I've always been VERY conservative when it comes to paying my taxes -- I err on the side of conservatism versus aggressiveness, when it comes to deductions. Our company CPA feels that way, as does my personal CPA -- I always tell him, especially as I near Social Security, the LAST thing I want to deal with is an audit.
Fortunately, the last "examination" of my return was back in 2006. I had given sizeable donations to both UF and UM Departments of Peds GI, and the IRS questioned them. I sent them the receipts and checks, and some auditor decided to allow the UM deduction but not the UF, since D1 was a student there and they figured the UF deduction was my paying tuition. Not true -- D1 was on full Bright Futures Scholarship, and the balance was by Florida Prepaid, but I went to my roommate Mark, who handled IRS cases, and he suggested I just let it go, lest the IRS decide to audit our firm as well as this one issue. It cost me a deduction of about $6K, and I followed Mark's advice. Grrrrrrrrr.
Several years later, D2 got a letter -- the Agency had reviewed HER return and found she over paid -- she got a check for $800 or so. That was a nice surprise.
Well, last Thursday, my US Mail App showed 2 letters from the IRS to Wifey and me. Annoyance set in -- what now? When we returned from D2's house, I opened the letters -- again, it was nice news. My CPA Mark had calculated a late payment penalty wrong, since Florida residents were given a break because of all last season's hurricanes, even though South Florida was in the clear. The "recalculation" said we were getting back $1600 and change -- the check came yesterday. Finally, as I like to say -- SOMETHING good for the rich, white man!
Mark the CPA explained his software hadn't caught up with the forbearance. No worries -- a good letter from the government is always welcomed.
Speaking of money, I decided to get some Euros for our trip. Apparently one of the private guides Eric and Dana found wants to get paid in them (the other said dollars are fine). I happened to be perusing my BOA site, and saw they have a nice service: they'll send foreign currency to you, at a favorable 2% exchange rate, by FedEx, for free. I ordered some walking around Euros, and they came today.
Hungary and the Czech Republic don't take Euros, but I don't plan to mess with their silly currencies -- with dollars, Euros, and most importantly, credit cards, we ought to be covered. I'm hearing the Strauss waltzes in my head more as we near departure...
This dynamic is classic. I typically wouldn't choose to travel. Sometimes I feel like Johnny Cash -- I've been everywhere, man, and if I don't see another historic museum, church, or synagogue in my lifetime, that's ok. ZooMiami is as close as I need to get to exotic animals -- I have ZERO desire to visit Africa. I've only dipped a toe into Asia -- when I was on the correct side of the Bosphorus River in Istanbul, and I have no desire to go there, either, with the tiny possible exception of Japan.
Still, Wifey contrives to get me to go, by conspiring with dear friends like Mike and Loni and Kenny and Joelle and now Eric and Dana to plan trips. And, without fail, I end up VERY happy that I took the trip. I suspect this will be true on my second float up the Danube River.
I DO enjoy Fall trips -- relief from the worst part of Miami heat, and enjoying crips evenings. Joelle and Kenny have invited us to meet them in Maine in early October -- we'll plan a few nights on the Maine coast soon. It ought to be leaf season then.
Other than that -- nothing planned. But if I keep getting checks from the government...
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