> Tips & Tricks

Reduce Your Taxes by Itemizing
Part of sound financial planning is ensuring that you don't pay more taxes than necessary, which means you need to have at least a basic understanding of itemized deductions, even if an accountant prepares your taxes.

Make Tax Filing Easier with These Record Keeping Tips
What records should you keep for tax purposes and how long should you keep them? Record keeping advice you can use all year.

Tax Tips for Freelancers
How to set up your business records and keep track of expenses for your Schedule C business.

Adjusting Your Paycheck Withholdings
There are many different reasons to change your paycheck withholdings - including the difference they make on your annual tax bill.

Avoid Tax Refund Anticipation Loans
Many tax preparers offer "instant" tax refunds, otherwise known as refund anticipation loans. While it's tempting to get your hands on your tax refund as soon as possible, these loans can be incredibly costly.

What's the Safest Way to Get a Tax Refund?
The IRS can deposit your tax refund directly into your checking or savings account. This is generally faster, and safer, than having a check mailed to your home address.

Home Equity Loan Tax Deduction Tips
One nice feature of home equity loans is that borrowers may get a tax deduction on interest paid for the loan. Find out how the tax deduction really works.

Charitable Donation Tax Deduction Tips
Donations of cash and property to qualified non-profits are tax deductible. Find out which types of donations qualify, and why record-keeping is important.

Understanding Home Business Tax Deductions
If you qualify, taking deductions for business use of your home can save you money at tax time. But it isn't easy, or without without consequences.

Job Search Tax Deduction Tips
Many job search expenses are deductible. If you've been looking for a job in your current line of work, you may be able to deduct expenses such as phone calls, resume costs, and career counseling. Find out how.

Tax Tips for Same-Sex Couples
Don't get bogged down in federal and state tax confusion. Here's what gays, lesbians and same-sex couples need to know about filing taxes.

Capital Gains Tax Holding Periods
Your capital gains tax rate is largely determined by length of holding period for each of your investments. Here is an explanation of the capital gains tax rate for the three holding periods the IRS recognizes.

The Wash Sale Rule
The wash sale rule prohibits investors from claiming a capital loss for tax purposes on an investment if they repurchase the same investment within thirty days of the sale. This article explain the wash sale rule and gives examples of how it works.

Top 10 Personal and Business Insurance Tax Dos and Don'ts
When tax time comes there can be an array of questions about insurance deductions and what to report as income. These tips can help.

Top Ways to Avoid Small Business Audits
Strategies to help your small business avoid an audit or weather one if it comes.

Business Insurance Premiums are Tax Deductible
Business insurance premiums are tax deductible as business expenses. This article discusses the basic deductions for business insurance premiums.

7 Ways to Make Small-Business Record Management Easy
While most of us consider business record management to be low-priority grunt work, good record management not only makes our working lives easier, it can give relieve stress at tax time.

8 Strategies to Maximize Canadian Business Income Tax Deductions
These tax strategies can help you decrease the amount of income tax you pay if you're a Canadian small business owner operating a sole proprietorship or partnership.