Yesterday, I heard Ed Asner in a commercial touting somebody’s solar installations. That reminded me of my first trip to Israel, in 1977. Waaaaaayyy back then, in a country where the residents had fought to reclaim land from marshes and deserts, where trees were planted one by one to create an arable environment, people were [...]
Someone recently wrote to TaxMama in despair and desperation — she couldn’t pay her tax bill and her wages were being garnished. She had a long-term tax debt because she hadn’t filed tax returns for two years, and the IRS made up a worst-case tax return. Her husband was disabled and living on Social Security. [...]
The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It was widely seen as a terrific opportunity for Americans who might never otherwise have the money for a down payment to get into their own homes. Unfortunately, the first-time home buyer tax credit program quickly became [...]
Have you ever made some irresistible impulse buy and had buyer’s remorse? I’ll bet there have been times you’ve felt that way after filing your tax return! The feeling gets more intense with every new tax tip article you read and every conversation you overhear in which someone brags about their big refund-which you didn’t [...]
Sometimes you feel like a hoarder, watching piles of records, documents, tax returns and receipts grow precariously higher, higher, higher, until suddenly, whoosh! The whole thing collapses, burying you underneath. No! That’s just your recurring nightmare. Or is it? Actually, that was the Bones season finale! But when it comes to tax paperwork, taxpayers are [...]
My brother David has two tall, gorgeous, smart sons. They’re both away at college. When David told me the cost of their tuitions, I nearly choked. Their college education costs more than twice what I paid for my home! Whew! Raising children is an expensive proposition. The Tax Code provides some help. I’ve compiled a [...]
One of the great things about having a job is your employer handles all that pesky payroll withholding and reporting stuff. All you have to do each year is file your tax return and claim your refund. When you run your own shop or are self-employed, there’s so much paperwork you barely have time to [...]
The last thing in the world I ever expected to be doing was taxes. After my first tax class ever, in college, I just shook my head. You’d have to be out of your mind to get into this field. It’s like quicksand. The information changes rapidly, sometimes 10 or 12 times a year. Every [...]
