As the April 15^th tax deadline is quickly approaching I am reminded of the words of Benjamin Franklin,”…nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”  I am relieved to say that my taxes are finally done, with a big emphasis on finally.  Many years ago I stopped preparing my own taxes.  I determined that after countless hours of frustration, I finally decided the stress was not worth it to me.  I have paid a few tax prepares over the years, but in the most recent years I have been utilizing the CASH Oregon sites, which partner with AARP and VITA to offer free tax preparation.  To qualify for their service you must have a low to moderate income.  You can find further information about CASH Oregon by clicking HERE.  The volunteers have always been very helpful and efficient and I have always walked away with a refund.

Now, back to the emphasis on my earlier statement about my taxes finally being done.  This year I ran into a bit of a problem, as I am guessing many other taxpayers did, or at least those who have mutual funds.  As of 2012 you are now required to report your cost basis of your mutual funds to the IRS.  The friendly volunteer prepared my taxes in about 15 minutes, but when he got to this part on my taxes he was unsure of how to proceed.  He then called in the assistance of the site coordinator.  The site coordinator then took a look at my 1099 B form and then stated he couldn’t complete my taxes without the original price paid for the funds.  I told him I didn’t know that information, as I thought it would have been on the 1099 B form.  He informed that I would have to contact my Financial Representative to get that information and return with it.  I admit, I was pretty frustrated by this, as I planned on completing my taxes that day and not worrying about them for another year.  I understood it was new rule, but I’ll be honest, I am still confused why this information was not provided on my 1099 B form.  The site coordinator was very kind and stated that as soon I got the information I just had to return and they would quickly complete my taxes.  That is exactly what I did, and now I simply wait my for my tax refund to be deposited into my checking account.