It's nearly Spring and everything is coming alive once again! It's such a wonderful time of the year. Let's keep that in mind as we prepare to file our taxes. Please, give me a call at 877-879-5348 if you are tired of paying too much in taxes. Every year I help my clients save thousands in taxes that their tax preparer missed. Let's make sure you are keeping your hard earned money in your pocket... and not needlessly sending it to Washington!

Here are a few fun riddles to keep you sane as you work on your taxes...

1. Why is a bunny the luckiest animal in the world?
2. Why did the Easter egg hide?
3. Why did the Easter Bunny have a shiny nose?
4. What did the man say when he saw ten bunnies hopping over the hill?
5. What side of the chicken has the most feathers?
6. How does the Easter Bunny travel?
7. What's invisible and smells like carrots?
8. What did the man say when he saw ten bunnies hopping over a hill wearing sunglasses?

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research really put a point on the saying, "Healthy, Wealthy and Wise". The study found that people who were in the top 20 percentile for health in their 50's... retired with three times the wealth of the bottom 20 percentile for health.

The study also found that the healthiest people spent down their wealth at a much slower pace. It's pretty easy to figure out the reason why - being sick costs lots of money. This is pretty self-evident, BUT... do we really treat our health as the wealth making tool it can be?

Next time we look at our financial statements, maybe we should do it on the treadmill!

For better or worse it seems like just about everybody has a smart phone of some type now days. The problem I have is that there are so many possible uses for my smart phone I don't know where to start! There are a gazillion apps... which ones are even worth having?

Well, I've done a little research and come up with a few FREE apps that will help you either save or make some money. Hope you find them useful!

• MINT: This is an easy-to-use app that will put all of your financial data in one place. Just a couple of uses are to track a budget and send you bill reminders. You can use it on your computer, iPhone, or Droid.
• WALLABY: This app will help you get the most from your credit cards. For example, type in the store name you are shopping in and it will tell you which credit card to use to get the most reward points. If you are using your card at a gas station, it will tell you which card gives you a bonus when you use it on gas... and so on.
• REDLASER: You can use this app to scan the bar code of an item you are looking at in a store and it will do a comprehensive search of stores in your area and tell you where you can get the item cheaper, and at what price.
• BILLSHRINK: If you would like to have some help picking the best cell phone plan... savings account... internet service... credit card... or any other type of service or product, this could be a great app for you. It will ask you some basic questions about how you will use the product or service and then calculate the best plan or product for you!