2/28/22 2/28/22

Blog Bio There are a few bright spots during tax season

My birthday is in January. That used to make January a special month for me. My mom always made birthdays special, so it is no wonder I anticipated the first month of the year. Then I grew up.

Oh, I still enjoy celebrating my birthday, but much has changed. As an author, January is the time I need to do a book inventory and fill out the state form itemizing how many books I withdrew from my inventory for gifts, promotions, or discards. I need to figure out how much sales tax I owe from books I sold personally--as opposed to those sold through brick-and-mortar and online bookstores.

As soon as the new year begins, I gather my information and start putting everything together because documentation is due mid-month. Much of the information will also be used to complete our regular federal and state taxes.

Though I can gather much information online, I do need to wait for tax documents on my book royalties and revenues. Because I don’t trust my math, I usually recheck my figures several times. It is always a relief when I finish and send in the sales tax documentation.

After a deep breath, I start going through the saved receipts I will need for completing federal and state taxes. Each month as we donate to charities, I print out a receipt. At the end of the year, I gather those monthly statements to calculate how much we gave to the different charities.

Usually, these monthly receipts are replaced by a single receipt, documenting what we spent the whole year. At that point, I shred the monthly receipts. (Keith isn’t happy with how many times he has to empty the shredder during January.)

Over the years, I created a tax template that I fill in each year. As I receive information, I add the information to the template. I also start a file for documents I need to keep for tax purposes. Other papers get shredded. I’ve looked toward the end of January because I understood all business and government entities had to send out their tax documentation by the end of the month.

Only February came and we still had not received some needed documentation. When I mentioned to our financial advisor we hadn’t received some of our investment documents, I learned things have changed. Now, these entities have until mid-February to send out that documentation. Sigh!

As frustrating as doing taxes can be, I look back and realize I finally have all my information. Another week or so, I hope, I’ll be able to hand this off to my daughter who takes my information and actually does the taxes. Then I can breathe again.

But, you know, I can handle tax frustrations in January when I think not only about my birthday but the birthdays of loved ones I care about, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, Most of all I look forward to January when we celebrate the birthdays of two very special persons--our granddaughters whose birthdays are thirteen years and one day apart. Makes tax frustrations almost worthwhile.

Meanwhile, I will continue to carefully keep receipts until the tax season starts all over again--next January.

2/1/22 2/1/22

Blog Charities—how to choose wisely

I’ve written before about some of my problems with charities. Overall, I do not have problems with the fact that they exist. Most were started for a very good reason and to deal with a problem, a disease or research. Most were started with a lump sum but can only continue their efforts with regular large and small donations to cover expenses.

That’s where promotion comes in. As the charity grows, the need for funds increases. These charities then hire promoters to draw in more patrons to donate. These promoters use social media, news sources, ads, the post office, and live events to reach those who might have a reason to donate. Of course, they seek the deepest pockets possible.

One of my problems has always been that while we donate to several charities, those charities turn around and send us magazines we don’t want or read, and a continuous stream of email and colorful letters and brochures.

I hesitate to donate to a charity that isn’t on our regular list. Why? Because we don’t only receive a simple thank you, but also get on a list that assures we will be inundated through regular and email. Oh yes, and we may also receive address labels, note pads, or other unordered or desired “gifts.”

Recently we received mittens, socks and more from charities to which we’ve never donated. I am sure we were on a list somewhere. This year, we have received so many notepads I am making a stack of them. I hate to throw them away, so I am trying to figure out ways to use them. Maybe I’ll pass some onto my young grandkids to scribble on.

We also have enough address labels to last for the rest of our lives. Our mailbox is filled with emotional appeals for charities--some of which I have never heard of before. Others are perfectly legitimate charities. Yet coffers must be almost empty to spend the money to send fancy literature to individuals and families who have never given to them before.

Many charities, like regular businesses, buy and sell lists of possible donors/customers. Since Keith’s retirement, our finances are not as tight as they were while he worked, and we lived paycheck to paycheck. Add to that some inheritance and we have upped our giving significantly. Still, we do not give indiscriminately.

We gave back to places that helped with things like Keith’s cancer medications. Most of our giving goes to charities who’ve we’ve given to for many years--our church, certain missionaries, organizations who reach out with practical needs to those without, etc.

Those charities we do not support waste their promotion money by calling--we do not give online, emailing--emails are sent to the junk folder, regular mail that gets opened, then trashed.

I do hope charities doing good work and spending wisely receive the donations required to continue. But, I also wish these charities had a more narrow, targeted focus, not a shotgun approach that, more often than not, misses the mark and wastes some of those dollars they need so much.

Before donating check out the charity. Is it legitimate? Do most of their income go to promotion, salaries, and offices or to the reason they exist? Give only as it works for your budget and don’t get pulled in by emotional appeals. (One reason we stopped giving via phone call was that urge to give in to an emotional appeal before checking things out.)

The constant appeals do get old, so scrap those that hold no interest, Sort out the few that do, and brighten someone’s life by reaching out with a donation. After all, generosity is a good thing. Not only does thoughtful giving make us feel good, but also helps others.

7/21/20 7/21/20

Blog The Problem with Charity Pomotions

During most of our married life, every dollar had to stretch a long way. That meant while we believed in tithing, and giving, we didn’t have much more than a tithe to give and sometimes even that was a hardship. Since we didn’t have hundreds or thousands to donate, it bothered me that once we started donating, we started getting, not only our receipts but more.

Sometimes we got slick, full-color magazines we didn’t want and didn’t read. Other times we were inundated with appeals for other ministries under the same umbrella. What bothered me most was that all this mail costs money and I sometimes asked myself, how much of our meager donation actually went to the endeavor or missionary we supported?

We still get much too much in the way of promotion from charities in the mail, sometimes, from charities seeking to add us to their list of donors. At least I can toss them into the wastebasket. The Internet has changed everything. I like being able to donate online, Saves a stamp, and writing out a check.

But doing so means the organization has my email. Besides sending a receipt, which is important for tax purposes, charities, along with other businesses, recognized the allure in sending promotion to email addresses. Today, my email is overwhelmed by useless promotion campaigns. It is cost effective for the organization, but I have to wonder, if like me, are many tired of the constant attempts to guilt us into larger donations?

Asking for less promotion doesn’t seem to fall on listening ears. I am grateful for those organizations that are more judicious in how much promotion they send out. Some of the policies of many charity organizations are questionable. If I support a missionary family, don’t try to get me to support others or other “needs” of the organization.

“Donations” means we give money to help or because we feel God leading us to support a person or cause. Recently, one organization sent a letter saying donations have not kept up with the cost of living and would we consider increasing our giving.

I really didn’t mind a reminder or even two, but the organization seems stuck in pointing out how much more we could give and this was after we’d increased our giving. This approach will eventually backfire.

For all my frustration with a flawed system, we do have our own set of guidelines. We do not give over the phone. I carefully check out charities to which we donate. How much actually goes to the cause or ministry? I do not let emotional appeals overrule making choices as to whom, when, how often, and how much to donate.

We also seek to support individuals whom we know and trust, though, of course, this isn’t possible much of the time. God calls on us to give generously. We also need to do so within our means. Check your budget, look for a need, and give--even if it means ignoring irritating calls for further donations.

I plan my life out a day at a time, so my posting schedule can be erratic.

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