Do You Do Your Own Taxes?
I figured with all the terrible news about guns I’d cheer us up with talk about the other great inevitability of our lives, taxes.
I’ve already been to our crazy-like-a-fox accountant and paid what we owed for last year. We have to complete ours by the end of January, because Covered California (Obamacare) requires proof of last ear’s income by mid-February in order to continue this year’s coverage. Self-employed folks definitely need the help of an accountant because the rules are complex and change every year. Doing them early also helps me budget and plan for the coming year and whatever the Republican tax scam bill will mean for us. (Turns out, not much. Business deductions remain the same.)
So, our tax guy is a really funny guy. He’s got the whole Zen of Money thing down. It’s all a big game to him, and while he’s in it to win he doesn’t mind losing money in his own account by trying new things. This year he’s all about playing with microcurrencies. Nothing so old-school as Bitcoin; oh no, he whipped out his phone to show me his Ripple charts. Far from being a rotgut wine it’s a microcurrency that even banks are using and according to him will either revolutionize everything and make him wildly wealthy or just vanish overnight. Not exactly my kind of odds. After reading up on it I am open to investing in Blockchain technology , and guess who the safest bet for that is? IBM. And if their investment in blockchain doesn’t work out, well, you’ll still have IBM stocks.
Once I’d gotten him off of cryptocurrencies I asked, ok, what’s the deal with the new tax bill. Well, he said, with a twinkle in his eye, IF you make the same profit next year as this year (which who knows) then you’ll get a refund! That is, IF Congress doesn’t change the law again in the coming year— which they often do! And when they do, that almost always more out of your pocket. You can’t prepare for that!
He then told me a wild story about the year that Congress passed a major tax bill with the results being retroactive to the previous tax year. People were bringing in their taxes in January and February and he was still in classes trying to figure out how it would affect the previous year. At least they didn’t do that to us his year! he chortled. Somehow I always come out of there feeling better.I go in anxious about how to deal with all this and walk away reassured that with his help I’m playing the game as best I can.
As always, my conclusion is to save as much as possible in the coming year and hope for the best. Hope your tax year goes well.
What do you want to talk about?
RSVPS
1. idlemoments, organizer (kosmail him to connect)
2. RickNelsonmn
3. mockingjay
4. slapshoe
5. Rosebuddear
6.ndmdmn
MAYBEES :
bluesophie
Done4nau
Rotegard
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RSVPS
1. navajo, organizer (kosmail her to connect)**
2. (joanbrooker canceled! Thinking about having get together anyway)
3. tbirchard
4. Lorikeet**
5. remembrance**
6. TLO**
7. Glen The Plumber**
8. jck**
9. side pocket**
10. kimoconnor**
11. maggiejean**
12. jotter**
13. aha aha**
14.
15.
16. MAX ALLOWED HEADCOUNT. RSVP SOON! (I was able to increase res size!)
MAYBEES :
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**confirmed, even after joanbrooker canceled. Sweet!
joanbrooker will visit in May.
Netroots Nation 2018
Puerto Rico Kos !