Chapter 3

FREE TAX FILING SERVICES FOR TAX YEAR 2024

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Millions of taxpayers with an uncomplicated financial situation can qualify for free online tax filing. However, be cautious of companies that advertise “free” tax filing, as not everyone may qualify.

You might qualify for free tax filing with one or more of these services:

  • IRS Free File (https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-free-file-do-your-taxes-for-free) is for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $84,000 or less. This site can also guide you to the best free filing software for your situation. Remember, some of the suggested websites have a fee for filing a state tax return. If your AGI is over $84,000 you can still use the IRS Free File; you will have to fill out the online forms on your own.
  • H&R Block (https://www.hrblock.com/online-tax-filing/) offers a free online tax filing service for low-to-moderate income taxpayers and students that includes your state tax return. This site is appropriate for taxpayers with W-2 and unemployment  income, parents who claim the Child Tax Credit as well as students and first-time filers. The H&R Block app can also be used for filing online. More complex tax situations will require the Deluxe version costing $35.
  • Cash App Taxes (https://cash.app/taxes) is for anyone filing a simple federal tax return with only one state tax return. No additional charges are involved, which includes audit defense if your return is questioned by the IRS.
  • TurboTax Free Edition (https://turbotax.intuit.com/best-tax-software/why-its-free/) is an option for which over 35 percent of taxpayers are eligible. You must have a simple Form 1040 (no schedules except for Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Student Loan Interest). Those who contributed to a traditional IRA or HSA won’t qualify for the free version. 
  • TaxSlayer (https://www.taxslayer.com/) is for taxpayers under age 65 with a simple return (no dependents, claim standard deduction) and one state tax return, not claiming a Child Tax Credit and no IRA or HSA contributions, and a maximum taxable income from wages or unemployment of $100,000. Allows deduction of student loan interest and educational expenses, which is especially beneficial for current and former students. Members of the military are eligible for a free return with more complicated situations – tax credits, deductions, self-employment (https://www.taxslayer.com/products/taxslayer-military/)
  • AARP (https://taxaide.aarpfoundation.org/) for taxpayers over age 50 (and active- duty military members) with an AGI under $84,000. Offers in-person and online free tax-filing assistance.
  • FreeTaxUSA (https://www.freetaxusa.com/) is free for those with a simple tax situation but is affordable for complex tax returns ($7.99), and requires a $14.99 fee for each state tax filing. The Deluxe Version includes live chat support.
  • TaxAct (https://www.taxact.com/) is beneficial for tax filers with simple returns. Those with more complex tax situations can upgrade to a Deluxe Package. Filing a state tax return has a $39.99 fee.

Final note: IRS Free File allows you to compare free tax filing options. And, if you are not eligible for a free tax return, FreeTaxUSA and TaxAct offer affordable tax filing options.

For additional information on free tax filing services, go to:

Free-tax-filing-services
Free Filing Handout

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others about their experiences when filing federal and state income tax returns.
  • Have students visit the website of one or more of the tax services in the article to obtain additional information related to their personal tax filing situation.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What features of free tax filing websites might be beneficial for your tax situation?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to evaluate the benefits of various free tax filing websites.   
Categories: Chapter 3, Taxes | Tags: , | Leave a comment

MUSEUM OF SAVING

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Melissa Hart

With an increasing influence of finance, credit, and business on our lives, the Museum of Saving is an innovative, entertaining location. Families, adults, teens, and children are provided with a clear-and-simple approach to saving and investing for improved financial literacy. The museum’s mission is “to contribute to spreading financial education to help people make rational and informed decisions and act in ways to achieve the priorities of their lives.”

Through a combination of education and entertainment, the learning through play approach of the museum uses technology and interactivity to offer:

  • An introduction to economic history that includes the role of money, trade, loans, early banking activities, and major financial crises.
  • An overview of the most common financial instruments. 
  • Themed tours with audio-visual and interactive labs.
  • A multidisciplinary (economics, literature, cinema) view of famous people.
  • Gamification videos and apps to test and reward money management knowledge and skills.

While the Museum of Saving is based in Italy, you can access the exhibits online.

For additional information on the Museum of Saving, click here.

Virtual Tour:  

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to obtain advice on how to best learn about saving and investing.
  • Have students take a virtual tour of the Museum of Saving. What features do students consider to be most interesting and informative?

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions do you recommend for a person to learn more about successful saving and investing?
  2. Describe factors a person might consider when evaluating different savings and investing alternatives.
Categories: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 5, Chapter_11, Chapter_12, Chapter_13, Investments, Savings | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Personal Finance Simulations for Budgeting and Investing

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Melissa Hart

Question:  What is a Personal Finance simulation? 

Answer:  A Personal Finance simulation allows students to fine-tune their decisions when they encounter real-life scenarios while taking a Personal Finance course. 

The authors of Personal Finance, 14e and Focus on Personal Finance, 7e have partnered with StockTrak.com to provide students with an interactive learning experience before they leave the classroom.   

The simulation that accompanies the Kapoor Personal Finance texts includes two components–a personal budgeting simulation and an investing simulation.

The Budgeting Simulation

  • Students assume the role of a full-time employee or part-time employee living on their own.
  • Over a virtual 12-month period, students review their estimated income and expenses, create monthly budgets and savings goals, and try to build an emergency fund. Each month takes about 20 minutes to complete.
  • Each month students manage their checking, savings, and credit card accounts as they deal with life’s expected and unexpected events that affect their budget.  
  • Within the simulation, additional personal finance tutorials are available to make sure students are learning about budgeting, banking, credit, employment, taxes, insurance, and more.
  • A class ranking based on net worth, credit score, and quality of life keep the students fully engaged and professors informed of each student’s progress.

The Investing Simulation

  • Students receive a virtual $25,000 in a brokerage account.
  • They can research U.S. stocks, ETFs, bonds and mutual funds and create their own investment portfolio.
  • All investment trades are based on real-time market prices.
  • Within the simulation, interactive tutorials help students get started and provide additional information during the simulation.
  • Students can monitor their performance versus their classmates.  At the same time, professors can track each student’s progress.

And BEST of ALL, with the new partnership between Stock-Trak and McGraw Hill, classes using the Kapoor Personal Finance textbook get a 50% savings when students register for the simulation – only $9.99 per student instead of retail price of $19.99.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Visit StockTrak.com/kapoor to learn more about the Personal Finance Budgeting and Investing Simulation.  You can learn even more by watching a short video or accessing the Kapoor demo materials located toward the bottom of the above site. 
  • It’s easy to get started.  All you need to do is access the above site, register your classes for Spring 2023, and indicate the dates you want your student to have access to the Personal Finance Simulation.  The site will generate a unique link for you to give to your students.
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapters, Chapter_10, Chapter_11, Chapter_12, Chapter_13, Chapter_14, Financial Planning Topics, Teaching Tools | Tags: , | Leave a comment

New IRS imposter scam targets college students and staff

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Melissa Hart

If you’re a college student, faculty, or staff member, pay attention to this scam. IRS imposters are sending phishing emails to people with “.edu” email addresses, saying they have information about your “tax refund payment.” What do they really want? Your personal information.

Scammers are sending emails with subject lines like, “Tax Refund Payment” or “Recalculation of your tax refund payment.” The email asks you to click a link and submit a form to claim your “refund.”

What happens if you click the link? The website asks for personal information, including your name, Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, prior year’s annual gross income (AGI), driver’s license number, address, and electronic filing PIN. Scammers can use or sell this information for identity theft.

The emails can look really real and include the IRS logo. But no matter what the email looks like or says, one thing stays true: the IRS will not first contact you by email. They will always start by sending you a letter. And, to confirm that it’s really the IRS, you can call them directly at 800-829-1040.

If you clicked a link in one of these emails and shared personal information, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov to get a customized recovery plan based on what information you shared.

If you spotted this scam, the IRS is asking you to forward the email as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students if they, their relatives or friends have received such scam emails.  If so, how did they respond to the scam?
  • Why have imposter scams increased so rapidly in the last few years?  What, if anything, can consumers do to avoid such scams?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is it important not to click on the links, even if they seem to be legitimate?
  2. If you clicked on such a link, what steps should you take to protect yourself and others from being scammed?
Categories: Chapter 3, Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams | Tags: , | Leave a comment

STIMULUS CHECKS USE

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Melissa Hart

As a result of the economic difficulties during the COVID pandemic, many Americans received government stimulus checks. These payments were designed to minimize or avoid financial difficulties.  

Recipients of the first two stimulus checks used the majority of funds for daily living expenses with food and utilities as the top items. Those who received the third check had some significant changes in their use of the money.  An increased portion was used to pay off debt and for savings, including money set aside for an emergency fund. This trend indicated that many households experienced improved financial stability. However, among lower-income groups the third stimulus check was still needed for monthly bills and day-to-day essentials.  

People continue to be in need of a cash cushion. Financial advisors recommend using money from stimulus checks or tax refunds to pay off high-interest debt and for an increased savings account.  While many households have are better off than they’ve ever been and improving further, millions of others face ongoing financial hardship.  

For additional information on stimulus check use, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to those who received stimulus checks to obtain information how the money was used.
  • Have students describe a research system that might be used to determine the spending, saving, investing, and credit use habits of various groups of consumers.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are reasons people are unable or unwilling to practice wise money management?
  2. Describe actions that might be taken to prepare for unexpected financial difficulties.
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Financial Planning, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

IRS Dirty Dozen Tax Schemes

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Melissa Hart

Each year, the IRS warns taxpayers about the “Dirty Dozen” tax scams.  Some of these cons show up on the list each year, while others are new. Tax scams are most common during tax season or times of crisis. The COVID pandemic created opportunities to try steal money and information from taxpayers.

Taxpayers are reminded to beware of these ongoing swindles that include:

  • Phishing involves fake emails or websites to obtain personal information. The IRS never initiates contact by email. Do not click on links claiming to be from the IRS. Also be wary of keywords, such as “coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” and “Stimulus.”
  • Fake charities are a reoccurring concern. Criminals often take advantage of natural disasters and other situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to set up a phony charity, and may even claim to be working with the IRS to help victims.
  • Threatening impersonator phone calls claim to be collecting money for the IRS. The scammer uses fear and urgency to demand immediate payment. Senior citizens and their caregivers should be especially alert for this type of fraud.
  • Unscrupulous return preparers, called “ghost” preparers, expose their clients to serious filing mistakes and tax fraud. Ghost preparers do not sign the tax returns they prepare, as required by law. While most tax professionals provide honest service, others should be avoided.
  • Fake payments with repayment demands involve scammers tricking taxpayers into sending them their refund. The criminal steals or obtains personal data to file a bogus tax return. Once the money is in the bank account, the criminal poses as an IRS employee to request that the money be returned immediately, perhaps in the form of gift cards.

Some recent tax scams that have surfaced include

  • Offer-in-compromise mills involves misleading tax debt resolution companies exaggerating their ability to settle tax debts for “pennies on the dollar.” The offer requires that taxpayers meet certain legal requirements. Dishonest businesses enroll unqualified candidates to collect hefty fees from taxpayers already deep in debt.
  • Economic impact payment or refund theft, in which criminals filed false tax returns or bogus information with the IRS to redirect refunds to a wrong address or bank account.
  • Social media scams may use COVID-19 to trick people. The scammer uses information on social media to send emails pretending to be a family member, friend, or co-worker, which can result in tax-related identity theft.
  • Ransomware takes advantage of human and technical weaknesses to infect a computer, network, or server. Invasive software (malware) can track keystrokes and other computer activity. An infected computer can allow access to personal and financial data. Or, a ransom request appears in a pop-up window.

To avoid these scams: (1) be aware of potential cons; (2) check with the IRS or your bank if something is suspicious; (3) keep your computer system and passwords secure, and (4) avoid deals that are “too good to be true.”

For additional information on tax scams, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students describe these situations to other people, and ask them what actions they might take to avoid these scams.
  • Have students create a video or visual presentation to warn others of these potential scams.

Discussion Questions 

  1. Why do some people get taken by tax scams and other frauds?
  2. Describe actions that might be taken to avoid various tax scams.
Categories: Chapter 3, Chapter 6, Frauds and Scams, Taxes | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Personal Finance Hacks

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Melissa Hart

Hacks – skills and shortcuts – are used in many life settings.  For personal finance, here are some tips that can help stop money leakages:

  • Only use credit cards with financial advantages, such as cashback; always pay off credit card balances on time.
  • Making weekly payments, instead of monthly, helps to save interest and reduces the amount owed faster.
  • Pay off loans/debts with the highest interest rates first.
  • You might consider paying off a debt with another loan if the new loan has a much lower interest rate.
  • When shopping online, leave the item in the cart for several days or weeks; the price may be lower or you may decide you don’t really need the item.
  • Consider bulk purchases with friends to qualify for free shipping.
  • Take advantage of seasonal sales.
  • Unsubscribe from email offers.
  • Avoid household clutter to save time and money.
  • Cook your own meals; online videos and recipes offer fast, easy meals.
  • Talk to others for investment advice.

For additional information on personal finance hacks, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students tell their personal experience with tech, travel, or personal finance hacks.
  • Have students create a video to dramatize various personal finance hacks.

Discussion Questions 

  1. How would you decide if a personal hack will be of value to you?
  2. Describe actions that might be used to communicate personal finance hacks to others.
Categories: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Financial Planning, Wise Shopping | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Avoid Tax Refund Advances

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Melissa Hart

Each year, more than 1.5 million taxpayers obtain refund anticipation loans (RALs).  This year, the number may be higher as a result of the government shutdown.  While, RALs provide faster access to your money, they come with high fees and should only be used as a last resort.  These “cash advances” are a potential for scams; before using these loans, take these actions:

  • Assess the cost. While some national tax chains promote this service as a “free” cash advance, fees may apply for applying for the advance, checking your credit, and transferring the money to you. Costs for your refund advance check range from $29 to $65.  If your refund is on a prepaid debit card, there will likely be additional fees.
  • Beware of loan terms based on timing. Additional charges may occur if your refund is delayed.
  • Compare other options. Seek less expensive, small-dollar, short-term loans from a community bank or credit union, or a zero-percent credit card. A $35 charge to defer a $350 tax preparation fee for two weeks has an APR of 174 percent.
  • To avoid late fees for bills, contact your creditors. Utility companies and medical providers may offer no-cost extensions or no-cost payment plans.

Always be sure you are doing business with a reputable tax preparer. Check credentials and references. Avoid tax preparers who charge fees based your refund amount, or who deposit your refund in their bank account. Another fraudulent activity is filing false information to increase the amount of the refund.

For additional information on tax refund advances, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students search online for costs for refund anticipation loans.
  • Have students prepare a video presentation on avoiding refund anticipation loans.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What advice would you give a person planning to obtain a refund anticipation loan?
  2. How might community organizations and government agencies assist people who are considering a refund anticipation loan?
Categories: Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Financial Services, Frauds and Scams, Taxes | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Trump’s Tax Plan and How It Affects You

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Melissa Hart

“On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”

Fact:  Most Americans wonder how the current wave of tax reform will affect them.  This article by Kimberly Amadeo summarizes how the Act changes the amount of income tax that both individuals and businesses pay.

Significant changes in the Act for individuals include

  • Lower tax rates (highest rate in 2017 was 39.6 percent drops to 37 percent in 2018) could mean an increase in the amount individuals take home each payday.
  • Personal exemptions ($4,150 in 2017) per person are eliminated.
  • The standard deduction almost doubles for a single person ($6,350 in 2017) to $12,000. For married and joint filers the standard deduction ($12,700 in 2017) is now $24,000.
  • More taxpayers will opt to take the standard deduction instead of itemizing deductions.
  • For those taxpayers who choose to itemize, many itemized deductions that were previously allowed have been eliminated.
  • Taxpayers who itemize can still deduct charitable contributions, most mortgage interest, retirement savings, and student loan interest.
  • Taxpayers who itemize can still deduct up to $10,000 in state and local taxes.

For businesses, the largest and most signification change is lowering the maximum corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent beginning in 2018.

The article does provides more specific information about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects both individuals and businesses.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Discuss how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will affect a single college student or a typical American family.
  • Explore how lower corporate taxes could impact economic growth, worker salaries, unemployment rates, job creation, and other factors that impact both the nation and individuals.

Discussion Questions

  1. Given the information contained in this article and other reports, do you think the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is good for you? Explain your answer.
  2. For an individual, what effect does lower taxes have on your spending, savings and investments, and retirement planning?
Categories: Chapter 3, Financial Planning, Taxes | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Hurricane Financial Toolkit

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Melissa Hart

Natural disasters create a need for unique actions.  After physical safety is assured, some of the activities related to finances include:

  • contacting your insurance company – request a copy of your policy, take photos and videos to document your claim.
  • registering for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
  • talking with your mortgage lender and credit card companies since you may not be able to make upcoming payments on time.
  • contacting utility companies to suspend service if you will not be living in your home due to damage.

Beware of various scams that surface after natural disasters.  These frauds can include phony repairs, deceptive contractors, requiring up-front fees, fake charities, and misrepresenting oneself as an insurance company agent or government representative to obtain personal information.

Assistance for the personal and financial chaos created by a hurricane or other natural disaster may be obtained from these organizations:

For additional information on financial actions for disasters, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students role play situations that might require actions such as those described in this article.
  • Have students create a video with suggestions to take when encountering a natural disaster.

Discussion Questions 

  1. How might the advice offered in this article be communicated to people who are victims of a natural disaster?
  2. Describe common mistakes people might make when encountering a natural disaster.
Categories: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Financial Planning, Frauds and Scams, insurance | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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