Good morning, everyone. It is freezing outside! I don’t know how cold it is and don’t want to know. I just know that when I went out to fill the bird feeder at dawn, I had to break ice to uncover their water. Brrrrr. But that doesn’t seem to have discouraged them a bit. I’ve already seen 2 pairs of cardinals and the big red-bellied woodpecker (twice!) at the feeder. I added extra peanuts to the mix this morning since it was so cold. Everybody loves peanuts.
I was up before dawn. I guess this means I have officially caught up with the time change. So no more excuses for sleeping until 10am. :–)
Good morning, Debra! I slept late since Art stayed at the office to work on quarterly taxes due today. It felt like being on vacation to not get up and cook eggs!
It was below freezing here with those azaleas in full bloom just outside my bedroom window. I won’t look their way today.😒 Or maybe I will take their picture for a Before and After comparison.
The heat pump has switched from blowing the cool air to the emergency heat feature so we get warm air. The house feels cozy without the windchill effect.
Good Morning Everyone. The azealas are beautiful. I somehow remember the name of that one being Henry Clay.
I will be putting a long prayer request up in a little while.
Beautiful azaleas! And they’re easy to grow in pots, I think I still have some out in the backyard if the rains didn’t overwhelm them by now. I used to have them on the front porch, not sure how or why they were moved to the back.
I’m adjusting to this time change better than I have in the past, for some reason.
Lots and lots of rain all night long here, as they promised.
I’ve decided I need to just create an email and attach all my tax stuff to it and send it in asap, as I’ve done in the past few years. I was going to make an in-person appointment this year as I had some questions I wanted to ask him, but now it’s getting late for that and I think I’ll just send everything in today to get it DONE. I can always call or email questions separately.
Their office is about a 30 minute drive so I’d have to take a day off for an in-person appointment or “kill” a Saturday which I don’t like to do.
I just procrastinated too long. This isn’t something I ever “like” to deal with.
On the other hand, with all my huge payments coming up in the next month, I could use the thought of possibly even a modest return coming my way.
Good choice for you and them, Dj. The simplest way for these times.
May your refunds be large and frequent!
It is best to file early and avoid the possibility of identity theft where people file for and get refunds in another person’s name. If you get it first they will get rejected. If they get it first then you get rejected and have to get a special number and have to paper file. A big hassle for taxpayer and preparer.
Janice @1:09 I was thinking they may now prefer the e-mail-in process. He then e-files pretty quickly from there. I think I owed a bit to the feds last year … but I had a modest refund that offset that amount, plus a little extra, from the state. Kind of a wash, though, after paying the preparer’s bill (which is well worth it, of course!).
Wes seemed to think his presentation went well to a group of seniors (old folks like us😀) off campus, a volunteer gig. He was totally out of his element. Now I want to talk to him and see how he approached the book, Station Eleven. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_Eleven
Dj, I am not sure what Art prefers except for people to have everything together so he can finish their return! He tends to enjoy conversation with some clients so I expect he misses that in certain cases (since Covid changed so many things in the industry).
I got all of my tax things in, we will see about refunds.??
I’m realizing that after so long I know so little.
So I am receiving social security. Since I am retired, is it taxable??
I have no idea what will be taxable next year.
Whew, I managed to get everything sent over via email w/attachements and I just tagged on my questions I would have asked if I’d gone in person at the bottom.
I used to look forward to doing the taxes when it was my former neighbor, Chris, who did them (same office, but he passed away a few years ago). We’d have a nice time catching up, his mom only died maybe 5-7 years ago or so, his mom was a character and she and my mom were good friends in the old neighborhood. She was British, a WWII war bride, active in GOP politics which my mom joined her in doing from time to time. They volunteered for Reagan’s governor’s campaign.
But the new guy who inherited my account from Chris (Chris asked him take his accounts in the event he didn’t survive his illness) isn’t someone I know at all, of course, so that definitely took what fun there may have been in this errand out of the in-person visit each year. And right after my account went to him, the pandemic hit so I think I only saw him one time in person.
We had company online training for social media refresher today, I’m quite behind I’ve learned. Feeling older … I was among those on the front lines of social media when it first hit the news biz, no more I see. 🙂 Oh well.
And yeah, SS is taxable, I have a chunk withheld every year since I also am still working full time. One of my questions to him was whether I needed to have more withheld going forward.
I don’t think I’d have enough medical out-of-pocket expenses to claim, but asked him that as well. As I recall, that’s a pretty high threshold to meet.
Jo & DJ – I think it depends on your other income, perhaps. Mine is not taxable because the half-pension I get from Hubby’s years with Hostess is not that big.
I just had to email our HR department in Denver about whether my 2-month surgery/disability pay was taxed, or not? She said it’s not “taxable” unless I’d been unemployed.
I have no idea when it comes to taxes. I’d probably be in taxpayer jail (for my own stupidity and lack of math skills) if it weren’t for the folks I’ve hired to make sure that doesn’t happen!
Does anyone here know if there is a way to go straight to short-form filing on TurboTax? Last year was the first time I used TurboTax, and it took a long time to figure out and fill in all the info, only to end up not needing to take deductions. I don’t remember seeing a way to go skip putting in all of that other info. (But could have missed it.)
Kizzie, I know nothing about Turbo tax but logically imagine there must be a menu upfront about which form you want to file? But maybe not. They may want you to go through a series of questions to make it seem like you got more for what cost you incurred.
I’ll be okay this year with other folks doing my taxes. Next year it should be simple. Hah! As a retiree I have no idea what is taxable. At least they quit taking out social security.
I had no idea what those flowers were up there. Glad the rest of you did. The bookkeeper and I had to look azaleas up to see if there was a variety that would grow up here. Nope. The cold climate azaleas are Zone 4. We’re 2b, so that would NOT work.
SS is taxed in MN unless you have very little income. We don’t do our own taxes anymore. The SS thing is an issue all the time in the political realm. Paying taxes on taxes you already paid in to get back. All the taxes and fees are beyond belief these days. Most people cannot do their own taxes, unless they are quite simple.
Husband sent taxes in today. We started getting Social Security in October and it was taxed. Double taxation without representation!!!!…only this time it is our own government doing it to us and not the Brits!!🙁
Janice – I am eligible for the free version of TurboTax, so they’re not getting anything from me. 🙂
When I finally get around to going to their site (tomorrow or Friday, hopefully), I will look around on the site to see if I missed seeing something last year.
Kizzie, I use the paid version of TurboTax they send me on a disk, so it may not be the same for you. I haven’t done mine yet this year, but my recollection is that the questions come in half a dozen or so sections, and at the beginning of each section there’s a button at the bottom of the page that says “I don’t have any of these.” Since I stopped itemizing a few years back I just skip sections that way.
Wandering Views 
Good morning, everyone. It is freezing outside! I don’t know how cold it is and don’t want to know. I just know that when I went out to fill the bird feeder at dawn, I had to break ice to uncover their water. Brrrrr. But that doesn’t seem to have discouraged them a bit. I’ve already seen 2 pairs of cardinals and the big red-bellied woodpecker (twice!) at the feeder. I added extra peanuts to the mix this morning since it was so cold. Everybody loves peanuts.
I was up before dawn. I guess this means I have officially caught up with the time change. So no more excuses for sleeping until 10am. :–)
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Good morning, Debra! I slept late since Art stayed at the office to work on quarterly taxes due today. It felt like being on vacation to not get up and cook eggs!
It was below freezing here with those azaleas in full bloom just outside my bedroom window. I won’t look their way today.😒 Or maybe I will take their picture for a Before and After comparison.
The heat pump has switched from blowing the cool air to the emergency heat feature so we get warm air. The house feels cozy without the windchill effect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful blossoms. Hope for the future. 🙂
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Good Morning Everyone. The azealas are beautiful. I somehow remember the name of that one being Henry Clay.
I will be putting a long prayer request up in a little while.
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Morning. Time change still messing with my brain! But those azalea 🌺 sure are a beautiful way to start the day!
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Beautiful azaleas! And they’re easy to grow in pots, I think I still have some out in the backyard if the rains didn’t overwhelm them by now. I used to have them on the front porch, not sure how or why they were moved to the back.
I’m adjusting to this time change better than I have in the past, for some reason.
Lots and lots of rain all night long here, as they promised.
I’ve decided I need to just create an email and attach all my tax stuff to it and send it in asap, as I’ve done in the past few years. I was going to make an in-person appointment this year as I had some questions I wanted to ask him, but now it’s getting late for that and I think I’ll just send everything in today to get it DONE. I can always call or email questions separately.
Their office is about a 30 minute drive so I’d have to take a day off for an in-person appointment or “kill” a Saturday which I don’t like to do.
I just procrastinated too long. This isn’t something I ever “like” to deal with.
On the other hand, with all my huge payments coming up in the next month, I could use the thought of possibly even a modest return coming my way.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good choice for you and them, Dj. The simplest way for these times.
May your refunds be large and frequent!
It is best to file early and avoid the possibility of identity theft where people file for and get refunds in another person’s name. If you get it first they will get rejected. If they get it first then you get rejected and have to get a special number and have to paper file. A big hassle for taxpayer and preparer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Janice @1:09 I was thinking they may now prefer the e-mail-in process. He then e-files pretty quickly from there. I think I owed a bit to the feds last year … but I had a modest refund that offset that amount, plus a little extra, from the state. Kind of a wash, though, after paying the preparer’s bill (which is well worth it, of course!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wes seemed to think his presentation went well to a group of seniors (old folks like us😀) off campus, a volunteer gig. He was totally out of his element. Now I want to talk to him and see how he approached the book, Station Eleven.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_Eleven
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Dj, I am not sure what Art prefers except for people to have everything together so he can finish their return! He tends to enjoy conversation with some clients so I expect he misses that in certain cases (since Covid changed so many things in the industry).
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I got all of my tax things in, we will see about refunds.??
I’m realizing that after so long I know so little.
So I am receiving social security. Since I am retired, is it taxable??
I have no idea what will be taxable next year.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Whew, I managed to get everything sent over via email w/attachements and I just tagged on my questions I would have asked if I’d gone in person at the bottom.
I used to look forward to doing the taxes when it was my former neighbor, Chris, who did them (same office, but he passed away a few years ago). We’d have a nice time catching up, his mom only died maybe 5-7 years ago or so, his mom was a character and she and my mom were good friends in the old neighborhood. She was British, a WWII war bride, active in GOP politics which my mom joined her in doing from time to time. They volunteered for Reagan’s governor’s campaign.
But the new guy who inherited my account from Chris (Chris asked him take his accounts in the event he didn’t survive his illness) isn’t someone I know at all, of course, so that definitely took what fun there may have been in this errand out of the in-person visit each year. And right after my account went to him, the pandemic hit so I think I only saw him one time in person.
We had company online training for social media refresher today, I’m quite behind I’ve learned. Feeling older … I was among those on the front lines of social media when it first hit the news biz, no more I see. 🙂 Oh well.
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And yeah, SS is taxable, I have a chunk withheld every year since I also am still working full time. One of my questions to him was whether I needed to have more withheld going forward.
I don’t think I’d have enough medical out-of-pocket expenses to claim, but asked him that as well. As I recall, that’s a pretty high threshold to meet.
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Jo & DJ – I think it depends on your other income, perhaps. Mine is not taxable because the half-pension I get from Hubby’s years with Hostess is not that big.
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True, if you’re not employed I don’t think it is?
Taxes are a confusing mess, let’s face it.
That’s why we hire the Arts of the world.
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I just had to email our HR department in Denver about whether my 2-month surgery/disability pay was taxed, or not? She said it’s not “taxable” unless I’d been unemployed.
I have no idea when it comes to taxes. I’d probably be in taxpayer jail (for my own stupidity and lack of math skills) if it weren’t for the folks I’ve hired to make sure that doesn’t happen!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Does anyone here know if there is a way to go straight to short-form filing on TurboTax? Last year was the first time I used TurboTax, and it took a long time to figure out and fill in all the info, only to end up not needing to take deductions. I don’t remember seeing a way to go skip putting in all of that other info. (But could have missed it.)
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I’ll visit you in jail.
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Kizzie, I know nothing about Turbo tax but logically imagine there must be a menu upfront about which form you want to file? But maybe not. They may want you to go through a series of questions to make it seem like you got more for what cost you incurred.
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… with a cake. And a file.
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I’ll be okay this year with other folks doing my taxes. Next year it should be simple. Hah! As a retiree I have no idea what is taxable. At least they quit taking out social security.
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I had no idea what those flowers were up there. Glad the rest of you did. The bookkeeper and I had to look azaleas up to see if there was a variety that would grow up here. Nope. The cold climate azaleas are Zone 4. We’re 2b, so that would NOT work.
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Good morning, all?
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SS is taxed in MN unless you have very little income. We don’t do our own taxes anymore. The SS thing is an issue all the time in the political realm. Paying taxes on taxes you already paid in to get back. All the taxes and fees are beyond belief these days. Most people cannot do their own taxes, unless they are quite simple.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Husband sent taxes in today. We started getting Social Security in October and it was taxed. Double taxation without representation!!!!…only this time it is our own government doing it to us and not the Brits!!🙁
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Janice – I am eligible for the free version of TurboTax, so they’re not getting anything from me. 🙂
When I finally get around to going to their site (tomorrow or Friday, hopefully), I will look around on the site to see if I missed seeing something last year.
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DJ – Which one of us are you going to be visiting in jail? (I’ve been gone from this thread for a while and am missing something.)
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Tax mistakes jail. 🙂
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Kizzie, I use the paid version of TurboTax they send me on a disk, so it may not be the same for you. I haven’t done mine yet this year, but my recollection is that the questions come in half a dozen or so sections, and at the beginning of each section there’s a button at the bottom of the page that says “I don’t have any of these.” Since I stopped itemizing a few years back I just skip sections that way.
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I meant to ask you Kizzie how much snow you got.
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Thanks, Kevin. I will keep an eye out for that when I get around to doing my taxes.
We only got a few inches of snow. It was the heavy kind, about to turn to slush, so I was glad to not have to shovel more than what we had.
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