Customer Reviews

The Tax Lady's Guide to Beating the IRS and Saving Big Bucks on Your Taxes: Learn How You can Pay Less Money to the IRS by Beating them at their Own Game

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I assume Roni Deutch is smarter than this. The book says she's the CEO of the nation's largest tax resolution law firm.

So, let's pretend this isn't a parody. Let's imagine that two years ago Roni toyed with the idea of writing a book to help people, to stop them from overpaying their taxes. That's a noble effort, right?

Well, yes and no. Only after wading through more than 200 pages does Roni fess up. She explains that, if your life is simple enough you can reach for a 1040 EZ tax return, you really don't need these tips. And, if your life is more complicated, you really should hire a professional to do your taxes. Roni even included a list of 20 reasons (read: signs) that your life is complicated. Here's a sample:

1. You work for more than one employer.
2. You are self-employed.
3. You have kids or other dependents.
4. You own your home.
20. You live in California.

Luckily, I don't live in California but it was clear I'd be better off hiring a professional instead of trying to "turbo" my taxes at home. Too bad I had to read the entire book to find that sage advice.

Do you detect a hint of sarcasm? Good. Because I'm really annoyed by this book, which read more like what you'd expect from a gum-chewing hairdresser than a tax professional.

Roni refers to herself as the "Tax Lady" and says she's been beating the IRS for years, maybe literally. She pummels you with sports references and tough talk: "...step into the ring and kick butt on your taxes...with the Tax Lady in your corner, you will end up with more money in your pocket and the IRS down for the count."

The book is even divided into 12 "rounds" instead of chapters. Had enough yet? Among anecdotes and quotes from the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Michael Phelps are colorful tips like, "Screw a New Year's Day Wedding - Elope Already!"

You can almost hear the chewing gum pop.

Of course, the shtick is designed to appeal to a folksy audience, the people who tune in to Dr. Phil and other self-help entertainers. No doubt the "Tax Lady" will earn a TV invite. Perhaps her agent can get Roni a pair of those over-inflated red boxing gloves, so she can shadow box while sharing insights like, "After all, technology is here to stay."

And, evidently, so is mediocre non-fiction.

I'll start off by saying if you're considering this book in anticipation of finding a wealth of hidden deductions and tax saving strategies, look elsewhere. That's not to say the book isn't helpful; it just doesn't deliver what it advertises. This book is more like a guide to help people, especially those new to tax filing, get a better grasp of the process, forms, and procedures. There are in-depth explanations of the filing process, tax forms, filing status, deductions, credit, income, audits, and pretty much anything else related to tax filing. For instance, there is a very detailed block by block description of the 1040 form. It's a wealth of information if you want plain English explanations of the tax process. What's missing are ways to cut taxes that go beyond the basic. Most of the tips offered here are things I already knew. For instance, she suggests not witholding too much because you're giving uncle Sam an interest free loan. That's tax strategies 101, as are many other tips. She explains deductions, credits, and different filing scenarios in-depth, however, I never found anything that made me say "Wow! I can cut my taxes even more by doing that!" Also, the pre-production version that I reviewed was missing several key IRS charts which will ultimately add further to learning about the tax process. I recommend this book if you're interested in learning more about the actual tax process, otherwise, there's nothing new here for seasoned filers.

I found this book quite wordy, with a very lengthy "introduction" spanning what seemed like many chapters but without much substance. This made it difficult to want to continue on through the rest of the book. Also, my version was missing illustrations which made it difficult to understand what was being said at times--must have been an early printing that had many errors. Overall, just an ok book..not sure I learned much new information.

That is a major caveat in purchasing this book when it is released! I have a few issues with the book and the title not matching the content is a major problem! Why would that be a problem you ask?

I have been preparing our taxes through the guidance of the H & R Block TaxCut software for the past 7 years. When I saw this new book that could be pre-ordered; that was written by the self-confirmed "TAX LADY", I became excited. Wow, she was truly going to share some insider secrets on ways to maximize my deductions and put more money into my pocket. If it sounds too good, then it probably is! BLECHH..That is my true reaction after excitedly pouring through, "ROUND & ROUND" (the author begins the chapter as a boxing game and renames each Chapter another Round), and being horrifically let down!

The good:
Ms. Deutch makes a point of breaking everything down in layman's terms so that the average entry-level tax payer can comprehend or pretend to for that matter. If you have never prepared your taxes and have no idea about exemptions, deductions, credits and AGI; then this book is a wonderful beginning into the world of paying taxes.

If you have been in some form preparing your own taxes and have become a bit knowledgable, then this book will be nothing but a slow refresher course. I do not recommend this for anyone with experience.

Finally, I gave the book 3 stars because of the blatant outright lie presented in the title. The title should be tweaked to something like, "The Tax Lady's BEGINNERS Guide to Your Taxes & Saving Money". There was nothing new offered in here. She had some funny parts and even made some references to current events (Michael Phelps). I understand that this was an advanced copy, so I was missing the charts.

Bottom Line: Beginners buy it... Advanced tax people: PASS ON IT! No secrets here! BTW... the author goes on to advertise and push her companies and website services repeatedly within the book; not too professional for this reader. If you have to toot your own horn...

The book struck me as one that is geared toward laymen with little to no background in filling out tax forms, etc. It's easy to understand and the author avoids the more arcane details of the tax code. This ends up being both a strength and a weakness, however, as the book is pretty light on the sort of details one would need to actually "beat the IRS" as the title suggests. She often differs to tax professionals as soon as anything beyond the routine crops up. This is good advice but it defeats the purpose of the book in my opinion. The author's sense of humor lightens up an otherwise dull subject but I began to find her tone annoying after a bit of reading. I definitely got some good information out of this book but mostly it serves as the entry point for further research as it just skims the surface in my opinion.

I tend to read every bit of financial and tax info I can, especially this year, when the economy has been turbulent (to say the least). If you are already up to speed on basic tax law and do a reasonable job of reading updates from your accountant or simply by searching the internet, I don't know how helpful this book will be. However, for those who may be less informed, this could be a worthy choice. It isn't the best book I've read in this area.

However, if you don't yet have a good system for keeping tax records, it will help you in this area and help you estimate quarterly taxes, etc. However, when I compared the info here to what a good tax accountant provided, I found the tax accountant caught areas not mentioned in this book and saved me hundreds of dollars. So there is a cost comparison, based only on one person's experience.

Are you bleeding money to the IRS? Are they sucking you dry? If so, this is a book for you. As Roni Deutch points out again and again in her book, millions of Americans don't have a clue when it comes to taxes. They blindly feel like they're doing the right thing, following the rules and blindly paying their taxes. Don't get Roni wrong, me either. You're supposed to pay your taxes, but you're not supposed to overpay them. You're supposed to pay your fair share, but you're not supposed to pay your neighbor's share.

Right from the get go in her introduction Roni talks about what we're afraid to talk about in public. How we fear the IRS. She tells you that you have tax rights and this book tells you what they are. We pay plenty of taxes, for example there is: income tax, estate tax, gift tax, Social Security tax, excise tax, capital gains tax, franchise tax, sales tax, property tax and in California the governator wants to tax your income tax. Heck, I could go on and on, probably fill a page or two with just the taxes you pay, so you don't have to feel the least bit guilty about using the law and Roni's book to pay the least amount of taxes possible. It's the American way, if not it should be.

If you are looking for a book of definitions of various tax terms, then this may be what you want. Although the author's writing style is a little better than the average IRS instruction booklet, she offers no substance beyond what you get from free IRS instructions while offering much less substantive information (unless you like little stories about imaginary tax payers).

The title of the book is very misleading because the author offers no real tips on saving money on your taxes or beating the IRS in any way.

The copy I reviewed was a pre publication proof with most of the charts and tables missing, but it is impossible for me to imagine that they would add any value to what is essentially a book of definitions.

Since I am evaluating the book based on the value of the content and not the writing style, I can not give it more than one star.

I use turbo tax to do my taxes and am quite happy with it because it's kept up to date with the latest in tax rules, deductions, the forms I need to file, etc.

There are some things that Turbo Tax doesn't cover that I found useful in the book:

- Recommendations on how long to keep tax/financial records
- Advice on how and what records to store
- Tax bracket percent breakdowns
- Tip on making sure you receive a social security number in the same year your newest child is born
- The underpayment penalty rule
- Donating appreciate property (stocks) to charity
- Info on the Federal Gift Tax
- Estimating quarterly taxes
- If you have a family business that your kids work in, how much you can pay for the year to save on taxes
- College savings (for kids) plan details and minimums
- What to do if you need to pay a tax liability over time
- The types of IRS audits that can be conducted
- What can trigger audits
- General income level threshold/stats on chances for an audit
- Percent of returns audited
- Fee amount for tax court

The mid to end of the book was the most valuable since I use turbo tax for much of what was covered at the beginning and have an organization system.

Although I have not had the need to use this book yet, I can say that it is an interesting book well worth taking a look at.

The book is written in rounds- like a fight.

Round 1 - Feeling Intoxicated? Dude, You Are Paying Way Too Much in Taxes!

The other topics covered in successive rounds are:

Not being sloppy record keepers
More you know, less you pay
Using the 1040 as a treasure map or survival guide
Exemptions and Credits
Tax Tips for Self Employed
Fight for Tax Savings Diploma
Keeping IRS out of Investment Portfolio
Eliminating Tax Debt or Surviving IRS Audit
Should you Hire a Tax Trainer?
Tax Cutting Tips


There is also a Tax Glossary at the end of the book.

Unfortunately, I was reading through the uncorrected manuscript so the book is not laid out quite as nicely as I am sure it will be upon final publication.

It is very hard to find my way through the books in chapters or sections having nothing marked very well.

However, what content is in this book is helpful, and seems to be laid out in a way that makes finding individual tips easier because the sections are broken up with lines containing information in small sections.

This ia a good book for using in preparation to make your household or business more tax effective, or to deal with individual tax problems.

Because this book does not have the charts or other illustrations included, it is not very easy to read through- I am sure that the final book version will be much nicer than this.

All in all, I say it is a decent book with decent information- but I am not WOWed with it.