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TurboTax 2012 Online Review

This article was written by in Reviews, Software, Taxes. 62 comments.

This is a relatively long review of TurboTax 2012 Online, software for completing tax forms and submitting them to both the federal and state authorities. I’ve updated the review to reflect the changes to the software in 2012 (for filing 2011 tax returns).

Recently, the IRS began accepting federal tax returned filed electronically. Even before the IRS began accepting returns, you could still have completed your tax forms online through software. Programs like TurboTax, H&R Block, and Jackson Hewitt have been accepting customers and holding off on filing until now. This delay affected those who had itemized deductions, claimed the tuition and fees deduction, or claimed the sales tax deduction.

Many taxpayers are just getting started with their 2011 federal returns now. I’ve been using the services of an accountant for the past few years, and he was able to cut through the more confusing tax consequences of owning a business, saving me $15,000. Before my tax situation was complicated, however, I completed my taxes online using various software. Following a series of questions, completing and filing my 1040 form was easy.

Every year, the companies that provide tax e-filing services like TurboTax and H&R Block tweak their products, not only for the latest tax laws, but to improve features, making the process of tax filing easier. I took a look at TurboTax to see what changes the newest edition has to offer.

The first thing I noticed with TurboTax is the wide variety of products they have available. There is an option that is completely free for filing federal returns, but it is limited. This free version is for taxpayers whose returns can be completed using the 1040-EZ form, a simplified version of the 1040 form. If you have deductions, investments, a mortgage, or self-employment income, or if you want a step-by-step hand-holding guide to completing the forms, you will not be able to take advantage of the TurboTax Free Edition.

TurboTax offers several flavors in addition to the Free Edition, including Deluxe, Premier, Home & Business, and Business, each to handling more complicated tax situations above and beyond the lighter editions. The Deluxe Edition focuses on capturing all of your deductions. The Premier Edition does deductions, as well, but also includes the forms you need for investments like stocks, mutual funds, and rental properties. Home & Business covers all of the above as well as self-employment income, and the Business Edition is for anyone who is a partner in or owner of a corporation.

The editions are flexible; start with the Deluxe Edition, and as you come across features you need, TurboTax will ask if you’d like to upgrade — without charging you yet — to the edition that takes all of your needs into account. I started the Deluxe Edition to see how far I could go. I saw that for the most part none of the upgrades are needed if you are confident about your tax accounting abilities and are willing to enter your information directly into forms rather than have the software hold your hand through every decision.

Get your refund in as little as 8 days. E-file with TurboTax today. It’s Easy

Here is an overview of my entire process of completing my federal and state tax returns with TurboTax.

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Five Conversations Before Moving In Together

This article was written by in Family and Life. 27 comments.

This is a guest article by Aloysa, a creator of My Broken Coin. In this article, Aloysa offers five conversation starters for couples considering moving in together.

Based on my own personal experience I can tell you that expectations of your significant other change as soon as you move in together. All of a sudden, you expect him to make the bed, walk your dog, wash the dishes, and put the toilet seat down. He wants you to cook him breakfast and dinner, pack his lunch, buy a six-pack on the way home from work, and listen to his rants about his favorite football team.

But what about your financial expectations of each other? How often do you discuss them?

I strongly believe that when people decide to move in together, they should know as much as possible about each other finances: bank account balances, when the car will be paid off, how much money you both earn, what monthly bills you have to pay including alimony and/or child support.

If you don’t know that much, you really don’t know anything about each other and should stop reading here.

Conversation #5: What are you waiting for? Pay it already!

CoupleWhat is your bill paying style? This is something that can be very important in your life together. Let’s say you pay bills in advance, but your significant other waits till the last minute. Potentially it can create a problem for both of you. One gets nervous that a bill is not paid yet, while the other is stress-free till the “payment due” date.

Resolution: sit down together, go over your bills and figure out what needs to be paid. Make a spreadsheet or a schedule with the due dates for payments, decide when the bills are expected to be paid, and, most importantly, don’t forget to stick to that schedule!

Conversation #4: Who is paying for that dinner?

The complaint that I often hear from my cohabitating friends is related to a very trivial but tricky question: who should pay for nights out, especially if expenses are split 50/50?

Most of the time my romantic girlfriends expect that dates will be covered 100% by their partners. Some of my pragmatic guy friends assume that if they are splitting everything else 50/50, date nights should also be split the same way. Unfulfilled expectations could cause tension in the relationship, and feelings can get hurt.

Resolution: Nothing can kill romance in the relationship faster than resentment caused by money issues. You have to decide together what is expected of each other when you go out. If you expect a romantic dinner that he covers, tell him about it. If you want her to pick up her portion of a tab, talk about it.

Conversation #3: You owe how much?!

Your relationship should be open and honest. There should not be any hidden surprises such as your credit card debt, taxes you owe to the IRS, or student loan balances.

One of my friends was shocked when she found out by pure accident that her boyfriend, with whom she was living for about a year, owed $70,000 in credit card debt. When she confronted him about it, his response was, “It is my debt. Don’t worry about it.” His debt became hers when they started looking for a house together and could not qualify for a house they wanted because of his credit card debt.

Resolution: Pull a free credit report for each other, and be open about your debts. I know that not everyone would agree with this idea, but if one day you decide to get married, have kids, and buy a house, you will be glad you did it.

Editor’s note: There’s a related discussion that’s worth mentioning, as well. Before you begin cohabitation, it may be a good idea to discuss whether you and your significant other should be considering combining financial accounts now, later, or never. Depending on the state where you live, there may be statutes that define how individual property may become common property regardless of whether you combine your accounts, but it’s a discussion that should also come sooner or later.

Conversation #2: I need some cash! Please?

Both of you are individuals with different interests, life views, expectations, different bank accounts and different bills. Bills change over time. Your bank account can get overdraft fees. Or you simply spent more than you expected.

One of my friends came back from work to find out that the water was turned off in the house because her live-in boyfriend did not have the money to pay the water bill. He did not dare to ask her for help, and they ended up with no water for a few days.

Resolution: It can be difficult at first but it gets easier every time you do it. Ask for help if you need it. The worst that can happen is you will have to explain why you are short on cash. The best thing that can happen, you will have an uninterrupted supply of water!

Conversation #1: What are we looking for?

I have a few friends who have lived with their boyfriends and girlfriends for three, four, five years and they now feel the drive to make their relationship legal has flown the coop. Before you decide to share your lives and your bills, it is always a good idea to discuss how both of you see the future.

Do you know what his or her timeline is for marriage? Do you even want and plan to get married? If you don’t discuss it early on, she might start thinking that he is with her because it is convenient and cheap. He might think that she is using him as a stepping stone until someone better comes along.

Resolution: Just because you are moving in together, don’t assume that you both have the same intentions and share the same goals. Relationships tend to stall and drift. Natural progression stops, and you are left guessing what the future life holds for the both of you.

Talk long and hard before you make your final decision to move-in, ask questions and please, never assume anything.

What discussions do you expect to have or have had prior to moving into the same living space as your significant other?

Photo: gareth1953

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Frugality Plays Role in Bringing Tech to New York City

This article was written by in Frugality. 6 comments.

Michael Bloomberg, the king-slash-mayor of New York City (will he increase term limits again to stay in his position?), has announced that Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology will be transforming 11 acres on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island into a graduate school for technology. Classes will begin as early as next year and the first phase of construction on 300,000 square feet will be completed by 2017 and construction on 2 million square feet will be completed twenty years later.

Developing the land into a world-class graduate school will displace a hospital and some other facilities, but will generate $23 billion in economic activity and 20,000 construction, 8,000 continual operational jobs, and 30,000 jobs as a result of graduates’ activities according to Bloomberg.

A $150 million venture capital fund will provide resources to new start-ups affiliates with Cornell that promise to stay within New York City for at least three years.

With a world-class high-tech graduate program, New York City will become a tech start-up incubator, on par with Stanford University, who lost the bid for building a campus in New York City, and Silicon Valley.

Cornell’s bid for the land and the opportunity to transform New York City was assisted by a $350 million gift, anonymously given but later revealed to come from Charles F. “Chuck” Feeney. Feeney is a former Cornell student who co-founded Duty Free Shoppers Group and turned his wealth into a foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies. With the foundation incorporated in Bermuda, its activities are not generally public knowledge, but its grants are on par with the Ford Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Roosevelt IslandChuck Feeney has accumulated significant wealth over his lifetime, but you wouldn’t know it from watching him. When in New York, he walks and rides the subway, though he’s not the only New York billionaire to mingle with the people. He rents rather than owns a house, having parted with seven houses in a divorce settlement, but renting in New York is not necessarily an indicator of frugality by itself. He doesn’t own a car and flies coach. Feeney reportedly wears a $15 watch. Not wanting money to consumer his life, even his ownership in the business he founded was transferred to a charitable organization. Perhaps having given away most of his fortune away, Feeney has no choice but to be frugal, but his approach to money seems to be similar to Steve Jobs, the quiet billionaire next door.

Assisted by the gift from the Atlantic Philanthropies, a pledge from Bloomberg for $100 million in infrastructure improvements to the Roosevelt Island land on which the university will build the campus. Cornell will also partner with the State University of New York and the City University of New York in some capacity.

This could be an exciting time for New York City. Residents of Roosevelt Island won’t be displaced by the new construction, but patients and employees of the hospital that currently exists on the property will be. Having a University’s high-tech graduate program will change the character of the island, which was formerly known as “Welfare Island” and was a depository for prisoners.

Photo: shinya
New York Times, New York Times, Atlantic Philanthropies, Cornell University

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Year End Reminder: Donate to Charity

This article was written by in Charity, Taxes. 6 comments.

The year is quickly coming to a close, and the first priority for many people right now is getting through the holidays with as little stress as possible. Focusing solely on the holidays at the expense of your household’s financial needs can only add to stress later, so it might help to get a few items in order now rather than attempting to manage your year-end tasks in the one week between Christmas and the new year. A few days ago, I suggested changing your 401(k) contribution level now because of the time it takes for changes to take effect, and today, I’m looking at charity.

A tax benefit shouldn’t be the sole reason you contribute to charitable organizations, but there is a federal tax deduction for charitable contributions, and it’s better for a family’s own financial situation to take advantage of this benefit if plans call for charity regardless. Unlike other benefits that allow qualification extensions into the new year, to receive a deduction on this year’s tax return, the organization to which you donate must receive the contribution this calendar year.

Charity BoxUnfortunately, the time you spend volunteering for a non-profit organization is not tax-deductible. While volunteering could benefit an organization more than a moderate financial contribution, the tax code favors gifts of value, not time.

Choose your recipient

Charity isn’t an end-of-year activity. If you value a certain cause, doing what you can throughout the year can be a more effective way of maximizing the benefit you can provide to a non-profit or religious organization. Nevertheless, in busy lives, people often don’t think about finalizing their charitable gifts until the spirit of the holiday giving season is in full-force. If you think about giving throughout the year, you may already have one or more intended benefactors.

If you have a charity in mind or if you need to find one, take the time to ensure the organization is not only legitimate but each dollar you provide will do the most good.

Charity Navigator is an indispensable tool. Using Charity Navigator, you can research any non-profit organization. You can see an evaluation of how efficiently the organization uses donors’ contributions and read the latest financial reports to determine how highly the executives are compensated. Charity Navigator will also help you ensure the organization you choose is a qualified 401(c)3, a non-profit organization recognized by the government.

I like to evaluate what percentage of contributed money is used for marketing, particularly. Marketing is of course very important to an organization, and effective marketing can pay for itself in increased donations, but if too much money is spent on marketing and not projects that directly apply to the organization’s mission, you have to consider that your donation may be more effective elsewhere.

In choosing an organization, consider your own values. You may be aware of an organization whose goals you admire and respect, and can start there. But if not, consider what issues are central to your core beliefs. Would you like to see poverty eradicated around the world? Do you believe people can improve their lives by living in a new home? Are you concerned that budget cuts in education are affecting children’s ability to receive a well-rounded education? Should more resources be committed to helping military veterans? You should be able to find an organization catering to the same issue that you consider most important.

When you complete the donation, be sure to keep a copy of the receipt for tax purposes. The receipt should show how much of your contribution is tax-deductible. If you receive a thank-you gift in return for your contribution, the amount you provide will most likely not be 100% deductible.

Open a donor-advised charitable fund

If you can’t or won’t decide which organization is most relevant to your values and charitable desires, open a donor-advised charitable gift fund. I opened this type of account a few years ago at Fidelity. The charitable gift fund allows an individual to contribute today and receive the tax benefit, while granting donations from the fund to worthy organizations over time. By using the gift fund, I could contribute funds throughout the year, invest in index funds, and assuming the funds appreciate in value, donate even more to the non-profit organization.

Even if the value goes down, most organizations can receive gifts in stocks or funds, so they can choose to sell and use the cash when it’s best for the organization.

You cannot withdraw the money you’ve contributed to your charitable gift fund, however. You can’t use a charitable gift fund as a saving or investment vehicle for yourself. Once you transfer money to your charitable gift fund, it becomes the property of the fund itself or its parent company. That’s the reason you can take the tax deduction immediately rather than waiting until you grant your donation to a non-profit organization.

Each year, I donate to DonorsChoose, an organization that helps teachers receive the resources they need for effective classroom instruction, an organization within my undergraduate university, and a few other organizations that match my values or are in response to important issues.

If you donate to charity, do you do so during the year or only at the end of the year? How important is the tax deduction?

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CoreLogic Credit Report and Score: Always Watching You

by Flexo

CoreLogic, a company that already works with lenders to consolidate credit reports from the three reporting bureaus, is developing a new credit report and score. The company believes its information, culled from public sources and proprietary databases, could give lenders, employers, and any other company that wants to evaluate an individual’s risk, a more accurate ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 136: Becoming a Landlord

by Flexo

Today on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Tom Dziubek talks to Paula Pant, journalist, entrepreneur and founder of the personal finance website Afford Anything. Paula talks about several landlord-related topics, including what to look for when purchasing a property, how tenants see properties different than landlords and the kind of work a landlord should expect. Consumerism ... Continue reading this article…

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Tax Deduction for Time Spent Volunteering

by Flexo
Volunteer

I recently received reader feedback from a conscious saver who is planning to move his money from Wells Fargo to a credit union. She won’t make the Bank Transfer Day November 5 goal, because the credit union’s branch is planned to open November 7. This reader plans to be one of the new branch’s first ... Continue reading this article…

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Boost Your Human Capital: Cultivate Your Network

by Flexo
People

While saving money, reducing expenses, and earning income all help improve your net worth, these tactics often ignore the larger picture. Improving your personal human capital is like a form of insurance; you’re protecting your ability to increase your net worth over a long period of time. Boosting your human capital through gaining education, adding ... Continue reading this article…

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