It’s May 7th, so tax season is officially over. But it’ll be back again. That’s for sure! As Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Whether we like it or not – Tax Day is here to stay.
I think the only people who look forward to tax season are the tax preparers and the people excited about filing early to get their return back. I must admit that I don’t fall into either of these categories.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could make next year’s tax season easier on ourselves? The good news is that there are some steps you can take to do just that. These steps could help you eliminate the stress and save you time and money.
Here are some tips that I’ve put into action to make tax season easier:
- Plan Ahead – The first step is to understand what types of tax records you need. You can find out this information when you review last year’s tax return or use a tax preparer’s checklist. These items might include W2s, charitable donations, expenses (childcare) and mortgage interest just to name a few.
- Create a Filing System – Now that you know what to look out for, you need to create a filing system to keep your tax records throughout the year. Being organized will save you quite a bit of time. Create a filing system that works for you (monthly/yearly). You could store your receipts, expenses and tax statements in a file cabinet with folder(s), envelopes or shoebox. The key is to keep everything in a single location with the tax year on it. That way you’ll be able to find it easy when you’re ready to file. (more…)
Tired of paying too much to park? Keep reading this and you’ll find out how I saved over 50% parking in Chicago. And Chicago has the nation’s highest parking metered rates. Metered parking downtown can cost as much as $6.50 an hour. Ouch.
Have you heard about the new credit card swipe fees? They went into effect on Sunday, January 27th. Now retailers have the option of passing on credit card swipe fees to consumers. A swipe fee is the cost retailers pay every time you use your credit card.
Calling all Chicagoland money savvy kids in grades 5th – 8th. Now is your chance to be crowned the Money Smart Kid 2013 (Chicago’s very own financial literacy ambassador). And that’s not it. The Money Smart Kid will win a $5,000 scholarship from BMO Harris Bank.
We avoided the fiscal cliff. Thank goodness! But the late legislation changes for taxes required the IRS to delay accepting 2012 tax filings until January 30th.
Have you ever missed your flight? It’s not the best feeling. Especially when you’ve been running through the airport to try and make it. Then it goes from bad to worse when you actually miss it. Now you have to pay a change fee/higher fare just to get there.
The other day I saw an interesting survey on