May
16
Believe It Or Not – Gas is Cheap in the United States – Gas Prices – Part 2
May 16, 2008 | 3 Comments
Do you believe that gasoline is cheap in the United States? According to CNN Money, fuel (gas, petrol, oil, diesel) in the US is relatively cheap in the US compared to other countries. Why is that and could it be even cheaper? This is the second article in a multi-part series on gas prices in [...]
May
15
Gas Prices – Part 1 – Why Does Gas Cost So Much?
May 15, 2008 | 3 Comments
Gas prices are rising daily. What is driving the increased cost of gas and fuel in general? Why does gas cost so much? Whats the biggest driver of gasoline prices? This is multi-part series on the prices of fuel (gasoline, petrol, oil, diesel), why gas costs so much and what makes up the price of [...]
May
14
Stimulus Payment: Do My Children Qualify?
May 14, 2008 | 16 Comments
If you have children, they may earn you an additional $300 each this year. That's because the economic stimulus package allows for an additional payment for each qualifying child in your household. How will I know if my children qualify? The IRS has some basic requirements. First the child has to have a valid SSN [...]
May
13
TurboTax VP Answering Your Stimulus Payment Questions
May 13, 2008 | 25 Comments
It's not often a company actively answers questions, especially on a web site they don't manage. That's why I was a little surprised to see comments on this site from Bob Meighan, a Vice President at Intuit, the company that makes TurboTax. TurboTax has taken a lot of heat from people upset over the confusion [...]
May
12
The economic stimulus package payments are on their way to millions of Americans. The IRS has gone out of it's way to ensure everyone knows about it. Those with low incomes can file their taxes online for free just to qualify for the stimulus payment. But what if you make too much and how much [...]
May
9
More frequently asked questions regarding the Economic Stimulus Payment (Rebate): What if my spouse owes money? What will happen to our stimulus payment? Will the IRS keep it all even though part of that money is for me and my children? The IRS Will Keep Your Money The IRS can keep your stimulus money (and [...]
May
8
Is the Economic Stimulus Payment Taxable Income?
May 8, 2008 | 12 Comments
Is the economic stimulus payment (rebate) considered taxable income? A few readers have asked that question so I figured I'd address it. Economic Stimulus Payment is NOT Taxable Income The simple answer is that the economic stimulus payment (rebate) is not considered taxable income by the IRS. So you won't have to count the stimulus [...]
May
7
Didn't get your full economic stimulus payment this year? Good news, you have a second chance to get your stimulus money in 2009. Didn't Get the Full Stimulus Payment? Many people didn't get the full stimulus payment. There are several reasons for this. A large number of people had to file amended tax returns. Several [...]
May
6
How I Spent My Stimulus Payment
May 6, 2008 | 6 Comments
With all the serious questions about the IRS Stimulus Package, I was getting a little burned out. I thought I'd take a break from the serious stuff and instead look at the other side. What are people spending their stimulus payment on? I came across this website where people are posting about how they spend [...]
May
6
It seems a lot of people still have questions about how the amount of the stimulus payment is determined. The IRS provides a calculator on it's web site. So it's easy to find out how much should should get, but it's not so easy to see why you are getting that amount. The IRS Stimulus [...]