Search Results for: blog end of year accounting

Don’t Spend Money Filing Taxes

If you’ve watched even five minutes of television in the last two weeks or so, then you’ve likely seen H&R Block’s new commercial offering free tax filing to Americans who didn’t make a ton of money in 2011. The ad is saturating the airwaves. Heck, last night I saw the commercial five times in less than two hours, and I thought the same thing each time I viewed it: Too good to be true. Of course, I’m a cynic. And by cynic I mean realist. Regardless, like many deals that feature the word “free” this one also comes with a … Continue reading →

One Way to Make 2012 a Good Year for Your Business

With the New Year fast approaching and the fresh start that it brings almost here, your mind may be full of ideas for improving your home – based business. One suggestion that I have for making 2012 a better year for your home –based business is to evaluate and improve your bookkeeping practices. If you just said to yourself “Bookkeeping practices? What bookkeeping practices?” than this is definitely something that it is important for you to do. While accounting and bookkeeping are normally considered part of the administrative duties that a home – based professional must make time for as … Continue reading →

End of Year Accounting

It’s New Year’s Eve, and for a lot of people, that means preparing to party. We’re kind of boring at my house. We got all partied out last week, with Christmas. But for us, the end of the year means something else – tidying up our accounts to get ready for next year. My husband and I have run our own businesses from home for quite some time, in addition to his full-time work. The paperwork is a pain, but we do enjoy other benefits. At the end of the year, we make sure to do the following things: 1. … Continue reading →

Extended Family Members of Adopted Children May Need Hepatitis A Vaccine

If you are beginning an international adoption, you’ve probably thought quite a bit about the health of your potential child. In a home study, you have had to address questions about your own health. A few of us might think 6 months ahead to plan for a trip to our child’s country. Even if we do begin a vaccination schedule for ourselves, we likely wouldn’t think of having our parents or other close relatives, neighbors and babysitters vaccinated. I know I didn’t. But that needs to change. In a sobering case, a 51-year-old adoptive grandmother was hospitalized earlier this spring … Continue reading →

Home Design Trends—Where Do We Go From Here?

There’s nothing like starting your new year out with a home-improvement look that’s on it’s way out. I’ve spent the last week or so discussing decorating trends. I was inspired by a friend who recently created an interior masterpiece (and she doesn’t complain when I come over and drool on her newly tiled floors). My friend is not the only one jumping on the remodeling bandwagon. According to research conducted by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, in the past decade, almost 30 million homes have been “significantly upgraded.” The study revealed that the fastest-growing segment of the market … Continue reading →

Closing Or Selling Your Home Based Business

Starting a home – based business can be challenging, but once your business is up and running the rewards are well worth the initial effort. Owning and operating a home – based business can bring you years of career fulfillment, if that is what you desire from it. There may come a time, though, when you no longer want to own or operate your home – based business. Perhaps you want to retire. Maybe you have taken the business as far as you want to take it and feel like it is time to try something new. You may even … Continue reading →

Happy Sober St. Patrick’s Day

It’s St. Patrick’s Day. The one day of the year that your kids can pinch each other and get away with it… or start a fight, but what’s new? So, really St. Patrick’s Day is like any other day, only with a wee bit more green and a lot more alcohol. Hopefully, your kids will surround themselves more with the former than the latter. Especially if they’re under 21. If you have teens you may want to think twice before letting them out of your sight tonight. According to news reports, drunken driving incidents spike on St. Patrick’s Day to … Continue reading →

Are You Overpaying Uncle Sam?

Claim, claim, claim, deduct, deduct, deduct. That’s the name of the money-saving game when it comes to paying taxes. According to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, most of us are paying Uncle Sam way more than we need to simply because we are ill-informed. By reviewing current tax laws there’s a good chance you can cut your tax bill in half. For example, did you know that you can write off the casserole you made and donated to your local soup kitchen? Financial experts maintain that if generous Americans kept better records, they could easily increase the amount they list as … Continue reading →

The Dreaded Tax Deadline

In 2012, the deadline for filing personal income taxes is Tuesday, April 17th. The traditional deadline is April 15th, but since that’s a Sunday and Monday the 16th is Emancipation Day (a holiday observed by the District of Columbia), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) delayed the date until the 17th. So, hooray, we all get an extra couple of days to procrastinate. According to the IRS, more than 144 million individual tax returns are expected to be mailed in by the deadline. Of course, there are those who will push the envelope. Still, you can avoid late filing penalties if … Continue reading →

Avoiding Online Tax Filing Confusion

Due to their unrelenting stubbornness and absolute refusal to embrace technology, my parents will never know the joys of filing their taxes online. Even if you are far from tech savvy, you can still successfully file your taxes from the comfort of your home office. The process is not complicated, though it requires a little bit of research. And by research, I mean reading some simple instructions, and then following them to the letter. If you do not complete the online forms correctly, there’s a chance you could be slapped with a penalty for filing late. Bottom line: Read all … Continue reading →