It’s April 15 — one of the most recognizable, and often dreaded, days in the U.S. Probably as recognizable as July 4, but more akin to December 7  for many. It's the deadline for filing federal income tax returns.

According to a recent unscientific poll on thefabricator.com, 47 percent of poll takers expect to write Uncle Sam a check today, 41 percent expect a refund, and 12 percent aren’t filing. This year more of the 88 percent who are filing are preparing their own returns using programs like TurboTax, and fewer are turning to firms like H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt. I read about this trend in yesterday's USA Today, and since I've been completing my own returns for a decade — after finding costly mistakes in a $400-plus CPA-prepared return — the news didn't surprise me. (more...)