About the Book (Excerpts & Info)

A clear and concise guide for organizing and preserving expense records for writers as a sole proprietorship under current rules and regulations using Schedule C and its supplements of the 1040 IRS forms. Vital tips for preventing identity theft, keeping your computer free of virus, worm and other headaches, personal security planning and designing worry free book tours. Contains a list of all 50 states and DC as to their sales tax percentage and contact information.

Deftly constructed at 140 pages, Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007 is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the Taxation category. With U.S. wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and pervasive online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007 meets consumer demand through both retail and library markets with a suggested retail price of $9.95.

Additionally, Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007 can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of ten or more from the Outskirts Press wholesale online bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/buybooks

ISBN: 9781432703639 Format: 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback SRP: $9.95

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/nashblack

About the Author

Nash Black is the husband and wife team of Ford Nashett and Irene Black. Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors is a departure from fiction into the arena of federal income taxes and other financial concerns for authors. They bring their extensive background as small business owners, IRS audits, and research skills to this volume. The creators of the fictional Brewster County series, Qualifying Laps and Sins of the Fathers invited you to visit them at: brewsterco @ duo-county.com.

About Outskirts Press, Inc.

Outskirts Press offers turn-key, custom book publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast and flexible way to publish and distribute their books while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press, Inc. represents the future of book publishing, today.

Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134

http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS

If you are of a particular income level you may qualify for free income tax preparation. I did and found it amazingly efficient if not scary. First, the IRS and the government haven't a direct involvement with the computerized determination of your tax or of its' filing. They have outsourced this most private of all relationships outside of one's doctor, minister or spouse. This is the first place that I found it to be very scary. The government has you take a test or survey as to whether you meet their criteria for free tax preparation service. This involves giving them your age, residence, estimated gross income, marital status and so on into your very personal life. When and if you qualify for the free service they let you select an outsourced service that you know absolutely nothing about. One of the only things that keep complete terror at abeyance is that the IRS has scrupulously evaluated their credentials and has certified them as an acting agent before the IRS. I guess this means if the outsourced service screws you up that the IRS squashes them and you at the same time! Small comfort, however you can contact your Taxpayer Advocate at 1-877-777-4748 if any issues or problems arise.

I selected a service which is famous for developing accounting software and one that I have had a personal relationship. They were extremely efficient and were able when I had a few unforeseen problems to interrupt the filing procedure; and then pick up where they left off with flawlessly. All of these services whether free or paid submit the income tax returns in batch daily to the IRS. This means that you will have to wait approximately 4-7 days for verification of your return's accuracy and filing. If you desire to have your refund deposited to your bank you must give both the routing and account number to your respective bank. I didn't feel like giving that information and elected to have the state and federal governments mail my refunds. This was a delay of only two weeks which was great. The old system could take at least several months under the best circumstances. You can read more about preparing your taxes at http://www.taxattorneyresource.com

If you want to have your taxes prepared by one of the regularly advertised agencies be prepared by bring all your pertinent tax records. It might be advantageous to make an appointment and inquire into their requirements. They in turn will prepare your taxes, file them and for an additional fee had you your return on the spot. They will be using the same system that cared for me however slightly faster.

Article by Dean Forster at http://www.taxattorneyresource.com. A resource on tax attorneys, tax preparation and finding a good attorney at Tax Attorney

"Simple home upgrades can pay off for months to come," said H&R Block Tax Professional Maggie Doedtman. "Energy-efficient improvements save on heating and cooling costs, and they qualify taxpayers for valuable tax benefits."

Unlike deductions, which reduce the amount of income that's subject to tax, credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions on the amount of income tax paid.

Taxpayers who are considering larger projects have even more to gain. The Residential Energy-Efficient Property Credit is an incentive to install money-saving solar panels, high-efficiency water heaters, fuel cells and other big-ticket items. The credit is worth as much as 30 percent of the investment and remains in effect through 2008.

"This credit is for major investments that probably require more than a do-it-yourself approach," Doedtman said. "Congress has provided a bigger credit to make it worth the taxpayer's time and effort."

More information about energy-efficiency tax credits for automobiles and homes is available at www.hrblock.com. Taxpayers also can visit one of more than 4,000 H&R Block offices that are open year-round to speak with a tax professional about their tax and financial needs.

About H&R Block

H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is a leading provider of tax, financial, and accounting and business consulting services and products. H&R Block is the world's largest tax services provider, having prepared more than 400 million tax returns since 1955. The company and its subsidiaries reported revenues of $4.0 billion and net income from continuing operations of $374.3 million in fiscal year 2007. The company has continuing operations in three principal business segments: Tax Services (income tax return preparation and related services and products via in-office, online and software solutions); Business Services (accounting, tax and business consulting services primarily for midsized companies); and Consumer Financial Services (brokerage services, investment planning and related financial advice along with full-service consumer banking). Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., H&R Block markets its continuing services and products under two leading brands - H&R Block and RSM McGladrey. For more information visit our Online Press Center at www.hrblock.com.

Tip 1: Hiring A Professional Team

Before you go any further, the first thing to consider that is utterly important is having a professional team working for you. When it comes to filing taxes, you may believe that you can do this work yourself, and you may be able to do so. But, you should consider a team of professionals to help you to do it better.

? Hire a professional tax accountant that will manage your money. He or she can offer advice all year long about the right decisions to make with your finances. This will include situations like capital gains and tax debt that you may already have.

? Hire a professional financial planner that will manage your investments. They can help you to set up retirement tax planning methods that will allow you to put away your money for retirement without having to pay taxes on that income. They can help you with various other situations too, such as what investments to make and how to structure them to avoid estate taxes.

? Hire a professional tax attorney to help you to manage problematic situations. If you are facing tax debt, IRS payment plans, or you need to work through bankruptcy of your tax debt, they can offer the most advice to get you through the situation without a problem.

Tip 2: Get Current And Stay There

The largest way to pay too much in taxes is simply to pay fees through penalties and interest payments. If you have back taxes or you have not filed a return, do so. You would work through the IRS Appeals Office to determine if there are any things that can be done to work through the issues that you have and do not agree with. Most importantly, work with the IRS to get into a payment plan so that you can reduce the taxes that you currently owe. You may be able to offer a payment that will be enough to pay off everything or your may qualify for tax amnesty. In any case, once you get current, you are less likely to face the costs of penalties.

Tip 3: Get Everything You Can

Through tax planning, you should be able to structure your daily life to reflect an interest in not paying too much in taxes. For example, you can make adjustments to the retirement income you are putting away so that you are putting away the most that you can and not paying income tax on it. You may want to consider doing some home remodeling. Did you know that currently you can qualify for a tax deduction if you use energy efficient furnaces and windows (not to mention other major appliances in your home or business?)

There are various types of deductions that you are likely to have and therefore you should be striving to get every one of them. Chances are good that you will see an increase in your tax refunds if you do take the time to go through these situations! Your tax professionals can help you to accomplish this, too.

By taking advantage of the resources that are available to you throughout the web, through the IRS and through your tax professionals, you can better improve your chances of not overpaying the government the money that should be in your pocket. It's essential that you take the time to structure your financial goals to reflect tax savings whenever possible. After all, it is your money!

Steve Peterson owns and operates http://www.irspenaltiesreport.com IRS Penalties Report

First and foremost, the home business owner must consider the variety of space savers that will help him maximize his office space. Shelves save incredible amounts of space and cost relatively little for what they do. Remember that you do not need the mahogany bookcase you saw recently at Office Depot, but a simple set of pressboard shelves and metal brackets from the local hardware store will do the job. Put up your shelves, and move those important documents from underneath the desk to the shelves, well out of the reach of little fingers.

Create a kid zone in the office. You came home to work so you could spend time with your kids, and yet you will only create horrible memories for them and yourself if you constantly spend time screaming, "Don't touch that!" Instead, set up a small area in the corner of the office with a sort of mini desk. Maybe your toddler wants to mimic you. Give them paper and crayons so they can work as you work at your desk. Make them respect the physical boundaries in the office. If you do not want them on your desk, tell them that and then discipline them when they violate those boundaries. One of the dearest pictures of John F. Kennedy and his son John Jr. has John Jr. as a child playing in the alcove under his father's desk as his father meets with cabinet members in the office. John Jr. knew where he could play, and this created a sort of bond between father and son that remains famous to this day thanks to that picture. You do not have to ban your children from the office, but you do need to create boundaries.

Finally, if you do not already have one, create a home office. You should have one specific space that works as your home office. The kitchen table is not a desk, and the countertops are not shelves. You should not have a roaming office from the kitchen to the living room to the den. If you do not have a place for an office, make a place. Consider the corner of the garage or the corner of the laundry room. Find a place and make it the office until you can have a genuine home office.

The home business should not suffer because of the tiny administrative assistants or the cramped quarters. If you came home to spend time with your kids, then find a way to do both work and spend time with them. Do not ban them, but create boundaries. And then you can learn to both make a living and enjoy your children.

Jim Biscardi is owner of Dynamic Wealth Systems, LLC and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Jim recommends you visit: http://www.DynamicWealthSystems.com

Democrats point to tobacco as another way to pay for the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Health Insurance Consultant, Morgan Moran of Florida Health Insurance Web said, leaders want to pay for the plan with a 45 cent increase (excise tax) on every pack of cigarettes sold. They would also lower payments to many insurance plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program over the next four years.

Moran said, "When this bill hits the Senate, "they will consider the tax cigarettes" which could raise 60 billion over the next five years.

President Bush speaking at a press conference said "he would veto the insurance bill." The President has made his feeling clear about health insurance saying American's have health insurance, if they're sick, and need a doctor, they can go to the emergency room." Some members of Congress, like Pete Stark from California said, "historians will deal with that."

Insurance specialist Moran said, "more than 6 million people, including about 600,000 adults," get health insurance coverage ( www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com ) each year through SCHIP. The federal government pays for about 70 percent of the SCHIP program and the states like Florida pay the rest.

The health insurance bill is quite long and deals with much more than SCHIP. It would eliminate cost-sharing for preventive services in Medicare, such as cancer screenings. In addition, it reduces the co-payment on mental health outpatient services from 50 percent to 20 percent.

The insurance bill would also freeze reimbursement rates for some Medicare providers next year, such as: home health agencies, nursing homes and long-term care hospital. Moran said, "the new insurance bill takes on the new Medicare drug benefit." Currently, Medicare recipients must have less than $11,700 in assets to qualify for extra help in paying for their medicine. The new House bill would increase that payment threshold to around $17,000.

Moran estimates, "the overall cost of the bill at about $90 billion over five years." On Fox News, Republican leaders have made it clear that "they believe the proposed expansion of SCHIP is too large."

The ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, Jim McCrery who is against the measure released a statement saying "The health insurance bill will continue to increase taxpayer-funded coverage for adults and middle-class children and move the United States toward a system of completely government-controlled health care". Democrats said the bill would allow 5 million uninsured children to become insured and deny that the proposal would expand eligibility for the program.

About Florida Health Insurance Web

Florida Health Insurance Web is an online source of health insurance agents and insurance carriers covering individuals in the state of Florida. Individuals can get insurance quotes, search rates online by city, read current insurance news and events. For a directory and archive of Florida Health Insurance Consultants, a listing of the best rates and free quotes, please visit www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com.

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