Tax sneezin'

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 1:43 PM

Posted by Sarah Payne, Book Search Support Team

Spring is in the air. I can tell because I'm sneezing.

Remember when April meant the Easter bunny and the promise of May flowers? Now, instead of flowers blooming, taxes are looming (no more rhyming, I promise).

I try to find things that will make money matters and taxes seem less, well, taxing. I need color, pictures, and a few laughs. Because I like my financial guidance with a little pizazz, The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance is one of the books that's been particularly useful for me. The snappy graphics and bulleted information make it an easy-on-the-eyes reference, especially during this time of year.

This pocket-sized powerhouse of tips and advice also includes some fun facts, such as how long the IRS expects you to spend on tax forms:

The IRS estimates it should take you about 4 hours and 33 minutes to fill out the 1040, plus 40 minutes to copy, assemble and send it to the IRS - after you've spent 5 hours and 40 minutes getting your records together and learning what you need to know about tax laws.

Geez.

One of my other favorites is The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook. Any finance company that admits its success started with chocolate pudding has to make the seriousness of planning for your financial present future a little less scary, right? They make learning the hows and whys of personal finance as easy as eating chocolate pudding (well, almost).