Blog
Three FAFSA Tips to Help San Diego Taxpayers Get Their High School Grads Ready for College
Independence Day is this week. Bombs. Patriotism. Picnics. Barbecue. All those things.I often write about "financial independence" this time of year (yes, I like the puns) ... and when I do, invariably I get contacted by a few clients (or former clients), who...
Four Ways the IRS Reform Bill Helps San Diego Taxpayers Like You (and Me)
Believe it or not, 2019 is almost halfway over (!). We're through the summer solstice, the days get shorter from here on out, and here at Team Top Hat Tax & Financial Services we begin to turn our eyes more directly at 2020.We're pretty thrilled by the...
Tax-Smart Ways to Run a Savvy San Diego Side Hustle
I'm so old, I still remember the days when "hashtags" were only about a particular button on your phone.Yep, the world has shifted massively underfoot. You know it; we all know it.And one of the developments we've all seen is the proliferation of news feed gurus,...
Key Tips For San Diego Newlyweds On Marriage and Taxes
Do you know what the number one month is for weddings? Check today's date and there it is: June.With that fact in mind, I'm not sure where you currently fall on the wedding spectrum...Are many of your friends getting married? Are your friends' kids getting married?...
Top Hat Tax & Financial Services Sheds Light on Some of the Highest State Sales Tax Rates
No, the IRS is not shutting down their operations -- there is still (and probably ever will be) a federal income tax.But states are a different story...This being travel season, and the season during which some of our clients turn their eyes towards making a move, I...
New Ideas For San Diego Students To Pay For College
I recently wrote about the cost of raising children, but there was one glaring omission: college.But imagine if you had sent your son to Morehouse College. Here's what happened there this month...On Sunday, May 19th, investor and philanthropist, Robert F. Smith,...
College Is Expensive But San Diego Families Can Save Big Through These Tax Breaks
What, you think I'm on vacation?Yes, the tax deadline has passed. But we're still available, and handling post-deadline matters for San Diego clients. But moving along to today's subject: figuring out how to pay for college tuition. Things are different from the...
A Thank You To Our San Diego Clients For A Successful 2019 Tax Season
This has been one of the wildest tax seasons in recent memory. I saw a note from the IRS last Friday (the 12th) that as of that day, 50 million taxpayers had yet to file. LOTS of extensions happened out there, as all of the tax law changes caused a bunch of...
2018 Tax Extensions and Payment Options for San Diego Taxpayers
Yep. This is the final week, and the personal filing deadline (April 15th) is *so* close.It's officially the final week of tax season -- and we are working our tails off for you and our other San Diego clients.But I'm still taking the time to step away for a moment...
An Under-Utilized Tax Break For San Diego Taxpayers: Summer Day Camp
Okay, that's a joke. We're so busy with our client work, we can't really enjoy the college basketball or the new baseball season, but at least we still have April Fools.And yes, I know that day has already passed. More coffee please.But speaking of things getting past...
Darryl A. Hale, EA, MBA, MST’s Under-Utilized Pet Tax Deductions
Apparently, there are some politics things happening these days.But even more apparently, the tax deadline is three weeks away.Politics? As the young people say, ain't nobody got time for that.But you know what we DO have time for? Saving you a boatload on your taxes,...
How San Diego Taxpayers Can Support The Alabama Disaster Relief Effort
The college hoops brackets are set, and the madness begins. And, per the American Gaming Association, 47 million of us will be wagering $8.5 BILLION on this event.Which, of course, means that my mind immediately goes here.You see, we've already been knee-deep in our...