[lug] Escaping TurboTax to Open Source?

[Kevin Kempter]

On Friday 12 January 2007 12:17, Ken MacFerrin wrote:
> Elyse M. Grasso wrote:
> > It's getting to be that time of year again... I've used TurboTax for
> > nearly 10 years, but reports are that Intuit is getting farther and
> > farther from supporting opens source.
> >
> > I don't want to maintain a web-connected Windows box just to do my taxes.
> > Last year I tried using a VMWare windows image, but TurboTax refused to
> > update there, so I had to fire up an old Win2k box.
> >
> > I don't want to upload my financial data to a web-based tax prep site.
> >
> > Are there any tax prep options (with state support) that aren't so
> > totally locked into Windows?
> >
> > Maybe I should go back to pencil and paper... my taxes this year should
> > be simpler than they have been for a the past few years.
>
> Completely OT, but I started using a genuine CPA (not H&R Block) about 8
> years ago and have never looked back..  The difference in the amount of
> the return a CPA can get you vs a TurboTax easily pays for itself.
>
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I'll second that. I've been using a real CPA for years now, I would never 
consider using a sw package again - it's well worth it. However I would 
suggest that you ask around for referrals and find a good one. Even referrals 
dont always mean a good CPA. 

a few years ago I thought I'd use another CPA close to me to save the 45min 
drive to my usual one. He came highly recommended by a friend. He did my 
taxes for my personal LLC as well as my personal taxes, announced that I 
needed to pay the IRS $9500.  Went back to my usual CPA 45minutes away, she 
did my taxes properly and I ended up paying $54 that year. All legit, just a 
matter of how you file an LLC, as a partnership or as a sole proprioter.

When I worked W2 the good CPA got me an average refund of $10,000 - $12,000.