Thursday, April 14, 2011

In the end, it wasn’t any one person who helped me navigate my taxes, despite my best efforts to enlist human help. I tried. Honestly. Three people, in fact, each of whom produced a unique set of numbers, none of which were wholly accurate. This phenomenon spoke more to our labyrinthine tax code, I think, because everybody was well-meaning and seemingly knowledgeable, though the key word here is “seemingly.”

No, it was TurboTax itself that saw me through this harrowing ordeal. More to the point, it was an advertisement to upgrade to the Premier edition that caught my eye and really spoke to me. Ads, least of all online ads, seldom do that, but this message materialized at just the right time and, unbelievably enough, delivered on its promise to the letter. I may very well sound like a pitch myself, but the program really did make my investments far more digestible.

What was especially surprising was the discovery of a new tax shelter. Previously, I had relied on a traditional IRA to reign in the amount due, but this tactic is no longer viable. The property tax deduction helped somewhat. It was tithing, however, that put me above water. Yes, tithing. In prior years, I had opted for the standard deduction, but I took a crack at itemizing this year, and in a few clicks, I was in the black. Tithing’s been ruined for me, though, because for every subsequent check I write now, I’ll be thinking about the monetary benefit. Perverse, yes, but I know now, so I can’t unthink it. Should I even continue, I wonder? It’s strange, when such a lofty construct crash-lands so close to home. It’s like you’re sitting in church, only to have the pews slide away to reveal you were actually in a Chipotle all along.