DEATH, TAXES, AND CHILDBIRTH: Jonathan Eason writes: Margaret Mitchell once wrote, “Death, taxes and childbirth . . .there’s not a convenient time for any of them.”

Fortunately we filed our taxes through Completetax.com, which I heartily recommend (only $29.95 even if you have complicated Sched C, etc.), and our state gummint allows us to file State taxes online at no charge. But the main thing is this:

Keep EVERY receipt from EVERYTHING you buy, even food, and keep up with them, even if that means just throwing them in a shoebox. At the end of the year, gather your 1099s and aforementioned receipts and seek out a tax professional. The money you spend for one will be more than rewarded in the money you get back from Uncle Sam.

I’ve been in the situation of having only 1099 income before, and it isn’t pretty; but with the right knowledge, you can get out of it relatively unscathed. The important thing is, don’t trust to your own knowledge if numbers scare you, as they do me (I consider myself ‘math-impaired’).Chances are that there are lots of things you can take as deductions that you don’t know about (because you are too busy writing, reading, etc.) but could benefit you.

I really enjoy your ‘blog. Reading about comic books takes me back, let me tell you . . . but I haven’t picked one up in years, probably not since I got married. When you suddenly have grass to cut and so on, it’s hard to make time to practice the piano/voice/etc., much less pleasure reading. This (and the fact that I took over the cooking in 1999 so my wife could run her own business) is why I haven’t written any new music in four or five years.

Keep up the good work, and next year, get professional advice! And start early — it will save you time AND money in the long run.

Eve replies: Thanks so much for the advice! It’s pretty likely that I would have saved money if I’d been more organized and more willing to engage the services of a tax professional. Sigh. In re comics and real life, I note that this is also why you should spend your college years pursuing truth and beauty with relentless zeal. It is much harder to do that when the four-year detente with reality is over and you must feed the pets and water the mortgage.