Weirding Word®

12 Tax Deductions That Will Disappear This Year

A guest blog by Brian Wendroff

To address the budget and other issues, Congress is enacting more and more tax provisions on a temporary basis. Some become permanent while others expire by the end of the year. While CPA firms strive to stay on top of ever change in the Tax Code, it's almost impossible for the individual taxpayer.

So check out the following list of 12 last-chance opportunities for personal tax savings in 2009. Or see the complete list of 21 last-chance opportunities for business and personal tax deductions. That way you can at least say you saw it coming. Or going, as it were.

1. Income. Up to $2,400 of unemployment compensation is excluded from the gross income of the recipient. However, this exclusion will not be available for benefits received in tax years beginning after 2009 [IRC Sec. 85(c)].


2. Personal deductions. You can claim a deduction (whether you itemize or claim the standard deduction) for sales or excises taxes paid on the purchase of a new vehicle. The deduction (phased out at higher income levels) does not apply to purchases after December 31, 2009 [IRC Sec. 164(b)(6)(G)].


3. Personal deductions. If you claim the standard deduction, take an additional deduction for state and local property taxes, up to a maximum of $500 ($1,000 for joint return filers). The deduction is not available for tax years beginning after 2009 [IRC Sec. 63(c)(7)].


4. Personal deductions. You can elect to take an itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes instead of an itemized deduction for state and local income taxes, but the election is available only for tax years beginning before Jan. 1, 2010 [IRC Sec. 164(b)(5)(I)].


5. Personal deductions. You can claim an above-the- line deduction for "qualified tuition and related expenses" paid for the enrollment or attendance of yourself, your spouse or a dependent at an eligible institution of higher education. The deduction cannot exceed $4,000 (phased out at higher income levels) and applies only to tax years beginning before January 1, 2010 [IRC Sec. 222(e)].


6. Personal deductions. The maximum deduction allowed annually for charitable donations is increased in the case of "qualified conservation contributions." The increased deduction is not available for donations after December 31, 2009 [IRC Sec. 170(b)(1)(E)].


7. Personal tax credits. If you haven't owned a home in the previous three years, you can claim a first-time homebuyer credit of up to $8,000 (phased out at higher income levels) for the purchase of a principal residence. The credit can be claimed only for homes purchased before December 1, 2009. It is rumored that this credit may rise to $15,000 in 2010, but that's still just a rumor. [IRC Sec. 36].


8. Alternative minimum tax. You can offset nonrefundable personal tax credits, such as the child and dependent care credit and the Lifetime Learning credit, against their alternative minimum liability. The offset will not be available for tax years beginning after 2009 [IRC Sec. 26(a)(2)].


9. Alternative minimum tax. In 2010, the exemption amounts used in calculating a client's alternative minimum taxable income of $70,950 for married couples filing a joint return and $46,700 for singles and heads of households are scheduled to drop to $45,000 and $33,750, respectively [IRC Sec. 55(d)(1)].


10. Retirement plans. The requirement that an IRA owner age 70 ½ or over must receive a minimum distribution annually is suspended for 2009, but will be reinstated in 2010 [IRC Sec. 401(a)(9)(H)].


11. Retirement plans. An IRA may exclude from income distributions of up to $100,000 annually if paid directly by the IRA trustee to charitable organization. The exclusion expires in tax years beginning after 2009 [IRC Sec. 408(d)(8)].


12. Employee benefits. If you are covered by employer- sponsored health plans and are laid off before January 1, 2010, you can qualify for subsidized plan continuation (COBRA) coverage for up to nine months. Employers can claim a credit against employment taxes for the subsidies provided to employees [IRC Sec. 6432]. This might change after 2010, so now's the time to get fired (just kidding).

Wendroff & Associates, LLC is a CPA firm that specializes in individual and business tax preparation, strategic financial consulting and outsourcing.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: Please be advised that the tax advice contained herein (including any attachments) is not intended or written by the practitioner to be used and cannot be used by the taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding any U.S. tax- related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer.

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Massive List of Killer Freelancing Tips

The Freelance Folder recently ran a contest to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Whether a writer, editor, designer or other consultant, you'll find this list of freelancer-to-freelancer recommendations submitted by contestants helpful. And, if you have your own tip to share, post a comment at the end of the blog.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2008 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

What You Should Know About Health Insurance: 15 Minutes with Insurance Broker Randy Philip (Part 1)

Weirding Word® sat down with Randy Philip, Principal of The Washington Insurance Consulting Group in VA, to learn more about the factors to consider when choosing insurance for yourself or for your business, and the biggest mistakes people make when applying for insurance. The 17-year veteran of the insurance industry also talked about the roll of brokers in the insurance selection process.

Randy provided so much helpful information, that his interview is broken up into two parts. This part provides an overview and focuses on the self-employed, while the second focuses on businesses and common mistakes.

WW: Nowadays, there are so many options for protecting yourself. How does health insurance fit in?
RP: Life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance are the Four Points of Protection that you need. You may die if something happens. But, you may not. You may get sick or become disabled. And, if you're disabled, you may need someone to take care of you. The life insurance takes care of things if you die. The health insurance takes care of you if you get sick. Disability insurance protects your income if you become disabled. And, the long-term care insurance will protect you if you're disabled and can't take care of yourself.

You need to have each one. Most people have health insurance and understand the value of care when you're sick or injured. Many people have life insurance because they understand the value of protecting a family if they loose a loved one. Many people don't have disability insurance because that's relatively new, and they assume they'll be able to come back to work if something happens. Most people don't have long-term care insurance, which is also relatively new. More and more, patients are being sent home to recover and long-term care insurance will ensure you're able to afford the care you need if no one is home to take care of you. The disability and long-term care insurance is something many people don't have.

WW: What should every self-employed professional know about health insurance?
RP: As a self-employed professional, you need to know your options. First you can go without insurance, which isn't the wisest path. Second, there's COBRA, which is a continuation of the insurance from your employer for 18 months. That's very expensive because you'll have to take on the employer's contribution. But, it's a good option if you have a pre-existing condition.

The third option is to purchase your own insurance. You can buy into a trust association plan, which is set up in another state with more flexible laws, but sells in your state. However, the drawback is that the plan follows the laws of the state in which it's based, which may have less strong consumer protection laws. Or, you can go with a limited benefit plan like AFLAC that pays you...say $100 a day if you're injured...but it's not insurance. They will just pay you a flat amount; not take on the liability of your other health expenses. If you're currently unhealthy, there may be a state-run plan that you can purchase. Finally, you can buy traditional health insurance.

Look for Part 2 of this interview in a few days. In the meantime, learn more about Randy Philip and his firm. Or contact him at randy@thewicg.com or 703-879-2423.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2008 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Weirding Word® on Writers: Norma Lehmeier Hartie (Part 2)

Weirding Word® on Writers continues an interview with Norma Lehmeier Hartie, author of Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Home, Your Life & Your Planet. In Part 1, she discussed creating harmonious environments, her approach to writing, and self-publishing. The second and final part of the interview focuses on the power of words, creating a harmonious office, and her future plans.

WW: Now, you’ve gotten a couple of awards for Harmonious Environment.
NLH: With ForeWard Magazine and Nautilus, the book is a finalist. With Writer's Digest, it won the grand prize. So, it’s pretty exciting and there’s an interview in the current Writer’s Digest.

WW: One of the things we believe here at Weirding Word® is that words really create. That words define life and impact how it’s shaped. And, I’m wondering if you agree with that, and second of all, how words shape and define your life?
NLH: Well, I do agree with that. Just off the top of my head, I’m thinking how you can pick up a book, and go to classic literature and become that world. That comes to life. I guess both fiction and nonfiction do different things. But for me fiction has always been this whole…you step into another life with fiction. And nonfiction, just the concept, it expands your consciousness and your awareness. And you see the world differently. I’ve often wondered about the difference between what it must be like to be illiterate. Forgetting even computing, but just being illiterate. What that person thinks about versus people who read and write. It has to be hugely different.

WW: I never thought about it that way before.
NLH: It’s true though, isn’t it?

WW: Umm-hmm, umm-hmm.
NLH: You can’t compare…unless back when stories were passed on verbally, that’s a little bit different and a different era, too.

WW: But, the more you learn, the more it changes the way you think about things.
NLH: Absolutely. Even writing my own book, there were certain things I needed to work through and understand that had never been presented as far as I know. And, probably the most exciting aspect…not probably, in fact, it was…were those few “ah-ha” moments where I’m like, “Ohmigod!” I’m jumping up. I mean really, because certain things just made sense suddenly and I was the first to think of it that way. And that changed my consciousness, and I know whenever I read a good book and I learn, it’s that “ah-ha, wow”. It’s great.

WW: Now, that leads me to one of my standard questions. And that is, what is different now about how you write and how you approach writing than when you first started Harmonious Environment?
NLH: I could say almost “fearless”. In other words, I think…and I’ve heard it many times...that people are afraid to start writing. I was afraid to start the book. Now that I have and I write virtually every day, it’s much, much easier and I’ve become a better writer. After you write a book, you keep working on it and you continue writing, and you just find that your skills increase. It flows. I don’t really often get writers block, if ever really, because of a level of confidence. Yeah, it really boils down to being confident. Particularly when I’ve gotten good book reviews and won the award. If that isn’t a confidence booster…it really means I can write. I’m not just putting down words. And that really gives me confidence.

WW: It’s sort of a validation of everything that you’ve worked so long to do.
NLH: It is. And so even e-mails, all of that stuff, it just becomes really simple.

WW: Is there anything in the book that you’d like to focus on or that you’d like to tell people about that I didn’t ask? Is there anything that people don’t know enough about or don’t think enough about that you’d really like to share?
NLH: Well, I think one thing that I try to impress throughout the book is to decorate and do your home using your own intuition. As opposed to “oh, this is trendy” or whatever, to really decorate for your soul. And I don’t like to use that word flippantly, but I mean what really feels good to you. Obviously, if you live with other people, you want to make compromises and so on. But, not to worry about what anyone else feels. You will know when it’s right.

It’s just one of those things where I have people who will come into my house and they’ll say… I mean, and it’s funny, I don’t care who it is…virtually everyone will say, “Wow, it feels so good here.” And that because it is energetic… everything flows and things do look good. Yeah, I am a professional, but I do think virtually anybody is capable of doing it. And that’s the other reason why I wrote the book. So people can gain confidence in themselves and make a home because we spend so much time at home. It just feels good.

WW: What kind of advice do you have for people in their home office or an office building?
NLH: No clutter. Be organized. I know that’s the tough thing, but if you do it...Have a little fun when you organize. Go to a Container Store or a place like that. Know what you need. “I need one container for files.” Whatever it is. And get stuff that you like. I’m not a big proponent of buying stuff, but in this case, if it’s going to get you organized and keep you organized, it’s well worth it. Particularly in an office where you want to accomplish something, you want it as clutter free and organized as possible.

And depending upon what you want – if you want to gain wealth, for example, or recognition in your job – there are certain things you can do with a ba gua map or feng shui to sort of spice up certain areas of your office to increase wealth and so on. But that’s a little hard to talk about.

WW: That’s the octagon-shaped map in the book?
NLH: Which is also a square. It can be depicted either way. It is laid over a room or over an entire house.

WW: Interesting. I’ll have to read it in pieces so I don’t get overwhelmed like I do with my paper. Now, it sounds like you’re moving into a lot of new areas. You’re doing more of the workshops. And, publishing. Are you publishing for other people, too. Are you taking on authors now?
NLH: It’s something I might do in the future, but it would be in a completely different direction. And actually, at this point, I’m really trying to decide which of the number directions I’m going in. But that’s probably the last one I would do. I do plan on writing more books.

WW: Well, that was my next question. What’s next on the horizon for you?
NLH: Well, I am thinking about taking the book that I have…because as you said, it’s very large..and not exactly chopping up the chapters. But, forming a few more books from it that would allow people to focus on just one area if they wanted to do that. And, I’m also thinking of writing on the state of publishing today. It’s for writers who don’t know where to turn. There are slightly different books out there, but I'd answer some of the questions about what’s going on. There’s a lot going on very rapidly.

If you missed Part 1 of Norma's interview, you can check it out on the blog. And, do forget to visit her website to learn more about creating a harmonious environment.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2008 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Weirding Word® on Writers: Norma Lehmeier Hartie (Part 1)

In this latest interview with Weirding Word® on Writers, Norma Lehmeier Hartie, talks about her award-winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Home, Your Life & Your Planet. An expert in creating green and balanced spaces, Norma teaches readers how to purge "The Ugly" and replace it with positive energy and healthy items. Her interview is broken into two parts, with Part 1 focused primarily on creating harmonious environments, her approach to writing, and self-publishing.

WW: Tell me how you decided to write Harmonious Environment.
NLH: Well, I’ve always wanted to write. When I thought of these different topics and putting this thing together, it was a natural process to write this book.

WW: So, you’ve been writing a long time?
NLH: Actually I have been. In graduate school I was taking fiction classes. That was always what I thought I would do, but it turned out I was no good at. So, I still love to write, but I stick to non-fiction.

WW: Tell me about Harmonious Environment.
NLH: Okay, well, it’s basically a number of steps in the process of creating a harmonious environment. And what I do, I basically start with what you want to get rid of. What I call "The Ugly". And in that case, that’s products -- and any household products or even personal care or food products -- that are toxic or unhealthy for you or the environment and replacing those with nontoxic goods.

Cleaning your house well, getting rid of clutter and organizaing the rest. And working on an energetic level, clearing the air of any negative energies with either dousing or smudging. At that point, you’re sort of neutralizing the environment. And you start to bring back all the good and the beautiful. And, you apply feng shui techniques and color theory, as well as good design, to basically create a sanctuary.

WW: What is dousing and what is smudging?
NLH: Native Americans have used smudging for years. You use either sage or another aromatic herb. And it’s called smudging because it’s smoky and will fill the house with that odor and is said to clear the house of negative energy. Dousing, on the other hand, goes back to ancient times. It was originally used to find water. Now you use a pendulum and, by asking a certain set of questions, it will actually lead you to negative energies and allow you to clear them.

It’s actually very powerful and no one knows for sure how it really works., but I’ll just give a little illustration because I think that makes it much more clear, which is dogs and cows and other animals gravitate toward positive energy. We know that cows will go and stand in a pasture where there is postitive energies. A couple of years ago when I started with dousing, I cleared a client's condo. And I cleared particularly around the bed and everything else. She told me afterwards that in her old apartment, the dog always used to sleep in a particular spot on the bed, but that when she moved, the dog refused to be in that spot. However, after I cleared, the dog began to sleep in her old spot. So, I thought that was a very powerful affirmation because, certainly, the dog had no idea what I was doing.

WW: It sounds like, for people who are very skeptical about positive and negative energy and those kind of things, one of the most practical things that they can read in the book is "Freeing Yourself from the Tyranny of Clutter and Dirt Forever". What are some of the keys that people need to take away and understand about getting out "The Ugly" – particularly about all this clutter that’s building up around us.
NLH: For a lot of us, clutter just happens. And particularly for Americans. We buy a lot, and things just start to build up. Some people are just overwhelmed by it. And, we read something like this or have some other type of realization. I say do 15 minutes a day. Start with whatever bothers you the most. You can start with one junk drawer in your kitchen. Start small. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Just take one step at a time. Because what happens is you’ll be rewarded. By doing it you’ll feel better and tend to do more. But if you look at the entire project you’ll say, "Ohmigod!", and just become paralyzed.

And, another thing that is not in my book is that there are some people who just like a lot of stuff. Like on a coffee table there will be five items. What I recommend doing is taking half of it and putting it away. And then six months later, reverse it. What happens is that when we have a lot of stuff out, you tend not to see anything. And I have clients who refuse to do anything else, but that just talks to them.

WW: What is your process for writing? This is not a small book and that had to be a very large manuscript. How long did it take you?
NLH: You know, I researched for about a year. Maybe a year and a half because, at one point, I moved and did nothing but work on my new house. But the technique that I used is to work on each chapter as a separate folder in my computer. I know a lot of people have trouple starting to write. I don’t remember how I started, but I do remember thinking to myself, Deal with what you feel like doing. Sometimes, I was working on two different chapters. If you have to go through a manuscript of 300 pages, it’s crazy until the end. So, they were always separate.

WW: And how did you get published?
NLH: Well, I ended up starting my own publishing company and I published it myself. And really have gotten very much involved in understanding the entire business. I’m laughing because I’m at a crossroads at this point. I have actually stopped taking on clients because I’m working so much -- not only on publishing, but I’m doing more and more workshops and I’m actually beginning to teach about the publishing process. I just published a long article in this month’s Independent Book Publishers Association newsletter. So, it’s sort of like I’m at a crossroads. Do I continue with the work I’ve been doing or do I maybe write a book about publishing? I’m not sure.

WW: Some people might say food and energy goes hand-in-hand with the harmonious environment that you’re writing about.
NLH: There’s actually a chapter on food and recipes in the book. Because your body is the closest thing to yourself, food and personal care products are definitely, I agree, very important. That chapter isn’t that long, but I explain that you’re best off eating organics and locally grown, if possible, food. And then I throw in some favorite recipes.

WW: Coconut milk with lime and vegetables, vegetarian pasta primavera, cold noodles with sesame sauce, different kind of lasagna… Now, what about people with food allergies, who are allergic to say wheat gluten or nuts or soy. What kind of advice do you have for them around energy and food?
NLH: You know, no one’s ever asked me that question. If you have food allergies, obviously you avoid those particular foods. But I don’t know if I can answer that. I don’t know how the energy would be different.

WW: Sometimes I wonder if it’s an energy issue or if it’s just biological.
NLH: That’s a very interesting concept actually. I mean, it really is because I do know a lot of people -- not so much with allergies but who, unfortunately, are subjected to high levels of toxic products -- whether it’s cleaning stuff or sick building syndrome in an office, who become very chemically sensitive. So, obstensively, the same can happen. If they don’t start from childhood -- if they start later on and they’re not eating pure food -- it might happen. But, I really don’t know.

WW: But it might be a good book topic in the future.
NLH: Sure, but I don’t want to speculate. I do know a lot of people with chemical sensitivities who really have to have the purest cleansers and so on and so forth.

Please watch for Part 2 of Norma's interview in a few days. In the meantime, you might like to visit her website to learn more about creating a harmonious environment.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2008 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.