Category Archives: money tips

Is the BCBS Settlement Payment Email Legit? (May 2026)

Thursday, 2026.05.21 J.D. H. 6 comments

Q. I just got an email from distribution@bcbssettlement.com telling me I have a virtual Visa prepaid card waiting from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Subscribers Settlement. Is this real, or is it a phishing scam? A. If is is from that email and matches the info below it is real. These have been going out recently (May 20, 2026) and redemption can be very quick, no issues. Here’s how: to check before clicking, what the redemption flow looks like, and what

TurboTax Adding Rental Property Depreciation to the WRONG State Return

Tuesday, 2026.03.17 J.D. H. Leave a comment

TL;DR: If you file in multiple states and have rental property in TurboTax Desktop, check your Asset Entry Worksheets. TurboTax may silently add state depreciation entries for every state on your return, not just the state where the property actually exists. The fix: go to the Asset Entry Worksheet, scroll to the State Depreciation section, and set “Include asset in state return” to No for any state where the property is not located. The Problem I have a commercial rental

TurboTax Rental Income Bug: Why Your Schedule E Amount Keeps Disappearing

Thursday, 2026.03.12 J.D. H. Leave a comment

TL;DR: If you’re entering rental income (or other dollar amounts) in TurboTax and the amount vanishes when you click Continue, the fix is to open the supporting detail worksheet FIRST (by clicking in the field and starting to type) not trying to paste an amount into the field! The Problem You’re updating your Schedule E rental income for the current year. You click into the “Other income not on a 1099-MISC or 1099-K” field, paste your amount, and it shows

Should I Scan Both Sides of a 1099-INT?

Monday, 2026.03.09 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Q: When I scan my 1099-INT forms, should I use duplex (two-sided) scanning or just scan the front? A: Go duplex on these. Many banks and financial institutions print additional information on the back of a 1099-INT. This can include account numbers, branch details, additional interest breakdowns, state-specific withholding information, or footnotes that clarify the figures on the front. Not every 1099-INT will have something useful on the back, but enough of them do that duplex scanning should be your

Do I Need to Scan Both Sides of a 1099-NEC?

Monday, 2026.03.09 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Q: When I scan my 1099-NEC forms for digital filing, should I use duplex (two-sided) scanning to capture the back? A: For most people, single-sided (simplex) scanning is all you need. The front of your 1099-NEC contains everything that matters: payer information, your TIN, and the compensation amounts the IRS cares about. The back is just standard IRS instructions that are identical on every single 1099-NEC printed. There is nothing unique to your return on the back side. Scanning single-sided

How 25,000 Junk Folders Were Breaking My AI Doc Organizer (Garbage In, Garbage Out)

Thursday, 2026.03.05 J.D. H. Leave a comment

How 25,000 Junk Folders Were Silently Breaking My AI Document Organizer (Garbage In, Garbage Out) Thousands of (somewhat) zombie Quicken folders taken care of via compressing them into one 7z archive: Details: My AI File Organizer Was Fighting 25,000 Phantom Folders (And Losing 😜) For a while, my automated document filer was misbehaving. Scan an insurance card — it suggests filing it in a folder called Q-Final. Scan a bank statement — it wants to put it in Attach. The

The IRS Is Phasing Out Paper Checks: What You Need to Know

Tuesday, 2026.02.17 J.D. H. Leave a comment

February 17, 2026 Disclaimer: This blog post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. The author is not acting as your attorney, CPA, or tax advisor. Tax law and IRS policy are subject to change without notice, and the information presented here may be incomplete or outdated by the time you read it. You should consult a qualified tax professional or attorney regarding your specific situation before making any decisions based on

Is Temu’s $1,000 Reward Claimed Screen Legit? What You Get

Sunday, 2026.02.01 J.D. H. 6 comments

Temu’s “Reward Claimed” screen looks like a huge win. It says $1,000 in big bold text, and a red button urging you to “Get all in App.” I looked at the exact wording on the reward screen and Temu’s own reward rules to figure out what you really get, what strings are attached, and whether it’s worth tapping that button. 👈 Here’s the screenshot a reader sent me. It says “Reward Claimed” and “You’ll get in App: $1,000.00.” So the