The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes

The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes

by S. Kay Bell
Released January 2009
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780137003211

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Book description

All you need to know about cutting your taxes...this year and every year!

  • The truth about maximizing all your legal deductions and credits

  • The truth about smart tax planning for today and for the long term

  • The truth about avoiding IRS audits and costly tax penalties

Simply the best thinking

THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

This book reveals 52 PROVEN bite-size, easy tax savings techniques that work.

“Kay Bell’s blog aims to provide tax and personal-finance tips and advice that will put more money in your bank account, not the government treasury.”

The Wall Street Journal

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Introduction
  5. Part I. The Truth About Filing Requirements
    1. TRUTH 1. Not everyone has to file
    2. TRUTH 2. Figuring out your filing status
    3. TRUTH 3. Filling out the right form
    4. TRUTH 4. Meeting filing deadlines
  6. Part II. The Truth About Taxable Income
    1. TRUTH 5. Determining what’s taxable
    2. TRUTH 6. Earned versus unearned income
    3. TRUTH 7. The alternative minimum tax
    4. TRUTH 8. Our progressive tax system
  7. Part III. The Truth About Credits and Deductions
    1. TRUTH 9. Why credits are better
    2. TRUTH 10. Standard versus itemized deductions
    3. TRUTH 11. Dealing with deduction limitations
    4. TRUTH 12. Maximizing charitable deductions
    5. TRUTH 13. Deducting without itemizing
  8. Part IV. The Truth About Taxes and Your Family
    1. TRUTH 14. Marriage and taxes
    2. TRUTH 15. Innocent and injured spouse issues
    3. TRUTH 16. Tax implications of divorce
    4. TRUTH 17. Claiming exemptions and dependents
    5. TRUTH 18. Adoption assistance
    6. TRUTH 19. Child and additional child tax credits
    7. TRUTH 20. Tax help in caring for your kids (and others)
    8. TRUTH 21. Tax-favored college savings options
    9. TRUTH 22. When a child has to file
    10. TRUTH 23. Taking tax-smart care of a parent
  9. Part V. The Truth About Taxes and Your Employment
    1. TRUTH 24. Getting your withholding right
    2. TRUTH 25. Tax-favored employer-provided benefits
    3. TRUTH 26. Recouping employee business expenses
    4. TRUTH 27. Writing off job-hunting costs
    5. TRUTH 28. Tax help in paying work-related moving costs
    6. TRUTH 29. Self-employment tax considerations
  10. Part VI. The Truth About Taxes and Your Home
    1. TRUTH 30. Mortgage interest deduction
    2. TRUTH 31. Writing off your property taxes
    3. TRUTH 32. Increasing your home’s tax basis
    4. TRUTH 33. Home-sale tax exclusion
  11. Part VII. The Truth About Investment Taxes
    1. TRUTH 34. Capital gains rules and rates
    2. TRUTH 35. How bad investments can pay off
    3. TRUTH 36. Reporting investment income
    4. TRUTH 37. Wash sale rules
    5. TRUTH 38. Accounting for the kiddie tax
  12. Part VIII. The Truth About Retirement Taxes
    1. TRUTH 39. Individual retirement accounts
    2. TRUTH 40. Company retirement plans
    3. TRUTH 41. Retirement saver’s credit
    4. TRUTH 42. Retirement plan rollovers
    5. TRUTH 43. Taxable Social Security benefits
    6. TRUTH 44. Required minimum distributions
    7. TRUTH 45. Estate taxes, or leaving it to your heirs, not the IRS
  13. Part IX. The Truth About Tax Compliance
    1. TRUTH 46. The trouble with tax protests
    2. TRUTH 47. Payment options
    3. TRUTH 48. Tax penalties
  14. Part X. The Truth About Audits
    1. TRUTH 49. Minimizing audit risks
    2. TRUTH 50. Preparing for an audit
  15. Part XI. The Truth About Special Tax Situations
    1. TRUTH 51. Taxpayers abroad and military filers
    2. TRUTH 52. Tax help in disastrous times
  16. Epilogue
  17. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes
  • Author(s): S. Kay Bell
  • Release date: January 2009
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780137003211