All late payments count as bad credit and if you make such reckless spending, you are in danger of having your credit ceased as soon as it was approved. You will also be considered a "bad" client if you lose your credit card or if you forget credit card information often. Avoid carelessness when you deal with money and note down all information regarding your card and transactions you have made with it.

Another good advice that all new card holders should follow is about owning only one credit card in beginning. This is a good idea because it helps you get familiarized with banking world, card system and it is also a test to see if you can balance money. After one year or so, of good credit history you may apply for a second credit card; however, if you've had payment problems it is wise to stick to that one single card until you can correctly manage card-money.

It is always difficult for new-comers to break through in baking world, yet with patience and a bit of wits you can become owner of a new credit card. The difficult and tricky part begins when you start balancing it. Keeping records of card information, of transactions made with it, remembering never to overspend or delay payments and generally having a careful and wise banking-attitude will make you a good client and a satisfied customer at same time.

Both titles use a process of questions and answers to guide you through filling out your return. Depending on answers you give, you be taken to different sections as required and you’ll skip over irrelevant stuff. There’s plenty of help along way. If your unsure of whether a deduction applies to you or if you should include a certain form in your return, help files offer great direction and provide several examples where you will find your situation described. If all else fails, there are links to IRS website where you can access bulletins that they provide for additional directions to each form in return.

Taxcut will check your return for all types of errors, both typographical and comprehensive. For instance, if you mis-enter your SSN or forget to enter a value, it will prompt you to go back and correct this. It will also show you any items that are typical “flags” to IRS. For example, Taxcut might say something like “Your total for charitable deductions is $5,000 – average donations reported by people in your income range in 2003 was $3,000.” Not necessarily an error, but good to know so that you can make sure you have all proper documentation to back up something that might raise an eyebrow at IRS.

While you could probably still not refer to doing your returns as “easy”, these software packages have certainly streamlined process.

Finally, will doing your own taxes really change your life? Honestly, I think in some small but positive ways, yes. The satisfaction of having completed this project on your own is somewhat uplifting and should give you a slight boost in self esteem. Add “I do my own taxes!” to enhance your resume. This certainly displays your ability to solve complex problems and shows your go-getter attitude. But seriously, preparing your return will definitely force you to pay attention to certain critical aspects of your own personal finance. It’s wise to be familiar with tax code or at least portions that pertain to you and effect your return. Arming yourself with this knowledge will allow you to plan and make future decisions with some idea of how your strategy will impact your tax standing. Knowledge is power and all that…

One parting thought – I cannot imagine going through this task, through all of pain and suffering, questions and answers, receipt hunting, number crunching, gut wrenching process only to find that your refund calculates in negative. So, if you are one of those unfortunate, under-withheld individuals who ends up owing Uncle Sam every year, then by all means, hire an accountant!

Brian Neuman Webmaster http://www.honeybeadjewelry.com