This is a hoot! Thanks to Stacie's More Tax Tips for tipping us to this hilarious expose of brazen accountants who walk the streets, illicitly providing financial and tax services. While the accountants in the video are in Australia, I'm sure the same sad situation exists in major ... Read more

If you had any doubt that times are bad financially for states, look no further than what used to be a sure-fire money raiser: gambling. A study by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, found that gambling revenues collected by ... Read more

My post on the likelihood of the first-time home buyer credit continuing past its scheduled sunset date of Nov. 30 got a lot of reader attention and prompted a one big question. How much of an extension can we expect? I'll get to that query momentarily, but first if you'll indulge ... Read t ... Read more

Can you believe it's been a year since the economy started crumbling? If you lost a job -- or car or house or spouse -- because of financial difficulties, you're all too aware of what has happened over the last 12 months. Many folks are still struggling, but thanks to the personal financ ... Re ... Read more

Healthcare reform begins in earnest now that House Democratic leaders have officially introduced a $583 billion bill to pay for the overhaul. Money, as usual, has been the biggest hurdle so far. Lawmakers have been struggling to come up with ways to pay for expanding medical coverage to the near ... Read more

California's budget crisis has all the elements of a major disaster movie. There's the big-name star politician star, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are the continuing battles, no special effects needed, between Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento.... Now all we need is a studio to gre ... Read more

I must admit that I've never seen the television show starring Jon and Kate and their brood. I'm not a fan of reality, or quasi-reality as is usually the case, shows. And being childless, I don't have anything in common, thank goodness, with a family coping with eight kids. ... Read the full po ... Read more

Watch out businesses, out-of-state state tax collectors just got a boost from the country's high court. The U.S. Supreme Court today decided against hearing an appeal from out-of-state companies that Massachusetts officials say owe it taxes. As I mentioned about a month ago in Money-hungry states, ... Read more

If you file estimated taxes, your second 1040-ES voucher is due today, or at least must be postmarked June 15 if you send it via U.S. Postal Service snail mail. If you don't have a voucher package from the IRS, you can download it . And my estimated filing reminder from last w ... Read the full ... Read more

Monopoly money is OK with these uber-rich folks. They're all make believe. Just in case last year's stock market troubles didn't leave us feeling poor enough, Forbes magazine compiled a list of 15 fictional characters who also are much wealthier than we. They are: ... Read the full post ... Read more