The April 18th tax filing deadline is finally in the rearview mirror. Now you might be sitting back, waiting for that refund check to hit your account – or trying not to think about that big one you had to write. Then, all of sudden, you realize you made a tax mistake. Maybe it was a simple tax mistake: you … Read More
What Will You Do with Your Tax Refund?
Most people who are expecting a tax refund this year or who already have gotten one plan to use the money to improve their personal finances. About a third (34%) say they’ll use it to pay down their debt, and another third (33%) say they’ll save or invest the money, a new survey shows. About a quarter (26%) say they … Read More
10 Crazy Tax Facts for Tax Day
Taxes have been levied on people since the beginning of civilization. Since Tax Day is almost upon us, we thought it would be fun to share some of the most interesting tax facts from the long and fascinating history of taxes: The number of words in Atlas Shrugged is 645,000. The Bible has around 700,000 words. The number of words in the … Read More
Five Tips to Improve Financial Health
If you are having trouble paying your bills, it is important to take action sooner rather than later to improve your financial health. Doing nothing leads to problems in the future, whether it’s a bad credit record or bankruptcy resulting in the loss of assets and even your home. If you’re in money trouble, then here are some steps to … Read More
Tax Scams: How to Protect Yourself
Scammers are preying on unsuspecting taxpayers. Most of these tax scams are obvious . None the less, taxpayers continue to fall victim to scammers every day. Here’s a few simple facts that will protect you from the vast majority of scams: 1) Phone calls, text messages, & emails claiming to be from the IRS are scams. The IRS sends official communications via written … Read More
10 Questions to Ask a Tax Preparer Before Hiring
The key, as with hiring any professional, is to ask lots of questions. And not just about how much it’s going to cost. Lots questions also apply when hiring a tax preparer. Here’s a list of 10 questions you should ask before hiring a tax preparer: Do you have a PTIN (preparer tax identification number)? Anyone who prepares federal tax … Read More
2016 Tax Changes: A Checklist
Welcome, 2016! As the New Year rolls around, it’s always a sure bet that there will be changes to current tax law and 2016 is no different. From health savings accounts to retirement contributions and standard deductions, here’s a checklist of tax changes to help you plan the year ahead. Individuals For 2016, more than 50 tax provisions are affected … Read More
Six New 2015 Tax Breaks
The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 is a long-awaited legislation which offers a slate of personal and business tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2014. Here’s a quick summary of how the resurrected breaks can affect your 2015 federal income tax return (Form 1040). Option to deduct state and local sales taxes instead of … Read More
2015 Tax Provisions for Individuals
From tax credits and educational expenses to the AMT, many of the tax provisions affecting individuals for 2015 were related to the signing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in 2012… …tax provisions that were modified, made permanent, or extended. With that in mind, here’s what individuals and families need to know about tax provisions for 2015. Personal Exemptions … Read More
11 Tips for Year-End Tax Planning
With the end of the year approaching, it’s time for strategic moves to lower your 2015 tax bill. Strategy: Prepay deductible expenditures If you itemize deductions, accelerating some deductible expenditures into this year to produce higher 2015 write-offs makes sense — if you expect to be in the same or lower tax bracket next year. See the table at the … Read More