Campbell Wealth Management - March 2019

4 Rainy Day Activities Enjoy Yourself !

As the weather warms up, the urge to get out of the house becomes stronger. However, any plans you might have can be abruptly canceled due to rain. If you find yourself stuck inside for the day, here are a few

The rain smattering against your windows creates the perfect background noise to delve into the pages of a new adventure. Create Your Own Film Festival Having a movie or TV series marathon is another great way to pass the time. You can watch some of the classics, like “Forrest Gump” or “Singing in the Rain,” fill the day with “The Lord of the Rings” series, or start a new Netflix show. If you want to involve your kids in the binge-watching, you can let them pick out one of their favorite movies too. Piece Together a Puzzle A rainy day is a great opportunity to pull out a puzzle. You can also grab your friends or family members and make the puzzle a team activity. With the whole day ahead of you, you’ll have several hours to devote to one of your favorite hobbies. Don’t let the rain keep you down! Instead, take advantage of the weather and enjoy a cozy day at home.

activities to keep you occupied.

Get Bakin’ A wet and chilly day is an excellent opportunity to warm yourself up with some baked goods. Bake your favorite snickerdoodle cookies or fudge brownies, and pour yourself a mug full of hot chocolate or cider to get through the stormy day. Read a Book If you have a bookshelf full of novels you’ve not cracked open, a rainy day is the perfect time to jump in. Settle down on the sofa with a cuddly blanket and enjoy some uninterrupted reading.

AVOIDING AN AUDIT 2 Red Flags the IRS Looks for Every Year

Most taxpayers will never have to worry about being audited by the IRS. If you do things by the book year after year, chances are you’ll be just fine. Whether you file on your own or work with a tax professional, as complicated as taxes can seem, most people don’t make mistakes. But sometimes people do. And sometimes people intentionally mislead the IRS in order to boost their tax return or reduce what they actually owe. In either case, the IRS does look for key indicators that a tax return needs further scrutiny. How do they do it?The IRS begins by analyzing any given tax return. In a majority of cases, a tax return is chosen at random. The return is run through a software programwhich looks for anything out of the

will look into it. If your deductions are high for a legitimate reason, you likely have a complete record to back it up. Another red flag for the IRS is early withdrawal from retirement accounts. There are instances when people legitimately need to make withdrawals before age 59 1/2. The IRS typically issues a 10 percent penalty if defined exceptions aren’t met (such as certain medical or education expenses). The IRS has found that upwards of 40 percent of taxpayers don’t report the early withdrawal when they don’t qualify for exemptions. However, as Kiplinger reports, the IRS is made aware when a person makes an early withdrawal and when the numbers don’t add up, the result is an audit.

ordinary, such as inaccurate data. If anything is found, the IRS will look into it further and this may trigger an audit. One major area the IRS scrutinizes is deductions. If deductions are out of proportion to a taxpayer’s income, that’s a red flag. The IRS has decades of data related to deductions, such as charitable contributions, and they knowwhen something is off. If deductions seemhigh, the IRS

Of course, these are just two examples of what the IRS looks for every year. There’s a long list of red flags that apply to individuals, couples, and businesses. A lot of audits end in the favor of the taxpayer — especially if they have the documentation the IRS needs. However, there are instances when audits end with criminal charges related to fraud and tax evasion.

2 • CampbellWealth.com

Made with FlippingBook HTML5