With many employees in open enrollment at the workplace, Clark wants to remind you about FSAs (flex spending accounts). This is a way to take tax money back from Uncle Sam. It's like getting an automatic raise.

Here's how it works: You elect to have your employer automatically deduct money out of your gross pay. That money is essentially put into a savings account funded with pre-tax dollars. Then over the course of 2009, you can take those pre-tax dollars and use them for qualified medical expenses.

One caveat: You've got to use it or lose it. If there's unused money left over at the end of the year, you won't get it back.

There are 2 major types of FSAs. The health care FSA can be used to take care of un-reimbursed medical bills like deductibles, co-pays, medications, eyeglasses, etc. It can be funded up to a limit of $5,000 annually.

A recent change in the law now allows you to apply your 2009 money to qualifying medical expenses incurred in the first 2 months and 15 days of 2010. This modification was put in place in 2007 to make people feel comfortable about contributing to their FSAs.

The second type of FSA is for dependent care. For example, you can use the money in this FSA to pay for daycare or a legal nanny. The same $5,000 limit and forfeiture rules apply. Other qualifying uses of this money include paying for an elderly relative or other adult who needs special care.