TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

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January 22, 2011
Volume 9, Number 2
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country Essay

2. Top Drawer Article

3. Top Drawer Tips

4. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY

What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

I've learned a new word. It's catastrophize. Basically it means to present a situation as worse than it is.

And what situations can you think of that are presented as worse than they are? One answer comes to mind: The stories reported by the news media.

Have you noticed - these days whether the news is about rape, murder, drug busts, shootouts, global warming or the Miss America pageant, the talking heads present every story with the same furrowed-brow look of worried apprehension.

And lately the weather people, possibly thinking the news anchors might be getting more coverage than they were, have started weighing in with scary accounts of dreadful upheavals in the weather.

But since when has freezing weather in Wyoming and Colorado been unusual? Aren't ice storms in the Carolinas normal winter events? Haven't mountains in Hawaii and Nevada been covered in snow before?

What's more, seeing as how most of Florida, and occasionally Carpenter Country, has survived being swamped by millions of gallons of rain for hundreds of years, when did a thunderstorm accompanied by a five inch downpour morph into a flooded condition?

Isn't the world filled with enough misfortune without making the normal seem abnormal? It makes me want to yell - get real!

There, now I feel so much better. Please forgive the rant. Chances are nothing will come of it, but thanks for listening.

For this moment, at least my frown has turned into a smile.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Tax Season Changes

by
HL Carpenter

Tax time has arrived, and, as usual, the new filing season brings changes. Here are three for 2011.

Click here to read the rest of this article

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: Though the IRS is nudging both taxpayers and tax preparers toward electronic filing, you can still send in a paper form. This option is available even if you use a tax preparer, despite the fact that preparers who complete 100 or more returns this year are required to file electronically. You'll have to request an opt-out form from your preparer if you want to snail-mail your return.

Glossary Term: The Free File Alliance. According to the IRS website, the Free File Alliance is a partnership between the IRS and private software companies that offers free online tax preparation to individual taxpayers who meet certain income and filing requirements.

Financial Horoscope: Hunt for Happiness Week (January 16-22) ends on Answer Your Cat's Questions Day (January 22), and both celebrations fall smack in the middle of Financial Wellness Month (all of January). You don't have to be wired to see more than mere coincidence at work here. Load up on the triple joy of getting financially fit while pursuing happiness and talking to your pet.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

An Ounce of Prevention

by
HL Carpenter

Financial advisors say an ounce of Prevention is a good investment, yet chances are you won’t be purchasing any soon.

Click here to read the rest of this satire