Free ebooks

Lulu.com offers writers a place to sell their books online. There are some titles that are offered as free down loads that you can read from your computer, laptop, or ebook reader. You might want to check out the following titles.

• Basic Financial Management - Practice of basic financial management with creative learning exercises. Analysis of financial statements, management of short-term cash, funds flow, management of long-term funds, investment of surplus funds etc. with 30 minute audio, all in about a day.

• Educating Your Dollars: High Finance for Young Adults - Workbook to teach teens and adults about finances.

• It's Not Rocket Science: A Simple Guide to Managing Your Money - A concise guide to personal financial management suitable for the beginning investor.

• Emergency! Get Out of Debt Now! - Written by the creator of Frugal101.com, Emergency! Get Out of Debt Now! focuses on getting the desperate college student or young adult out of the debt prison using real, workable strategies.

• Wills, Trusts,&Other Fun Stuff - Decisions Your Not Dying to Make - This book presents basic estate planning information on Wills, Revocable Living Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, Asset Protection, Probate and more.

New LTC Deductibility Levels

The IRS has set new deductibility limits for long term healthcare policies in 2008. If you itemize deductions you can claim a deduction for LTC premiums up to the following limits.

Age 2008 Deductible Limit

40 or less $310
40-50 $580
50-60 $1,150
60-70 $3,080
70 or older $3,850

Online Help for Letters of Instruction

Writing a letter of instruction is an estate planning measure I have covered before. Now there are some web based applications that promise to make the job a little easier.

• YouDeparted.com. This site isn't about social networking or sending scary messages from the grave. It's about organizing your life so if you die unexpectedly, the important details of your life can be made available to those who really need it. It's about having the ability to update your information in a timely manner as opposed to keeping everything in a safe deposit box or hidden away in a desk drawer somewhere.
• PrivateMatters.com. Keep a detailed record of your last wishes and instructions, store email messages for delivery up to a year after your death, and build a lasting memory for someone special.

Giving Odd Lots To a Good Cause

This months edition of Registered Rep Magazine has an excellent idea for year end tax planning. If you have received odd lots of stock from corporate spin offs, calculating a cost basis can be a real nightmare. The author, Kevin McKinley, suggests gifting those odd lots held more than a year to a charity. You get a deduction for the current market value of the securities if you itemize your return, you eliminate the expense of selling the shares, you eliminate the head ache of calculating the cost basis, and you can help a good cause. Everyone wins. You can read the full article here.