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Recognizing When You Need Outside Money Help

Recognizing When You Need Outside Money Help

“Googling” to find the solution to a problem is pretty common these days. While the internet has made it possible for us to do without experts or middlemen in many aspects of life (when's the last time you contacted a travel agent?), there are some situations where handling things on your own represents a big mistake. When it comes to issues involving money, there are three specific scenarios that come to mind:

  • When you're notified of an in-person tax audit
  • When you're estate planning
  • When you've been dumped by your homeowners' insurance carrier

Let's take a look at each, and why going without professional help would be a critical mistake.

In-Person Tax Audits

Receiving an IRS notice that something's off with your taxes is scary, but not that unusual. In most cases, you can address the situation yourself by simply sending in whatever supporting documents the agency is looking for. But when the Internal Revenue Service wants to have a face-to-face chat, it means that the answers you've provided are simply not good enough. That's when it's time to turn to a professional for help. In-person tax audits are not run-of-the-mill requests, and the agency's own statistics report that they usually result in additional taxes of ten times more than correspondence-processed audits. 

Bringing in an expert is nothing to feel ashamed of. In fact, it is exactly what tax professionals do when they're called in by the IRS. Failing to do so would be a big mistake.

Estate Planning

Estate planning is not the same thing as drawing up other legal documents. While it's simple enough to do an internet search for less important forms that you can fill in with your personal information, planning for the best way to disperse and manage your assets requires an understanding of special needs, tax laws, and the different vehicles available for protecting your assets. Not only do you want to minimize the amount that the government will take from your beneficiaries, you also want to make sure that nobody can question whether you knew what you were doing. Working with a professional largely eliminates the chances that legal challenges will succeed and ensures that your wishes will be fulfilled.

Losing Your Homeowner's Insurance 

When you purchased your homeowner's insurance policy, you probably did your own research to find the best coverage at the lowest price. But if the company has dropped you, you're going to find that things aren't quite as easy as they once were. There are only a few reasons why a homeowner's insurer will cancel a policy – failure to pay or fraud are the two big ones. They can also opt-out of offering to renew, and that's usually spurred by you having filed too many claims or your home being considered too big a risk because of crime, extreme weather, or the risk of wildfires or flooding. When this happens the nonrenewal is entered into a database, and finding somebody else to step in is no easy task. Your best bet is going to be turning to an insurance broker or independent agent who can cast a wider net and lobby on your behalf. 

With all big financial decisions, the DIY approach can often end up costing much more than professional fees. 

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Steward Financial

Steward Financial

Jon Osborn is a tax preparer based in San Dimas, California. His company, Steward Financial Services, offers a broad range of tax preparation, accounting and business consulting for small businesses. He loves to work with clients who are looking for answers to complex tax and business planning issues. He has owned several small businesses and worked with over one hundred small business owners. He helps his individual and business tax clients find the best ways to spend their money in order to minimize IRS tax. Small businesses looking to grow, sell or just increase cash flow are one of Jon's specialties.

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