Time is winding down for you to be able to start creating a log for your auto use if you are going to claim it on your tax return. This may be the biggest tax break of them all. Who wouldn't want to get a $5K to $6K tax break. And it is a simple thing to do.
The IRS requires that you keep a log for no less than 90 days and you will get the tax deduction for the entire year.
For the next 90 days just keep track of you auto use for Biz purposes. These are the 4 things to keep track of:
Date / Destination / Primary Purpose / Miles
You can get the 2009 Vehicle Use Log by visiting www.HomeBusinessTaxSavings.com and click on the Free Downloads under the Resourse Center tab.
Destination does not have to be exact. For example, you could simply put Joe's Cafe'. You do not need the address of the Cafe'.
Primary Purpose is simply why you are going there. Miles are just that. How far away is it. If you went 12 miles, then 12 miles is what you write down.
You can get $550 for every 1,000 miles you drive. That is like getting $200 in tax deductions for every tank of gas you buy for you car.
So over the past year, if you put 10,000 miles on your car for business use, adn you kept track of it, you qualify for $5,500 in tax deductions.
Often there are ways to include errends and shopping miles too.
Here is an example how that works. With a little planning this can be of great benefits.
Let's say you have to get groceries, pay a few bills but you also have to go to the post office box to get your business mail and the copy shop to print business flyers and fax a proposal.
If you do that all that in one trip, all the miles you just racked up become business miles. On your log you put the date, the destination is the furthest business destination, say the Post Office or Copy Store. Primary purpose is what ever you did at the post office or copy shop. Total miles is what you racked up when you pull back into your driveway.
The fact that you also did grocery shopping and some other errond is secondary. The Secondary Purpose is not required to be logged. The Federal Tax Courts have given the taxpayer the right to determine what is Primary.
If you made two seperate trips, you put all those miles on your car and can only claim about half of your driving. By combining what you do, you get 100% of your miles deducted.
Each time you need to go somewhere, think of what business errand you could accomplish while you are gone. Sometimes you will not have any business to take care of but sometimes you will and that could wind up being a significant tax savings for you.
Two methods of figuring the Tax deductions for you Vehicle.
The standard method - the one above and the Actual Operating Cost method. (AOC)
The AOC method requires you to keep records all year long but may give you an even higher deduction. This takes into account the tires you buy, battery you needed to replace, depriciation and repairs of you vehicle.
Does this seem to be a lot to keep track of. It doesn't have to be a bother. Here is how you can simplify it for next year.
#1 Use a credit card with a zero balance and use this one card for only and all things related to the operation of the vehicle. This also includes car payments for owning or leasing.
#2 Write checks for anything you can not put on the card that relates to the vehicle expense. You will need to write down the check number, date, payee, amount and reason for the check on a ledger or some thing you use for your record keeping. Keep a running total.
#3 Cash payments. There will always be instances that you need to pay cash such as toll payments. Be sure to jot these down in the ledger also. Keep a running total.
At the end of the year, total up your 12 months of credit card statements, the total from you check ledge and the total from your cash ledger. Once all 3 are combined, you have your yearly total for vehicle expenses.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Media Hype or do we Think for Ourselves?
What is wrong with us????
Or should I say, what is wrong with what we believe in the media?
Somebody help me here. I am reading an article written by Lili Ladaga, a Yahoo news blogger. According to Ms Ladaga, we parents are up in arms about the upcoming speech by President Obama to our children on Sept. 8th.
Some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.
Mr. Obama told an 11 year old student reporter Damon Weaver, of his big back-to-school plan:
“I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education; about the importance of staying in school; how we want to improve our education system and why it’s so important for the country. So I hope everybody tunes in."
Now here is where my problem is. What is wrong with what the President wants to say to our children?
NBC spoke with Katie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Florida Republican Party, who said the party's "beef" is with the accompanying lesson plans. The guide for pre-K through grade 6 suggests questions students think about during the speech, such as "What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do?"
The plan for grades 7-12 includes a "guided discussion," with suggested topics: "What resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?"
Will someone please explain to me what the heck is wrong with this? You have someone in a positive roll asking for our kids to THINK about what they have just heard. And what they will hear is someone telling them how important school is. How important paying attention and getting good grades are.
Hello???!!!. What gives??? If I ask my son this or do this, he looks at me like, Mom you just don’t understand. Basketball is my future. Or, hey Mom, chill out. School is not all that important. I am going to be the next great Football hero.
No we have a man who people take notice of because he is a successful Black man who made it to where, until now, I would not have even suggested that my son strive for.
Besides all that, what parents are upset? I wasn’t asked if I was upset. Where you asked if this makes you upset?
I am sick of media telling me how I am supposed to feel about this or that subject. I can think for myself. And I am sure you can too.
They say the President Obama is brainwashing our kids. Brainwashing them to do what??? Do better???? Get better grades???? Make something out of them selves????
In the Sept. 8th speech, President Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals.
"He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens," Duncan said in a press release.
But a chairman for the Republican Party in Florida is condemning President Obama's speech as an attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."
"The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power," Chairman Jim Greer said in a press release.
Now, I am sorry but that is not what President Obama said he was going to talk about. Where does this fall into the speech about education. I am sure he knows a little 3rd grader knows little about the things we adults are concerned with. But if you bring them up thinking about how important education is, you will see a big difference in the grades they get and then the jobs they are qualified for once they reach adult hood.
This is far better than what has been going on the last few decades.
Come on people. When you read something the media puts out there, investigate it yourself before you just act the way the media tells you to act.
I for one parent, am not the least bit upset about what the President will say to my children on Sept 8th.
But then again, I wasn’t asked.
Lenisa
Or should I say, what is wrong with what we believe in the media?
Somebody help me here. I am reading an article written by Lili Ladaga, a Yahoo news blogger. According to Ms Ladaga, we parents are up in arms about the upcoming speech by President Obama to our children on Sept. 8th.
Some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.
Mr. Obama told an 11 year old student reporter Damon Weaver, of his big back-to-school plan:
“I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education; about the importance of staying in school; how we want to improve our education system and why it’s so important for the country. So I hope everybody tunes in."
Now here is where my problem is. What is wrong with what the President wants to say to our children?
NBC spoke with Katie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Florida Republican Party, who said the party's "beef" is with the accompanying lesson plans. The guide for pre-K through grade 6 suggests questions students think about during the speech, such as "What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do?"
The plan for grades 7-12 includes a "guided discussion," with suggested topics: "What resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?"
Will someone please explain to me what the heck is wrong with this? You have someone in a positive roll asking for our kids to THINK about what they have just heard. And what they will hear is someone telling them how important school is. How important paying attention and getting good grades are.
Hello???!!!. What gives??? If I ask my son this or do this, he looks at me like, Mom you just don’t understand. Basketball is my future. Or, hey Mom, chill out. School is not all that important. I am going to be the next great Football hero.
No we have a man who people take notice of because he is a successful Black man who made it to where, until now, I would not have even suggested that my son strive for.
Besides all that, what parents are upset? I wasn’t asked if I was upset. Where you asked if this makes you upset?
I am sick of media telling me how I am supposed to feel about this or that subject. I can think for myself. And I am sure you can too.
They say the President Obama is brainwashing our kids. Brainwashing them to do what??? Do better???? Get better grades???? Make something out of them selves????
In the Sept. 8th speech, President Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals.
"He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens," Duncan said in a press release.
But a chairman for the Republican Party in Florida is condemning President Obama's speech as an attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."
"The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power," Chairman Jim Greer said in a press release.
Now, I am sorry but that is not what President Obama said he was going to talk about. Where does this fall into the speech about education. I am sure he knows a little 3rd grader knows little about the things we adults are concerned with. But if you bring them up thinking about how important education is, you will see a big difference in the grades they get and then the jobs they are qualified for once they reach adult hood.
This is far better than what has been going on the last few decades.
Come on people. When you read something the media puts out there, investigate it yourself before you just act the way the media tells you to act.
I for one parent, am not the least bit upset about what the President will say to my children on Sept 8th.
But then again, I wasn’t asked.
Lenisa
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Marketing Tips
Hi Everyone,
This is a news letter that I subscribe to. When it is this good, I have just got to pass it on.
Internetwork Marketing Newsletter September 2009
Does your online copy writing sell? All too often for many
people it does not. I have been studying quite a bit on this
subject and making some changes to the copy on my websites and I
have to tell you it does make a difference.
After making a few minor wording changes and layout to my
website, I doubled the amount of subscribers to this list.
If you are struggling to make money online, I encourage you to
learn all you can about effective copy writing.
I compiled this Squidoo lens to help you.
http://getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=r1Bv&mc=f&s=Se3pp&y=T&
You can also visit message boards and forums and ask for
feedback. This is an excellent way to view your website through
the eyes of other people.
Here are a few basic things to consider when writing copy for
your website or for any blog post, article or text online.
1. What are the main keywords? This is crucial for the search
engines. Make sure that these are in the title of your web page
and ideally they should also appear in the title on your page.
2. Always make the title on your web page a bit larger than the
rest of the print. You may also want to bold it and make it red
so that it stands out from everything else.
3. Is your title catchy, and interesting? Many people will not
continue reading the rest of the page, if the title does not
grab
their attention.
4. Is the rest of the text clear, easy to understand, written at
a ninth grade level, and free of any unnecessary words?
5. Is there a clear call to action? Or there may even be more
than one if you are both selling a product and offering a free
report or something else.
6. Do you avoid linking to a lot of off site pages, which may
distract the reader and cause them to leave your site?
Recommended Resource
The 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written-
http://getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=r1BK&mc=f&s=Se3pp&y=c&
These headlines are the classics that have made millions when
they were used either in advertising, or books.
Best of luck with your copy writing!
This all comes from a news letter by AnnaLaura Brown that I just had to pass on to you.
Thanks for reading, Lenisa
This is a news letter that I subscribe to. When it is this good, I have just got to pass it on.
Internetwork Marketing Newsletter September 2009
Does your online copy writing sell? All too often for many
people it does not. I have been studying quite a bit on this
subject and making some changes to the copy on my websites and I
have to tell you it does make a difference.
After making a few minor wording changes and layout to my
website, I doubled the amount of subscribers to this list.
If you are struggling to make money online, I encourage you to
learn all you can about effective copy writing.
I compiled this Squidoo lens to help you.
http://getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=r1Bv&mc=f&s=Se3pp&y=T&
You can also visit message boards and forums and ask for
feedback. This is an excellent way to view your website through
the eyes of other people.
Here are a few basic things to consider when writing copy for
your website or for any blog post, article or text online.
1. What are the main keywords? This is crucial for the search
engines. Make sure that these are in the title of your web page
and ideally they should also appear in the title on your page.
2. Always make the title on your web page a bit larger than the
rest of the print. You may also want to bold it and make it red
so that it stands out from everything else.
3. Is your title catchy, and interesting? Many people will not
continue reading the rest of the page, if the title does not
grab
their attention.
4. Is the rest of the text clear, easy to understand, written at
a ninth grade level, and free of any unnecessary words?
5. Is there a clear call to action? Or there may even be more
than one if you are both selling a product and offering a free
report or something else.
6. Do you avoid linking to a lot of off site pages, which may
distract the reader and cause them to leave your site?
Recommended Resource
The 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written-
http://getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=r1BK&mc=f&s=Se3pp&y=c&
These headlines are the classics that have made millions when
they were used either in advertising, or books.
Best of luck with your copy writing!
This all comes from a news letter by AnnaLaura Brown that I just had to pass on to you.
Thanks for reading, Lenisa
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