Proudly made in the USA, and other Tax Savings you get without Itemizing

Lower Your Taxes - Big Time! 2009-2010 Edition (Lower Your Taxes Big Time)

It isn’t so much that people mind the money they lose to the government as
taxes. It is the hoops they have to jump through to do it, what with all the
forms, the calculations the tax codes, and the itemizing for every single
deduction. Well, the IRS allows certain people, people who come under certain
categories, to file their returns and not have to itemize or mess about with
deduction phaseouts and the like. Form 1040 lists more than 20 kinds of
expenses that you can claim tax deductions on, without proving or itemizing
anything - if, that is, you happen to be a teacher, a divorcee or someone who
answers to about two dozen different descriptions.
People, fondly remembering how you list them on Form 1040 just above the
bottom line on the first page - and so, call them above-the-line deductions .
So what are these deductions that you’re allowed to put down without
itemizing and come away with your tax savings? Well here they are:
1. A health savings account reminds everyone a lot of an IRA. People sock
money away in it, and as it grows, you can make withdrawals from it, for any
kind of medical expenses that you don’t get reimbursements for under your
high deductible medical cover. The contributions you make to them count.
2. If you are moving, because your job is moving, you can get your tax
savings on the moving expenses, provided you jump through the hoop otherwise
known as Form 3903.
3. If you spent your life working for yourself, and you bought your own
pension plan, something like an SEP IRA, any contributions you make to it,
count against your tax savings, and you don’t have to itemize.
4. Among the most hated payments we make, alimony payments, and student loan
interest, have to feature somewhere near the top. With alimony, you need to
make sure that you put down on line 31, the Social Security number and tax ID
of your ex-spouse, so that the IRS can cross check with them that the
payments were made. And $2500 out of whatever student loan interest you paid,
can be subtracted too.
5. A really good one, are the fees you pay for higher education. After you
put this down on a line 34, you just need to grab yourself a form 8917, and
you’re done. And of course, there is the tax saving you make manufacturing
goods that are “Proudly made in the USA”. You get a tax break of 50% of
whatever you pay your employees.
And if you have to make sure you have all the bases covered, here are a few
for your personal collection. If you spent money on an unlawful
discrimination lawsuit, your court costs all count. If you were paid anything
for jury duty but had to give it up to your boss because he’s paying you for
your time too, here is where you get a little tax savings out of it. And
finally, if you don’t really need to use the Form 1040, you can still get
your due on Form 1040A. This one has spaces for tax savings of this kind too.

Tax Avoidance - Getting up to Speed with the New Rules

There is tax evasion that is illegal and requires that you do things like stash black money away in offshore accounts and bogus companies; and there is tax
Avoidance, that is just about playing your legal options correctly, to take advantage of tax savings options the law provides you. President Obama is trying
to undo years of Democratic and Republican tax cuts that have bankrupted the country and resulted in cuts in essential public services - and the results
aren't pretty. Taxes are going to raise one way or the other.

Joe Public knows that these tax code changes could change his fortunes overnight, and like investors all over, he feels that drastic investment philosophy
changes that need to be made. Just in February, ordinary investors moved their money from regular stocks to new kinds of investments like foreign equity
funds and tax-free municipal bond funds. And ordinary salaried people are taking their IRAs and turning them into Roth IRAs at breakneck speed for the free
pass out of tax that they get. And in their pension planning, lots of high-paid executives are turning down plans that let them pass on cash today for a big
bounty later on. Everyone wants cash now, everyone wants to park it someplace safe from the tax man today. Tax avoidance is in style.

Tax planners are certainly having a great time though. They don't need to convince anyone of how important their services are; they have customers lining up
around the block. Almost every tax seems to be rising now, if you look at the list. Nothing seems safe - even income and capital gains rates are going up.
Even worse, the unspoken understanding that your salary was to be judged differently from what you made on your investments is being questioned by the IRS.
They are going to be taking your income from dividends and interest in all that, and may begin charging you social security or Medicare taxes on them. What
we do know at this time, is that there won't be any tax raises this year. So there is a little time to prepare our tax avoidance strategies. Let's just make
sure that we don't jump from the frying pan into the fire trying too hard to avoid taxes, and making big losses in the process.

Here are examples of where the promise lies in a new investment strategy. You make your contribution to your Roth IRA with your income after taxes. So
Everything you get out of it, comes tax-free. And there will be no tax rises for the future either. If you do it this year instead of deciding to put off
Those taxes to next year though, you get the advantage of sealing the deal on today's tax rate.

Company executives are wondering what to do with all the pay and benefits they receive this year. The new Enron rules make sure they can't cash their options
And run off before the sky falls. Their only hope now is to access their benefits and stock options, because these get very lenient tax treatment. If they
are to get all the benefits of the lenient tax treatment though, they'll have to hang onto their stock options for a year or more before cashing it. If you
Have options that don't qualify, getting the process started right away would be a good idea.

About two years ago, municipal bonds were paying out twice as much as treasury bonds. Even last year they made their investors 10%. As taxes rise, municipal
Bonds may not be as insulated as treasury bonds. Most municipal bonds are in excellent condition, and if you invest in a wide variety over several states,
You should be safe. The things good hard-working people have to stoop to these days in the name of tax avoidance. Isn't it enough how much they contribute as
it is?

Chances are quite Good your Tax Preparer has no Idea what he is Doing

There are certain basic things we depend on to help ourselves get through life - the honesty and competence of doctors, lawyers, bankers and teachers. Well,
you could add tax preparers to that list - even if most people find that difficult to believe. There was a review carried out by the Treasury Department to
try and test the services tax preparers provide; they just found that about two out of three tax returns put together by any professional tax preparer, has a
two-thirds chance of being incorrect. And when they are in fact incorrect, one out of three times, the mistake is intentional, to try to take advantage of
you. That's right, those are thieves who set up legitimate looking business, to try to steal a little money when you come in the door. And it's not a small
number either - nearly one in every five tax returns, are prepared by malafide thieves.

Outright fraud is not really unheard of in the area of personal financial services. People just find it hard to handle other people's money, and not take a
piece for themselves. That's just human nature. You do get to read in the papers all the time how some certified public accountant or tax attorney is being
sent away to serve jail time for fraud. A tax preparer just happens to be no different. Of course, they're not going to be shady acts you could recognize
right off the bat. They can appear to be successful, a part of well-run organizations, and they can appear personally quite knowledgeable. But all this
doesn't take away from how they can be real frauds.

Being a tax preparer does put one in a position where one can gain a lot by misrepresenting the law, and making false promises on what the law permits. For
instance, some of them will guarantee you a much better IRS tax refund than you would personally know how. You would get them as promised too. But the IRS
will pass its returns through an audit, and about a year after, you could get called up. In fact, a fraud who is good at his job could put that off for a
couple of years. And he needs to be in business for two years, to make a huge killing in fees before he runs.

So, how does this happen? Doesn't a tax preparer have to be adequately qualified and certified by the IRS? They certainly do; they have to pass the tax exam,
and they have to keep up with all of the IRS' qualifying rituals regularly. But there is a certain animal known as the "unenrolled tax preparer". And this
one, needs no qualifications whatsoever. How do you recognize one? Certainly, you can ask to see credentials. But other than that, the moment any tax
preparer begins to promise you great refund checks, even before they get to see your case, you probably understand that he is just trying to pull your chain.
Any time a new tax deduction or "secret loophole" is promised to you, ask to see what section of the IRS code he gets that from. If you get a name and
number, check it out on the Internet.

Most problems you see in the work that the tax preparer turns in, comes from not a desire to steal from you, but from simple ignorance. The IRS is studying
the possibility that unenrolled tax errors be forbidden from doing professional work. If you are looking for anyone to blame, blame the way the government
likes to overcomplicate everything. Why does the tax code have to be so complicated that no moderately sophisticated individual can make any sense of it? Why
does everyone have to go to a professional to do a simple thing like work out their taxes?.

If you are a Teacher, here are Tax Deductions you can Claim without Itemizing

We have all met dedicated teachers - the ones who will do a little extra teaching for few students who lag behind, who will give a ride home to children from
poor families whose parents can't get off work to come pick them up, and who, as poorly paid as they are, will use their own money to buy supplies, books or
anything else that the school or their pupils need from time to time. Someone in the IRS, perhaps someone who owed a lot to just such a dedicated teacher
herself, has thought of a way society can show its appreciation - pain-free tax deductions for teachers - as much as (or, depending on your point of view, as
little as) $250.

What makes it particularly easy and meaningful is that this is a tax deduction that doesn't need itemizing - you claim it on Form 1040. They treat such a
tax break as a way for you to underreport your income - a lower income will mean lower taxes. Of course $250 doesn't sound like much; but people are always
more encouraged to make use of tax deductions that don't need painful itemizing. No one would ever take advantage of these deductions when the rules at one
time needed itemizing everything on Schedule A - not to mention the rider that whatever was listed would have to be at least 2% of a teacher's income if it
was to be allowed.

You don't even have to be a teacher to be able to claim this tax break anymore. You just need to be anyone who works in a private or public school system in
most kinds of positions, with any kind of class, kindergarten onwards. However, they don't allow homeschooling teachers to claim anything. But what if, say,
you and your husband are both teachers, and one of you spent $200 on buying supplies for students, and the other spent $300? Well then, you are probably out
of luck; no one gets to claim more than $250 a year, even if they file jointly. The rules are pretty relaxed about what items you can count in these expenses
you claim for these tax deductions. They can be any kind of book, stationery, computer hardware, software or services. And of course, they need to see that
the items you buy, are regular stuff in any school setting.

Of course there are lots of teachers who spend well in excess of $250 on their classes. You can still put those down on Schedule A, and itemize to claim tax
deductions for those. This new rule is just to help you with the itemizing hassle for small sums. For larger sums, you always have the other choices right
alongside

How to Stopping Addictive Behaviors?

When most people think of addictive behaviors, they picture drug abuse or alcohol addiction, but for addictive personalities, almost anything can be habit forming. The psychology of addiction is complex and kind of twisted, but it is a reality for millions of people world wide. For these poor, unfortunate souls, every day is a struggle. People who suffer from addictive behavior get rid of one bad habit only to fall for another one.

Alcohol and drug rehab is often the start of changing a life paralyzed by addictive behaviors. The first thing, after all, is to break out of your current addiction. A treatment center is really the best way to start doing this. Through meditation, a healthy diet, daily exercise, and a variety of other tricks, most people can get past an initial drug habit and become clean and sober. With addictive behaviors, however, that is only the start of the problem.

The big problem is that it is quite easy to fall back into your addictive behaviors as soon as you are out of the treatment program. After all, anyone can stay drug free when they are being treated and supervised by doctors who help them to stay on a strict schedule. Having the strong will and the wherewithal to stay with it when you are on your own is another thing altogether.

The best thing to do is to find some higher power. There has to be something at the core that you can cling tightly too when you feel lost in temptation. For a lot of people, this higher power is God. If you feel like God is watching you all the time, it might be a lot easier to stay clean and sober. I know that it has made a big difference for me. Whether I am being watched by doctors in the clinic or God in heaven, I have little problem staying sober. It is only when I feel like I am alone that the psychology of addiction gets the best of me again.

Of course, having a support group of some sort is every bit as important as having religious faith, if not more. Whether you go to narcotics anonymous or simply have a family who is there to look after you, a supportive community will make a huge difference. After all, we all feel weak now and again. Those are the times when it is most important to be vigilant in your fight against addictive behaviors.

How To Experience Enormous Weight Loss With Dieting Motivation

Weekly Eating Journal

Did you know, your dieting motivation, is the only thing that keeps you from shedding 10 lbs., 15 lbs, 35 lbs, 50 lbs or more? That's right it's not the food you’re eating (well mostly not) and it’s not the lack of exercise. Without the proper motivation you will not be able, to find the personal fortitude (will power), to shed those excess pounds. The purpose of this article is to help you understand, that with the proper motivation, you will shed those pounds and you will be able to keep them off.

Do you know what true diet inspiration is? Very simply put it is when you incite your self to eat less food and propel yourself into an effective exercise program. Because without the two combined your just not going to be able to realize your goal of having a healthy body. Now that you have that understanding, it’s time to look at some of the motivating factors which will help you achieve that healthy body.

The way you can actually begin to inspire yourself is to think of the benefits you will realize from losing weight. If you have children, you will gain energy and the mental sharpness necessary to keep up with them. You will fulfill the responsibility, you have to the kids and your spouse, to remain healthy and increase the chances you will be around for as long as you can. However, beside the benefits your family will experience, let’s take a look at what you will gain by losing all the unnecessary fat.

One of the things to really kick start your dieting motivation is paint an image in your mind of how you will look 20 to 50 pounds lighter. Just imagine yourself with a sexier looking body. The waist slimed down by 4 inches or more and the belt drawn in to accent your beautiful bosom or those broad shoulders if you’re a man.

Think about being able to throw away all of the oversize clothes and slipping into a tight pair of jeans. The very same jean size you wore when you were 20 years old. Now you’re getting excited! You can actually see your self getting into a new bathing suit and getting those admiring looks from the opposite sex.

O.K. you have the benefits and your motivation is up, how do you keep it there? Once again this is where your mental attitude and common sense is going to come into play. You must set realistic time frame and weight loss goals. Stop and think about this for a moment. If you had to eat an elephant how would you do it? One bite at a time of course!

There is no way you would try to eat that big boy in one setting or in 100 settings. You would make up a plan which would enable you to devour that big fellow over a period of time. The same principal applies to getting rid of 15 years of weight gain in 30 days. The truth is if you want to keep it off after you lose it, you need to be thinking in terms of say a pound a week over the next six months.

Dieting motivation is the one thing that will enable you to lose all the weight you want too. Simply using common sense and a good mental attitude, at all times, will make the pain of losing weight a lot more bearable. Think of all the benefits you will have when you keep your dieting motivation motivated.

How To Find A Raw Food Delivery Company

Getting raw food delivery to your home or place of work can be a challenging proposition. After all, there are several problems with getting raw foods from a restaurant. First, you never know if what you are actually ordering is what you will get, as some restaurants and other dining establishments have a, shall we say, differing view on what exactly constitutes unprocessed foods. Secondly, unless you live in a big city or other major metropolitan area, you will be hard pressed to find a restaurant that caters to your raw food cravings, as smaller cities and towns are almost always devoid of any raw food eateries.

So what is a person to do who wants an unprocessed food delivery? Well, there are several suggestions that you may want to take into consideration that do not involve you searching through the phone book for every meal. Your best bet when looking for restaurants that will deliver raw food delights to your doorstep is to ask around to other people who share your culinary interest. Chances are that at least one person you know has eaten out at a raw food serving eatery, and they may well deliver. Plus, your friend may be able to recommend other restaurants that they heard about from their friends, and so on and so forth.

However, if you are the only person you know with a raw food craving, you may think that you are out of luck – and your only option is to take random guesses about what restaurants may deliver unprocessed foods. Well, there is still another option for finding a raw food restaurant in your area. You can turn to the internet. There are several mail order places that can send you raw food through a national delivery service. Now, if you are not too comfortable with ordering unprocessed and unpreserved foods through the mail, you can always check local restaurant reviews online to see if they can deliver meals to your home.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to raw food delivery is not to settle for anything that is second rate – be sure that you know what to expect before you place that order, as there is no sense in skipping a meal simply because the order was not what you wanted or thought it would be.