The April tax filing deadline has just passed and you've survived another year or at least filed an extension to put things off till October. Now what? Well, if you filed you should learn your lesson and save more money next year.
So, how are you feeling? Most people experience a combination of relief, exhaustion and aggravation after filing their taxes. They are relieved to be done with it. They are exhausted from trying to get everything together and figured out. They are aggravated that they had to pay so much money. The latter two of these feelings can be improved on next year if you are willing to make even a bit of effort. Let's take a look at how.
The first thing you can do to make tax season less of a nightmare is to get organized. It is simple. Head over to an office store and get a hanging folder stand. You can get some on wheels and stick them in a closet. Now grab some folders and start labeling them - expenses, investments, etc. In less than 15 minutes, you'll have a filing system. Now make it a habit when you come home to file anything that needs filing.
The second thing you can do is get a bookkeeping program of some sort. I use Quicken, but there are plenty of others that work well. Now log your finances in it. The advantage of such software is that you'll have all the critical information at a finger tip when tax time rolls around next year. Instead of hustling to find receipts and then figure out what is classified as what, you'll be able to whip through everything in a matter of mouse clicks. It will make things much faster and easier.
Finally, get an accountant. A good accountant will save you a ton on taxes and you can write their fees off. Don't just show up a couple of weeks before the end of the year. Plan on meeting with them for 30 minutes each fiscal quarter. This allows them to see how your finances are progressing and to make recommendations on changes or strategies that will save you a bundle.
Paying taxes will never be fun per se, but the act can be less painful. Learn your lesson from this years efforts and you'll be in much better shape next year when tax season rolls around.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น