Before Buy Now, Pay Later, We Had Lay-by
Before Buy Now, Pay Later and Pay-in-4, there was lay-by, handwritten budgets and sometimes simply waiting until you could afford something. An old notebook from 2003 reminded me that perhaps some old-fashioned money habits are still worth keeping.
Where Did My Tax Refund Go?
Tax time used to come with an almost automatic expectation of a refund. These days, that's far from guaranteed. Let's look in plain English at what's changed, why deductions don't give you dollar-for-dollar refunds, and a few practical things you can do before next tax time.
What's Hiding in Your Tax Return?
After preparing tax returns for 27 years, one misconception still surprises me every July: people think their accountant already has everything. Here's what we actually receive, what we don't, and why good records still matter.