9 Years of TurboTax

I'm working on my taxes this weekend. It's my aim to finish them this weekend. If I don't they'll slip at least two weeks as I'll be out of town on a weekend trip in a week.

I'm using TurboTax again, for the 9th year in a row. I quipped last week that it's an abusive relationship partner. It's time to dust off and update this oldie-but-goodie I originally posted last year:



Like I explained last year I'm kind of stuck in a situation where TurboTax does what it does, which is not quite what I want, and no alternative is better. Use another tax prep tool? They're not as accurate. Hire an accountant? Way more expensive, and less transparent. I manage my own investments and manage sales for relative tax efficiency. Do taxes myself? I'm totally able to, but it'll take a lot more time without the automation done by software. So I stay in this bad relationship.

Gas Prices Surge 20% in a Week

Gas prices are rising as Russia's war in Ukraine has raised concerns about supply problems. Many nations have responded with sanctions on Russia, and some oil companies are suspending operations in/with Russia. In just one week oil increased from $96.xx per barrel to $115. Closer to my own pocketbook, when I went to fill up gas in my car today I found that prices at the pump had increased $0.70/gallon since Monday. That's more than a 15% increase. I wish I'd gassed up Thursday when the increase was only $.30.

UPDATE: Gas prices rose 5 cents later in the day Saturday and another 5 cents Sunday morning. As of Sunday they're now 80 cents/gallon higher than 6 days earlier.

UPDATE 2: No, I'm not driving to the gas station twice a day just to check prices. All comparisons here are for the nearest Costco gas station. Gas prices are displayed in Costco's app. I've been checking the app periodically out of curiosity.

UPDATE 3: Prices rose yet again on Monday afternoon, though this time by only 4 cents. Still, that's 84 cents/gallon in 7 days, an increase of 20% in one week.