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I'm going to guess you've made a financial mistake or two in your life. Who hasn't? For some of us, it was more than an occasional late fee or random urge to over - spend that brought us to our financial knees. But I'm not talking about the kind of blunders that got us into trouble -- we could list those in our sleep. Instead, I want to focus on the mistakes people make while they're working their way back to fi - nancial health. Avoid these goofs to make 2014 a year you achieve financial prog- ress! M ista ke: Not sav ing. You've heard this plenty, and here it comes again: Jump to the front of the line -- in front of your creditors -- when you divvy up your paycheck. Get over feeling guilty about keeping money for yourself. You need a fat emergency fund, and the only way to build it is to pay yourself first! Stuff happens, and if you're not financially prepared for those emer - g e n c i e s , you'll keep falling back into debt. Fix it: Put y o u r s a v - ings on au- topilot -- you won't miss what you don't see. Arrange to have a set amount trans - ferred from your bank ac- count to your savings. Just do it. Commit to saving 10 percent of every paycheck. If you can't start there, start with 2 percent. Then in a few weeks, change it to 5 per - cent, then 7, and so forth un- til you reach at least 10 per- cent. Mistake: Paying for col- lege. If you must make a choice between adequately funding your own retire- ment and paying for your kids' college education, put retirement first. Contribut- ing to college funds, going into debt by cosigning for student loans or taking out a home equity loan to cover tuition before you've taken care of your own future are huge blunders. The best gift you can give your kids is to make sure you won't become a financial burden to them in your sunset years. Fix it: Kids have far more options for funding their college educations than you have for your retirement. They've got scholarships, grants, financial aid, stu - dent loans, work-study pro- grams, community colleges, the military and the not- to-be-forgotten method of working their way through college. Once your own future is secure and you're out of debt, that's when you're in a posi - tion to help pay for education. Mistake: Too much house. Add up your shelter costs (monthly mortgage pay - ment plus taxes and insur- ance). Your total shouldn't exceed 28 to 33 percent of your gross income -- and that's only if you don't have a lot of other debt. Biting off more house than you can chew leaves you wide open to foreclosure and bankruptcy. Fix it: Don't let a commis- sioned professional talk you into buying the most house you can qualify for. Do your own research and run your own numbers to determine how much house you can af - ford. You need a 20-percent down payment and a 30- year fixed-rate loan, with monthly payments that can easily fit within no more than 35 percent of your current gross household income. If you're over your head in a house that is causing finan - cial angst, maybe it's time to sell and downsize into a home that fits you and your finances comfortably. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2099, Cypress, CA 90630. everyday cheapskate 3 money mistakes to be avoided Mary Hunt calendar TODAY Red Bluff Bingo: doors at 5 p.m., early birds at 6 p.m. Community and Senior Center, food available Celebrate Recovery: 7 p.m., Bethel Assembly of God, 625 Luther Road, 527- 0445 or 366-6298 Nutrition Classes: 12:30- 2 p.m, Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, 220 Sycamore #101, 528-7947 Red Bluff Rotary Club Sunrise: 7 a.m., M&M Ranch Corning Car Show: 5-9 p.m., Bartels Giant Burger, 22355 Corn- ing Road, local car clubs welcome, 824-2788 Los Molinos Los Molinos Grange: 7 p.m., Grange Hall, 68th and Singer avenues, 529-0930 SATURDAY Red Bluff Airplane Display Days: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760 Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Cards for Kids Poker Tour- nament: 5 p.m., Community Center, 200-4241 Decorative Brushes of No. California: 10 a.m., Commu- nity Center, 1500 S. Jackson St., 527-7449 Emblem club installation: 2 p.m., Elks Lodge, 355 Gilmore Road Frontier Village Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 645 Antelope Blvd. EBT accepted Tehama County Young Marine Drills: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1005 Vista Way, Ste. C. 366-0813 Weight Watchers meet- ing: 8 a.m, 485 Antelope Blvd., #N, 1-800-651-6000 Tehama Tehama County Museum: 1-4 p.m., 275 C St., groups by appointment, 384-2595 SUNDAY Red Bluff AA Live and Let Live: noon and 8 p.m., 785 Musick St., meets seven days a week Airplane Display Days: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760 Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Al-Anon New Comers At Heart: 7-8 p.m., North Valley Baptist Church, 345 David Ave., 690-2034 Kelly-Griggs House Museum: 1-3 p.m., 311 Washington St., group tours by appointment, 527-1129 or 527-5895 Tehama Tehama County Museum: 1-4 p.m., 275 C St., groups by appointment, 384-2595 MONDAY Red Bluff Antelope 4-H: 6:30 p.m., Antelope School, 527-3101 Community Band re- hearsal: 7-9 p.m., Presby- terian Church on Jefferson Street,527-3486 English as a Second Lan- guage class: 5:30-8:30 p.m., 1295 Red Bud, 736- 3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Thursdays, free childcare, classes in Richlieu Hall, 900 Johnson St. Head Injury Recreational Entity: 10 a.m., St. Eliza- beth Community Hospital, Coyne Center, Rusty, 529- 2059 Key to Life: 6 p.m., Fam- ily Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-8066 PAL Martial Arts: 3-5 p.m., ages 5-18, 1005 Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529-7950 Red Bluff Senior Writ- ing Class: 10: a.m.- noon,,Executive Room at Sycamore Center, 220 Sycamore St., 527-5762 Salvation Army Writing Class: 9:30-11:30 a.m., 940 Walnut St., 527-8530 Spartan Athletic Booster Club: 6:30 p.m. Red Bluff Union High School Library Spring Bunco Bash: 6:15 p.m., Elks Lodge, $10 to benefit Tehama County Library Sun Country Quilters Community Service Group: 9 a.m. to noon, Family Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-1126 TeenScreen Mental Health Appointments: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, by appointment only, 1900 Walnut St., 527- 8491, Ext. 3012 Tehama County Sheriff¹s Search and Rescue: 7 p.m., Stillwell Training Center, Park Avenue near Baker Road, 527-7546 US citizenship prepara- tion class: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday Venture Crew 1914 meet- ing: 6:30-8 p.m., Moose Lodge on 99W, co-ed ages 14-20 welcome Corning Alcoholics Anonymous: noon Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, 783 Solano St. Bingo: 5:15 p.m. early bird, 6:30 p.m. regular games, Maywood Grange, Highway 99W, 833-5343 Corning 4-H: 7 p.m., Wood- son Elementary School, 527-3101 Corning Neighborhood Watch: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 794 Third St. Exchange Club member- ship meeting: 7 p.m., Iron Skillet Narcotics Anonymous: 7 p.m., 820 Marin St., 385-1169 or 566-5270, every day through Saturday, additional meeting at noon Mondays Olive 4-H: 6:30 p.m., May- wood School, 527-3101 Tehama County Mental Health Stakeholders meeting: 1 p.m., Rolling Hills Casino TOPS Club (take off pounds Sensibly): 8:30 a.m., First Christian Church, 926 Madison Ave., 527-7541 or 347-6120, visit www. tops.org Sewing group: 9 a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Spanish Adult Education: 5 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Strategies for Success, Life Skill classes: 1:30 p.m., Family Resource Cen- ter, West and South streets, 824-7670 Weight Watchers: weigh in 5:30 p.m., meeting 6 p.m., Senior Center, corner of South and Fourth streets, Kayla Deihl leader Los Molinos Los Molinos 4-H: 7 p.m., Los Molinos Elementary School, 527-3101 Senior Dance: 7 p.m., Senior Center, Josephine Street, 384-2100 Richfield Richfield Neighborhood Watch Program: 6 p.m., Richfield School, 23875 River Road, 824-6260 TUESDAY Red Bluff Childbirth Class: 6:30- 8:30 p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Co- lumba Room, 529-8026 Community BLS/CPR class: 6 p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Co- lumba Room, 529-8031 Cribbage Club: 6 p.m., Cozy Diner, 259 S. Main St., 527- 6402 Fun Senior Aerobics: 8-9 a.m., $1, Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. 527- 8177 Homeschool Support Group: 7 p.m., North Valley Baptist Church, 345 David Ave. International Order of the Rainbow for Girls: 6:45 p.m., Masonic Hall 822 Main St. 527-6715 PAL Kickboxing: 6 p.m., 1450 Schwab St. 529-8716 When you sell a capital as- set, the sale usually results in a capital gain or loss. A capital asset includes most property you own and use for personal or investment purposes. Here are 10 facts from the IRS on capital gains and losses: 1. Capital assets include property such as your home or car. They also include in - vestment property such as stocks and bonds. 2. A capital gain or loss is the difference between your basis and the amount you get when you sell an asset. Your basis is usually what you paid for the asset. 3. You must include all capital gains in your income. Beginning in 2013, you may be subject to the Net Invest - ment Income Tax. The NIIT applies at a rate of 3.8% to certain net investment in- come of individuals, estates, and trusts that have income above statutory threshold amounts. For details see IRS.gov/aca. 4. You can deduct capital losses on the sale of invest - ment property. You can't de- duct losses on the sale of per- sonal-use property. 5. Capital gains and losses are either long-term or short-term, depending on how long you held the prop - erty. If you held the property for more than one year, your gain or loss is long-term. If you held it one year or less, the gain or loss is short- term. 6. If your long-term gains are more than your long- term losses, the difference between the two is a net long-term capital gain. If your net long-term capital gain is more than your net short-term capital loss, you have a net capital gain. 7. The tax rates that ap - ply to net capital gains will usually depend on your in- come. For lower-income in- dividuals, the rate may be zero percent on some or all of their net capital gains. In 2013, the maximum net cap - ital gain tax rate increased from 15 to 20 percent. A 25 or 28 percent tax rate can also apply to special types of net capital gains. 8. If your capital losses are more than your capital gains, you can deduct the difference as a loss on your tax return. This loss is limited to $3,000 per year, or $1,500 if you are married and file a separate return. 9. If your total net capital loss is more than the limit you can deduct, you can carry over the losses you are not able to deduct to next year's tax return. You will treat those losses as if they happened that year. 10. You must file Form 8949, Sales and Other Dis - positions of Capital Assets, with your federal tax return to report your gains and losses. You also need to f ile Schedule D, Capital Gains and Losses with your return. For more information about this topic, see the Schedule D instructions and Publication 550, In - vestment Income and Ex- penses. They're both avail- able on IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829- 3676). taX tIps Ten facts about capital gains, losses Meeting at the home of Jean Hanson, the Fitzhugh Literary Society began its March 3 meeting with a mystery presenter and a mystery topic as part of its Whodunnit? British Mys - teries theme. Kate Wetmore pre - sented a brief history of the mystery, along with infor- mation about many mys- tery writers and organiza- tions. Edgar Alan Poe is of- ten credited as the father of the mystery story, with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" as one of the most famous mysteries. Other influential writers of mys - tery were Charles Dick- ens, Wilkie Collins, Ag- atha Christie and Sir Ar- thur Conan Doyle, all of whom made major contri- butions to the genre. Known as the Golden Age of Mysteries, during the '20s and '30s, the Brit - ish detective novel flour- ished and set the standard for its type. These books were meant to be enter- tainments, games where the reader matched wits with the author. Certain conventions and clichés were established that lim - ited surprises on the part of the reader. One w r iter, Rona ld Knox, a member of The Detection Club, went so far as to write the "Ten Commandments for Writ - ing Mysteries." Two ex- amples are: "Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable," and "The sidekick of the detec - tive, the Watson, must not conceal from the reader any thoughts which pass through his mind; his in - telligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader." Not to be outdone by the Brits, American writer S.S. Van Dine published "Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories," one of wh ic h st at ed , "T he re s im - ply must be a corpse in a detective novel, and the deader the corpse, the bet- ter." At the same time, pulp writing was taking shape. It featured hard-edged men who lived by strict codes of honor; charac - ters such as Dashiell Ham- mett's Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler's Phil- lip Marlowe. Another type of crime fiction surfaced in the '40s, the police proce- dural; its style coincided perfectly with the advent of television. The stories were always presented from the point of view of the police, usually in a gritty, realistic style, which continues to be popular with today's read - ers and viewers. Wetmore shared a pos- sible explanation as to the upsurge in popularity of mystery and crime novels by quoting American au - thor, Harlan Coben. He ex- plains that, "We're still tell- ing stories, whereas a lot of modern mainstream liter- ary fiction is very charac- ter driven, or indulges in a lot of navel gazing." In describing the appeal of a good mystery, writer Val McDermid thinks part of the appeal is in allow - ing people "to be scared in a safe way." She says, "A crime novel gives you an adrenalin surge; it's exciting, suspense-laden, and you can't help wonder - ing what's going to happen next. But you know that it's fiction and that the protag- onist is going to make it all right in the end." socIety Li te ra ry s oc ie ty discusses mysteries "a crime novel gives you an adrenalin surge; it's exciting, suspense- laden." — writer Val McDermid SAVE 20% TAX PREPARATION *Mention this ad and you will receive 20% off your last tax preparer's fee Restrictions Apply California Tax Education Council Registered Tax Preparer Kenn Rieders MBA is available to take care of ALL your: Accounting, Bookkeeping, Tax Preparation needs 29 Tax Seasons Experience Have more time for: Making more Money, Leisure, Family, Inventing, a Hobby or a Well deserved rest. 530-414-3244 • noodledude@att.net Like: Kenn Rieders MBA on FaceBook Support a NEW Local Red Bluff Business Parties - Corporate Events Reunions - Private Events Rehearsal Dinners 604 Main St, Red Bluff Call 529-5154 for more information Lic#8981 Lic#7575 20 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff 530-527-2403 ears4u@outlook.com March Spring Cleaning Bring your hearing aids in for a FREE cleaning Check out our website at www.myears4u.com FRIDAy, MARCH 7, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILyNEWS.COM | LIFESTYLES | 5 a