Sean Finucane

Tax season is never fun, but many Americans seem to be griping about doing their taxes this year more than others. Although the IRS expected to process up to 155 million individual taxpayer returns last year, more consumers are finding out that this year’s refund probably won’t yield as substantial a refund as in previous years — that is, if you get any refund at all. What’s more, there are all sorts of new rules that went into effect this year that might significantly change the way you file or the deductions you’re able to include. To ensure that you won’t be subject to an audit later on or that you don’t miss out on a valid opportunity to owe less to the government, you’ll want to avoid making the following major mistakes when filing your taxes this year.

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Buying a home for the first time can be a complicated process, especially if you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for. Do you need a single-family home or a condo? A home that’s move-in ready or a fixer-upper? Will you need to hire one of the 603,000 real estate lawyers in the United States? If you’re getting ready to start house hunting for the first time, here are a few tips and tricks that may be able to help you make the right choice.

Focus On The Fixes

If you’re buying a home for the first time and looking for ways to save money, you may be tempted to start your search with foreclosures or fixer-uppers. While this is an entirely reasonable way to search for homes, make sure that you know exactly what problems exist in the home that you’ll need to fix. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up having to pay for costly fixes once you’ve purchased the home.

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Life is dangerous. Even in the most mundane locations, an accident could happen at any time. Since about 66% of drivers report driving distracted through parking lots, even your next trip to the grocery store could cause you significant harm.

And yet, for many people, their day to day work life comes with a plethora of associated risks. Power line electricians commonly deal with voltages rated at 400,000 to 750,000 volts, and the logging industry alone endured 900 on-the-job injuries in 2016.

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Divorce in America today is already fairly expensive once everything’s been wrapped up. In the United States, the cost of a divorce varies from $15,000 to about $42,500, but no matter what end of the scale you end up on, that’s thousands of dollars you’ll be spending. If you can avoid these mistakes while working through your divorce, you might be able to tip the scales in your favor and save a bit on the expenses of an already difficult experience.

1. Assuming that legal proceedings are necessary: Even if you and your spouse end up splitting, there are ways of managing the separation outside of a messy courtroom situation. Divorce mediation can help you and your spouse separate more amicably and work together to reach agreements, rather than having to battle it out in court. If you think it’s at all possible that you and your spouse may be able to cooperate for the sake of saving on divorce costs, look for a mediator first before resorting to an attorney directly.

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