54 Safe and Legal Deductions to Save on Taxes

Got this list in my email and figured it would be good (financial) preparedness information...

1. Cost of having a tax return the previous year.
2. Dues to professional societies and subscriptions to professional journals.
3. Medical insurance premiums.
4. Union dues and expenses.
5. Liquidated damages to a former employer, such as for a broken contract.
6. Gambling losses. (However, winnings are taxable)
7. Money given to non-profit charities.
8. Cost of uniforms and/or special clothing required on the job.
9. Special shoes required for your job.
10. Special tools, equipment, and supplies necessary for your job.
11. Credit for political contributions.
12. Credit for care of a child or dependent.
13. Earned income credit (for low income workers.)
14. Energy tax credit, for making energy efficiency improvements to home.
15. Charitable gifts such as clothing, furniture, real estate, etc.
16. Doctors, dentists, hospital bills.
17. Cost of prescriptions, drugs.
18. Expenses for eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, contact lenses, etc.
19. Employment agency fee when looking for work.
20. Moving expenses, when necessary for business related reasons.
21. Fees for books, newsletters, seminars, etc., that give tax advice.
22. Upkeep expenses (including laundry, cleaning) for uniforms, work clothes.
23. Protective clothing such as safety shoes & glasses, hard hats, etc.
24. Appraisal fee to determine market value of property claimed as deduction.
25. Home telephone expenses relating to your job, including long distance.
26. Customer entertainment.
27. Professional licenses.
28. Malpractice insurance (as in case of nurses, doctors, etc.)
29. Investment expenses for advice paid to banks, brokers, advisors, etc.
30. Travel expenses to consult with broker, to do investment research, etc.
31. Cost of safety deposit box rental.
32. Cost of preparing, typing, printing, mailing, etc., job resumes.
33. Cost of seminars, books, classes, etc., on how to write a job resume.
34. Travel and transportation expenses necessary for finding new employment.
35. Meal and lodging costs when necessary for finding a new job.
36. Cost of education required by your employer for keeping your job.
37. Cost of education to improve skills required for performing current work.
38. Donations to churches, religious, non-profit organizations.
39. Losses caused by accidents, storms, floods, thefts, etc.
40. Elective surgery such as face-lifts, breast implants, thigh-tapering, etc.
41. Acupuncture.
42. Laetrile, in states where it is legal.
43. Psychiatric and psychological care and treatment.
44. Transportation to and from places for medical examinations, treatments, etc.
45. Sales taxes, including big items such as car, etc.
46. Mortgage interest.
47. Interest on credit card and department store charges.
48. Interest on loan purchases, such as automobile.
49. Closing costs when selling home and moving, for business related reasons.
50. Capital gains and losses.
51. Personal retirement plans such as IRA and Keogh plans.
52. Personal property taxes, state and local taxes.
53. Real estate taxes.
54. Alimony.

This list was accurate at the time of publication. Be sure to contact your nearest IRS office or your tax preparer for the most recent changes in tax laws.

20 Must-Have Items for Your First Aid Kit

I have various sizes of first aid kits, from a tiny one that fits in my briefcase to slightly larger ones for my car and office, to full-fledged trauma medic kits for my home and bug-out-gear box. Here are the basic must-haves for your first aid kit:

1. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Tylenol (acetaminophen). Yes you need all three because they are all used differently.
2. An assortment of bandages, gauze, and tape.
3. Alcohol (rubbing alcohol/alcohol wipes).
4. Acidophilous (great for upset stomach, diarrhea, and the imbalance in your gut common after taking antibiotics).
5. Benadryl (good for hay fever, allergies, and allergic reactions).
6. Antibiotic ointment.
7. Noxema (best sunburn treatment I've come across).
8. Tweezers.
9. Utensils: scissors, scalpel, flashlight (penlight), safety pins.
10. Needles and thread.
11. Feminine hygiene products (maxi pads and tampons) which are great for wound compresses.
12. Duct tape--hundreds of uses.
13. Ziploc bags (also many uses...fill up a bag with water then cut a small piece of the corner away and use for irrigating wounds or eyes).
14. Things you know how and when to use: Epi Pen, insulin, glucose tabs, salt tabs, nitro tabs, etc).
15. Thera-flu and vitamin C.
16. To prevent the spread of infection: nitrile gloves, mouth piece for administering CPR, waterless hand sanitizer.
17. Broad spectrum antibiotics.
18. Burn gel or aloe vera.
19. Other nice to have stuff: AED, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, LMA, etc.
20. A thorough first aid guide.

DPT--A Clever Idea for a Power Outage

A friend was without power for a few days. His wife has a beautifully decorated yard with a whole bunch of those small lights that rim the yard and come on at night to light up the place. During the day, the tiny solar panels on the lights charge up the batteries in order for the lights to run all night. During the power outage, he went out in the evening, snapped the lights off of their bases, and placed them all over his home, lighting up the house (when everyone else was in the dark) just like they had never lost power. In the morning he replaced them so they could re charge then in the evening, he went out and got them again for use in the house. Good idea!

20 "Radical" Tasks You May Want to Complete

I say "may want to complete" because I don't want to specifically contribute to the delinquency of my fellow US citizens...but then again, maybe I do...

1. Open a foreign bank account.
2. Get a second passport or better yet, nationality.
3. Live life on your terms.
4. Choose the material goods you need and dispense with the rest.
5. Radically simplify your financial life.
6. Become debt free.
7. Minimize your possessions.
8. Start carrying cash.
9. Find a place to flourish.
10. Set up your office where YOU want it to be.
11. Achieve a goal.
12. Take responsibility for your own health.
13. Wear good shoes.
14. Go car free.
15. Learn how to dumpster dive.
16. Don't give in to excuses like "I'm too old to...".
17. Be armed.
18. Find an ideal spouse.
19. Prepare for the future.
20. Live like no one else.

And why these specific tasks? Because they are so unusual as to be practically un-American. When you look at the average American you will find that they #1 have no idea about having some back up money in a foreign account, #2 don't even know they could hold dual passports or citizenship (which may be important in the future), #3 live life on terms set for them by their parents, employer, friends, etc, #4 chase after ALL of the material goods that "everyone" says you have to have, #5 have highly encumbered financial life, and are #6 up to their eyeballs in debt, #7 own tons of junk that they paid good money for, #8 never carry cash and rely on the credit Gods for financial "rescue", #9 will stay where they are even if it is killing them, #10 will work where they are told to even if it is killing them, #11 don't have goals, #12 think that doctors are responsible for their health, #13 wear shoes that are stylish versus shoes that are good for them (this is also synonymous with what they eat, where they work, and a whole host of other social ills--style over substance), #14 own a car because "everyone else does, #15 would never consider dumpster diving, mostly because of the social implications, #16 make excuses of every possible type to explain their current situation instead of doing something about it, #17 are afraid of guns (mostly because they listen to the media hype and have no actual knowledge of them), #18 have spouses that make them miserable and vice versa, #19 are too busy living for today to prepare for the future, and #20 live like EVERYONE else.

Why be normal? I would highly recommend being as "abnormal" as possible...

The Tech BOB

Of course I have a BOB (Bug Out Bag) which has been fully detailed in a number of posts, however I also have a separate bag, my Tech BOB, which I always have at the ready as well. While my BOB stands by until the time comes to evacuate post haste, my Tech BOB (more accurately Tech Bag) is used nearly every time I leave the house. Here is all of the technology I need, whether I am heading to the office, meeting clients at a coffee shop, bugging out, or just running errands and may have a bit of down time to get some work done. In other words, I never leave home without these items:

• A netbook. Thank goodness computers have continued to shrink in size and increase in power. I have carried a laptop since about the time they were invented (back when they weighed as much as a sack of flour) and am more than thankful that a very small, lightweight netbook now can do the same things, and run the same software, that my full sized laptop (which I use as a desktop) can. I don't go anywhere without my netbook which has the same software as my main work computer and has the added bonus of being under a pound or so. Hooray for technology.


• A cell phone. I carry a basic Nokia cell phone which can take grainy pictures and play MP3 music on it as well as receive FM radio. Yes people have been after me to get an iPhone or iTouch but this set up works fine since I rarely ever use my phone for entertainment purposes. My cell phone also allows me to access the internet (slowly!), do email, send a Twitter tweet, and pull up my contacts list.


• A digital camera. I carry a Canon Powershot camera since I often take pictures in the course of my work. The camera is small, produces clear, clean pictures, and is simple to use.


• A webcam. Now that digital camcorders have also shrunk considerably in size, I carry a Sony "webbie" camcorder. While I take many more photos than videos, the small size and usefulness of this item makes me create a space in my bag for it.


• Accessories. Along with these items, I carry a handful of memory cards, three or four thumb drives (one has my backed up files on it, one I use for transferring files, and two I use to put files/photos/etc on to give to other people), and the requisite power cords.


• Software. There are now some good, free software apps available (Open Office for example), however I have used MS Office Pro since it first came on the market so I stick with this known quantity. Other software I use includes: AVG anti-virus, Ad Aware ad blocker, Chikka to text people in Southeast Asia, Adobe to read PDFs, OmniFormat to create PDFs, WinZip to unzip files, Skype to make calls all over the world and do video conferencing, and Expression Web for when I want to take a stab at designing websites.


• Things I don't have: a separate MP3 player since I very rarely listen to music and the 4meg card in my phone is more than adequate for my sparse collection of music; e-book reader since I am old fashioned and like to hold an actual book while I am reading (I am sure I will be dragged into the 21st century eventually but for now I will read e books on my netbook if necessary), any kind of portable gaming system (I think the last video game I played was the Atari game that you hooked up to your TV...yes it has been that long).


• Things that I occasionally bring along: if I will be traveling, I toss my GPS into the bag, this is invaluable when traveling around a new city. I also carry an AC car power converter if I will be on the road a great deal so that I can charge my electronics while I am driving.

To contain all of these items, I use a small Timbuk2 bag which is generic enough (a Targus bag tells the world you are carrying electronic items), and tough enough (way more ruggedized than any other bag I have used) to safely and comfortably haul all of these items everywhere I go. It looks professional enough for a business meeting, is excellent to use as the smaller of your two carry on bags when traveling, and can be slung over your back and out of your way when riding a bike.

Support the USO

Everyone has some idea about what the USO does. Mostly we associate the USO with bringing celebrities and others overseas to entertain the troops, however, this past weekend I found myself temporarily delayed in an airport so I wandered upstairs to the USO office to check out their offerings for weary travelers.
I was fairly overwhelmed with all of the services they provided. We were greeted warmly by the lady at the front desk, they quickly whisked our luggage away to storage, offered us food and drinks, gave us the code for free wi-fi, pointed out the TV room, the showers, and the bunk room. They even had a nursery for families traveling with small children, free computers to use if you didn't have your own, and a large area with couches just to relax on. EVERYTHING, food and beverages included, were offered free of charge. What an amazing oasis in a chaotic airport. There was even a (very old, circa World War II) retired soldier there volunteering and just chatting with the guys--mostly young soldiers in transit from various military stations--who had some really interesting stories to tell.
When I asked how these airport USO services were funded, the lady said by donations and volunteer help. I donate my time/money/services to various organizations in my community and abroad but this organization will definitely move to the top of my giving list now after seeing in action what donations and volunteering for such a good cause can do.
If you would like to support the USO, go to www.uso.org for more information.

Link Roundup: Vacation Edition

I'm taking a short vacation which is the reason for the dearth of blog posts this past week. Here's some reading material while I'm gone...

• Is this the safest house in the world? While your home may not stack up safety-wise with this house, that is no reason not to make your home as safe as possible for you and your family.
• An interesting Speech Accent Archive. Never know when a good accent will come in handy...
• One of the better social networking/message boards sights I have found...Ask Metafilter
• Some of the best aggrgator sites around: Life Remix, Popurls, AllTop