miscellaneous expenses

The national unemployment rate stands at a whopping 10% -- higher than it has been for years. Despite all the talk in Washington about creating new jobs, the outlook is pretty scary: When the economy was recovering from the 2001 recession, it took two years to reduce the unemployment rate by nearly...

Each year, taxpayers have the option of claiming the standard deduction or the itemized deduction. For the tax year 2009, the standard deduction for single taxpayers or for those married filing separately is $5,700; for married taxpayers or qualifying widow(er)s, the standard deduction is $11,400;...