Ig´no`rance
n. 1. The condition of being ignorant; the lack of knowledge in general, or in relation to a particular subject; the state of being uneducated or uninformed.
Ignorance is the curse of God,
Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
- Shak.
2. (Theol.) A willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge which one may acquire and it is his duty to have.
Invincible ignorance
(Theol.) ignorance beyond the individual's control and for which, therefore, he is not responsible before God.
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As you may notice I have highlighted the #2 definition of ignorance here. I'm amazed how many people are content to keep their head in the sand about the things that affect their lives so drastically!
Take income taxes for instance. For most people taxes are the second or third highest expense they will ever have, yet most people never bother to learn how they can maximize their tax benefits. This doesn't mean they have to become a C.P.A. or enrolled I.R.S. agent. Henry Ford never claimed to be a genius, but he was smart enough to enroll people around him who had all the knowledge he needed to become one of the richest men of his time!
Recently a friend of mine forwarded this video from Youtube entitled A Scandal . At first look most people would jump on this band wagon and form an opinion something like; these corporate scumbags always finding away to screw the little guy, or they are a bunch of crooks that aren't willing to own up to paying their fair share in taxes. I, on the other hand, have a little different opinion than that. I believe that most of theses companies are just taking advantage of the knowledge that is available to all of us.
Let's face it, if the average American could make a boatload of money and have a legitimate way of not paying any taxes or even get a refund they would. (Don't even get on your high horse and say; Oh not me. Yes you too!!!) Here is the punchline. If you haven't already figured it out the laws are the same for all of us. Obviously these big corporations have amazing resources that help them maximize the advantages that are available, but that doesn't mean you can't do the same. This begs the question; How do I do this? Right?
To put it bluntly, stop being ignorant! Find out how you can take advantage of the same tax laws that these corporations do. Instead of going to H&R B@%&$ and having them send your short form in, paying through the nose, or getting hardly any of your hard earned money back at the end of the year, find a professional C.P.A. that specializes in small businesses. Here is where most people make their first mistake. The average employee mindset (which is not bad, just more than likely uninformed) says these guys charge a lot of money, I can do my taxes myself, or go to the H&R guys and save money. So they get Turbo Tax and send in their tax return never knowing what it really cost them to do it themselves.
Think of it this way. You can Google just about anything now a days right? So just because you can Google "how to do an appendectomy" do you really think it's a good idea to get out the scalpel and start operating on yourself? Well that's what you're doing when you file your own taxes! And the other guys I mentioned are like the McDonalds of tax preparation. They have a great system, and they are cheap, but the product they turn out, well you know where I'm going with this.
So here's a question you may have asked already. Why would I get a C.P.A. that specializes in small businesses when I don't have a small business? Here is the answer: You need to own a small business to take advantage of the tax laws. As a W-2 employee you will pay far more taxes than a business owner who makes the same income as you! Say what? Yep it's true. Why is that, you may ask? If you don't know that's alright. Not knowing is one thing, but not knowing and not caring to know (ignorance is not bliss) will cost you dearly. Click here to see some tax advantages of owning your own business.
So let's say you decide it is time to take control of you tax situation. What might be the first step? Well if you don't own a small business you need to get started asap! There are many businesses you can start. Some may be cost prohibitive for many. One of the most cost effective ways to get going would be a networking business or the term I love relational marketing. The start-up & over all cost is usually very affordable (depending on the company) for just about anybody. My suggestion, if you decide to go this route, is you look for a some key factors. If you were going to stay at a hotel you would want a 5 star rating right? In choosing a company to align yourself with you should think the same way.
Here is a list of the 5 stars:
- The Product
- The Timing (this doesn't mean getting in early by the way)
- The Management
- The Compensation Plan
- The Cause
If these are all solid, you can be assured, with diligence at building your business you will have success. So not only will you save on taxes, but you get to create quite an income for yourself along the way! As a matter of fact you may be surprised at what you may end up creating.
In closing, I implore you, if you take anything from this post, learn this: You need to stomp out ignorance! It is a huge hindrance to your success in anything in life.
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