Death and Taxes

Today, I talk about the latter.

My goal for the past I-don't-know-how-many years has been to have my taxes done and return in the bank by Feb. 8th. So far, I have not acheived this goal. The closest I've gotten was Feb. 10th.

The main reason for missing the goal is the fact that the home office of my employer is in another state. This means that even though they send my W-2 out within the legally required time-frame, it still takes a couple of days to get to me.

This year will be different...I hope. I got my W-2 yesterday, and had the Federal and State returns finished and filed last night.

How can I do this you say? Turbo Tax Deluxe. I love that thing.

My father-in-law got me hooked on this product by Intuit. I think the first year I used it was back in '98. The first year you use it, you pretty much have to answer a ton of questions about all your financial activities. It can seem laborious, but even that first "interview" is easier than filling out the paper forms and schedules. However, the real benefit comes each successive year you use it. It sees the prior year's return, imports all of that data, and allows you to make changes to it.

Another nice thing about it is the easiness in e-filing and direct deposit. Any processing fees that are generated from these activities can be taken out of your return or paid for with a credit card.

So, let the countdown begin. Will this be the year? Anyone want to put an e-wager?