The Emmy's are coming and if you're picking up SWAG, you better pick up an IRS form to go with it.

It's Emmy Award time and while you may be focused on who's wearing what, celebrities have a whole new concern – paying taxes on the huge bags of SWAG they get just for showing up.

At all of these awards shows, there's a room in the official hotel where expensive gifts are offered free of charge to our favorite celebrities.

They get thousands of dollars of free stuff -- spa treatments, manicures, sunglasses, diamond jewelry, trips, new purses, designers clothing, and fabulous shoes.

Although the gifts are free to the celebrities, they still owe taxes on the value of the SWAG – except for George Clooney, who typically gives his bag to a charity and earns a deduction.

In the past few weeks, the IRS stepped up the reminder – estimated taxes are due September 15th. Don't forget to include the value of your SWAG.

Isn't it great to know that Brad, Jen, and Gwyneth have to pay tax just like the rest of us?

Protect the contents of your wallet for less

Discover Card has an interesting new offer for cardholders. For just $2.99 per month, they'll help protect the contents of your wallet in case it's stolen.

They'll notify all of your creditors and request replacement cards for you. They'll monitor your credit for 90 days, and they'll even cough up $1,000 in emergency cash to keep you going until your new cards arrive.

The problem I have with programs like this one, is that other than saving you a few phone calls, you can do the same thing for free.

Here's how I protect the contents of my wallet.

Every 6 months or so, I take all the credit cards out of my wallet and photocopy the front and back of them. That way, if my wallet IS stolen, I know who to call to order replacement cards. If I'm traveling abroad, I leave my wallet at home, and just the one or two credit cards I need.

And don't forget, you can always check your credit for free 3 times a year at annualcreditreport.com.

More builders are using auctions to unload property

Six years ago, I attended a real estate auction with my husband, Sam, and one of his clients. Less than two hours later, I walked out the co-owner of a new investment condo.

Today, builders are turning to auction companies to help them unload the thousands of spec homes they built – and now can't seem to sell. The market is hot and then it's not, but if you're a builder, you may not be able to afford carry all of these houses until the residential market turns around.

Sellers are taking another look at auction houses, but before you hire one, do your due diligence through the National Association of Auctioneers or the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers. Make sure the auction house is licensed by the state and insured. Check their track record. And make sure you have an attorney read any documents you have to sign.

Before the gavel hits, you'll want to know what your options are.

auctioneers.org | nava.org

Vacation Deals Abound in the Off Season

I just got back from our summer vacation – in Colorado's ski country. We hiked, biked, rode the gondolas and took turns on an alpine slide.

But best of all, we got a great deal. The 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo we stayed in rents for more than $500 per night in the high season. We paid a fraction of that. We also got two-for-one deals, discounts on restaurants and admission tickets, and enjoyed a relaxing destination.

It isn't hard to get a travel deal anymore. You just have to go somewhere when the rest of the world doesn't want to be there.

Like the Carribean in the summer. Yes, you COULD get hit by a hurricane, but you probably won't and the airfares are now less than $200 round trip to many great places. Or, try Europe or Alaska in the winter. Arizona or Acapulco in the summer.

Or go to Canada, where your American dollars will still buy you a deal year-round.

Home Sales are Down, and then they go up

The market has slowed, not stopped. But that small fact seemed to be lost national real estate trade associations announced that new and existing home sales had dropped substantially.

Is the real estate bubble really bursting? It depends on where you live and how aggressive you are in selling your property.

I heard from a listener this week who wanted to know if she should sell the property she bought 9 months ago. She had a 5-year plan for her real estate, but thought that given the new market situation, she should dump it fast. I told her that if she could stick to her 5-year plan, she'd get through this market cycle and would probably be happy she held on.

Because that's what we're in – a real estate market cycle. The market goes up, and then it goes down for a little while, so everyone can catch their breath and pick up deals.

And at some point in time, it'll go up again.