gibby3000, So - he's not too interested in money management(?)(!). Learning how money works - is an interesting hobby - that pays well. Next time he sits down on the commode, suggest that he look at the roll of toilet paper ... ... and imagine that the top sheet, sitting there staring him in the face, is a $50.00 bill. That he's about to flush down the toilet. Same for the time after that. And the one after that. If he asks how long he should carry on doing such visualizations, tell him that you don't know - it rather depends on how many stupid mistakes he might make in managing your family's money ... ... after possible expenses related to your final illness, plus funeral costs are paid ... ... when you're no longer around to ask what's the best way to fly. Depends on the size of your assets. And how they are invested. And a number of other things. Like I said - learning how money works is an interesting hobby. That pays well. That they shoud teach more of in school - but don't. That we should learn more of at home - but (often) don't. Some years ago when I showed a display at a Fall Fair in a nearby town, one guy asked me what right I had to call myself a financial planner - and I said I learned how to manage money differently than most town folks ... ... when I grew up on the farm. He said that had nothing to do with it. Oh, yes, it does. And I told him of some of my other qualifications, as well. Have a glorious weekend. Save and invest 10% of your money ... ... and ... ... retire early. An article in what I consider Canada's pre-eminent personal money management magazine carried an article recently by a guy who retired at 34. He's happy - he says. I'm not about to dispute his word on that. ole joyful P.S. Also suggest to hubby that you don't recommend that he develop a habit of becoming anally retentive, O.K? o j (not orange juice)

I have used HR Block on line for years..Think it cost 30 dollars or so and its a hand holding simple walk you thru it, read carefully and fill in the blanks. Its free to do it until you go to file and that is when you pay. I dont even have to enter our basic information anymore..Its all saved..of course it gives you the chance to change anything that might need to be changed..ie when our daughter got married and we could no longer claim her. Give it a try!

Hi powerful in Zion, You like to spend money a lot? Where did you learn that? At home - and were your parents rich? Or from TV? Those advertisers want to convince us to buy stuff ... that'll make it worthwhile for them to run those ads. If the folks who watch the ads don't spend enough to make the increased profit more than enough to pay for the ads ... they quit advertising. So who pays for the ads? You do! Do you like being poor? Many don't. But ... if you want to spend, spend, spend ... ... get used to being poor ... cause you'll likely be that way all through your life. I'd recommend a suggestion that has been made several times, here. Keep track of every cent that you spend, for a while. Separate the spending out according to category. Don't tell us about it ... just look at it yourself ... and see whether that's the way you want to trade your time (i.e. the hours that you worked to earn the dollars that you traded for all of that stuff). By the way, everyone ... ... every one of us has a home-based business. And - we have employees. Most of us, as the usual kind of employee, expect to get paid for the time that we invest where we work. If we don't - we don't stay at that place long! Or, if we're an employer and don't pay our employees, they won't be around for very long! But, in your second business, you have employees, but you don't have to pay them! As a matter of fact, most of the time ... ... they _ pay _ you!! I tell this story to kids, to help them understand how money works, and I tell them that if they send a couple of their employees out to buy ice cream, the ice cream tastes great. But ... the employees that they sent out to buy it - stay at the ice cream shop. They're gone. They won't work for you any more. But if you hang on to some of those Dollar-employees, they'll work for you as long as you hang on to them. With one exception ... if you put them into the mattress ... they go to sleep! Same with the ones in your wallet ... they're not working. And, if you put them into the bank, they only work an hour or so per day! Your job, as usual employers, is to make your employees work smart! You want those invested Dollar-employees to bring in nickels and dimes ... that eventually grow into more dollars like themselves. If you don't have Dollars invested ... you don't have that home-based business that supplements your regular income! On the day that you started work ... you had brains and hands at work ... and no money. On the day that you retire ... you have brains and money at work ... and no hands. If you don't have money at work ... you can't retire! Good wishes for learning how money works ... and putting some of it to work for you. Working smart, too. ole joyful

" you don't need to get them into presentable order unless you are audited." You are correct. For annual returns that's something accountants tell stories about over drinks after work. "What's the biggest mess anyone dumped on your desk today?" Accountants are accustomed to seeing records in shoe boxes. That's how i did it every year til he so kindly pointed out what my time was worth compared to his. January first my records might be anywhere between desk,shoe boxes,glove compartment to bedside stand. Before I turn them over to the accountant I've organized them in files and transfered #s to spread sheets. In the case of say a rent house,I give him a single amount for repair and maintainance,depreciable purchases for each period,travel milage and so forth for items I'm certain go in that catagory. If I'm uncertain where the expense/income fit's,the actual reciept is attached to a sheet of paper with hand writen note(s) if nessary. Very few and sometimes no reciepts,checks and other documents ever go to accountant's office. Tax preparation fee dropped a bunch after I started that. That's not an audit but sure is good rehearsel in case one ever must be dealt with.