Your taxes are due here in the next week. Yeah, aren’t you glad you’re reading this blog post? I know you almost forgot. So back to taxes (not to be confused with back taxes), if you haven’t already filed there are few things to keep in mind this week.
First of all, don’t be afraid to seek professional in-person help. Is it cheaper to file online? Probably. But if you have a lot of questions or complicated returns, paying someone to walk you through the process is simply the smart thing to do.
This is the year to be extra cautious when it comes to fraud. As you’ve probably already heard from me or other sources, fraudulent filings is a serious issue this year. But what you may not know is you also need to be on alert for fraudulent phone calls from the IRS. I’ve had several scammers call me just this week pretending to be the IRS. My advice? Be very skeptical.
Lastly, tax time is the perfect opportunity to evaluate your numbers since you are already going through them. If you need to have withholding percentages adjusted so you get less of a refund next year or so you don’t owe next year, talk to your HR department. Use this data to make next year better.
You can watch me and Ray talk out the rest of my tips in this Fox59 clip:
Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® is an award-winning financial mind and a former comedian. He’s a USA TODAY columnist, author of ten books, and is the host of the popular radio show and podcast, The Pete the Planner Show. Pete is considered one of the foremost experts on financial wellness in the world, but he’s just as likely to talk your ear off about bass fishing.