Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/762522
Simply ask for it. That's the easiest way for an iden- tity thief to steal your per- sonal information. Each day, people fall victim to phishing scams through e-mails, texts or phone calls and mistak- enly turn over important data. In turn, cybercrimi- nals try to use that data to file fraudulent tax returns or commit other crimes. The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agen- cies and the tax industry — all partners in the fight against identity theft — urge you to learn to rec- ognize and avoid phishing scams. We need your help in the fight against identity theft. That's why, as part of the Security Summit effort, we launched a public aware- ness campaign that we call Taxes. Security. Together. We've launched a series of security awareness tips that can help protect you from cybercriminals. It's called phishing be- cause thieves attempt to lure you into the scam mainly through imperson- ations. The scam may claim to be from a friend, a com- pany with whom you do business, a prize award — anything to get you to open the e-mail or text. A good general rule: Don't give out personal in- formation based on an un- solicited e-mail request. Here are a few basic tips to recognize and avoid a phishing e-mail: It contains a link. Scam- mers often pose as the IRS, financial institutions, credit card companies or even tax companies or software pro- viders. They may claim they need you to update your ac- count or ask you to change a password. The e-mail offers a link to a spoofing site that may look similar to the le- gitimate official website. Do not click on the link. If in doubt, go directly to the le- gitimate website and access your account. It contains an attach- ment. Another option for scammers is to include an attachment to the e-mail. This attachment may be in- fected with malware that can download malicious software onto your com- puter without your knowl- edge. If it's spyware, it can track your keystrokes to obtain information about your passwords, Social Se- curity number, credit cards or other sensitive data. Do not open attachments from sources unknown to you. It's from a government agency. Scammers attempt to frighten people into opening e-mail links by pos- ing as government agencies. Thieves often try to imitate the IRS and other govern- ment agencies. SCAMALERT Avoididentitythe ;learnhowtorecognizephishingscams Attention last minute savers, there's still time to reduce your tax burden for 2016. Have you funded a tra- ditional IRA, Roth IRA, or SEP this year? The deadline for contributions to IRAs is April 18, 2017 — this year's filing deadline. For self-em- ployed taxpayers, contribu- tions to a SEP may be post- poned until Oct. 16, 2017 if a tax return extension has been filed. Increasing your 401(k) contribution so that you are putting in the maximum amount of money allowed is a smart way to lower taxes. If you can't afford the max- imum contribution, $18,000 for 2016, $24,000 if you are age 50 or over, you should still contribute the full amountthatwillbematched byemployercontributions— no reason to leave money on the table! If you are currently en- rolled in an employer spon- sored retirement plan, your contribution to a traditional IRA will not be tax deduct- ible, but you will be able to take advantage of tax-de- ferred interest compound- ing. The cap for contribu- tions to a traditional or Roth IRAin2016is $5,500fortax- payers under 50 and $6,500 for those over 50. If you have reason to be- lieve you'll be in the same or a lower tax bracket next year, it may make sense to defer income by tak- ing capital gains in 2017 instead of in 2016. If you are self-employed or free- lancing and can push rev- enue into a lower earning year, it may be wise to do so. Winding up in a higher tax bracket can result in a big surprise in your tax bill. Your forecast for per- sonal income this year vs. next year is an important issue to discuss with your tax professional. Charitabledeductionsare another great way to lower your taxes before year's end. Justmakesurethatthechar- ity to which you are donat- ing is recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt, and that you document and pho- tograph all items donated. "Loss harvesting" is the practiceofsellingstocksand mutual funds with the goal of realizing losses. Those losses can offset taxable gains you have realized dur- ingtheyear,dollarfordollar. This is another good conver- sation to have with your en- rolled agent. Some other things to con- sider: job search expenses, movingexpensesandcollege expenses may all be deduct- ible under certain circum- stances. Medical expenses might be deductible, but the bar is high. As with everywhere else in life, often what the large print giveth the small print taketh away. For instance, IRA contributions — both traditional and Roth — have some tricky limitations and some workarounds, too. ENROLLED AGENTS It's not too late: Last-minute tax savings for 2016 are still possible The Guadalupian Orga- nization of the Immacu- late Conception Catholic Church in Corning hosted a celebration Sunday to com- memorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patron- ess of the Americas. The day featured a pro- cession east on Solano Street from Toomes Street to East Street starting at 11 a.m., followed by Maria- chi music, cultural dances, enactments of the story of Guadalupe, displays of horsemanship and food prepared by the Guadalu- pians. Hundreds turned out for the celebration, which took place in and around the church following the procession. CELEBRATION Procession honors patroness of the Americas DancersleadtheprocessionSundaymorningatthe celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Corning. PHOTOS BY CHIP THOMPSON - DAILY NEWS Horsemen perform during the procession Sunday morning at the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Corning. If you've read my book "7 Money Rules for Life," you know that rule num- ber one is so simple it would be easy to over- look as being too elemen- tary. Here it is: Spend less than you earn. Now, think about it. Spend less than you earn is not the same as "don't spend more than you earn." That im- plies it would be OK to spend all that you earn. But no. The operative word is "less." You need a gap between what you earn and how much of it you spend. That is the funda- mental secret for living be- low your means. It's within that gap that financial freedom can grow. You re- ally need to read the rest of the book, but for now let's just say that growing the gap is the challenge. An easy way to increase your gap this week — even if only by a few dollars — is to make your own bread. Wait! Hear me out. I have a recipe that is so amaz- ing, so simple and so fool- proof you'll be tempted to call it Einstein Bread be- cause it will make you feel like a genius. Actually, this is English muffin bread. And trust me: Toasted with butter and jam, it is pure heaven. It's so much better than commercial English muffins and way cheaper (a package of six Thomas English Muffins costs around $4.29, or 72 cents each, at my local su- permarket). This recipe makes the equivalent of 24 English muffins for about $3 to- tal, or just 13 cents each slice, depending on how you purchase the ingredi- ents (I buy flour and yeast in bulk). It makes awe- some grilled cheese sand- wiches, too. ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD 5 cups warm water 6 teaspoons active dry yeast (equal to three -oz packages) 2 tablespoons salt 3 tablespoons sugar 11 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose flour) Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix un- til just incorporated. They will turn into a very wet sticky dough. Leave the dough in the bowl, and let it rise until double the size. Spoon this sticky dough into four well-greased loaf pans. Let rise until dough reaches the top of the pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Ten minutes be- fore it's done, brush with melted butter. Makes four loaves. The bread will be moist at first. It's best if allowed to cool completely before cutting. It makes the best toast. It can be frozen. This recipe can be cut in half to yield two loaves. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Widenthegapwithbread Mary Hunt Commemorate 100 Years of Lassen Volcanic National Park Availableat www.lassenassociation.org or at the Book Barn in Red Bluff You can also call: 530-378-1495 by purchasing Lassen Through the Lens and A Pictorial History by B.F. Loomis. (530)527-2151 728MAINST.,REDBLUFF TheDailyNewsofficewillbeclosed Friday, Dec. 16 from 12-2 pm for our annual Christmas party. Thankyou Daily News staff DAILY NEWS Please leave a message and we will return your call. redbluff.mercy.org ChildbirthPreparation 6:00pm-10:00pm 12/15 Thursday Columba 888-628-1948 Community BLS 6:00pm-10:00pm 12/16 2nd Tuesday Columba 888-628-1948 Grief Support 3:00pm-5:00pm Thursdays Wright Kristin Hoskins 528-4207 HIRE (Head Injury Recreational Entity) 10:00am-2:00pm Mondays Wright Rusty Brown 529-2059 Lupus/Fibromyalgia Support Group 5:30pm-8:00pm 12/20 Tuesday Columba Jackie Kitchell 529-3029 Forreservationsormoreinformation,call (530) 529-2900 Red Bluff Brookdale Assisted Living Alzheimer's & Dementia Care 705 Luther Rd | Red Bluff, CA 96080 #525002331 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUN ITY RSVPTODAY! Please CelebratetheJoyoftheSeason with us December 15th, 2016. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Complimentary admission Make plans to attend our Holiday Open House featuring the "Red Bluff High School Carolers" Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be overflowing! Heykids... at the North Pole Dec.14•6-8PM 527-8062 Sponsored by Red Bluff Kiwanis Call Santa LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, December 13, 2016 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5