TurboTax
Another kind of weak Tools for Tuesday post, but, at least it’s better than nothing.
One reason I don’t have something better than this for you all this week is, well, taxes. One of the many, many things I have to get accomplished with far too little time to get them all done, including the posts on my two blogs. As I’m sure you all are aware, tax day is just around the corner and, even though I vowed to get it done early this year, I’ll be scrambling to get my tax returns filled out and submitted in time. If not for [amazon_link id=”B00FFINOWS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]TurboTax[/amazon_link], I’d never get it done.
Of course, the real benefit comes from using it year after year, because it will pull your information from last year, reducing the amount of data you have to enter. And, it will show you how you did, tax-wise, this year compared to last year, which is kind of nice to know.
This year, one feature that last minute users like me may find useful is that you can actually download this from Amazon.com and not have to wait for shipping or for the morning when a store might be open. Again, I’m already busy enough without having to try and get out to a store to buy this at the last minute. And, speaking of last minute, using the [amazon_link id=”B00FFINOWS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]TurboTax[/amazon_link] software, I can submit my return digitally, which means having the ability to cut it a little closer than normal with a little less worry. (And, okay, sure, it helps that my wife made a file for all the important 2013 tax information, so I have all that in one place instead of just shoved under my keyboard all year.) In theory, though I haven’t actually done this myself, TurboTax can interact with Quicken, which I also use, and help me to maximize my deductions and get me the biggest return. Since one of my goals for the year is to get into better financial shape, not just for myself but for my lovely wife, too, I’ll probably look into that sometime this year, too. Financial health is a big deal and taxes are a big part of that.
Also, if you’re an iPhone user, there’s an iPhone app that will let you know how soon you’ll get your refund. You can download that and plug in the information from your [amazon_link id=”B00FFINOWS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]TurboTax[/amazon_link] submission and the app will let you know when your refund arrives.
So, maybe not the sexiest tool, but one that I find pretty useful!
