TAX DAY 2019
How to Make Tomorrow’s Taxes Less Terrible
Tax Day is April 15. If you haven’t filed yet, we wish you the best of luck as you race to fill out forms and get to the post office. That said, even if you filed the moment you got your W-2s this year, you shouldn’t put your tax prep on the back burner until next year. In 2019, we will be filing with the new tax code, and that’s sure to unleash a whole new set of struggles. Fortunately, there are things you can do right now to make filing your taxes much easier next year. Be Organized This one is obvious, but incredibly difficult. Throughout the year, we end up with countless receipts as well as credit card, bank, and investment statements. Don’t let these pile into a mountain of paperwork, or worse, accidentally be thrown away. Spend 30 minutes going through the papers you already have and create an organizational system you can stick with.
the FileThis app. Available on Apple and Android, FileThis is an electronic filing cabinet that neatly stores all your paperwork so you can easily find the ones you need. FileThis has built-in cloud storage, though you can also integrate it with your Dropbox, Google Drive, or Evernote. Take a Look at Your Withholding Some people love big tax returns and eagerly use them once a year to fund trips or to splurge. But large tax returns really mean the government controls more of your money than is necessary. Vanessa Borges, tax prep supervisor at Tax Defense Network, LLC, in Jacksonville, Florida, says, “The ideal payroll-withholding situation is to have just enough tax — not too much, not too little — withheld from your paychecks to meet your eventual annual tax bill.” Having a smaller tax return means you have extra money to cover your finances all year long, not just once a year. And if you were horrified
to discover you owed money this year, adjusting your withholding can help prevent the unpleasant revelation from repeating next year. Filing your taxes will never be easy, but it doesn’t have to be a huge obstacle. With a little preparation today, you can put yourself in a better place for when your W-2s arrive next year.
If your filing cabinets always turn into black holes where paperwork is lost forever, consider using
Roasted Asparagus With Lemon Breadcrumbs Recipe of the Month
Good News Mark 8:34–35
Spring is the height of asparagus season. This dish, which features the crunch of breadcrumbs and a refreshing splash of lemon, is the perfect way to highlight the natural flavors of the vegetable without overwhelming them.
Ingredients • 2 pounds asparagus • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil • Kosher salt Instructions 1. Heat oven to 425 F. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20–26 minutes, turning asparagus halfway through. 2. When asparagus is nearly done, heat remaining olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add • Freshly ground pepper • 2 garlic cloves, minced
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.’”
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs • 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 2 teaspoons lemon zest • Juice of one lemon (not packaged lemon juice) garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fold in parsley and lemon zest. 3. Transfer asparagus to serving platter, drizzle with lemon juice, and top with breadcrumb mixture.
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Recipe inspired by Food and Wine Magazine
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