Thursday, February 23, 2012

Should I sell my van ?

I bought my van a year ago when my work was a lot closer to home. About a month ago I got a great opportunity and accepted this new job - though it is now 50 miles one way so 100 miles round trip. Needless to say, my van gets on aveage 23mpg (I do a lot of highway travel). My husband drives a cobalt and gets in the mid 30's mpg - I would save a boatload of money each year if I were to drive a car with better gas mileage. I owe 7700 on my van loan and know if I sold privately I could get very close to that. The dealer (where I am approved to get a car) could take it on trade in but only able to offer about 5500-6000. I'm not having trouble making the payments or the gas, but have done some fuel savings calculators and there is a BIG savings opportunity there - I could definitely put that savings to better use! What are your thoughts?Should I sell my van ?
um how far does ur husband drive???? cas if hes closer swap vehicles......new vehicle doesn't really save u money in the long run........they money u save on gas will b eaten up in higher taxes insurance and more payments.......i would honestly suggest looking for an older car with decent mileage and buy that if u do want out of ur van.......Should I sell my van ?
What kind of van is it?Should I sell my van ?
23 for the convenience of a van isn't all that bad. Since you are doing "what if" calculations, what if you lived closer to your job by either moving, or finding something where you didn't have to drive 100 miles a day to and from work? That would work also. How much did your insurance jump with that drive to work? Factor that in also.
Should I sell my van ?





NO.



Any savings that you would realize at the gas pump would be eliminated by the additional costs of buying a new car.



Even if you bought an older, cheaper used car your savings over a 2 year period will be minimal.



Any trade or sale of your current vehicle will more than likely result in a monetary lose. If you accepted the dealers offer you'd be losing between $1700 - $2200 ($7700 owed vs $5500/$6000 trade offer) and this is before you even take into consideration the added costs of higher monthly car payments and longer loan terms.



$2200 buys a lot of gas for that van.



The facts are that if you compare a car getting 23 MPG to a car that gets 33 MPG the savings over 15,000 miles driven is only $486. Using that figure and the possible $2200 cash lost out of your pocket it would take you over 4.5 years just to break even. FOUR and a HALF years before you begin to save your first dime. And that is assuming there is no difference in cost between the two vehicles.



Now there are a thousand ways to calculate these variables but the only way to accurately estimate total costs is to include cost of the car into your estimate. And you need to run these numbers out several years to get an idea of any actual savings over time.

Rental Property Deductions?

My husband and I bought a rental property in September. Since we are new at this I am not completely sure what all is tax deductible. Our taxes will be done at HR Block. I am just curious for my own questioning. We have not had much expense in those months. We did spend money for paint, varnish, painting supplies, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, etc. our first month. After that it was mostly paying bills and the building payment. Also, when I tracked my mileage I tracked miles per trip I then used a trip calculator to figure the price I would pay for gas at the cost of gas that day for the specific amount of miles including my gas mileage. I read somewhere recently that it could only be deducted if you use a standard deduction is that true? Also, when we bought the building we were told to call the IRS and get a tax ID number so we did. Now when I spoke to my usual accountant at HR Block hes saying we file this with our personal taxes. Did we not need the tax number? Do we really claim it with our personal? I am a little baffled by this. I was always under the assumption business was filed seperate. Any info would be greatly appreciated.Rental Property Deductions?
I would suggest you do you taxes yourself rather than have H%26amp;R block do them the first year. The number of deductions I found when doing my taxes the first year of my new business was amazing. Any work you do to maintain the property will be a business expense. If you upgrade the property you do a capitol improvement and that is treated differently. That is the other reason I suggest you do your own at least the first year. You want to be thoroughly familiar with the tax implications of each business decision you make. For the car you are given the choice of their mileage deduction or actual cost. If you use the vehicle for other than business it is much easier to keep a log book of miles driven than to compute each bill and divide it between business and personnel use. I found their mileage rate more than adequate for my vehicle expenses. With the fed I did my business with my personal taxes. For the state I had to do a separate return to collect and report sales taxes.



Married one day married all year.
You claim rental income on schedule E for rent. You will claim your mileage and all of your other expenses on this form. You can depreciate your appliances . All of this is reported on the schedule E and carried to your 1040. You can claim the expenses for fixing up the rentals. You can claim property taxes and mortgage interest. Insurance and legal fees are also deductible. These are just few.



Christine EA Master Tax Adviser

Check out my profile



This advice was prepared based on our understanding of the tax law in effect at the time it was written as sit applies to the facts that you have provided. http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tax_tips/in鈥?/a>

http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tax_calcula鈥?/a>Rental Property Deductions?
Rental income and expenses go on Schedule E. You don't really need an EIN unless you are renting out commercial property and don't want to hand out your SSN to your tenants. A property manager would also need it even if your property is residential. It's your call but as you have it now just hang on to it.



Any reasonable and necessary expenses are deductible. That would include mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, repairs %26amp; maintenance, utilities, depreciation, rental commissions, property management fees, etc. Use of your personal vehicle is also included and in this case goes on Schedule E, not Schedule A. You can either deduct the actual costs apportioned for business use or use the standard mileage rate.



Major repairs or renovations must be depreciated along with the property improvements, i.e. the buldings, etc. Land is not depreciated so you'll need to break it out separately.



If you are going to Block to have your returns prepared, demand you be assigned to an experienced full-time staffer. They will need to make sure that your depreciation schedules are set up properly and that you take the depreciation deduction each year. Mistakes early on here can be very costly down the road when you dispose of the property so be SURE that you are dealing with an experienced individual. Alternatively you may wish to consult with a local CPA or EA to get your books up and running.



Your marital status on Dec 31st determines your filing status for the year. Your options are Married Filing Jointly and Married Filing Separately. MFJ usually results in the lowest over all tax liability.
Dear apartment owner: Yes you file this on your personal return. If you were a corporation, you would use different filing forms. Your rental info goes on Schedule E. Keep good records of all expenses and miles driven. The appliances you purchased will be listed on a depreciation schedule. Included on Schedule E will be such items as insurance, utilities, mortgage interest, property tax, repairs and any items you may have bought for the rental property.



This year you will file married filing jointly.



This advice was prepared based on our understanding of the tax law in effect at the time at the time it was written as it applies to the facts that you provided. Click on my profile to read more. Errol Quinn Enrolled Agent Master Tax AdvisorRental Property Deductions?
First you are married for your 2008 return. You can file jointly or separately from your husband.



Second, you do not need a tax ID number (EIN) for the rental unless it is owned by a corporation or a separate legal entity than you or your husband. If the property is owned by you two jointly or in other ways that you and your husband's name is on the title, then no EIN is needed.



Third, the revenue and expenses of the rental will be shown on the Schedule E of your personal return.



Fourth, the cost of appliances is treated as an investment depreciated over 5 years.



Fifth, you can deduct actual costs or standard mileage rate for use of your car. Unless you have kept all of your receipts for gas and maintenance of your car for the entire year so the business percentage of that total can be calculated, the standard mileage allowance should be taken. The standard mileage allowance is a reasonable amount per mile and usually ends up higher than the actual costs. And the record keeping is limited to your mileage log --- no receipts are necessary.



Lastly, the cost of fixing up the place to get it ready for rental are treated as investment and depreciated over 27.5 years.



Richard K

Master tax Advisor

HR Block



This advice was based upon my understanding the law in effect at the time it was written as it applies to the facts provided by you. See my profile for more infromation.
your status should be married.

the new appliances for the rental unit are deductible.



about your rental unit;



Topic 414 - Rental Income and Expenses



Generally, cash or the fair market value of property you receive for the use of real estate or personal property is taxable to you as rental income. You can generally deduct expenses of renting property from your rental income. Income and expenses related to real estate rentals are usually reported on Form 1040, Schedule E (PDF). Income and expenses related to personal property rentals are reported on Form 1040 (PDF).



Most individuals operate on a cash basis, which means they count their rental income as income when it is actually or constructively received, and deduct their expenses as they are paid. If you are a cash basis taxpayer, you cannot deduct uncollected rents as an expense because you have not included those rents in income. If a tenant pays you to cancel a lease, this money is also rental income and is reported in the year you receive it. Do not include a security deposit in your income if you plan to return it to the tenant at the end of the lease. But if you keep part or all of the security deposit during any year because the tenant damaged the property or did not live up to the terms of the lease, this money is taxable income in the year this determination is made. If the security deposit is to be used as the tenant's final month's rent, you include the money as income when you receive it, rather than when you apply it to the last month's rent.



Some examples of expenses that may be deducted from your total rental income are depreciation, repairs, and operating expenses. You can recover some or all of your original expenses and improvements by using Form 4562 (PDF) (to report depreciation) beginning in the year your rental property is first placed in service, and beginning in any year you make an improvement or add furnishings. For information on depreciation, refer to Publication 946, How To Depreciate Property. Repair costs, such as materials, are usually deductible. For a discussion of the difference between repairs and improvements, refer to Publication 527, Residential Rental Property (Including Rental of Vacation Homes).



There are special rules relating to the rental of real property that you also use as your main home or your vacation home. For information on income from these rentals, or from renting at an amount less than the fair market value, refer to Topic 415, Renting Residential and Vacation Property (formerly Renting Vacation Property and Renting to Relatives).



If you do not use the rental property as a home and you are renting to make a profit, your deductible rental expenses can be more than your gross rental income, subject to certain limits. For information on these limitations, refer to Topic 425, Passive Activities 鈥?Losses and Credits.



For more information on rental income and expenses, including passive activity loss limits, refer to Publication 527.





for more info; http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc414.html
congratulations on your new investment.

i am a certified tax preparer in california working for Block.

just about everything you mentioned above is deductible from the income generated by the property.

you can also depreciate the property, deduct mortgage and property expenses and much more as your Block adviser will explain. The details are filed on schedule E Profit/Loss from rental property.

Either the profit or loss is then leveraged to your 1040. If you actively participated in the activity (and it sounds like you have) you and your husband can deduct a loss of up to 25000 on your 1040. of course, if you were lucky enough to make money, that goes on your 1040 as taxable income. I assume this is a multi-family dwelling unit and not some huge high rise structure... be sure your Block person has specialty in schedule E. Oh, and you can also depreciate the new appliances and even if you were married on 12/31/08, you were married for all of 2008 and will file married filing joint.
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  • Tire size question, bought a used car that was lowered in the front.?

    94 acura integra ls, lowered i believe by an inch only in the front, the back is on stock springs or whatever.

    Factory tire size is P195/60 R14 85H



    They put 185/65 r14s in the front



    and the rear was factory tire size.



    is this setup okay?

    would this affect my gas mileage/ performance? i went on a tire size calculator and it said my speedometer was about 1.7% too slow



    Also my biggest concern is that my rear left tire got flat and i replaced it with the same size as the fronts ( 185/65 )

    so now i have 3 tires (front left/right, back left) that are at 185/65



    and my back right tire is at factory tire size (195/60)



    will this setup affect my performance/gas mileage?

    my biggest concern is safety as next week i will be traveling to los angeles

    3 tires the same size 1 tire a different size.



    Thank you!Tire size question, bought a used car that was lowered in the front.?
    Will have minimal affect on performance/gas milage not enough to be concerned with if you compare those tires side by side you will find they are virtually the same height (circumference) but fronts are approx 3/4-1 inch wider giving you slightly better traction.



    As far as having one odd size tire because circumference is almost identical on all of them it will have no affect on handling or drivablity of vehicle
    and JBF i bought this car for really cheap i needed a beater car to save gas and it does save gas 28mpg

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    Tire size question, bought a used car that was lowered in the front.?
    I know if they are different tread it is not good on your tires. It's best to have them all the same or it could possibly wear your tires down specially it it's different tread. It shouldn't be a safety hazard but I would call any automotive place and ask them.
    put the original size tires that came from the factory back on it. that way your speedometer will be accurate.Tire size question, bought a used car that was lowered in the front.?
    I would never buy a car that has been hacked up this bad. Just think of all the stuff you DON'T know about.

    Can someone please help me with this word problem, i can do it on a calculator - but not on paper :(?

    On 5 successive days a deliveryman listed his mileage as follows: 135, 162, 98, 117, 216. if his truck averages 14 miles for each gallon used, how many gallons of gas did he use during these 5 days?



    can someone tell me the fastest way to work it out on paper? i have a test comming up %26amp; its timed %26amp; i cant use a calculator :( ughh.Can someone please help me with this word problem, i can do it on a calculator - but not on paper :(?
    Add them all up and divide by 14.

    135+162+98+117+216=728

    728/14=52

    So 52 gallons.Can someone please help me with this word problem, i can do it on a calculator - but not on paper :(?
    hmmmm

    Statistics question for calculator...?

    a car has a mean gas mileage of 53 miles per gal. the gas mileage of the car is approx. normally distributed with a standard deviation of 3.2 miles per gal.

    A-)What is the 90th percentile of the gas mileage?

    B-) What is the gas mileages that makes up the middle 92%?



    the teacher emphasized that i needed to learn this on the calculator. i use a ti-89, so anyone know how to do a problem like this?Statistics question for calculator...?
    Are you allowed to use a z-score chart? If so, 90th is closest to 1.29 on the z-score chart. z = observed minus mean divided by sd. By solving for the observed... If we times the z-score by the sd and then add the mean, we should get the 90th percentile. This comes out to be 57.13 miles per gal.



    Does this make sense?
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  • Math problem help plz ?

    Ok, here is the problem

    Louella runs a messenger service and must keep track of the gas mileage of each car. When she filled the gas tank of one car, she used a calculator to find the gas mileage. The calculator display read "23.355178".



    Which of the numbers most closely represents the gas mileage in miles per gallon.



    A- 2.335*10 squared

    B- 24/3

    C- 23 1/3

    D- 2335/1000



    Plz show your workMath problem help plz ?
    A) 2.335 x 10虏 = 233.5



    B) 24/3 = 8



    C) 23 1/3 = 23.333333333333



    D) 2335/1000 = 2.335





    So C is the closest to "23.355178" ^^Math problem help plz ?
    A-2.335*10^2=233,5 - noway

    B- 24/3 (30/3=10) less then 10 - noway

    C- 23 +1/3 possibly...

    D- 2335/1000=2,335 noway



    only c is possible since all the others aren't even close..

    I need HELP!!!!!!..... Please. Is for Math class.?

    For the following question, assume that you drive 15,000 miles per year(all in city) and the price of gasoline is $3.75 per gallon.

    1. Write a linear equation the models that the total cost of owning and operating each vehicle y as a function of the number of years of ownership x.



    GAS MILEAGE CALCULATOR

    Toyota Camry

    2.4L 4, Auto

    $3.75/GALLON 15,000 MI/YEAR



    -Miles per gallon in city 21

    -Gas cost $2,289.75

    -Gas consumption 611 gallonsI need HELP!!!!!!..... Please. Is for Math class.?
    y = mx + b



    b = purchase price

    m = annual operating cost



    m = 3.75 * 15000 / 21

    = 3.75 * 714.29

    = 2678.57
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