April 15th. Tax Day. Judgment Day. The big deadline.

Maybe you have it circled on your calendar. Maybe it’s an annoying afterthought that won’t go away no matter how much you want it to. Regardless of how you feel about it, one truth is certain: April 15th is coming whether you like it or not.

There are some good reasons not to put off filing your taxes:

• If you’re due a refund, why let Uncle Sam keep your money any longer than necessary?
• If you owe the IRS, putting off filing simply increases your stress and worry, and may lead to you missing the deadline and having to pay a penalty.
• If there’s something missing or if you forgot to include a calculation or schedule, you may not have time to include it.
• If there are items on this year’s forms that you don’t understand, you’ll have little or no time to do research or to seek help. 
• If you need professional tax advice, help may be scarce. Tax professionals are often booked solid during the last days leading up to April 15th.
• By rushing things at the last minute, you might miss out on important tax breaks or credits.

Tax laws change each year— sometimes incrementally, sometimes drastically. You’re far better served to get a jump on it early. In the end, you’ll get a better quality return and save yourself a lot of headaches and antacid pills.

“Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good.”   ~ Voltaire

Why would we want to fight perfectionism? Isn’t perfect what we’re after? We want to do our best work, put our best foot forward. If we’re going to be responsible for something— a project, a report, a business— why should we settle for anything less than perfect?

The basic answer to this question is simple: nothing is going to be perfect, no matter how hard we try. One of the things we need to keep in mind as we work for perfection is the law of diminishing returns. The closer we come to getting it perfect, the harder it is to make any headway. What gains we make come at an increasingly high cost of time, effort and missed opportunities elsewhere.

A better way of looking at things is to do a cost-benefit analysis. How much time and work is it going to take to produce a professional product? What do I gain by putting in the effort to improve it? Ask yourself: is this a difference that’s actually going to make a difference? 

Is a pursuit of perfection always a good thing? Not everyone agrees. In fact, there is an entire branch of Japanese philosophy called Wabi Sabi that teaches us to embrace our imperfections and the imperfections of the world around us.

So do your best, but don’t become so obsessed with perfection that you lose sight of your overall goals.

The children might not be nestled all snug in their beds this time of year, but chances are many of them are waiting for the Easter Bunny to come pay them a visit. Yes, Easter brings a spring cornucopia of good wishes, colorful goodies and fun. So how did it all get started? And while we’re on the subject, how did a basket-giving rabbit get mixed up in everything? The answers to those questions and more await you...

That rabbit. Easter is named for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eastre. Her symbols— well, you guessed it— were a hare and an egg. German immigrants in the 1700’s are believed to have first brought the Easter Bunny to the U.S.

The Easter Bilby. Rather than celebrating with bunnies, Australians have increasingly turned to long-eared native marsupials called Bilbys to usher in Easter. 

That candy. Forget Christmas Candy. Easter is second only to Halloween in term of candy sales.

An old-school jelly bean. In the 1910’s, jelly bean had a different meaning. A ‘jelly bean’ was a ne’er-do-well man who dressed in fancy clothes and put on airs hoping to attract an unwitting mate.

Pretzels, anyone? Pretzels usually aren’t at the top of the shopping list for this holiday, but they used to be an Easter treat to rival jelly beans. The twist in the traditional pretzel is supposed to represent arms folded in prayer.

Don’t Forget the Eggs. The art of painting eggs is believed to have started over two thousand years ago somewhere around modern-day Ukraine, and is called ‘pysanka.’

There you have it! Have a safe and Happy Easter.

It’s tax time again, and if you’re like many of us this time of year, you’re adding up figures, gathering up bank statements and maybe searching your documents files for that missing May expense report. While your taxes may be fairly simple, there’s an added complication if you choose to itemize. In fact, one of the most common question tax professionals get is: what can I take off?

The answer (as with many things) is that it depends.

To get started, here’s a rundown of all the things you can potentially itemize. As you can see, the list is pretty extensive. Generally speaking, you’ll want to be looking into itemizing if any of the following situations apply to you:

• You bought a house in the early part of the year.
• You had an abnormally high amount of out-of-pocket medical expenses. 
• You gave a large amount to charity. 

Remember the total from all your expenses, be they mortgage interest, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, work-related costs or others, must add up to more than the standard deduction for your filing status. Otherwise itemizing your deductions isn’t going to help you. 

Also keep in mind that these deductions only apply to the 2017 tax year. The recent legislation passed by congress in December 2017 will bring massive changes to the deductibility of many of these items in future years.

As always, before you file your return, consult a qualified tax professional with any questions.

“People are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

—     Abraham Lincoln

There are many things you can’t control in your daily life. The freeway traffic, the national economy or whether a winter storm delays the receipt of that new printer you’ve been waiting for— the list is pretty extensive.

One thing you can control is how you respond to these challenges. 

Start the day out right. The first events in any given day will often set the tone for the rest of it, so make sure those moments are great. Create a morning routine and fill it with things that boost your confidence, soothe your nerves and put you in a good mood.

Have solutions when pointing out problems. Rather than complaining when things don’t go your way, work on finding a way to fix them. It gives you a sense of order and lets you use your mental energies on a positive solution rather spending them wallowing in negative frustration.

Get rid of ‘If.’ Conditional happiness is often an open doorway to disappointment. So instead of thinking “I’ll be happy ‘If’ I can sign this client”, try to focus on just being happy first. You’ll be surprised how often a positive attitude allows the other things to fall into place.

Talent and hard work are critical ingredients to success, but attitude does matter. In fact it can be the key ingredient. So start the day with a smile and see where it leads you.

Time.

There’s never enough of it— not for the 25 million and one things we have to do! And that’s just before lunch on Monday. If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In survey after survey, nearly half of the respondents say they’re pressed for time. Fortunately there are all sorts of ways to get more done, and in less time than you think.

Write down your to-do list before you leave work. At that point, your mind is still focused on your work and the events of the day are still fresh. Write the list down and take it home with you. It allows you to start the next day more smoothly. You don’t need to worry about what you’re doing or how to go about it, because you’ve already thought it through. Now the focus can be on having a great day.

Take advantage of your natural biorhythms. Do you work best in the morning or late into the evening? Try to plan your day so you face your toughest challenges when you’re at your best.  Also, avoid taking on the whole day in one long march. Periodic breaks will keep you refreshed and let you work that much more efficiently.

Focus on the present. The greatest limit of productivity is distraction. Be aware of the task at hand and the environment around you, and figure out ways to minimize anything that takes you away from the moment.

Time.

It may be the one resource that’s finite, but it doesn’t have to be your mortal enemy. Use these tips to get time back on your side.