Better Business Blog

College Affordability Plan Introduced by Illinois House Republicans

Steve — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:24:32 +0000

As the cost of college tuition continues to rise at Illinois state universities, college students are being lured to out-of-state schools with lower tuition rates. This week, several members joined House Republican Leader Tom Cross in unveiling a legislative proposal … Continue reading →

QuickBooks services for version 2010 to be discontinued May 31, 2013

Steve — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:39:42 +0000

On May 31, 2013, access to QuickBooks add-on services such as payroll, online banking and QuickBooks email will be discontinued unless you upgrade. Click here for the full QuickBooks support article on this topic. If you are using QuickBooks 2010 … Continue reading →

Top 6 Reasons You Should NOT File for An Extension on Your Tax Return

Steve — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:40:19 +0000

Well, it’s crunch time. Your return is either done, or you’re scrambling like mad to get the return done, or calling your tax professional with last minute changes. Here is a fun look at the top 6 reasons why you … Continue reading →

Minnesota Slams Turbotax and Other Intuit Products over Tax Filing Software Problems

Steve — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:36:59 +0000

Yesterday the Minnesota Department of Revenue came out with a warning to taxpayers using TurboTax and other Intuit tax products for their tax preparation to not use their tax filing products due to major problems with their software. You can … Continue reading →

Energy Costs Rise as Tax Incentives Fade

Steve — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:00:57 +0000

With energy costs skyrocketing, you would think that the federal government would come up with some tax incentives aimed at curbing the consumption of energy. However, on the consumer end of taxes, the incentives are actually fading away. Apparently, federal … Continue reading →

Has Your 2012 Roth-Converted IRA Declined in Value?

Steve — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:00:03 +0000

If you converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2012 and paid (or will pay) the tax on the conversion and then watched the value of the account decrease due to an unexpected poor investment performance, you still … Continue reading →

Alarming New IDES Audit Policy!

Steve — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:50:49 +0000

We received some news about a change to an IDES audit policy that is much stricter than it has been in the past. The bottom line is that the Illinois Department of Employment Security is looking more at abusive independent … Continue reading →

Another Tax Scam

Steve — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:45:10 +0000

Tax scams are, unfortunately, a common way for criminals to gain access to your personal information and use the information to steal your identity. A friend of mine posted this message about yet another tax scam happening. These scams tend … Continue reading →

Use QuickBooks’ Tools – and Common Sense Procedures – To Prevent Financial Fraud

Steve — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:22:48 +0000

You work hard for your money. Strong internal controls can keep it from disappearing unnecessarily. You trust your employees or you wouldn’t have hired them. That’s what everyone says as they watch a valued staff member being hauled off in … Continue reading →

IRS Encourages Taxpayers to Limit Use of “Where’s My Refund”

Steve — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:15:50 +0000

The IRS is experiencing very high demand on their “Where’s My Refund” tool. The following is their statement as published on their website. We’re curious to hear if you’ve already filed your return and how long it’s taken to receive … Continue reading →