Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/430460
It'sbeenmore than 15 years since I first met William Lewis, CPA. I'd come across a small book that piqued my in- terest, so I gave him a call. Bill told me that for years he'd found himself frustrated that his clients, for whom he manages wealth and prepares tax returns, were failing to take all of the deductions for which they were entitled. Many clients would donate clothes and household goods through- out the year, but then fail to take the fair mar- ket value of those times, as allowed by the IRS. His hands were tied be- cause without a list of the items, then a reliable mar- ket valuation for each, he couldn't be certain that his clients were paying the taxes they owed, and not one penny more. Ev- ery year, his clients walked away leaving money on the table, filling the gov- ernment's coffers, and not their own. Bill decided to do some- thing about it. He made a list of the items most of- ten donated and then took that list to several re- tail thrift stores. He me- ticulously gathered data in order to come up with true market values that he could document — and feel comfortable defending before the IRS, if that ever became necessary. Then he gave copies of this work to his clients, asking them to use these valuations to determine the market value of all the items they had donated during that tax year. You can guess what hap- pened. His clients, one af- ter another, owed less in taxes. They took the proper deductions for their donations, knowing that if they were ever questioned or audited, their CPA, Wil- liam Lewis, would repre- sent and defend those val- uations before the IRS. They had confidence! Since then, every year Bill and his staff update and republish that list, which has now grown to a booklet, "Money for Your Used Clothing," now co- authored with tax audi- tor Connie Edmond, which adds even more credibility to the effort. Every year, Bill, Con- nie and staff add more items to the list (this year there are more than 1,200 entries), re-eval- uate the market values and adjust them accord- ing to the real and true amounts that gently used items are bringing in to second-hand and thrift stores across the country. Bill and his staff actually audit the prices of these kinds of stores, every sin- gle year. Every tax year requires new valuations. The current "Money for Your Used Clothing 2014" is the valuations and work- book every taxpayer who itemizes their federal (and state as applica- ble) tax return re- ally needs to make sure they are get- ting every dollar of deductions for which they qual- ify. This is an amazing tax prep- aration tool. With- out it, the aver- age person faces a real di- lemma: If you claim too much for your donations, your run the risk of get- ting audited and then pay- ing penalties. If you don't claim enough, then you are walking away from free money. Included in "Money for Your Used Clothing" are tips and suggestions for how to make sure you will get the highest deduc- tion possible for each item, how to determine whether the condition is "Good" or "Excellent" and how to document your donations throughout the year. My husband and I have used "Money for Your Used Clothing" every year since we first met Bill so many years ago. We've avoided paying thousands of dollars in taxes need- lessly, just because we might not have known the values we could legally de- duct for the items that we donate. If you're someone who donates loads of clothes and household items throughout the year, then takes a deduction of $100 because you are fearful of getting audited, you need to get this resource. William Lewis and Connie Edmond offer this guarantee: If by fol- lowing the instructions and using the valuations in this workbook you do not increase your tax re- fund (or reduce your tax bill) by at least $250, they will personally re- fund the money you paid for the book. What's more, they certify every valuation in the book. If you ever have a prob- lem with your return on which you used their val- uations, you'll be cov- ered. All of the details for your warranty and how to use the valua- tions are clearly printed and included in the book. It is a fabulous money, tool! "Money for Your Used Clothing" retails for $25. However, once again this year I have negoti- ated a discount for Every- day Cheapskate readers of just $20 per book (that's 20 percent discount) plus shipping/handling, while supplies last. You can or- der online at DebtProofLi- ving.com or by phone toll- free, 800 550-3502, M-F, 8:30-5, PT. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Howtogetcashfor stuff you don't need Mary Hunt Ah yes, it's that time of year again. Time for egg nog and fruit cake and all kinds of Christ- mas fun. I, for one, am not a big fan of the sea- son. Don't get me wrong, I love the religious aspect of the holiday and have been known to belt out a Christmas carol in my time. My pet peeve this time of year is shopping. I hate it, unless it's for some sweet workout equipment. I am a terrible gift giver. One year, I selected this nice little medicine ball for a work Christmas party. It about got booed when it was opened. And this was at a gym. I will pick things I like — things that are purple, have Elvis on them, fun workout gear, stuff like that, that no one else seems to appreci- ate. So, I got jaded about the whole gift giving deal. It's not just me either. I have lots of friends who loath the whole gift ex- change business. You end up getting someone some- thing they don't like and in return get something you can't use. You keep it for sentimental reasons. So, you all end up with more junk you don't need. Well, no more. I would like to encourage folks to donate to deserving char- ities instead of bother- ing with the whole gift ex- change deal. Think about it. If your of- fice or business would pool the money you all would have spent on gifts for each other, you could make a sizable do- nation to the Sal- vation Army, Food For The Hungry, PATH, and help these awesome organiza- tions serve our community. What an impact we could have. Just something to consider. We at Psycho Fitness are having our annual post- Christmas party this year on Dec. 27 at 6 p.m. In lieu of a gift exchange, we are having a food drive to col- lect goods and money for Food For The Hungry. My hubby will also be making some chili and folks are welcome to bring a dish to share. All are welcome, or you can just pop in and say hi and drop off some much needed canned goods. Freeprogramforkids In other news, I've started a "Free MMA for at risk teens" program. I am getting some of the fund- ing to do this through a crowd funding site called GoFundMe. It's pretty cool. Check out my page on the Go Fun Me site — just en- ter 96080 zip code and it shows you all the local proj- ects including mine. I've gotten around $500 in do- nations and have been able to serve over 10 individu- als over the past couple of months. I have some talented youths that I'm working with that I suspect will become awesome fighters if they stick with it. I have Rocky Golden and Cam- ron Maynor helping out in coaching them on ground skills. We get together on the weekends to spar and run trails. If you are in- terested in sponsoring the kids or if you are a kid who would like to come check this out, hit me up. I have been so inspired by these kids, that I've re- discovered my own passion for sparring and grappling. I've been sore and happy lately. Nothing takes the stress away like a punch in the face — someone else's face. I've even got a lot of my regular ladies dab- bling in the sparring and grappling. It's cool to see a woman discover how much she likes to overpower an opponent. Talk about a confidence builder. I'd hate to see some mugger go af- ter one of my ladies. Team Intense In Team Intense news, Rocky had an upset in his last fight. He came out like a beast, throwing all kinds of leather but got caught in a weird submission. Kole had an injury, and he and Alex had to pull out of their fights in Eureka last month. However, in- juries are healing up, and all the boys are looking to fight in the next couple of months. As soon as I know when and where, I will let you know. Film project As for the documentary film project, my editor is waiting for a final piece to kind of tie it all together. She'd really like me to have that one last fight. I'm on the fence about it. As you know, I retired from fight- ing — for the fifth or so time. It's not that I'm not physically capable. I could be ready for a fight with a 3-month camp. I'm just not excited about the pros- pect of cutting weight, stu- pid diet. Plus, I am sick and tired or how crooked the game is. When you lose decisions that your corner knows you won, it's a real bummer. So, if I do have that last fight, it will hopefully be in an- other country, preferably Japan. That way I could at least have a cultural ex- perience along with the fight. I have a promoter buddy working on that as we speak. As always, I will keep you updated. So, until next year, may you all have a very blessed Christmas and give of yourselves til it hurts. Avery Vilche is a fitness instructor who owns Psy- cho Fitness & MMA at 1450 Schwab St. in Red Bluff. You can reach her at 200-0526 or vil- cheavery@yahoo.com. AVERY VILCHE Go d bl es s us e ve ry on e Candy Carlson was ad- ministered the oath of of- fice to become the Tehama County Supervisor repre- senting District 2 the morn- ing of Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Court House Department 1. With Carlson's election on Nov. 4, she became the first woman to be elected to the Board in more than 20 years. Carlson, a local business- woman and chairwoman of Tehama Together, won elec- tion by 182 ballots during the November election af- ter having come in second to Sandy Bruce in a three- way race during the June Primary. Carlson now assumes the final two years of the late George Russell's term, which was temporarily filled by Bruce after having been appointed by the gov- ernor. Following the swear- ing in by Judge John Ga- raventa, Carlson joined the Board of Supervisors for its regular meeting in the Supervisors' Cham- bers. The Business and Pro- fessional Women's Club of Red Bluff will be holding a reception to honor Carlson and raise scholarship funds on 4:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 at the Red Bluff Community and Senior Center. TEHAMA COUNTY Carlson sworn in as District 2 Supervisor COURTESYPHOTO Judge John Garaventa poses Dec. 2with Supervisor Candy Carlson following her swearing-in ceremony at the courthouse. 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