Section
Finance
- 1,205 words
Missed Deductions and Invented Ones Come From the Same Habit. Here Is the Test That Separates Them
Two-thirds of the arguing over allowable expenses comes down to one question about purpose and one about proof. Larger firms answer both on paper before the return is signed.
- 1,190 words
Your Return Gets Read by Lenders, Not Just the IRS. Where an Accountant Earns the Fee
A tax return keeps working long after April, in mortgage files, aid forms and penalty notices. That afterlife is usually where the fee for professional help gets repaid.
- 887 words
Starting at the Beginning Is the Worst Thing to Do in the Final Week
If the six month extension was taken in April and the return is still not finished, the order of work matters more than the hours available.
- 1,152 words
Under Insurance Is Discovered at the Point of a Claim and Never Before
On many policies a dwelling limit set too low reduces the payout on partial losses as well as total ones, which is the part people never expect.
- 1,064 words
Claiming Too Much or Too Little? Both Halves of the Schedule C Problem
Half the errors are people claiming something they cannot. The other half are people quietly paying tax on money they were entitled to keep.
- 1,009 words
Never Read Your Policy? The Twenty Minutes That Show You What It Does Not Cover
A homeowners policy is mostly a list of what is not covered, and the list is organized, findable and shorter than the document suggests.
- 1,017 words
Before Storm Season: The Two Lines on a Declarations Page That Decide a Roof Claim
Wind and hail coverage changed quietly over the last decade. Two lines now determine whether a damaged roof is a small bill or a large one.