Are you getting antsy for your tax refund? You can check the status of your refund easily with this simple web-based tool from the IRS web site. You’ll need to provide your social security number, marital status, and exact refund amount in order for your request to be processed.
If you are receiving a large refund, consider having your employer adjust your W-4 so that less is withheld from your paycheck. This will, in essence, spread your refund out over the course of a year. If you have the discipline to use this money wisely, you’ll have use of it much earlier than if you had waited for a refund.
Bankrate has a list of smart things to do with your tax refund.
[Internal Revenue Service: Get refund status]

Kris and I will make our first trip overseas later this year; her parents are taking us to England and Ireland. We’re excited, but also a little apprehensive. For one thing, the exchange rate isn’t exactly in our favor right now. And how much do we pay our housesitter? Will we be able to prepay all of our bills?
Yesterday I was browsing Ask the Advisor and discovered a list of 27 personal finance tips for traveling overseas.

[People] who travel abroad are caught in situations that can cost them financially. For instance, many overseas travelers do not know to contact their credit card companies or banks about travel plans, nor do they comprehend currency issues that exist at their destinations. Always check the currency exchange rates for your destination country before you travel.
Financial problems are exacerbated if you don’t speak the country’s language and if you don’t understand how to access or use its currency. [...]

I learned a valuable lesson during April: a month-long series cramps my style. As much as I liked Michael’s videos about saving and investing, I look forward to freeing the “money hacks” slot in order to, well, share some money hacks! This month was notable for some great discussions in the comments of entries such as these:

Apr. 1st: Lifestyles of the rich and stupid
Apr. 4th: Ask the readers: When does this all pay off?
Apr. 9th: Real-life choices: Retirement savings vs. debt reduction
Apr. 11th: What should a billionaire give, and what should you?
Apr. 13th: How one father taught his son about money (a reader story)
Apr. 18th: How to fight the urge to splurge
Apr. 21st: An introduction to square-foot gardening
Apr. 25th: Which should you choose: Joint or separate finances?
Apr. 27th: Ask the readers: How much should I spend on an engagement ring?

Return of the Forum
Don’t forget that the Get Rich Slowly discussion forum has returned. It’s an [...]

Several years ago I discovered John Stone Fitness, a site that documented the life of a man whose body looked like this:

as he undertook a journey to make his body look like something else entirely:

Stone had a problem, and knew it. He educated himself, discovered a solution, and applied himself to achieving his physical fitness goals. We can learn some valuable lessons from Stone, and not just about health and wellness. Stone’s example is perfect for those of us trying to get our financial lives whipped into shape.
In the Get Rich Slowly discussion forums, Croz recently shared an idea based on something from Stone’s site:

[John Stone Fitness] offers a section of the forum for fitness journals. Anyone can start one. They post their goals, their workouts, their diets, their accomplishments and setbacks. Others read them, provide suggestions, critiques, and motivation. Often, you can find someone who started out in, or is in your situation, and [...]

This is part twenty in a series that has occupied the “money hacks” slot at Get Rich Slowly during April, which is National Financial Literacy Month.
Michael Fischer’s series on Saving and Investing ends today with a look at five popular misconceptions about money. Even if you haven’t watched any of his other videos, I urge you to watch these. Here Michael explains why it is so important for each of us to understand basic financial concepts:
Five popular misconceptions, part one (5:47)

Five popular misconceptions, part two (5:40)

Michael addresses these common misconceptions:

Saving and investing is complicated. Actually, the material is very basic. It’s simple to understand. What’s complicated are the products in which we can put our money. But if we understand how money works, we can use this knowledge to analyze the investment opportunities.
Investing in the stock market is like gambling. It is true that investing in the stock market carries risk. It is not, however, [...]

In the forums, Brad points out that Shred-it, a document shredding company, is offering its services for free at dozens of sites around the U.S. tomorrow. According to the company’s site:

Shred-it®, Office Depot® and Crime Stoppers USA® are helping consumers fight identity theft by organizing the 2007 USA National Community Shred campaign. Community Shred events will be held at 100 Office Depot stores across the country on April 28, 2007 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.
Shred-it, the world’s leading on site document destruction company and Crime Stoppers USA will bring their expertise to Office Depot stores to help people take action against identity theft and fraud. Shred-it mobile shredding trucks will be on site and consumers are invited to bring all the documents they can carry for shredding. Representatives from Crime Stoppers will offer tips and advice on how to protect yourself against identity theft and to collect voluntary donations that will [...]