OverviewThis is the Safari online edition of the printed book.
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