Deducting your combined biz/vacation travel

Written by Dorothy Griggs, EA


Continued from page 1

Plus, you can write off all your daily out-of-pocket expenses - lodging, hotel tips, and 50 percent of meals, seminar and convention fees, cab fare, etc. - for business days at your destination. Your out-of- pocket expenses for personal days are not deductible. There is a really easy way to gain maximum tax deductions and take some extra days off too. It'srepparttar Saturday night stay-over exception. If staying over a Saturday night would substantially reduce your airfare - and thusrepparttar 112518 overall cost of your business trip -repparttar 112519 IRS will cut you a break. In effect,repparttar 112520 IRS lets you countrepparttar 112521 extra days as business days because staying over actually saves money. Remember, your trip must still be primarily for business and you can only deduct 50 percent of your meal expenses. Keep in mind thatrepparttar 112522 IRS pays close attention to deductions claimed for business travel. Maintain a log to substantiate your business activities. Includerepparttar 112523 dates of departure and return,repparttar 112524 number of days spent on business, andrepparttar 112525 reason forrepparttar 112526 travel.

Dorothy J. Griggs is a licensed Enrolled Agent and has over 10 years of tax and accounting experience. Enrolled Agents are tax professionals licensed by the federal government to represent taxpayers and assist them with tax planning and tax return preparation. Dorothy is also a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents. For more great tax tips, visit her website at www.avirtualaccountant.com


The Smartest Way to Buy Auto Insurance (Part 1 of 4)

Written by Jeanine Steele


Continued from page 1

5.CLUE: (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) is a database of consumer claims created by ChoicePoint that insurance companies can access when they are underwriting or rating an insurance policy. What information does a CLUE report provide? The report contains consumer claim information provided byrepparttar insurance companies. It includes policy information such as name, date of birth, and policy number, claim information such as date of loss, type of loss and amounts paid, and a description ofrepparttar 112517 property covered. It can include a detrimental report for each time you notified any insurance carrier of evenrepparttar 112518 mere possibility of making a claim. For example, reporting a wind damage claim under your home owner’s policy, EVEN IF you never actually made a claim, will be counted against you and result in a higher auto insurance premium! For auto coverage, it includes specific vehicle information, including past claims involving that vehicle. For more information, visitrepparttar 112519 excellent site ofrepparttar 112520 Washington State Insurance Commissioner: http://www.insurance.wa.gov/factsheets/cluefacts_s.asp

6.Credit Scoring in Premium Pricing: Many insurance companies feel strongly that a mediocre or bad credit rating means you're a high risk driver. A credit score is a number insurance companies assign consumers based on their credit history, such as bill-paying history,repparttar 112521 number and type of accounts they have (including “zero balance large open credit card account), late payments, collection actions, outstanding debt andrepparttar 112522 age of their accounts. For more information, visitrepparttar 112523 excellent site ofrepparttar 112524 Washington State Insurance Commissioner: http://www.insurance.wa.gov/factsheets/creditscoring_s.asp

7.Bodily Injury Liability: It'srepparttar 112525 part of liability coverage that insures you againstrepparttar 112526 injury you cause to others in an auto accident. It consists of two figures. One limitsrepparttar 112527 cost of injury coverage per person injured, andrepparttar 112528 second limitsrepparttar 112529 total dollar amount of injury coverage (for everyone injured) in any single accident.

8.Property Damage Liability: It'srepparttar 112530 part of liability coverage that insures you againstrepparttar 112531 cost of damage to another's property caused by you in an automobile accident. "Property" includes other cars, houses, fences, telephone poles, etc.

9.Uninsured Motorist: Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays for medical expenses, lost wages, and general damages (e.g., pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) when policyholders, authorized drivers, or passengers are injured in an accident caused by a driver who has no insurance coverage. It can cover members ofrepparttar 112532 owner’s family household. It usually consists of separate limits for bodily injury and property damage, so you will have to insure your own property against injury from another person. This policy is required in some states.

10.Underinsured Motorist: Underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage, pays for medical expenses, lost wages, and other general damages when policyholders, authorized drivers, or passengers are injured in an accident caused by a driver who has insufficient coverage. It can cover members ofrepparttar 112533 owner’s family household.It typically paysrepparttar 112534 difference betweenrepparttar 112535 at-fault driver's liability limit andrepparttar 112536 holder's policy limit. There are separate limits for property damage and bodily injury liability, so you will have to insure your own property against injury from another person. This coverage is sometimes combined with uninsured motorist coverage under one policy, and may be required in some states.

On to Part 2

Jeanine Steele is an editor with SettlementCentral.Com(http://www.settlementcentral.com), the online resource for self-help do-it-yourself personal injury claims.


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