PersonalDollar.com

All you need to know about cutting your taxes...this year and every year!

• The truth about maximizing all your legal deductions and credits
• The truth about smart tax planning for today and for the long term
• The truth about avoiding IRS audits and costly tax penalties

Simply the best thinking

THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

This book reveals 52 PROVEN bite-size, easy tax savings techniques that work.

“Kay Bell’s blog aims to provide tax and personal-finance tips and advice that will put more money in your bank account, not the government treasury.”

The Wall Street Journal

Introduction     vii

Part I: The Truth About Filing Requirements

Truth 1: Not everyone has to file     1

Truth 2: Figuring out your filing status     5

Truth 3: Filling out the right form     9

Truth 4: Meeting filing deadlines     13

Part II: The Truth About Taxable Income

Truth 5: Determining what's taxable     17

Truth 6: Earned versus unearned income     21

Truth 7: The alternative minimum tax     25

Truth 8: Our progressive tax system     29

Part III: The Truth About Credits and Deductions

Truth 9: Why credits are better     33

Truth 10: Standard versus itemized deductions     39

Truth 11: Dealing with deduction limitations     43

Truth 12: Maximizing charitable deductions     47

Truth 13: Deducting without itemizing     51

Part IV: The Truth About Taxes and Your Family

Truth 14: Marriage and taxes     55

Truth 15: Innocent and injured spouse issues     59

Truth 16: Tax implications of divorce     63

Truth 17: Claiming exemptions and dependents     67

Truth 18: Adoption assistance     71

Truth 19: Child and additional child tax credits     75

Truth 20: Tax help in caring for your kids (and others)      79

Truth 21: Tax-favored college savings options     83

Truth 22: When a child has to file     87

Truth 23: Taking tax-smart care of a parent     91

Part V: The Truth About Taxes and Your Employment

Truth 24: Getting your withholding right     95

Truth 25: Tax-favored employer-provided benefits     99

Truth 26: Recouping employee business expenses     103

Truth 27: Writing off job-hunting costs     107

Truth 28: Tax help in paying work-related moving costs     111

Truth 29: Self-employment tax considerations     115

Part VI: The Truth About Taxes and Your Home

Truth 30: Mortgage interest deduction     119

Truth 31: Writing off your property taxes     123

Truth 32: Increasing your home's tax basis     127

Truth 33: Home-sale tax exclusion     131

Part VII: The Truth About Investment Taxes

Truth 34: Capital gains rules and rates     135

Truth 35: How bad investments can pay off     139

Truth 36: Reporting investment income     143

Truth 37: Wash sale rules     147

Truth 38: Accounting for the kiddie tax     151

Part VIII: The Truth About Retirement Taxes

Truth 39: Individual retirement accounts     155

Truth 40: Company retirement plans     159

Truth 41: Retirement saver's credit     163

Truth 42: Retirement plan rollovers     167

Truth 43: Taxable Social Security benefits     171

Truth 44: Required minimum distributions     175

Truth 45: Estate taxes, or leaving it to your heirs, not the IRS     179

Part IX: The Truth About Tax Compliance

Truth 46: The trouble with tax protests     183

Truth 47: Payment options     187

Truth 48: Tax penalties     191

Part X: The Truth About Audits

Truth 49: Minimizing audit risks     195

Truth 50: Preparing for an audit     199

Part XI: The Truth About Special Tax Situations

Truth 51: Taxpayers abroad and military filers     203

Truth 52: Tax help in disastrous times     207

Epilogue     211

About the Author     212