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This is the time of year that many people start thinking about their taxes. There is time left in 2014 to reduce a tax bill, and there are a number of ways to do that. For those among us who have a little extra cash, it may be time to think about donating to a...

California law now allows taxpayers to claim a credit for donating to the Cal Grant B program. The program helps low-income students in the state pay for college books and housing. In an effort to increase the amount of money and the number of students who benefit,...

The news is full of stories about the student loan debt crisis. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported recently that the debt burden  for both private and federal loans in this country has topped $1.2 trillion And, more than 7 million American borrowers...

Michael Jackson's music lives on, and, apparently so do the problems with his estate. The entertainer died more than five years ago, but the IRS is still trying to determine -- and collect -- the tax on the estate. Remember, Jackson died in California, so the only...

Effective tax and estate planning is often about accounting for trade-offs. Depending on what is included in your particular estate, charitable giving may offer a trade-off that maximizes benefits for you and your family. It is necessary to use the right legal...

We often wonder why we remember some things so clearly but cannot remember why we went into the kitchen. Recently, we were reading an article about Michael Jackson's estate, and a discussion from our high school American history class came back. We were talking about...

Many of the country’s wealthiest families live in the state of California. And many of these families have been involved in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service over estate taxes following the death of a loved one. Estate tax is the tax applied on the property...

Scammers have been contacting taxpayers in California and Oregon lately telling them they owe money to the federal government. The taxpayer must pay immediately, the caller says, and only by wire transfer or temporary debit card. Saying no reportedly earns an...

Conservative news agency Breitbart News Network is reportedly speaking out against the Internal Revenue Service’s decision to subject the network to a tax audit. The subject of the audit is the company’s 2012 financial information. Sources say that it isn't clear...

Life would be much simpler if we could just say that online sellers need to understand sales taxes and consumers need to understand use taxes. In some ways, it's true. As we explained in our last post, though, consumers really have to be aware of the laws about both....