Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 10

ACCESS Tuesday, March 5, 1996 Internet offers some easy and not-soeasy tax information THE 'DO VOTE B2 AlbiIquerque Journal I I 1 KIM KOMANDO MARCH JAN. 93 JUNE 93 While many people will be going to the polls to select a president, others will go on line to cast their ballots for another aspect of White House Ufe: Hillary Rodham Clinton's hairstyle. A page on the World Wide Web devoted to the first lady's ever-changing hairstyle Is at http:www.hlllaryshalr.com. MAY 93 94 93 APRIL 94 NOV. 94 NOV.

94 needs dictate choice of software SEPT. 93 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS sion that works only on PCs with Windows 95. It is admirably easy, perhaps even better for some beginners than Quicken (though it does lack a graphic check-on-screen for paying bills, something I think all of these programs should have). There is a fine calendar for timing payments, guided "Wizards" to help you through planning and budgeting, multiple portfolio options for investments, and plenty of report choices (though it lacks any home-or small-business reports that you do find in Quicken). Too bad it lacks cash-flow planning, tax planning or financial advice, losing to both Managing Your Money and Quicken in those areas.

Overall: If you get Money free on-your new computer, and aren't hungry for financial advice or planning, you're in fine shape. PC novices with a Windows 95 machine should consider it. But most new buyers of personal finance software and Money users looking to upgrade to the home-banking generation, should lean toward Quicken. Quicken 5 for Windows or Quicken 6 for Macintosh (Intuit, 800-624-8742, $40 street on floppy, $50 street Deluxe on floppy, $60 Deluxe on CD) is easy to use and has all the features you'll find in any of these programs. There are versions for Win For the Journal you need as pdf files.

To use pdf files though, first get your free copy of the Adobe Acrobat viewing program. It allows you to view and to print the forms. Acrobat is available from the IRS site. You can also find Acrobat at Adobe's Internet home page at http:www.adobe.eomAcrobatf ree read.html. Although you got the forms off the Internet, you can't submit your returns there, not yet anyway.

The IRS is working on increased security that allows it. Until then, you can mail your returns the old-fashioned way or file the returns electronically using IRS-approved software programs such as Intuit's TurboTax. If you're not sure the program you use has the official IRS stamp of approval, you can check this on the Internet site too. Know that electronic filing isn't free. Intuit, for example, charges TurboTax users $14.95.

Still, if you are in for a huge refund, electronic filing may get your money back a little quicker. You'll find tax help on the commercial on-line services too. America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, and the Microsoft Network all have tax-specific areas. While you're surfing on line for help with your taxes, here are some other Web pages for you to check out: The Income Tax Information: http:www2.best.comftmexpat htmltaxsites.html Text from J.K. Lasser's Your Income Taix 1995 book: http:www.mcp.combookstore jklasserjklhome.html Twenty-Five Most Common Tax Preparation Errors: http:www.ey.comustax Tax Notes News-Wire: http:205.177.50.2news.htm And lastly for some entertainment, How Would You Spend the National Budget: http:uxl.cso.uiuc.edukundert taxestaxdollar.html 1996, The Komando Corp.

All rights reserved. Kim Komando is a contributing editor for FamilyPC, Fox TV host, talk radio host, founder of the Komputer Klinic on America Online (keyword KOMANDO). She is also the author of Komputer Answers" published by IDG Books. Send Kim your questions to komando komando.com. It's so very easy to lose track of time while you are working on a computer.

At least that's what I tell the IRS when they ask me why my tax returns are late every year. Note: Don't use this excuse. It doesn't work. There's not much you can get past the IRS and the federal agency we all love to hate is making it even tougher. Forget about using the lame-brain excuse you didn't have the right forms.

Scratch you didn't know that although your kids attended a legitimate business dinner, their happy meals aren't tax deductible. If you are depreciating a computer and also have an Internet account monthly charge as a business expense, you really better watch it. You see, the IRS put more than 600 forms and publications on the Internet for your browsing pleasure at http:www.irs. ustreas.gov. As you might expect, despite its graphics and dry humor, the site is about as thrilling as doing your taxes.

But if you need a form, forget about dragging yourself to the IRS office. Just point and click on the form on the Internet. (More about that in a moment.) Better yet, when you want to know more about certain tax rules, you'll find two versions of the official tax codes on the Internet: one you can understand and one, well, that was written by the IRS. For example, say you are wondering if that old PC you donated to your church is tax deductible. You could read this on line: Section 170(f)(8) provides that no charitable contribution deduction will be allowed under section 170(a) for a contribution of $250 or more unless the taxpayer substantiates the contribution with a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the donee organization.

Guess which tax code version this is? Or you could drop by the sweet and simple tax code area on line and read this: In 1993, Congress passed a law requiring people donating money or property to a charity to get a written receipt for each donation of $250 or more. Donors must get the receipt before taking a deduction for the donation. Let's all give the IRS a round of applause. Flexibility is not one of the IRS's strengths, especially when it comes to forms. They have all those special fill-in-the-blank areas and the forms you use better look like the real thing.

The forms on line come in a special file format to keep the lines and boxes intact. On the Internet, you'll find forms that you can download, or transfer, from the IRS site to your PC. The forms come in four different file formats: pel, the file can be printed using most Hewlett-Packard laser printers and a few inkjet printers; pdf, the file can read or printed with the free Adobe Acrobat software; ps, the file can be printed using a PostScript printer; and sgml, which is a professional desktop publishing file format. OK, so which one do you choose? Take the easy way. If you are sure of your printer's features and depending on your printer, pick the pel files or ps files.

Or get the forms FEB. 94 APRIL Individual from PAGE B1 call a local number, access my account by punching in my account number and a password using a Touch-Tone phone and quickly hear whatever account balance information I need to know. So I see four questions you need to ask yourself: Should you use personal finance software? Yes. These programs are now so inexpensive (often added free to new home computers) and easy (not totally simple, but no harder overall than learning how to use and reconcile a paper checkbook register) that I don't need to qualify that "yes." Few need all the features inside them all that stock investments monitoring and reporting stuff. Everyone needs the checkbook register and categorizing of expenses for income tax filing.

Which personal finance program is best? Quicken gets my nod, though there is competition. Kiplinger's Simply Money (4Home Productions, 800-773-5445, $69 list) is a possibility for those with PCs running Windows. Financial advice from the editors of the famous Kiplinger magazines and newsletters is sprinkled into the program. That's a plus. And the Adviser that alerts you to missed and unusual payments is a good idea.

You will find budgeting, planning and investment managing commands inside and even some home-business payroll and accounts payablereceivable commands. But some of these are abbreviated compared with the competition such as the budgets that can't extend across several years and the tax planning that won't estimate what you will owe. Finally, I find Simply not simple at all, but difficult to figure out. Overall: Pass this one by. Money Counts (ParsonsIntuit, 800-223-6925, $89 list) used to be a great secret.

It was a mail-order program that lacked a few of the ience vu dows PCs (though even the latest doesn't require Windows 95), DOS (not a new version, without home banking, and it won't evolve more) and Macs. Overall: Quicken is the most popular personal finance program and deserves to be. Owners of older Managing Your Money and Microsoft Money programs will do OK with what they have, but anyone upgrading should check Quicken first. Should you try home banking, and will that influence your choice of personal finance programs? Yes, but only after you've developed the habit of putting your daily or weekly expenses into a personal finance program and only after you've thoroughly checked out what your bank will charge you to go on line. The final question, and one that computer analysts too often avoid, is: Which bank should you use? Quicken is connected to many, so is Microsoft Money, and later this year you'll see NationsBank and Bank of America offering home banking through their own labeled versions of Managing Your Money.

Your choice of program may depend more on what your bank offers than on the features in the software. CD or diskette); $1,500. 1M (single server); $1,000. Net Sciences, Inc. "Where Do You Want to Go Tomorrow" 266-7887 (office) 263-2667 (cellular) INTEL ANR Netware 3.x4.x, Windows95, and Windows NT Peer-to-Peer and Server-based Network Solutions InternetNetwork Connectivity Options Digital Video Multimedia Services latest features but had everything most of us need.

But this no longer is the case, possibly because Intuit bought the company that makes Money Counts. The price is quite high and the features lag in most areas. Overall: Forget this one. Managing Your Money (MECA, 800-288-6322, $40 street on floppy, $45 street on CD) was once the best and best-selling personal finance program. Quicken beat it by becoming easier, and then Quicken added features to become more powerful in most areas.

MYM fought back by mimicking some of Quicken's ease putting a realistic image of a check on screen, for instance, for bill payments but hasn't regained momentum in the market. Still, MYM works on DOS (Version 12), Macintosh (Version 7) and Windows 3.1 (Version Plus 2.0). It matches Quicken and Money for investment management and remains the most powerful program for tax and financial planning Intuit created separate programs, such as the Quicken Financial Planner for this. The CD version has advice clips from financial expert and author Andrew Tobias, one of my favorite explainers in any field. Overall: Stick with MYM if you're already using it and aren't desperate to get into home banking; give it a try if you're quite interested in Tobias' advice or planning, but new buyers of personal finance should lean toward Microsoft Money or Quicken.

Microsoft Money for Windows 95 (Microsoft, 800-426-9400, $35 street on floppy or CD) comes from a company you may have heard of already. After a weak start a few years ago, Money nearly caught up to Quicken in basic features. But Quicken still trounced it in the market so thoroughly that Microsoft tried to buy Quicken (what does that say about Microsoft's confidence in Stopped by government action, Microsoft introduced this new ver- A TTVT the back of a time to front of the head l-U5-5-44ZU Offictioptn6 SAN DIECO NEW MEXICO ENCINO SANTA MARIA Virginia i i 25 Place "'S'" 100 W3 Netware 3.12 (25-user, Intel LANDesk Manager jnMd natjtiHtr 3- 4- fc- T-twff UiigdnU HawmcurB vpa I You don't need the "Luck of the Irish" Sword's new Unigraft method of microsurgery uses "permanent hairs" from the "donor area" at the head and relocates them 1 or 2 hairs at areas of thinning and balding at the top and CWfA Oil jnd schedule a free comulution. 1 A HUH Happy Birthday Donna! 40 Years Of Magnificience! With loejrom Mihe April I ki i i if ij i i I 1 TORRANCE SAN FERNANDO WEST COVINA ORANGE COUNTY Week3 Winners 5 al Jennie 5r DomlnguQz lannoL Systems Triton Chip 256K Bint Cach 8MB ORAM Ii GIG Hard OfM 144MB Floppy STLMIMBPCIVidao Vlmonlc IP Monitor Ky Enhanced MytKMrd 2 HS Srtelfl Woitgroupt, MS Moum Mkt-Toww Cm Extra Fan IWhtfboard CartHM for Window $5 Fully Confljund and Bumad in for Only 879120MHz lationshi0 We Also Custom Build: NexGen Systems EH3 To Respond To To (Place An Ad Cau A 1-900-896-0966 1-800-564-7841 A Cost of cad is $1.99 per minute. Average length is 3 minutes.

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