The Benefits Of Ultimate Steal Office

The Microsoft Office Core Applications (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ultimate Steal Office 2007/2010 has been offered by Microsoft in the past. In those days, people purchasing this bundle along with the Office 2007 also received the 2010 version free when it was released. Many people using Microsoft Office have acquired this fantastic deal. Today, such deals do not exist for Office 2013, although there is a fine alternative available.

Subscriptions of Office 365 includes all of the features of the Microsoft Office. The prices range from ten dollars up to one hundred annually.

The offer of this Office bundle allows users to acquire free updated software. Not only that but the Office 365 lets users gain newer versions at no extra charge. This is a great opportunity for consumers to upgrade to this newer version.

This office version includes programs such as Excel, Powerpoint and Word along with web software and apps. People accessing many of these applications can do so with any computer. Popular devices are also supported.

365 and Ultimate Steal bundle are alike in numerous ways. What ever the choice that is made, people will save cash by using Office 365 as soon as possible. Affordable subscriptions include much versatility. Last but not least, 365 is a great bargain for fans and users of Microsoft Office.

Discover The New TurboTax SnapTax

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Hispanics have been waiting for TurboTax SnapTax for long, and the software has just been launched. This mobile application will be very useful in filling 2014 taxes as it targets the 52 million American taxpayers from Hispanic origin.

Taxpayers are able to do their taxes from their handheld devices. SnapTax makes it possible for individuals who are filing simple tax returns to do so in Hispanic or English at no cost, from their cell phones.

Users can take a picture of their W-2 forms using their mobile devices and upload the information to their tax return forms using the optical character recognition technology. After answering the simple questions, users can file their returns securely in less than 10 minutes.

Highlights of the SnapTax Application

Users can choose to prepare and file their taxes electronically in either English or Spanish.

The mobile app gives users access to bilingual tax experts who can assist them when filing 2014 taxes. All communication is done through the mobile app which is available at no cost.

This method of filing your federal tax returns is quite effective, and users get the service free of charge.

Taxpayers can get SnapTax for their Android devices or iPhones from Amazon.com, SnapTax.com or the App Store among other places.

Higher Rates And Higher Rents For 2014

Logo of the Federal Housing Administration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Home buyers and renters will most likely see higher housing costs in 2014. This means that there will be higher rents and higher rates for mortgages.

This year, it is important to note that there will be the implementation of new mortgage regulations that will affect anyone who is applying for a mortgage.

In addition, anyone who applies for a lower down mortgage or a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage will also experience higher rates for their mortgage insurance.

The FHA has steadily increased insurance premium costs since 2008 and this seems like it will be a continuous trend going forward. The yearly insurance premium for FHA borrowers is 1.25 percent; however there is going to be a 0.1 percent increase to this premium which is going to be spread over the monthly mortgage payments.

UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina representative, Janneke Ratcliffe shared that once there are higher rates, the small increases will be noticeable.

The job market is poor and the number of foreclosures is high and this causes rental rates to increase. Real estate firm, Reis shared that apartments had vacancy rates of 4.5 percent, which is the lowest in 11 years.

When investors shift from mortgages and treasury bonds, mortgage rates tend to increase and this week shows this clearly. The 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage saw a higher rate of 2.78 percent while the 30 year fixed mortgages jumped to 3.77 percent. The 15 year mortgages moved to 3.03 percent.

H&R Block Embraces Voluntary Certification Program

90th United States Congress (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

H&R Block has become a leader in raising industry standards for tax preparation by embracing the new certification program offered by the IRS.

Tax prepares can voluntarily enroll in a number of different continuing education courses covering topics such as ethics of tax preparation, tax updates, basic tax filings and numerous other selections for which they will receive a detailed record noting the completion of the course. The IRS developed this program in order to make it easier for taxpayers to find individuals who are qualified in helping them prepare their tax returns while also avoiding unethical practices. There is a study that indicates that as many as 42 million Americans have turned to tax prepares with absolutely no credentials to help them with their tax returns. 

H&R Block's CEO, Bill Cobb, in a letter demonstrating support for the program, encouraged the US government to continue utilizing programs with voluntary certification, indicating that H&R Block thinks the United States Congress should implement set standards for tax preparers. However, until such legislation is actually passed by Congress, Cobb believes that the best way to protect consumers is to continue with the voluntary certification program.

H&R Block, based in Kansas City, is one of only a handful of companies that require minimum standards for its staff. Every tax preparer with the company is required to have a minimum of 75 hours of course instruction in tax return and tax law during their first year with the company and an additional 15 hours of additional training in each subsequent year.

Is The U.S. Corporate Tax Rate High?

English: Tax rates around the world: Corporate tax rates (the highest rate) by countries Polski: Stawki podatkowe na świecie: CIT (najwyższa stawka) w poszczególnych państwach (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Does the United States have the Highest Corporate Tax Rate Worldwide?

Many believe the current Corporate Tax Rate in the USA is exceedingly high. Some feel a lower corporation tax reduction will encourage investment and have a positive impact on the country's financial future. The current rate stands at 39.1%, the highest rate throughout the industrial world.

Proponents feel the high rate of taxation is placing U.S. companies at a disadvantage because they cannot be as competitive as they would wish. However, is there more to add to the story?

U.S. companies pay a high corporate tax rate, but some firms have mastered the art of tax avoidance. Government records state that the total amount of corporation taxes collected has fallen in the last few years. In fact, the ratio of corporation tax to total pre-taxation profit earned is now at a historical low. A recent report carried out by the Citizens tax for Justice uncovered some shocking revelations.

The Federal Corporate Tax Rate is 35%, but 288 highly-profitable business concerns ended up paying a 19.4% rate of tax for the last five years. Boeing, Priceline, Verizon and General Electric paid no federal taxes during that period. So, how do so many companies avoid paying corporation tax?

Ten Tax Tips for Year End

The time to start getting ready for your tax returns is now. Do not wait another minute. To save the maximum amount money start preparing today using these ten tips. It will help you minimize your tax debt even in this economy.

There are several newer tax breaks that many people do not know about. Each fall you should check out the new tax changes so that you are ready to take advantage of them on April fifteenth. You can easily access this information by checking out the IRS web site.

Paying estimated taxes throughout the year is how some people handle their tax debt. If you do this then accelerate your first estimated payment for the following year to this year's tax season. This accelerated payment will give you a advantage in this year and can be quickly paid off in the next year. It can even be beneficial enough that it is worth it to borrow the money to make the payment.

For those people who are self-employed or have small businesses wait until the next tax year to send out bills. This moves the taxable income to the next year and deceases the taxable income of this year. This delayed income can be a big boon if you are running close to going up a tax bracket.

Always file on time. Penalties and interest created by filing late are an unnecessary expense. Taxes are considered due on April fifteenth regardless of being given an extension. So for every month you go over the fifteenth you will pay much more money. If you must file late the go ahead and pay your estimated taxes on the fifteenth.

There is a medical expense deduction. You must have paid out more than seven and one half percent of your overall income in medical expenses. So you can see that this will only work if you have a lot of medical expenses. Make sure to include gather all your expenses together. Medications, deductibles, lab work and anything you can come up with.

Think about the possibility of paying an additional mortgage payment. It allows you get the interest deducted a year early. You do have think carefully about in which year you are going to need the deduction the most before jumping in with this strategy.

If you took the opportunity to sell off your investments and had gains to report make sure to also sell off some of your losing investments. This way it offsets your gains and leaves you with a zero gain in income.

You can also choose to pay property taxes for the next year in December in order to take the deduction this year instead of next year. Just like making early mortgage payments you have to think carefully about which year you need the deduction the worst in.

Charitable donations are a good thing to do in order to get those last minute deductions. Make sure you donate enough to do any good. Your tax preparer can tell you exactly how much you need to donate. Donations can be in the form of cash, clothes, cars and many type of items. Make sure that you get receipts and do not over estimate the value of your items.

This last tip can even be contributed after the year has ended. As long as all your contributions have been made by April thirteenth they count. Plan ahead in order to be comfortable with exactly what you need to do. All of these tips can help you make the most of you deductions but you need to closely assess exactly what will work for you.