Okay, I must give credit where credit is due. Michela convinced me (although it took only a minute of pushing to get me to check it out) to try TurboTax.com to do my taxes this year.
For the past 6, or so, years now, I have been packing up all my receipts, property tax bills, 1099s, W2s, auto registration renewals, mortgage interest statements and proof of citizenship, and trucking it all over to my friend Lisa’s house in Long Beach, just so she can plug all my numbers into her computer and have it spit out a red or black number at me, indicating whether I experience the pain of paying more or the pleasure of getting back some of my hard earned (watch it everyone!) money.
As much as I adore Lisa, it always seemed to me a fairly painless process once the computer had all the info (of which I had to compile myself anyway…) to do my taxes. In fact, Lisa almost always commented on just how straight forward mine were to do. In fact, I felt the same way, even when I was doing them by hand and calculator. The biggest burden was in fact getting it all together, coordinating a time with Lisa and trucking it to Long Beach.
Okay, so this year was quite different. Although I still had to compile all the info, I nary had to get dressed to do my taxes this year. Entered turbotax.com in by trusty browser and off I went. Clicked on Get Started under the Premier option (I need a schedule C,) created a log in and a password, and simply followed the prompts from there. I even filed electronically, and I’m having my refunds directly deposited into my bank account! Being a paid internet professional, I’ve seen my share of websites. Some good, some not so good; very few would I consider excellent. TurboTax.com, however, pushes the limits of what a usable website should be. Seriously, even a monkey could do it!
Okay, so, taxes suck, but since we all have to do them, might as well find the most painless way. Seriously, this could put H&R Block out of business.
oh, I ganja!