It’s a fresh, clean new year. We indulged ourselves last month and ended the year with a blast. Now, it’s time to come back down to earth and face financial reality. Luckily, I have some tax tips you might find helpful as you try to stick to your financial goals and resolutions. 2012 brings us [...]
For many teenagers, the after-school job is a rite of passage—a ticket to independence and disposable income. But once they have a job, do teenagers need to file their own tax returns? Whether you are the parent of a teenager or a teen yourself, here are four things you should know about taxes for teenagers. [...]
Income tax season is months away, and you may still be basking in the glow of being done with this year's filing. But if you’re looking to make next year’s taxes easier on you and your budget, a little preparation now could be very helpful. “The starting point for tax planning is at the previous [...]
The very best way to project your tax liability is to work with a tax professional who uses professional tax tools. So, the first tip to calculating what you owe is to establish a relationship with a tax preparer that you see at least once a year for a consultation. Even if you prepare your [...]
When you’re preparing for retirement, one of the many things people think about is retirement savings. You’ve worked hard and invested for retirement, but you want to help ensure your money lasts as long as you need it. One way some people extend the life of their savings during retirement is to plan their distributions [...]
When it comes to taxes, every little break helps, which may be why tax holidays are so popular. Each year, a number of states give consumers a break on paying sales tax, for a couple of days or up to a week, on items like clothing, footwear, school supplies, and even computers. In 2015, sixteen [...]
When your debt is cancelled or “forgiven” by a creditor, you may owe taxes on that debt. This debt is called phantom income, named so because despite the fact that the IRS considers it income, it never appears in your bank account. Imagine losing the home of your dreams, either through a short sale or [...]
Can my ex claim my child when filing taxes? After a divorce, it's not always clear which parent claims a child as a dependent at tax time. This article was written by guest blogger Eva Rosenberg. In a divorce where children are involved, one of the greatest sources of focus can be around where the [...]
With the advent of the so-called “sharing economy,” a world of fun and profit has opened up to consumers. You might be driving for Uber or Lyft, renting out your home on Airbnb, or doing odd jobs on TaskRabbit, all in hopes of making a little cash. While a side job can be a great [...]
Odds are rapidly increasing that you could become a victim of identity theft or have your tax refund stolen. In early 2015, the IRS announced that tax-related identity theft was once again a major concern for consumers, naming it to the agency’s “Dirty Dozen” tax scams list for the year. According to the latest data [...]
