Archive for the ‘ Financial Tax ’ Category

Late last year, I reported on Brenda Stewart. Ms. Stewart owned Denver Sugar and Denver Players, a prostitution ring that, per the Denver Post, catered to the high-end of Denver society.

The problem for Ms. Stewart wasn’t the call-girl ring; rather, it was what she did not do with the profits. She forgot that you do need to pay taxes on all income, even income from being a call girl.

This past week Ms. Stewart changed her plea. In a plea bargain, she pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion; in return, the government dropped 69 other charges (racketeering, money laundering, and witness tampering). She also agreed to make restitution of $45,000 in back taxes and penalties.While Ms. S

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People move for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s work or family,and other times it’s just the need for a change or more space. Getting a new home whether it’s your own house or a rental is always exciting and marks a new chapter in life. But it’s not an easy venture. As if just finding a new place, paying for it and packing weren’t enough; the move itself cane with a wide array of additional expenses. Here are

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Of all the discounted airlines available, my most favorite has to be Southwest (JetBlue is a close second).  First of all, Southwest does an excellent job with branding, as I know exactly who they are and where I can go to buy tickets (only at Southwest.com).  Second, they offer flights to just about everywhere I need to go, which is a great convenience and last but most important, their flights are the usually the least expensive and they dont charge for your first checked bag. N

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The Supreme Court denied Wesley Snipes’ appeal today. Wesley Snipes will likely remain in prison until 2013 on his failure to file tax return charges.

The Supreme Court rarely hears tax charges, and there really wasn’t either some novel issue in his case or a split between different Appeals Courts that would have led to the Court hearing the case.

Are you wondering why you werent been called back for a second job interview, or better yet – offered the position you just interviewed for?  If you didnt get a call back or a job offer from your interview, chances are you may have committed some of the “things not to do” at a job interview!

Here are some things “not to do” at your next job interview.  If you avoid the things on this list, maybe next time you will be called back for a second job interview – or offered the job:

Arrive unprepared for the interview: have you ever just shown up to a job interview and figured you would “wing it”?  Most job candidates will spend several days preparing for an interview.  If you come in unprepared and hoping to “wing it”; your interviewer will know and everyone who came prepared will have a better chance at getting the job than you do.  Know the business youre applying to work for, update your resume and references, and spend some time thinking about responses to questions you will probably be asked.

Say too little: do not give one word answers to the interviewers questions.  Even if it seems the question can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” response; take some time to elaborate why youve answered it the way you have.

Say too much: on the other hand, you dont want to say too much and forget the interviewer should be leading the conversation, not you.  Make sure you show your listening skills by allowing the interviewer to talk uninterrupted, and then keep your answers on topic to avoid rambling.

Be a comedian: sure, you may think youre funny and you may relieve stress by making people laugh but a job interview is not the place to show off your comedy skills.  An interviewer might think you are not serious about wanting the job if you make jokes during the interview.

Use your cell phone: it is never acceptable to take a phone call, read or respond to a text message during an interview.  Turn your phone off before the interview and give the interviewer your undivided attention.

Dress casually: even if you

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Today, the US Tax Court looked at the case of a citizen of South Korea, and his gambling. The petitioner argued that the Korea – US Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation exempts gambling income; alternatively, that the gambling income was effectively connected with a US trade or business. The IRS argued that there’s nothing in the treaty that states that, and the gambler wasn’t gambling as a professional.

When there’s an argument about a tax treaty, the Court looks at the treaty itself. In this case, it’s not the US-Korea Tax Treaty, but a treaty that granted South Korea Most Favored Nation status. And in th

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One thing I love about competition in the marketplace is that it forces companies to get creative in order to gain more business. And credit cards are no different rewards points, cash back programs, 0% intro rates, and sign up bonuses are just a few of the ways credit card companies try to gain market share. The offers are even better when they are attached to one of the best credit cards on the market, in this case the Chase Freedom® Visa $150 Bonus Cash Back.

If you are looking for a new cash rewards credit card, then I recommend taking a look at the Chase Freedom® Visa $150 Bonus Cash Back which rewards new account holders with a $150 bonus in the form of a statement credit when they make $500 in purchases within the first three months. T

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This is where we thank the technology gods for the World Wide Web. Twenty years ago,parison shopping meant thumbing through the Sunday ads in the newspaper or individually calling different stores in the phonebook to ask for prices on specific items. No longer! Now we have so much technology at our fingertips that it can actually be overwhelming at times, so we’re here to cut through the clutter and makeparison shopping easy for you:

Check reviews first

You can find the cheapest possible digital camera simply by googling “digital camera” and hitting the “shopping” tab, but you might end up with a piece of junk if you don’t know what kind of camera you want and which ones are actually good. If you’re w

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In the latest episode of As the Budget Churns, last night Democrats in the California legislature passed a budget but received no Republican votes for it. The budget that passed was typical for the last few years: Full of gimmicks and borrowing, in theory it closed a $10 billion deficit; however, it really didn’t.

Democratic Governor Jerry Brown promised he would veto such a budget. He did so today.

Republicans in the legislature want pension reform; Democrats are beholden to union interests and don’t want pension reform. As usual, the unstoppable force is meeting the immovable object with the normal result: Nothing happens.

There are some new wrinkles. Pro

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With the rising cost of education, it’s no wonder that the amount of outstanding student loan debt exceeds the total amount of credit card debt in the United States. Whether you’re looking to head back to school yourself or are saving up for a child’s education, be sure you understand all your options and have some solid strategies in place to pay for college.

There are three main types of financial aid for students:

  1. Loans to the student or student’s parents that must be repaid after graduation.
  2. Work-study assignments that allow a student to earn money for their college expenses.
  3. Scholarships or grants that do not have to be repaid.

The gatekeeper for the three types of aid mentioned above is a lengthy standardized form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Even th

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