LOS ANGELES The man who claimed to be the mysterious founder of bitcoin appears to be stepping back into the shadows, leaving numerous questions in his wake.

Learnvest published a Financial Pyramid for making healthy financial decisions, and I thought it was a great way to start the new year. This is what to aim for instead of perhaps spending every spare bit of money on 'stuff.'

The basics

The bulk of your focus is on this first point. It sets the foundation for the rest of the spending that you do and it is wisdom that you have already heard. But today will be the day for your really understanding how to do this! I'm sure of it.

We all know how the costs can add up around each special event and holiday. How can we be thankful on a budget? We can, and if we are careful we can lift a lot of stress off our shoulders and make the day more about gratitude for all of our blessings and way less about us.

Food Reward cards, loyalty programs, coupons and cash-back may all be ways to get the turkey and side dishes more cheaply. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, September turkey prices have historically been less expensive than the price of turkey in November. Though it is already November, you can still save money now by stocking up in the weeks prior, when there are deals on canned or frozen veggies. Try not to buy things the day before you need them. In a frantic, last-minute search of the store, we tend to overspend.

Do you have a hobby or a business? The line isn't always clear. Take, for example, a sculptor: sometimes people sculpt purely as a hobby, maybe once in awhile they sell a sculpture or win a prize, but they aren't primarily in it for the money. Then, there are sculptors who do nothing else. Their days are spent in the studio, or arranging for exhibits and publicity. Sales of their work provide their primary source of income. In between those two points, there is an infinite spectrum of individuals; how do they determine whether they have a hobby or a business?

Profit motive

There's three reminders for the mid-year. The first is important for everyone, the second for those who had marketplace health insurance in 2014, and the third for anyone who currently has marketplace insurance or looking to replace their insurance mid-year.

The IRS cautions of more sophisticated scams. For years, the IRS has reminded filers that they do not contact taxpayers by phone or email. Requests for information or immediate payment by phone or email are scams and should be ignored. Unfortunately, the scammers have been listening as well, as they have added letters to their schemes. Some people are receiving letters with official looking IRS letterhead looking for information or payment. That creates more of a challenge, since the IRS does contact taxpayers by mail and these letters often have short deadlines.

The opportunity to lend money to family or friends is a sticky one but also a common concern.What do you do?

What can you afford to lose?

Tax deadlines: miss them and you could wind up owing penalties and interest. Not fun, so I'd thought I'd give you a head's up about changes included in the recent highway funding bill. These changes especially effect business partnerships and overseas investors and, mostly, go into effect for your 2016 return, filed in 2017.

Partnership Returns, series 1065, will be due a month earlier than before. Returns for calendar year filers will be due on March 15. For fiscal year filers, partnership returns will be due on the 15th day of the third month following the close of their fiscal year. A six-month extension may be allowed for partnership returns.

June is the most popular month for weddings. If you are in that happy coterie, I would love to help your union be as wonderful as possible. After 40 years of marriage, I could tell you lots of great tips on many topics. But as this is a money column, here are the top five money mistakes, in no particular order, commonly made that can ruin your relationship.

No communication For years you have been making decisions about everything in your life: money, job, vacations - all of it. Now there is this special someone who cares about you, worries and plans for you. You need to communicate big and little goals and dreams, spending and savings plans and all the important things of life. If you fail to communicate about money in this marriage, your relationship will flounder and may fail. Not sharing can result in hurt feelings, missed opportunities for good counsel and perhaps may eventually lead to keeping secrets.

There are many reasons people don't file on time. Some are too busy, others too ill, some don't realize they need to file, some don't know they have a refund waiting, and some just don't know how to deal with an amount due.

So what should you do, if you haven't filed yet? The answer depends partly on whether you think you owe, or expect money back.

When it comes to money for college, we sometimes get so overwhelmed that loans seem like the only way to go. But how about some of these ideas? They may not cover all of your needs, but depending on where you go to school and what talents you have, these ideas could help you earn some serious money towards your schooling.

Sell online. Are you an expert or well-versed in an area that might translate into selling awesomeness? Items such as toys, cameras and textbooks may be purchased for enough less than they could be sold that you may reap a nice margin. Can the things be found at local yard sales and sold online? There are people who make good money at this because they know their field and they work hard.