Nathan

If I made tax free contributions to my HSA account, and then paid for medical expenses out of my HSA account, can I claim them on my itemized deductions? Or is this 'double dipping?' How is this handled?

If interest rates were to drop significantly more, say 30 YR fixed to sub 3%, and a huge percentage of homeowner mortgages are refinanced, what implications does this have on the broader economy, e.g. money supply, inflation, etc?

I was getting off the subway and there was some homeless guy peeing in the stairwell as I was walking up and I am not sure if he got any on me as it was splashing all around. What diseases could you get from urine contact like this? What if I got some in my eye? I hurried by understandably and don't remember if I got any on me.

Is it illegal to buy beer for some one that asks you (like on the street) to that doesn't have their ID but is obviously over 21? I assume the only thing that would make this illegal would be if that person turned out to not be 21, in which case the buyer would be on the hook.

Could someone explain what these two questions are asking? And if one had a medical bill debt that was sent to collection and negotiated down, would that cause either to be answered in the affirmative?

Within the past 10 years:

1. Have you made a compromise with creditors, filed a bankruptcy petition or been the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy petition?

2. based upon events that occurred while you exercised control over it, has an organization made a compromise with creditors,

filed a bankruptcy petition or been the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy?

I have a question about betting on horses. If you bet on a horse to win with 3/1 odds at the time you bet, I understand that these odds can change up until the race as money is coming in. My question is, can you change/refund your ticket if you see the odds wildly change out of your favor/strategy (say all the way to 1/3)? If not, this would seem to make executing betting strategies very difficult. Please let me know how this works, thanks!

I recently got a report for the history of my earnings in the mail from the Social Security administration and it lists no income for me in 2007 (towards social security). I was a state employee of Maryland that year so am I wondering do state and federal employees not pay social security tax? Am I entitled to anything from the state in the future? How/why does it work this way (assuming this is not a mistake)?

Additionally, since I am not going to continue working as a state employee does this mean those earnings will never count towards my final SS package?

I was at a site that had what I wanted once before but I cannot remember it. I was hoping someone here would know it.

They listed equities with the largest and smallest put/call ratios for the day as well as those with the largest volume change for the day.

Help much appreciated.

I am a casual crossword puzzle solver. When I read/hear about the NY Times crossword there seems to be this aura of prestige or something that goes along with it like it is the major league of crosswords. My question is how does the NY times crossword compare in difficulty to other major newspapers like the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, LA Times etc.

An additionally question, where do city newspapers get their crosswords? How many of them are unique to just that paper every day? I'm sure some must be syndicated or published nationally, especially in smaller papers or else there'd be like 1000 new crosswords a day in papers.

I am inside and can hear some strange animal sounds outside that I have never heard before. Since I live in a suburban neighborhood south of Baltimore I figure it can't be anything too exotic but it leaves me perplexed to as what it could be.

It goes something like "wo wo wo wo wo-errrrrrrro" and the end sounds like this strange mechanical whirring voice, it's bizarre. It sounds like dogs are barking in response but this definitely doesn't sound like a dog, at least not one I've ever heard. I suppose it could be a bird but as I said I've never heard it before, what the heck kind of bird would it be?!

Please offer suggestions as to what this could be! I've never heard it before until tonight.

From my understanding, Amex Blue offers the Membership Rewards program while Blue Cash offers Membership Rewards Express. Both give 1 point per dollar spent but the points are spent differently in the two systems. Also I think the full Membership Rewards you get one mile per dollar or point or something like that.

The questions I'd like addressed are

What are the differences when redeeming points for air travel?

What are the differences/same restrictions when redeeming air travel?

One mile per dollar sounds like a great deal, is that all there really is to it with full rewards?

Someone please give me a good idea of how much one has to spend on each card to get some decent airfare and how difficult the redpemtion process is.

Thanks!

When and by by whom are properties appraised? Is this done by the county and is it done annually? Do the mortgage companies get this information?

If your house is appraised for less than the principal that you owe, can banks request more collateral?

Thanks

From my understanding universities don't turn profits (in the way that some like a University of Phoenix does) but only redistribute capital back into programs or reinvest it into the endowment. For example there is no board or group of shareholders that get a dividend when the university is financially healthy.

So my question is what incentive does a university have to attract the best students, build the best facilities, and attract the best employers to higher its graduates, besides improving its own notoriety and prestige?

I saw 35 car pileup in Erie, PA today in the news, where I am originally from due to the snow.

I got a ticket for an expired registration after 4 1/2 months. I was told my car could be towed but luckily it wasn't. I have read online that an expired registration could become a moving violation after six months in some states. Does anyone know of this stipulation as it applies to the state of Maryland?