Pharrell Williams & The Ultimate Charitable Hat Trick
Crazy about Pharrell Williams’ Grammy hat? Now you can own it – and score a charitable deduction. Here’s how.
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How To Help Out After Hurricane Sandy
Last night, the power came back on in our house, following an outage due to Hurricane Sandy. We were lucky to have the power back on so quickly: our power company, PECO Energy, called Sandy “the most damaging storm in company history.” Many of my friends are still without power and have been told that…
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Why Romney’s Tax Planning Doesn’t Deserve Criticism
Let’s say you’re in the mood for a coffee. You pop into the cafe, order your drink, and are informed by the barista that the cost of the coffee is $1.99 in the regular white cardboard cup – or $1.59 if you opt for a blue cardboard cup. In most cases, unless you really have…
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Comment For The Cure
If you read the blog regularly, you probably already know a little bit about my grandmother. If you don’t, let me fill you in… She made the best vegetable soup in the world but couldn’t tell you the recipe. She raised eight children, including an invalid son whom she refused to institutionalize even though everyone…
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Paying For Summer Camp: Is Any Of It Deductible?
My son starts summer camp tomorrow. And this is what I have learned as a parent about summer camp: it’s expensive. Super expensive. Last week, I took all three kids to Dick’s Sporting Goods to stock up on camp items: shin guards, mouth guards, cleats, shin guard covers (who knew?), new hockey stick… The list…
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Join In As Corporate America Goes Barefoot
A number of years ago, I climbed into a van with some friends and headed to the great city of New Orleans. It was summer, hot and humid, even for those of us used to it from coastal North Carolina. We were armed with craft supplies, loads energy, and great ideas – we were going…
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Eleven Tax-Favorable Valentine’s Day Gifts
Love is much nicer to be in than an automobile accident, a tight girdle, a higher tax bracket, or a holding pattern over Philadelphia. – Judith Viorst, children’s author and believe it or not, tax activist I love Valentine’s Day. I’m a sucker for flowers and candy and goofy cards – anything for an excuse…
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10 Uses For Leftover Halloween Candy
I love Halloween. I do. I love the camp, the excess, the whole over the top vibe. I dress up every year. I make my kids’ costumes for our school parade. I bake ridiculous amounts of cupcakes and make silly snacks that are meant to look gross like hotdogs that look like bloody toes in…
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Top Charitable Celebrities In 2010
This month, I’ve been focusing on charitable donations. DoSomething.org, one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about, just released its list of the most charitable celebs for 2010. At the top of the list? Lady Gaga (yes, Dad, she’s a real person), who was given the…
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Ask The Taxgirl: Cookies At Christmas
Taxpayer asks: My daughter and I make cookies every year to give out at our local VA hospital at Christmas. Can we take a deduction for this on our taxes? Taxgirl says: As a mom, I think what you’re doing is terrific. And as the sister of military personnel (one lifer, one retired), I think…