Taxes

If you provide your tax pro with well-organized, complete, and totaled data, your fee may be lower.

By keeping track of tax documentation during the year, you cut down on the stress of preparing your data for the following year.

The words “vacation” and “taxes” don’t seem to go together, do they? Most people would prefer a vacation from taxes, not a vacation with taxes.

Look, no one wants to admit to a bad investment, but sometimes, you just have to cut the cord. And that separation will help your tax bill in April.

Money taken from your 401(k) will be taxed as ordinary income, but it can get complicated.

Paying your January mortgage and yearly property taxes in December pays off at tax time.

Contributing to charity not only makes you feel good, but it is a great way to get your tax bill down, especially if you itemize your deductions.

Beware. Unless you understand the highly complex U.S. tax code, you may miss valuable deductions or send up a red flag for audit.

If you got a big tax refund last year -- like over $1,000 – why should Uncle Sam get to play with your money all year? Why not give yourself a Christmas bonus and go reduce the amount of taxes withheld for the rest of the month? 

You must take into consideration several factors when calculating capital gains tax.

A good rule of thumb is that your marital status at the end of the year determines your filing status.

Call a lawyer and a tax professional if you’re going through a divorce.

The tax laws that expired at the end of 2013 benefited many taxpayers. Congress will now determine if they are worthy of revival. Here’s what you need to know.

IRS2GO can help you keep track of your taxes.

Take action to make it difficult for identity thieves to steal your tax refund.

Starting in 2015, taxpayers will be allowed to roll over just one IRA account per year.

A version of this article appeared in the October 2014 Consumer Reports Money Adviser.

Giving gifts can be a taxable event.

Some tax documents can go in the shredder after three or four years. Others you might want to hold onto forever.

Last week Internal Revenue Service commissioner John Koskinen reported to a congressional subcommittee about certain upcoming changes within the Internal Revenue Service.  Much of the discussion pertained to the IRS’s progress on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the impact of the new regulations for next tax season.