money

Taxpayers who file the 1040EZ income tax form have always had it easier, at least when it comes to the paperwork. They've long enjoyed the ability to file electronically, for instance. Things just got even easier for 1040EZ users, thanks to TurboTax SnapTax, a free Android app from one of the biggest and most trusted names in tax preparation, especially online tax prep and e-filing. With SnapTax, you can file your 2012 federal income tax returns using your Android smartphone, or tablet, or any device running Android, so long as it has a high-resolution camera. Simply take snapshots of … Read more

Last September, CNET's Matt Elliott told you about SnipSnap, a rather ingenious iOS app that turns printed coupons into mobile ones.

It's been a long wait, but SnipSnap has finally made its way to Android. And if you shop for anything, anywhere, ever, that should come as very good news.

SnipSnap is like a digital coupon wallet: instead of schlepping a pile of paper coupons to the store with you (or, if you're like me, forgetting to), you simply take snapshots of the ones you want, then present the app at checkout. When possible, SnipSnap cleverly converts … Read more

Over the past few years, Kickstarter has become a force to be reckoned with. Some of the coolest and weirdest gadgets I saw at this year's CES didn't come from big corporations or even small ones -- they came from independent inventors who found funding and encouragement through Kickstarter.

Which isn't to say that every Kickstarter project is a hit. The site is also a graveyard of hackneyed ideas, indie records, and films that no one wants to see. But when a Kickstarter campaign hits the right nerve, it's an exhilarating flip of the supply-and-demand model … Read more

We Canadians love innovating our money. We're printing plastic banknotes and chucking out useless coins.

Last March I said I wouldn't mourn the passing of the Canadian penny.

And yet today, as the Royal Canadian Mint officially stopped distributing the cent to banks, I have mixed feelings. I saw the Google.ca animated doodle honoring the coin and felt a tad nostalgic.

So I fished out a few pennies from my pockets and considered the brazen image of Queen Elizabeth and the maple leaf. … Read more

Simple FX comes in two versions: the lite and paid version. Both contain the same features, but the paid version allows for more currencies. Instead of the regular display of direct rates, the app opts for a chart that shows monetary increments of one currency and the corresponding exchange value of another. This feature allows for quick estimation, sets it apart from other converters, and increases its utility for average travelers. Sometimes having an instant estimate for costs of items is better than having to tediously calculate values to the nearest cent. However, this chart function is not as useful … Read more

Listeners of The 404 Show have plenty of financial questions, so we look to our resident expert Jill Schlesinger from "CBS MoneyWatch" to make sense of it all. From ETFs to IRAs and everything in between, Jill and Jeff navigate the choppy waters of personal finance. They'll also talk about Apple in great detail, and whether the company's sinking stock price is a sign of things to come.

Jill hits up The 404 Show every three weeks, so if you've got a question you want answered on the show, be sure to send a tweet or e-mail us! … Read more

2012 was hellish in a lot of ways, but it was a good year for saving money.

Indeed, as any regular reader of The Cheapskate or CNET's Marketplace knows, you could count on finding a good deal -- often a great deal -- pretty much every single day.

Of course, some of the best money-saving advice applies all year round, not just on a particular day. With that in mind, I've rounded up some of my favorite thrifty tips from 2012. (It probably goes without saying that most of them will work just as well in 2013.)

1. Always buy refurbished Apple gear.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Jill gives us 2012 year-end tax tips: four benefit changes.

- "Fiscal cliff" primer: Breaking down the plans.

- Alan Simpson goes "Gangnam Style."

- The Fiscal Cliff Huxtable.… Read more

We've heard of betting with virtual currency in Zynga Poker, but how about playing with some bona fide dollar bills?

Zynga made its first move to create real-money gambling games in the U.S. by filing its initial application with the Nevada Gaming Control Board yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal. Now, the board has to decide whether Zynga will be allowed to hold a gaming license in the state.

The social-gaming giant has made no secret that it'd like to get into the world of real-money gambling. In fact, in October it announced a deal with … Read more