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It’s That Time of Year Again

Doing taxes can be intimidating for anyone, but as a single parent it seems that they become much more complicated and the task much more daunting. Most divorced couples switch off every other year claiming the kids. This can get rather complicated if you’re unfamiliar with filing your taxes. They ask all kinds of questions about who the child lives with and who provides more than half of the child’s expenses. Entering in this information can be tedious, especially if you aren’t the one that gets to claim the kids that year. Just because they live with you and you … Continue reading →

Learning Marriage from Your Parents

I was raised with somewhat progressive views on marriage.  It feels strange to even be typing that, and it’s certainly nothing I ever thought growing up.  I know that on the overall spectrum of views on marriage, the ideals with which I was raised would only be in the middle, and probably closer to the conservative side of the middle.  But it’s still so surprising to me how many people aren’t even that far. I’ve already shared my story about my college roommate.   The reason she and her boyfriend didn’t talk for years about division of labor in the household, … Continue reading →

It’s Easy to Apply for Medicaid in Washington

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Every state has a Medicaid program. It isn’t always easy to find out if you, or your family, are eligible for it. Some states make it extremely difficult to find that information. The state of Washington, however, makes it really easy for people to apply for Medicaid. Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to provide affordable health insurance coverage to people who are low-income and who cannot afford to buy health insurance from a private company. Medicaid gets some funding from the federal government and some funding from the state. In Washington, … Continue reading →

Finding Your Identity in Your Marriage

I never thought much about my life growing up. At times in my adult life when I’ve considered getting married, having kids, I didn’t have anything but my own thoughts at that time to rely on. It’s strange because I’m an obsessive planner for short-term details, but I can’t think of any point in my life when I’ve had a vision for the future. As a kid I always had dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up: veterinarian, zoologist, reporter for National Geographic Magazine, but those were always just fleeting childhood whimsies. I never pictured myself … Continue reading →

Dealing with Taxes When You Work from Home

I always say it takes a disciplined person to work from home. But that applies not only to the work; it also applies to setting aside taxes. I am an independent contractor for a web content company; therefore, my taxes are not automatically taken out from my paycheck. If I’m not disciplined to take out the money, I can easily find myself in a deep hole. Now there is a difference between someone who is self-employed and an independent contractor. The IRS can help you determine which one you fall under. This year I did a little better job with … Continue reading →

Think Carefully Before Filing For An Extension

The owners of home – based businesses have a lot of things to do to keep their businesses running smoothly and producing great work or great products for their clients and customers. From scheduling to bookkeeping and quality control to advertising, they do it all. Some of the tasks involved with owning and operating a home – based business occur on a regular schedule, whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly. There are also things that must be done once a year, and at this time of year one of those things often takes center stage – filing taxes. Sometimes people do … Continue reading →

Insurance Blog Week in Review – January 15-21, 2012

News about insurance related issues moves pretty fast. Every week, there are fourteen different posts on the Families.com Insurance Blog. You may have overlooked, or missed, something that you really would have liked to read. The Insurance Blog Week in Review can help you “ketchup”. The ASPCA Sells Pet Insurance Do you need affordable pet insurance? The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has some options for you. The Insurance Podcast Roundup for the week went up on January 16, 2012. Insurers Say Sleep Lab Tests Are Overprescribed More doctors are prescribing an overnight stay at … Continue reading →

Unemployment Insurance Benefits are Taxable

No one likes to fill out tax forms, but it is something that every American will have to do in just a few months time. We all know that the money we made from working at our places of employment is something that we will be paying taxes on. What if you were getting unemployment insurance benefits? Unfortunately, those are taxable, too. When you go to fill out your federal income tax forms, and your state income tax forms, you probably know that the money you earned while working will be included somewhere in those important pieces of paper. This … Continue reading →

Quick Ways to Maximize Your 2011 Tax Return

With only four days left in the year, you may think that there is nothing that you can possibly do short of winning the lottery to put more money in your pocket this year. While this may be true (unless you are expecting a paycheck within the next four days), there are a few quick money – saving moves that you can make now which can bring more money your way soon in the form of a bigger tax return. There is still time to make a tax – deductible charitable donation provided that you charge it to your credit … Continue reading →

Year End Strategies to Fatten Your Tax Return

While it is not time to file your taxes yet, there are a few things that you can do before the end of the year in order to make sure that your home – based business generates you as much of a refund as possible when you do file within the coming months. There are some tax benefits that are usually always available to small and home – based businesses as well as a few that may not be around after tax year 2011 unless legislation is passed which will extend them. Here are a couple of deductions that might … Continue reading →