How to avoid being a victim of fraud

Last week, I was looking over what charges had cleared my business checking account, and I came across something odd: a charge for $80 at a Kroger’s in Cold Springs, Kentucky. I wasn’t in Kentucky (I’m in Seattle), so clearly someone had perpetrated fraud on my account! I immediately called my bank and had them…

Are you at risk for a tax audit? (roundup)

This week I decided to do a roundup of timely and relevant articles about your money and taxes! What are the chances of a tax audit? Eighteen million calls to the Internal Revenue will go unanswered, and more than half of people’s letters will take over a month to respond to, according to IRS Commissioner…

The truth about your tax return

I do not prepare tax returns, nor do I play a CPA on TV.  But as a financial planner, I understand taxes and have been around enough to help with tax strategy.  And it’s that time of year when I want to punch financial services providers in the neck for making you freak out about…