If you don’t file your income tax returns, the government will find you!

So, do them.

But don’t pay H&R Block or an accountant to do them! Unless you’re Warren Buffett or own rental properties, there is really nothing you cannot handle. While our tax code is exasperatingly ridiculous, TurboTax walks you through the mess and delivers a complete, accurate, and relatively painless method for filing.

This year, they even include free e-file with the Deluxe version.

The most critical part of doing your taxes is getting all your records in order. Once that’s done, it’s as simple as following the guided questions that TurboTax provides.

Here’s what you do to get TurboTax:

• Click here – TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008 [DOWNLOAD]
• Purchase and Download the program
• Make a backup of the program and store it on CD. Label appropriately
• Install the TurboTax

Then, launch it and answer the questions as TurboTax presents them.

As you might imagine, I don’t really like buying packaged software – it costs more money (usually) and it costs time for delivery. Plus, it wastes a lot of paper, ink, gas, etc. Digital downloads are the only way to fly!

BUT, make a backup of the installation program onto CD or DVD and store it away, along with any serial numbers you get. A practice I like to follow is to burn any supporting material (like serial #s) onto the “backup disc” and also label the disk with the title and serial #.

I’ve been burned a few times by not doing this and it takes me a while to recover the serial #s, etc. No fun.

Here’s to a successful tax return completion!