Today TaxMama hears from Anne in Minnesota with this question. “With a $10,000 CD maturing, am I better off paying down the $40,000 mortgage on my condo; or to reinvest in some other vehicle? I am almost 70 years old and do not have much more than an a

Today TaxMama hears from Gary in Oregon who wants to know. “I have asked 2-3 tax professionals the same question with different answers. So mama help me! I have 2 IRA’s. In one IRA I bought a stock 4 years ago that is now worthless. I do believe that

Today TaxMama hears from Mike in New York City who wants to know. “Is online investing safe for buying CDs, Money Market accounts, or an IRA based CD?” Dear Michael, It’s as safe any offline investing. If you pick the wrong company, you

Today TaxMama hears from Rick in South Carolina with this question. “We have a small business producing conveyor replacement parts. We believe our physical inventory is grossly under valued. How can we re-evaluate this inventory and what permission do w

Today TaxMama hears from Mike in North Carolina who just won – nothing. “ I recently got the penalties for a 1999 tax return abated. The IRS claims that any penalties over two years old are not refundable and referred to IRS publication 556. I contend

Today TaxMama hears from Dan in Massachusetts with this question. “The new COBRA premium assistance is phased out if the employee’s AGI is greater then $145K. It must be paid back when the employee files their taxes. How does the employee know what th

Today TaxMama hears from Brad in Missouri who needs to decide. “I’ve got a question about childcare while we work. I can either pay a local teen $60/week cash or a mom $75/week. The teen doesn’t file taxes and thus I don’t think I can deduct it wi

Today TaxMama hears from Lori in Florida with a depressing question. “Can you please tell me where I would find more info on the tax implications from doing a short sale of primary residence? I have quite a few Florida clients that are doing this vs fo

Today TaxMama hears from Cindy in Hood River, Oregon with a good question. “I’m self-employed and planning to move to another state. Can I deduct my moving expenses? What if I were an LLC or S Corp? Would that make a difference?” Dear Cindy,

Today TaxMama hears from Jerad in California who wants to know. “What would you advise someone who is a 23 year-old student who never had a job until late 2008, but didn’t pay taxes until today? I would like to get things straight and have it done.”