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Entry bubble Filing taxes in two states

By: Jess | February 05, 2009 | Category: Money

taxesMoving from Pennsylvania to Maryland a few months ago was a little bit stressful because of the distance and the date my previous lease ended and my new one started. I had thought that after I finished sleeping on a friend’s sofa and was in my own place, my moving stresses were over.

But I hadn’t thought about taxes and how the move would affect that.

Like many other people who moved this year, I have to file tax returns in two different states. I’ve never filed a single tax return before, so I’m a little bit nervous and had lots of questions.

Though my parents offered to help me with the Pennsylvania taxes, I was responsible for finding all the necessary forms.

It was a lot easier than I thought to find what I needed. The Federal Tax Administrators have a map linking to each state's tax information. The only form that was a little tricky was the municipality tax form for Manchester Township in York, Pa., but a lady at the tax office gave me the exact number of the form that I could print right from the Web site.

Maryland’s tax forms were even simpler because the county tax is included right on the state tax form, which meant I only needed to track down one.

Now it’s just a matter of filling the forms out, sending them in and figuring out what to do with my return check.

I’m thinking a mini-vacation may be in order.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: jess   maryland   pennsylvania   pueblo   taxes   usa.gov  

 

Entry bubble If I knew then what I know now

By: Jess | January 29, 2009 | Category: Travel

Man holding passportWho hasn't had one of those "Duh!" moments? You know, the ones where you realize after the fact that there was a much easier way to do something?

I had one of those moments as soon as I started my job with the Federal Citizen Information Center in November and learned about USA.gov.

As a child of the Google generation, my first instinct is to Google anything I want to know. If only I had known USA.gov is like the Google for government information.

Unfortunately for me, my dreaded experience trying to get a passport might be the perfect story to illustrate why I wish I would have known about USA.gov when I was in college.

At the beginning of my junior year, I wanted to spend winter term studying in Italy. It was a three-week program touring all the art and architecture in some of Italy's most famous cities, culminating in a final paper and three upper level elective credits.

It seemed financially feasible if some scholarship money came through. The only thing I needed was a passport.

I Googled how to get one, followed what I thought were reliable directions and showed up at the post office only to be told my photo wasn't acceptable. It followed the size dimensions, but wasn't zoomed in enough, or some detail like that.

I was caught off guard and frazzled, but the helpful woman working that day offered to take another picture for me.

I took a minute to catch my breath and compose myself so I could look pretty in my glamour shot. It didn't work.

Jess and roommates in BahamasI never went to Italy, but I used that passport on my graduation cruise to the Bahamas, and to this day my roommates cackle with laughter when they think about my horrible, horrible photo.

Makes me wish I had known about USA.gov a few years earlier to check out all the passport requirements. I could have looked like a superstar in my photo. Or at the very least, not like a crazy person.

Please tell me I'm not the only one with an unfortunate passport picture. Feel free to share your horror stories in the comments.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: jess   passport   usa.gov  

 

Entry bubble Financing College

By: Sam | January 23, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

My sister is in her last semester of high school, and of course, everyone’s favorite question is “Where do you want to go to college?”  Right now, it’s between five schools-2 public and 3 private. Even though the jury is still out on what colors she’ll be wearing next fall, one thing is for certain-college costs are painfully high.  graduation cap with diploma and money

It’s been 10 years since I went to college, and during that time, the average cost of tuition and fees has risen by 57% at private four-year colleges and 69% at four-year public colleges  These figures from the College Board may have you feeling a little light-headed, but the costs can be managed thanks to the power of compounding interest.

Since every family’s situation is different, you’ll need to find a savings method that works for you.  In doing so, you’ll want to consider factors like your tax bracket, child’s age, how much financial aid you expect to receive, etc.  Then, you can use these helpful college financing calculators to figure out how much you’ll need to save. 

Once you’ve determined this figure, you need to decide on a savings vehicle.  In addition to mutual funds, brokerage accounts, and bank savings accounts, there are also some tax-advantaged alternatives available to help.  Here are some options:

And remember you don’t necessarily have to save for the entire four years.  Grants, loans, and scholarships can help make affording college a little easier.  Here are some resources to get you started:

 Students

Parents

 

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: college   education   grants   loans   money   sam   scholarships   students   usa.gov  

 

Entry bubble Go Green: Tips for Conserving Water

By: Sam | January 09, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

While many of you were dreaming of a white Christmas, I think most folks in the Southeast were hoping for a rainy one.  With many states facing one of the most severe droughts in history, any amount of precipitation would be a welcome change to the sunny, blue skies.

Since the drought affects many of my loved ones, I have stayed up-to-date on the conditions thanks to USA.gov.  I can check the local drought forecasts, get weekly drought monitor maps, and calculate how much precipitation it would take to end the current drought conditions in the next three months.  For much of the Southeast and parts of California, it would take 18 to 21 inches of rain! 

At drought.gov, I can get recent news related to the drought as well as impact reports from media, observers, and other sources.  These reports are searchable by state and county, category of impact (environment, agriculture, social, etc.), and time period.  They are also a real eye-opening read on how the drought is affecting individuals and communities from job loss to wildfires to sparse crop growth. 

One positive that has resulted from the drought is the need to be more conscious about conserving water.  While I was home for the holidays, my Mom had to gently remind me to take shorter showers and to turn the water off while brushing my teeth.  To help encourage folks, the state of Georgia has put together a great website, ConserveWaterGerogia.net, which is full of useful tips on conserving water at home, school, and work.

Here’s a few to help get you started:

  • Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
  • Fix leaking faucets and toilets.
  • Turn off lights when you’re not in the room since energy is produced using large volumes of water.
  • Don’t overwater your lawn.  Lawns only need to be watered every 10 to 14 days in the winter.
  • Avoid over fertilizing your lawn.

You can also find creative ideas for saving water such as collecting rainwater with rain barrels and test your WaterSense with the EPA’s new interactive online quiz.  And for more helpful advice and resources checkout thedailygreen.com.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: conservation   drought   green   usa.gov   water  

 

Entry bubble Finding a Job That’s Right for You

By: Sam | January 02, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

O.K, you may have not made the cut for Celebrity Apprentice, Project Runway, or American Idol.  But there’s still a great job out there for you.  You just have to “make it work” as my favorite fashion guru likes to say.

Take it from me, after my dreams of being a rock star were dashed by the fact I can’t carry a tune, I turned to another passion:  public service.  I always knew with whatever career path I chose, I wanted to have the opportunity to make a difference.  During my job hunt, I saw federal service as a way for me to accomplish this goal.  Thankfully, a search on USAJobs gave me the chance to work with the folks from Pueblo, CO.

Now, I know working for Uncle Sam isn’t for everyone, but the government does have tons of great career resources.  For instance, the “Finding a Job” page on USA.gov connects you to info on choosing a career, building a resume, applying for jobs, and more.  There’s also the “Employment” section of Pueblo.gsa.gov and the “Jobseekers” tab on the Department of Labor’s homepage that are full of useful tips and services.

I’ve also found the followings sites to be a source of really great and sometimes humorous career advice:

Please feel free to suggest other career resources that you’ve found helpful.  Or share a great “You’re Hired!” story.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: career   employment   job   resume   usa.gov  

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