DIY

From a young age I knew exactly wanted to do. Then I changed my mind.

Such is youth. My dad had different plans for me. My childhood was spent on the family farm and it was an awesome life. My dad owned an agricultural repair business and the plan was in place for me to slide right into the company. There was only one problem: I hated the work.

My children are now adults. One is in China while the youngest just graduated high school. My fondest hope was that at least one of the two would be interested in tax and accounting work. No dice.

Forcing your children into a family business is always a bad idea. The kids might love the work and they should then be welcomed with open arms if they do. But most kids don’t want to follow in their parent’s footsteps. Their dreams are different. Most often they follow their parent’s path because they don’t know where else to turn.

I don’t know who first came up with the idea of a universal basic income. My earliest exposure to the concept was from Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel It can’t Happen Here. There is no doubt the idea was around much longer.

It’s an age old story. Mechanization and technology will destroy all the jobs. Computers and machines will do everything so people will be left with nothing to do but wander around the cities and countryside with dazed stares.

The solution is to provide a basic income to everyone so income inequality is reduced. The cause is noble; the solution fraught with problems. If you have freedom, you have inequality; if you have equality, you have no freedom. The real question is: how much inequality will society tolerate?

There is nothing wrong with doing your own return to the best of your ability and then hiring a tax pro for the return you will file. (Read the last sentence again and again until it sinks in.) Yes, you might have two prep fees for the year: one for the DIY program (required when you print) and the accountant. But you will also see where you missed things.

An alternative is to hire a tax pro when you have a unique issue and then go back to preparing your return for a couple years. Some accountants hate this. I don’t.

Winter seems like a lifetime away. A quick check of the calendar and a shiver will run down your spine as only a few months remain before the heating season begins in the northern latitudes and creeps south.

Saving money is my favorite passtime. What other hobby provides so many tax-free financial benefits? 

If you are reading this at its regularly scheduled publication date, Mrs. Accountant, the girls and I are heading to or are enjoying the eclipse. Trevor McDonald contacted me a few months back asking to write a guest post. We worked together (he wrote, I edited and provided guidance and recommendations) until he had a solid piece you will enjoy reading. 

I’ll let Trevor take the driver’s seat and explain.

It’s that time of year again where we need to reconcile the previous year’s income for the government. The task can be daunting, but with armies of tax professionals and online software, many people can tackle their tax return with few issues.

The trick is finding the right tax software when you plan on preparing your own tax return. The most popular online packages are dummied down versions of better tax software programs. The Q&A required by most online programs can become daunting (and time consuming) if you have any tax knowledge at all. The biggest problem is finding tax software that is professional grade that offers just enough help to not be invasive.

I want to introduce you to an online tax program I think is superior to other online software: Drake Software. The banner below is a direct link to the software for individual users. It was featured last year on Mr. Money Mustache. It also happens to be the same tax software I use in my office.

Well, the first year is in the books. The Wealthy Accountant came to life on January 15th, 2016 in anticipation of a shout-out by Mr. Money Mustache. The project was on the drawing board for years, however, the workload caused me to drag my feet. But when I start I am all in.

This isn’t the first blog I’ve run, nor is it the only one I write at this time. Running a blog is work and something I held back on because I knew once I started writing this blog it would take over my life. But here I am and I am feeling good.

What people spend on laundry is insane. Today I will show you how to cut your laundry costs to 2 cents per load, plus the cost of the machine (your own or the laundromat). Mixing your own detergent and a clothes drying rack combine to reduce laundry costs so much there is no incentive to reduce it anymore.

Making your own laundry detergent and fabric softener is fun and take only a few minutes. As an added bonus, you feel like a mad scientist as you mix your concoction. The best part is I will talk a whole lot less today as I let the pictures do all the talking for me and any time you can get me to shut up for a day is a good day! (A picture is worth a thousand words so I am technically talking your ear off.)

Have you ever made a mistake? Of course you have. Like me, you have a few doozies in the closet to air out, too, if you are honest. Mistakes come in all sizes. From the minor mishap to the really stupid to the criminal, we all have our moments of ignorant brilliance.

As luck would have it, mistakes do not define us. Maybe you were drinking and driving and got caught or have been convicted for possessing an illegal drug; maybe you ruined a relationship due to infidelity or sheer apathy; maybe you trusted someone and they betrayed you; maybe you made an investment and after it was too late suffered a major financial setback to your early retirement plans. None of these mistakes define you; how you deal with the mistake does.