35 minutes to riches

It's Money Magazine's 35th anniversary. In its honor, here are 47 smart ways to get on track to a rich life.

By Asa Fitch, Amanda Gengler, Josh Hyatt and Ismat Sarah Mangla

Schedule Y-1 — Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er)
If taxable income is over -	But not over -	The tax is:
$0	$15,650	10% of the amount over $0
$15,650	$63,700	$1,565.00 plus 15% of the amount over 15,650
$63,700	$128,500	$8,772.50 plus 25% of the amount over 63,700
$128,500	$195,850	$24,972.50 plus 28% of the amount over 128,500
$195,850	$349,700	$43,830.50 plus 33% of the amount over 195,850
$349,700	no limit	$94,601.00 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700

Note: Tax rate schedule provided so that you can compute your federal estimated income tax for 2007.
Source: irs.gov

16 of 41

Learn your tax bracket

Time it takes: 20 minutes

Knowing what rate you pay on the last dollar you earn can help you to, among other things, pick a taxable vs. a municipal bond fund. Pull out your most recent 1040 and look for taxable income (line 43 in 2006). Adjust for any big changes in your income or the deductions you expect to take this year, then find where you fit in at irs.gov (search for "2007 federal tax rate schedule").

To choose between a muni and a taxable fund, divide the muni's yield by 100% minus your tax rate. If that number is higher than the taxable yield, go tax-free.

Tax-yield converter

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