Yes, I am one. Not in the typical sense, I could care less what someone drives, their zip code, education level or what they do for a living. I've known people living in poverty who are the greatest and most generous people in the world and a woman living in a multimillion $ house driving an insanely expensive car who I would gladly use as zombie bait because she is just that evil and selfish. I've known several engineers with Masters degrees who are either a) completely lacking in common sense or b) just plain stupid or c) also zombie bait candidates or d) all of the above...compared with self-taught non-high school graduates who did a much better job designing parts for our products than the highly degreed snobs we hired.

In any case I am also a snob so I probably shouldn't throw stones. My snobbery comes out during tax season.

My dark dirty secret is that I actually like preparing my taxes. One day I'd like to get my certificate or whatever as a tax preparer and moonlight. Not because I have to but because I enjoy the challenge.

Yes, I should seek professional help for this obviously dangerous aberration

I have prepared by own taxes every year (except one) since I was 16. And that was before tax software. Yes, I did them by hand...itemized deductions on the long form no less. And survived the capital gains/losses calculation when we sold our first house before they changed the rules to make it simpler. Even when the tax software first came out & I switched I still did a set by hand for the first few years to make sure the software was accurate.

I am not a very trusting soul lol.

The one year someone did my taxes for me was the first year I was married and my new SIL was a CPA. The PEH (psycho ex-husband) insisted that she do our taxes for this reason, because she "knew all the tricks and could get us the best results".

Yes, I double checked her too.

Nothing against my ex-SIL, she did do a good job. But I saw no reason to continue having anyone else involved in my (our) private financial affairs, especially family, especially because I could get the same results.

Yes, I am a snob.

So this year is especially frustrating for me. This year, because I now have to file in both the US & France and the requirements due to the job relocation and situation, I have to work with a company that will prepare & file my taxes for me.

Normally I have my taxes completed & submitted by January 31. This year the company did not even contact me until February 15. I have OCD tendencies. I was not happy at the delay.

Their software doesn't display the results, it just collects information. So I have no idea what my tax obligation is yet. Did I mention my OCD tendencies? I HATE not knowing, I HATE being late even though technically it is still early.

I HATE not being in control.



To make matters worse I talked to my son the other night & he revealed that he's already filed his taxes for the first time & is waiting for his refund.

Ah-ha, he takes after his Mom!

Silly me.

PEH told him to go to H&R Block and have them take care of his taxes because it is "too complicated" to do himself.

My son is 17, is a dependent and works part time at Dairy Queen. He is smart; narrowly focused and sometimes intellectually lazy when not interested in the subject, but very smart.

Too complicated my ass. Maybe for the PEH who is an intellectual gnat - truth + ex-bashing all in one package! - an EZ form is too complicated but my son is capable of it; otherwise I would have to disown him LOL!

That is a 5 minute by hand tax preparation for goodness' sake! It would take longer to actually enter the information into the system than to calculate what he owes or not.

So my son, not knowing any better, listened to the PEH, went to H&R Block and paid them $80 for the privilege of preparing and filing his EZ form. Something he could have done for free as well as teaching him a valuable life skill.

Side note digression - It is unbelievable that these types of skills are not taught in high school (or at least not mandatory for every student).

I had some choice words to say when I hung up the phone, believe me. 3 days later & I am stilled majorly pissed off. Next year at least my son knows to call me instead of going to a service and listening to the PEH.

So no offense intended to anyone who lives in multimillion dollar homes, drives insanely expensive cars, is an engineer, is highly degreed or has someone else prepare his/her taxes. Or is an ex-? of any variety.