Hopefully by now everyone has gotten their taxes finished and the return sent off to the IRS. If not, you’d better be looking in to filing an extension or getting down to business today. You can still get it done by e-filing, or if you prefer to mail it in the traditional way, make sure it’s postmarked by tomorrow. It doesn’t have to arrive by the 15th, you just have to prove that you sent it off by then.

Once you’re done with everything, it’s probably a relief, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’re all done until next near about this time. With everything still fresh in your mind, it’s probably a good time to start planning for next year. Tax time is so much easier when you’ve thought and planned ahead and have all your records in order. You can also minimize the taxes you owe by taking the time to figure out how to handle all your financial affairs in the most tax efficient way.

So if you’re still working on last year, you’d better stop reading this and get to work. And if you’re already finished, start looking forward to next year and proactively planning.

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