I found Turbo Tax in a lot of different stores around here. I think it's still the #1 tax software. I'm going to give TaxAct a try to see how it does. I already did my taxes using Turbo Tax, but decided to d/l TaxAct to see whether it gets the answers right. If so, I may use it as my primary next year. I'll post what I find after trying it out. I started it last night (but didn't finish) and a quick observation is that you have to go through a lot more screens to get something done. I also like the way TurboTax imports things from last year and uses them as a starting point. If you haven't changed employers, that can save some time. The way they prompt with last years' 1099s helped me realize I was missing one. If I had just entered based on what I had, I'd have missed one.

Good for you, Gibby, to allow yourself a little indulgence. You have attended to your security and seem to have a generous nature. What else is the money good for? And I agree with your lack of enthusiam for the financial services industry. I have worked with several different advisors over 25 years, staying with three to the bitter end (a relocation and two, count em, two corporate meltdowns and restructuring ended things.) IOW, it is not that I'm fickle; I'll stick. All were highly recommended, experienced and solid. And did seem genuinely sorry that somehow I kept managing to LOSE money as the stock market spiraled up. "This is so unusual..blah, blah, blah." Meanwhile over in the tax deferred accounts, that I managed over those same decades, we did very well in both good and bad markets. But hope springs eternal. In 2003 I was in a a similar situation to yours, and vetted a number of recommended advisors. The one affiliated with insurance said I neeeded more insurance (duh. I don't). The broker said I was overinsured and should look into these certain mutual funds (duh. all front loaded). And the fee-for-service guys couldn't really effectively address investing one piece of the pie without considering the whole pie, but would be MORE than happy to review everything for X thousand dollars and manage the works for X percent a year. Ugh. Frustrating waste of my time. I researched, made a clear plan and went with Vanguard. It has been fine. Fine enough that perhaps I'll take your lead and get neglected things done around this place!!

When I was very ill with depression, I became overwhelmingly behind in my paperwork. Here is the simple filing system that helped me get caught up! I file routine stuff by date. I have 12 file folders - one for each month. I rotate them so that this month's folder is always at the front and I keep it in front for a few days into the next month. Anything bill that is automatically paid just goes into that folder the minute I open it. The envelope and anything else in the envelope just goes into recycling after I have glanced at it to see what it is. At the end of the year, all the folders have stuff in them. I just reuse them for the next year. I make a big brown envelope with the year written on it and as I move each month's folder to the front, I immediately put last year's stuff into the brown envelope. This means that when tax time comes, I have all that stuff in a folder by year and I can go through it and remove anything needed for tax purposes. I used to keep back copies of bills for a few years but truly I have rarely needed them. If I need one urgently, I can get it from the company. So now I only keep them for a couple of years. Because they are in their own envelopes, by year, I can just take the whole envelope and shred it some time when I'm feeling industrious. When I was getting caught up, I just filed EVERYTHING in the monthly folders. After things settled down, I broke out a few categories. I have an INCOME TAX file that I put stuff in that I know is tax related; I have a file for savings/investments that I track regularly and I have a file called 'cards' where I keep additional copies of car insurance cards, health insurance cards etc. I find it easier to keep up this personally simplified filing system. I rarely need stuff from the monthly files but if I do, I can usually recall approx. when I did what so it's not that hard to go through them. Good luck getting caught up. I have a friend who is a professional accountant and believe me, he is used to folks who are in a panic about their finances and there are huge numbers of these folks. So I would advise you to get a professional tax prep. person to help you if it doesn't work with your sister as they are non-judgmental and used to dealing with folks who have your kind of concerns.

WOW how ever state is different.I thought it was the same in ever state.This is so un-neat.I looked my up.We filed in march.We got our fed back in days.The H&R Block told us that they a lay off in the state dept.so it was going to take longer.When I looked it up all it said we are working on getting your refund back as soon as possible.I guess the lay off did make a defference.We shall see. Does ever one have a H&R Block.I know not ever uses them but I was just wondering if ever state has a H&R Block?I have learnt a lot on this post.