love with the concept of a better or easier life.

Healthy financial habits start with making smart, conscious, reasoned-out decisions instead of letting outside forces dictate how you're going to live. If you're spending to impress your neighbors, your coworkers, or your clients, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. They won't be the ones working 'til they're 80 because you spent all your retirement money. You will. Make a big change now. Next year when you open those tax forms, you can feel good about what you earned and where it went.

You can't get caught up in the stock market's daily swings or gaining 100 points one day and losing 100 the next day. If you do, you're just going to end up suffering from painful anxiety attacks.

The first and probably the most important thing is to not do a rush job and shortchange yourself.