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All about me, AKA shameless plug time

April 3, 2009

My dear hubby and book PR people keep telling me I need to share more. No, not all the icky personal stuff, but tax- and book-related items that pop up here there, now and then.

They're probably right, but don't tell my husband I said that!

What with tax season hitting high gear, such reviews, interviews, mentions and stories I've written for places other than my regular Bankrate gig have been piling up. So rather than piecemeal them out, here they are in one comprehensive post for you to enjoy (or ignore! but I hope not!) as you please.

Truth_About_Paying_Fewer_Taxes_SKB-book
First the book: My tax blogging colleague William Perez took time out of his busy schedule, which includes writing About.com: Tax Planning: U.S., to review The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes. I'm pleased to report that he had some nice things to say. For instance:

"Bell's explanation of the progressive tax rates is superb. She discusses how to use the tax rates to figure out what will be the tax impact of getting a raise or earning extra investment income. Bell also provides smart tips for retirement savings, explaining the essential features of IRAs, 401(k) plans, and rollovers."

Check out William's full review, and while you're there, be sure to poke around the rest of his fine blog for some tax-filing tips.

Source samples: In recent weeks, I also put on my tax expert source hat a couple of times.

I spoke with Geoff Williams back in March for a piece he wrote about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for WalletPop. One of the tax breaks in that stimulus package that we discussed was the new first-home buyers credit:

"That's a pretty good one," says Kay Bell, author of The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes and who writes a blog, Don't Mess with Taxes. "It's vastly improved on the other version. Before, there was a $7,500 first-time home buyers credit, but you had to eventually pay it back. That was a bait and switch. Basically," she chuckles, "if you're going to call it a credit, make it a credit, and they've done that, and that's a vast improvement."

More insights are offered in the full article, Stimulate US: New tax credits that will help you in April 2010.

Then in the April issue of Smart Money magazine (both online and the dead tree issue on your local newsstand), you'll find me quoted in 10 Things the IRS Won't Tell You. I'm in #3, "Fear is often our best weapon," and #8, "April 15 isn't necessarily a hard deadline," but be sure to read all 10.

Credit card rewards and taxes: I also managed to squeeze in some extra writing — sleep is terribly overrated! — about potential taxation of your credit card rewards.

Since the IRS is so diligent about collecting taxes on as much as it can, are those reward program proceeds considered taxable income? I don't want to spoil the surprise, so head on over to CreditCards.com for the answer.

That's it, for now. Thanks for your indulgence and support. We will be returning to our regular blogging about taxes instead of me shortly.

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Credits/Deductions
Disasters
Family
Filing and Paying Taxes
Politics/Laws
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