I would like to relate a recent experience I had just trying to get a birth certificate from Colorado so I could get a driver’s license in Florida. I went on the internet and clicked on a link that asked you to select the state you were born in that stated it was the provider for Colorado birth certificates, The link said to print off the form on their site and mail it to Vital Check in El Paso, Texas. That should have been the first sign this was a third-party provider and not the best site to respond to. Why would Colorado farm out birth certificate creation to a place in Texas? Well low and behold that is what the State of Colorado did. The cost was $55 for one copy. Someone said to me you must have a scammer a birth certificate does not cost $55. Little did I know at that point that I could call Garfield County where I was born and for $20 get one copy mailed the day you requested it on a form online.

I had to print the Vital Check form, fill it out by hand, and mail it to the El Paso address. That was eight weeks ago and I still do not have a Colorado birth certificate from them. When you call it asks for your document number and then puts you on hold for as much as two hours. I added up the hours that I spent trying to find out what the holdup was in getting the certificate, it was over eight hours on the phone waiting while they played a mundane song and said, “Your call is important to us.” After ten days, I called Vital Check and waited two hours; to find out I failed to write the reason I wanted the birth certificate on the form. They said it is on hold until you submit a new form with the reason included. I asked if I couldn’t just tell them, it was to get a driver’s license. They said we cannot alter applications you have to send a new form. I sent a new form and waited ten days before calling them again, the wait time was 94 minutes at six in the morning to speak to someone. That person said you have to go online and fill out the personal Identification form so I know whom I am speaking to and send a photo of your driver’s license and social security card. He said after you have sent those items it will be processed. I sent the requested items. The next day I got a message they could speak to me.

At this point, it had been six weeks since I sent the original application to Vital Check and still no birth certificate. I sent an email to the Governor of Colorado and told him they needed to fire Vital Check and cut ties because dealing with them is a waste of time and money and the contract is with the State of Colorado. I also called Vital Check and asked where my birth certificate was. The looked at my job number and said you are good to go, I waited ten more days and called Vital Check again another two-hour wait on the phone. I gave the job number, and the person said that was sent to the State of Colorado, we send the approved birth certificate to them, and they have 14 days to mail them out. IT HAS BEEN 14 DAYS AND I DO NOT HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE VITAL CHECK IS A SCAM CHARGING $55 FOR A BIRTH CERTIFICATE THEY DO NOT SEND AND THE STATE OF COLORADO IS A PART OF IT.

Three days ago, I called the Garfield County Clerk and asked her if they had my birth certificate to mail to me from Vital Check. The person in the Clerk’s office said “I hate Vital Check they take advantage of people and charge $55 for a certificate when you can go to the County Clerk and get one directly from them for $20 mailed the same day.

The Clerk told me where to find the form on their website. She instructed me to fill it out and send photos of my Social Security Card, and Driver’s License and transmit them. I got a call right away after I had transmitted the requested information. The lady was so nice and said I need your credit card number, and your certificate will be mailed today. The charge was $20.

Watch for third-party scams they cost you time and money and can be totally frustrating as Vital Check has been to me.

Posted on December 8, 2021
As 2024 is over and gone, families begin to ask the question who is going to do my income tax return?

There are a multitude of sources that can assist you in getting your income tax return for 2024 prepared.

If you have a very simple return Turbotax offers to let you fill out the form on line and the return is prepared free of charge. Possibly you have an accountant or bookkeeper that has been preparing your return. The cost of having a return done by a professional has been increasing dramatically in recent years. You might consider purchasing one of the Turbotax Systems that is appropriate for your situation. Turbotax offers several systems that can be purchased at Walmart, Costco, Target, book stores, and other outlets. The cost for an individual return with no business income is around $60. The cost for an individual with business income is about $80. The cost for those having more complicated returns and partnership returns is around $100. Also Turbotax systems can be purchased and prepared on line with no disks involved. I have been using Turbotax for about ten years now with no problems. Turbotax systems guide you through the return and runs several error checks. They also offer professional representation in the event of an audit if the taxpayer elects that option and pays a fee at time the return is finished. Turbotax usually offers one free State Return with the purchase of the Federal Return system. After the returns are completed on the taxpayer’s computer, they can be electronically transmitted to the IRS and the State Revenue Department. The IRS and State Revenue systems notify the taxpayer of acceptance within a short time usually 48 hours.

There are other tax systems similar to Turbotax offered at Walmart, Costco, and other outlets. I am not familiar with them and their cost.

The big tax preparation companies have a multitude of offices in all the larger communities like H & R Block are much more expensive than using Turbotax or just out and out doing the returns yourself. Individual preparers and CPA’s are many times more expensive than the tax preparation companies. I was a CPA and had a fulltime job with a college, I was hired in January by a tax preparation company to do their partnership and corporate returns and supervise three of their eight offices. I was paid a low hourly rate barely above the minimum wage with the understanding if I stayed until the end of the tax season April 15th I would share in their profits. The reason they had so many offices was they located them near military bases and colleges to catch the taxpayers that just had W-2 income and were desperate for their tax refund. The offered to give the amount of the refund to the taxpayer within a week if they signed an agreement that the refund check would come to the tax preparer. In exchange for that service, they charged high amounts for that service like $150 regardless of the amount of the refund. As an example, say a person had a $900 refund and paid $150 to get their refund within 5 days. They would get $750 and the tax preparation service gets $900 in about three to four weeks from the IRA. Compute the interest rate that is over 15% for just one month or an annualized rate of 180%. The tax preparation firms also offer taxpayer representation to the IRS if the taxpayer is audited for a fee, they also guarantee the taxpayer will not have to pay any interest to the IRS. All that means is that if the IRS does not accept your return and charges you additional tax , interest , and penalty, the preparing company will pay the interest only.

Remember I told you above I would be paid a bonus by the preparation service if I stayed until the end of the tax season April 15th. A woman that had worked for that service told me, “Good luck with that offer of a bonus, I have been working for them for several years and no one got a bonus, the owner closes down all but the main office by the end of the season.”
That was a true statement after the W-2 rush season around the military bases the owner closed those offices down, no bonus for those managers. Then about a month before the end of the tax season he closed all of temporary offices and ran everything through one office. No one received a bonus.

Good luck in determining what tax preparation option is best for you and your family budget

Posted in UncategorizedE

Turbotax is already available online and at Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and other outlets. If you used them last year they are a good choice for your 2024 Individual Tax Return If the same service is used and you do your own return, the tax program carries forward all your personal information and reminds you of the items you had in 2023 that might also be a factor this year. Be sure to get the proper version of the tax program you use. The cheaper versions of Turbotax and other services may not have all that you need if you have business income, stocks and bonds, rental income, and unordinary sources of income.

What To Do if You Get Something From Amazon You Didn’t Order
If you have received an unsolicited Amazon package and have confirmed no one you know sent you a gift, here’s what you can do to protect yourself and future potential victims:

Report the unordered package to Amazon customer service at (888) 280-4331.
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission online or by phone at (877) 382-4357.
Change the password on your Amazon account and any other accounts that have the same password.
Keep a close eye on your credit card statements to spot suspicious activity.
Whatever you do, do not pay for an unsolicited package. If the sender calls with a bill, they are trying to scam you again

Big Time Scam
if an attractive Asian woman accidentally gets your phone number and is super friendly, BEWARE! She will send you her photo and after a few conversations or messaging she tells you how successful she is at trading gold on the European market. She encourages you to join her and she will be your mentor She claims to have never lost on a trade. After she gets the person to put a few thousand dollars and is encouraging them to put more in for more profits. She coaches you to the point that you have a big earnings balance in China on the European market in just a few weeks. I had one small withdrawal request and it went fine. I wanted to know how to withdraw money. The wallets available limit the amount you can withdraw in a week so it takes time to get money out. My next withdrawal request for several thousand dollars did not get to my bank. So my mentor and I traced the commands we made and she said I added a number to my wallet number, I apologized and contacted Customer Service, they said their super arbitrators would get it back if I deposited $30,000 as a deposit and the deadline was five days away. After that there was a $2000 a day penalty and the money had to come from your personal bank account not the gold account which had well over $100,000 in it. At this point I definitely knew it was a scam. I lost all I invested, I had numerous threatening phone calls not from the girl but guys. They threatened to send a band of Mexicans to my house to get the money. They contacted my wife and son and sent all kinds of lies to them on messages and said I think she will divorce you now. There was no gold and there is no way you could be successful trading every time in a moving market, I probably did not make an error on the number, they probably created it to perpetuate the scam

2024 tax rates and standard deduction:
Standard deduction for single person: $14,60012
Standard deduction for married couples filing jointly: $29,2002
Top marginal tax rate for single individuals with incomes greater than $609,350: 37%1
Seven federal income tax rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%3

I will supply a detailed tax rate also. But from this you can begin to see if you need to itemize or the Standard Deduction is sufficient to cover your income.

New for 2024
Starting in calendar year 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act reinstates the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate for crude oil received at U.S. refineries, and petroleum products that entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing. The tax rate is the sum of the Hazardous Substance Superfund rate and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate. For calendar years beginning in 2024, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate is adjusted for inflation. For calendar year 2024 crude oil or petroleum products entered after

Dec. 31, 2016, will have a tax rate of $0.26 cents a barrel.

Highlights of changes in Revenue Procedure 2023-34:

The tax year 2024 adjustments described below generally apply to income tax returns filed in 2025. The tax items for tax year 2024 of greatest interest to most taxpayers include the following dollar amounts:

The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly for tax year 2024 rises to $29,200, an increase of $1,500 from tax year 2023. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $14,600 for 2024, an increase of $750 from 2023; and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $21,900 for tax year 2024, an increase of $1,100 from the amount for tax year 2023.

Marginal rates: For tax year 2024, the top tax rate remains 37% for individual single taxpayers with incomes greater than $609,350 ($731,200 for married couples filing jointly).
The other rates are:

35% for incomes over $243,725 ($487,450 for married couples filing jointly)
32% for incomes over $191,950 ($383,900 for married couples filing jointly)
24% for incomes over $100,525 ($201,050 for married couples filing jointly)
22% for incomes over $47,150 ($94,300 for married couples filing jointly)
12% for incomes over $11,600 ($23,200 for married couples filing jointly)

The lowest rate is 10% for incomes of single individuals with incomes of $11,600 or less ($23,200 for married couples filing jointly).

The Alternative Minimum Tax exemption amount for tax year 2024 is $85,700 and begins to phase out at $609,350 ($133,300 for married couples filing jointly for whom the exemption begins to phase out at $1,218,700). For comparison, the 2023 exemption amount was $81,300 and began to phase out at $578,150 ($126,500 for married couples filing jointly for whom the exemption began to phase out at $1,156,300).

The tax year 2024 maximum Earned Income Tax Credit amount is $7,830 for qualifying taxpayers who have three or more qualifying children, an increase of from $7,430 for tax year 2023. The revenue procedure contains a table providing maximum EITC amount for other categories, income thresholds and phase-outs.

For tax year 2024, the monthly limitation for the qualified transportation fringe benefit and the monthly limitation for qualified parking increases to $315, an increase of $15 from the limit for 2023.

For the taxable years beginning in 2024, the dollar limitation for employee salary reductions for contributions to health flexible spending arrangements increases to $3,200. For cafeteria plans that permit the carryover of unused amounts, the maximum carryover amount is $640, an increase of $30 from taxable years beginning in 2023.

For tax year 2024, participants who have self-only coverage in a Medical Savings Account, the plan must have an annual deductible that is not less than $2,800, an increase of $150 from tax year 2023, but not more than $4,150, an increase of $200 from tax year 2023. For self-only coverage, the maximum out-of-pocket expense amount is $5,550, an increase of $250 from 2023. For tax year 2024, for family coverage, the annual deductible is not less than $5,550, an increase of $200 from tax year 2023; however, the deductible cannot be more than $8,350, an increase of $450 versus the limit for tax year 2023. For family coverage, the out-of-pocket expense limit is $10,200 for tax year 2024, an increase of $550 from tax year 2023.

For tax year 2024, the foreign earned income exclusion is $126,500, increased from $120,000 for tax year 2023.

Estates of decedents who die during 2024 have a basic exclusion amount of $13,610,000, increased from $12,920,000 for estates of decedents who died in 2023.

The annual exclusion for gifts increases to $18,000 for calendar year 2024, increased from $17,000 for calendar year 2023.

The maximum credit allowed for adoptions for tax year 2024 is the amount of qualified adoption expenses up to $16,810, increased from $15,950 for 2023.
Items unaffected by indexing
By statute, certain items that were indexed for inflation in the past are currently not adjusted.

The personal exemption for tax year 2024 remains at 0, as it was for 2023. This elimination of the personal exemption was a provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

For 2024, as in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, there is no limitation on itemized deductions, as that limitation was eliminated by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The modified adjusted gross income amount used by taxpayers to determine the reduction in the Lifetime Learning Credit provided in § 25A(d)(2) is not adjusted for inflation for taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2020. The Lifetime Learning Credit is phased out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income in excess of $80,000 ($160,000 for joint return.

From the above tax information you can see how 2024 tax year affects you and your income.

National elections, state ballot measures, county ballot measures, city measures all have a huge effect on a family budget. So, never miss an opportunity to vote on these measures.

Read and study information on candidates, amendments, ordinances, and any ballot measure that might have an effect on you. Don’t just read the fliers that are in your mail and on your doorstep. Go on the internet and research each of them. Go to public appearances and forums to meet candidates and know what is being proposed.

If you live in a state where they have precinct meetings, attend those meetings and become active in the precinct. In those states the precinct is the first level of political activity. People are selected from that group to attend county political conventions. At the county convention people are selected to attend the state convention, and at the state convention, delegates to the national convention are selected. Not everyone wants to be one of these delegates because they are time consuming and expensive to attend. Also the delegates may have to travel quite a distance from their home town to attend the convention.

The political system in the United States has become so complicated that a person needs to be aware of all the techniques and scams being reported on television. If a person does not do their own research and make good decisions, they may find themselves living in a world they did not choose.

On an economic note. the Democratic candidate for President has stated she wants a tax on unrealized gains to provide revenue for her many give away programs. Can you imagine if you had a large increase in the value of a stock but had not sold it and the government taxes that gain, and a year later you sell the stock at a loss and are not allowed to take the loss. That proposal is insane and could bankrupt the country.

Another proposal is price fixing of grocery items to make them more affordable. Several countries, including Russia, have tried that and it resulted in food shortages and criminal activity in the food industry. The other countries that tried it found that it did not work and people were worse off.

The cost of gasoline, diesel fuel, and fossil fuel items have skyrocketed over the past 3 1/2 years totally destroying family budgets. Even though the Democratic candidate says now she is in favor of drilling when she was totally opposed to drilling in the past, don’t believe her it is an election ploy.

The taxes proposed by the Democratic candidate on Corporations will do nothing but drive costs up for clothing, cars, and personal items.

Whatever you do in the next month before the election, do some research, attend rallies, talk to your neighbors get them to get informed. THEN THE IMPORTANT THING IS FOR YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS ALL TO VOTE

There is an article that I will paraphrase about advice a man’s father gave him when he was young about managing his finances.
1)Never Spend More Than You Make-He explains to his son that he needs to make money first and save as much as possible. Then when the money level reaches a level that matches his needs he can determine what his spending priorities are.
2)Pay Off All Credit Cards Monthly-pay off the statement balance on each credit card monthly, do not pay any interest to credit card issuers. The interest rates are exceedingly high on credit cards usually ranging from 10% all the way to 28%. It would take many months to pay a credit card bill if you only pay the minimum payment. All that time you would be paying interest only and still have most of the debt outstanding
3)Be Generous It is great to earn money, save money, and spend money. But it is even a greater experience to be able to share your money with your church, your family, and your friends. Think of the joy of sharing with others your success.

First of all,why pay Dish or Direct TV between $120 and $200 a month for your home Television watching packages? The Roku is one of the most amazing small gadgets ever invented. The same technology has been in incorporated into most smart TV’s. If you do not have a smart TV, you can order a Roku streaming device for about $25 from Amazon or Walmart. With this device and home internet service you are able to get services like Sling which provides over eighty changes for as little as $60 which includes ESPN, Fox News, CNN, and many of the more popular channels you have been watching on the cable systems and paying through the nose. You need to have good internet service so your TV is not interrupted. I pay less than $50 for a 12bmp internet service and it supports two TV’s, two tablets, and a desktop without interruption. Some of the local channels appear on a smart TV but not all of the ones you might like. The Roku will run Netflix and Prime Video if you subscribe to them.

To get all of the local channels in you area, you will need an outdoor antenna, it does not have to be a big antenna that looks like the aerial for a TV or Radio station. The have them on Amazon for as little as $40 that will get channels within a 50 mile radius. Do not believe it when they say they get channels for 100 to 120 miles. Most low cost antennas will get about forty channels which would include ABC, Fox, NBC, and ABC, Grit, and a lot of other channels. There are usually about five or ten Spanish speaking channels in there, a movie channel, weather channels, mysteries, Court TV, and marketing channels.

Now you have the full range of channels, the network channels, the local channels , and others that you have not heard of until adding the channels with your new antenna. You can order a Roku Streaming Stick which attaches to the back of your TV rather than a standard Roku that attaches to the front of the TV. Some people prefer the streaming stick because it is not visible.

Of course if you want to spend more money on a big antenna that sets on top of your house, you can, but storms and wind make take your antenna down and make it a more expensive way to get local channels.

Our monthly cost for TV aside from the cost of the internet which we had already, is $60 Sling, $12 a month Netflix, and $139 a year Amazon Prime. If you want more sports than Sling initially offers for $10 or $15 for additional package items can be added on Sling. So, if we compute it on a monthly basis $60 Sling, $12 Netflix, $12 Amazon, that would be $84. We were paying $130 a month for basically the same channels to Dish before we made the conversion to Roku and also got a smart TV which has the Roku built in.

Good luck, we have been off Dish for four years now with no regrets.