- June 22, 2012Summer officially arrived at 7:09 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 20, and the heat wave was right on time. Eastern…
- June 21, 2012It's mid-afternoon and I'm sitting at my desk wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Why am I sharing today's attire choice,…
- June 20, 2012A couple of weeks ago on my neighborhood walk I found myself wondering if every parent in my suburban community…
- June 19, 2012John Edwards, now Roger Clemens. Before that we had the reversal of the bungled corruption case against the late Sen.…
- June 19, 2012When we talk about taxes, most of the time we focus on the amount of federal income tax we pay.…
- June 18, 2012It's been a crazy Monday. It began with the regular start-of-the-week chaos: Following up what I didn't finish last week,…
- June 18, 2012California smokers might be puffing a bit nervously today as the Proposition 29 tally continues. Golden State election officials still…
- June 17, 2012On special family-related days, a lot of attention is given to the traditional unit: mom, dad, kids. But the reality…
- June 17, 2012Happy Father's Day! Fatherhood generally doesn't get as much appreciation as motherhood. That's understandable. In most societies, moms are more…
- June 16, 2012Own a business? Hired a vet? Be sure you check out the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. And be sure to…
- June 16, 2012There's no question that when tax rates are lowered, the U.S. Treasury collects less money. And everyone agrees that when…
- June 15, 2012Today's the tax filing deadline for most servicemen and women stationed abroad, but in addition to paying attention to what…
- June 14, 2012I know all the careful readers of the ol' blog have already taken note of the left column note that…
- June 14, 2012If your week has been as crazy as mine, then tomorrow's impending tax filing deadline might have sneaked up on…
- June 13, 2012North Dakota voters decided Tuesday that they didn't want to be the only state without any property taxes. Measure 2,…
- June 13, 2012Which health care provisions will survive U.S. Supreme Court scrutiny? That's a question a lot of folks are asking, including…
- June 12, 2012I'm not a basketball fan, but I know the professional game shares something with all other major league sports: Rich…
- June 11, 2012Receiving one of the various 1099 forms usually means that you also received taxable income. Note the word "usually." A…
- June 10, 2012NOTE: While this online assistance program for students and parents seeking financial aid for college still exists, it was taken…
- June 9, 2012What better way to spend a Saturday than considering budgets? I know you've been thinking about Uncle Sam's bottom line,…
- June 8, 2012Flexible spending accounts to cover medical costs tend to get a lot of attention at the end of the year.…
- June 7, 2012It looks like cigarette smokers in California will be spared an added $1 per pack excise tax. Officially, the vote…
- June 6, 2012Don't panic. Father's Day isn't until Sunday, June 17. But since dads are usually a bit harder to shop for…
- June 6, 2012At sundown 79 years ago, moviegoers were treated to a really big screen presentation. On June 6, 1933, Richard Hollingshead,…
- June 5, 2012It's been one of those crazy days (weeks, actually, and it's just Tuesday!) where I think about having a cigarette.…
- June 5, 2012Ginny Hopkins had been waiting and waiting and waiting for her federal tax refund check. After all, $754 was a…
- June 4, 2012On June 4, 1912, Massachusetts enacted the first minimum wage law in the United States. The Bay State's wage law…
- June 3, 2012The Internal Revenue Service doesn't need campaigning politicians or government statistics to know that many folks still are having a…
- June 2, 2012Thursday, May 31, was World No Tobacco Day. Yeah, it slipped right past me, too. And while it looks like…
- June 1, 2012Same-sex couples generally must do twice the work at tax-filing time than traditional husband and wife taxpayers. That's because the…
- June 1, 2012Welcome to summer! OK. So the hottest season of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere doesn't officially begin until…
- May 31, 2012First $250,000 was designated the dividing line between wealthy taxpayers and the rest of us mere mortals. Then along came…
- May 30, 2012You just got home from a quick Memorial Day holiday trip, but if you're planning more travel this summer, you…
- May 30, 2012We humans are a funny, and stubborn, lot. It seems that, as the saying goes, we are doomed to repeat…
- May 29, 2012It's primary day here in Texas. Thank goodness! I'm a life-long political junkie, but I've gone beyond even caring about…
- May 28, 2012Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was established just after the Civil War as a way to remember the…
- May 27, 2012As the April filing deadline neared, I asked did a crook file your taxes? For many folks in Florida, the…
- May 26, 2012The arrival of the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, means it's time for my…
- May 25, 2012Today is one of those days that really makes you think twice, or more, about commemorations and the state of…
- May 24, 2012Summer is almost here and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is getting in the spirit of the season. The nonpartisan…