The most cruel time of year....

Yes it's tax time.

I have spent the better part of the last 3 hours preparing my tax prep packet to take to my Tax Guy Who Walks On Water (TG-WOW). Every year I go through this sadistic ritual and every year I want to curl up into the fetal position and cry.

How do I know I'm not getting screwed? Easy. I also do my taxes using online versions of your favorite tax prep software (mine is TurboTax). I fill the online forms to best of my ability and it normally takes me 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Yes I'm that slow... Yes I think about it that hard... Yes I try to be that meticulous.

That has been my ritual for the last 3 or 4 years now. And every year on the first Wed in February I go to my tax appointment with TG-WOW and normally double what the TurboTax told me my refund would be, the last two years I've tripled the amount. And in one of the few areas other then computers I beat the pants off of anyone else in my family is in the size of my Tax Refund... yes some people gloat about their athletic ability... me computers and my tax refund.

OK now it's time for me to get on my "Soap Box of Doom" tm

I'm 27 years old, I can't tell you how many of my friends do not have a tax guy... much less a TG-WOW. If you don't have a tax guy and you have any thing more then house intrest and a W2 for taxes get a tax guy. Ask your friends, family, single friend who blogs about his TG-WOW. Ask everybody you know just just get a tax pro.

Now when I say Tax Pro I don't mean goto H&R Block... that is a great way to really screw up your day. I mean get a Tax Accountant or a CPA who also does income taxes. Check out your tax guy ask them if there is anything you need to do to prep. My TG-WOW sends out a packet that I fill out ahead of time with all of the info he needs.

Check your tax pro's policy on what happens when you get audited. Mine will go with me to court. I checked out others and they may not. Your tax guy could very well vary.

The first hit is sometimes free... My tax guy doesn't charge the filer who comes through his doors for the first time. Well at least he didn't used to I don't know about 2007. Follow my system if you don't do so hot with the tax guy then nothing lost if you got a fat refund from the tax guy then bonus!

In closing... get a tax pro may or may not cost you in the short term and may or may not get you great gains in the short term. You have nothing to lose... maybe.