Money, sneaky fee & by the numbers

3 Ways to Avoid Getting Audited

1: Report all your income - You must tell the IRS about every penny of income that you make, including stock dividends, cash payments, gambling winnings, jury-duty payments & unemployment benefits. The amounts must match the forms that are submitted to the federal govt by your employer, banks, or 3rd payers. If there is even one digit off, the IRS could note the mismatch & generate an inquiry.
2: Be cautious when claiming deductions - Be prepared to back up every deduction, particularly car write-offs, charitable contributions, and business purchases--with written documentation, especially if you are self-employed or make more than $100,000
And be precise: Deductions rounded to the nearest hundred-dollar amount could up your risk. "That signals you are not keeping records," says Frederick W.Daily,author of Stand Up to the IRS(Nolo, $35).
3: Check your work - A simple math error won't automatically trigger an audit, but it can give the IRS a reason to revisit your return, which increases the odds that it might find other problems. When figuring your taxes, check your math. Twice! Or hire a reputable tax preparer (but never sign your return until you have reviewed it). You can also use a computer program, like Turbo-Tax(turbotax.intuit.com). The software won't make silly mistakes.

Sneaky fee-Ticket convenience fee:

*The cost: Varies, but it averages about 10% of the ticket's face value.
*Why you're being charged: To cover credit-card fees & other processing costs, and to generate more revenue, a ticket agent(such as Ticketmaster)adds this fee when you purchase tickets online, over the phone, or at a retail outlet, such as Macy's or F.Y.E. In most cases, you can avoid the fee if you buy tickets at the box office.(However, some venues charge the fee at the box office, too, so double-check with the location before investing time & gas to get there). Occasionally you can dodge the charge by picking up your tickets at the venue's will-call window.

By the numbers:

*5.9 minutes the length of time customers thought had passed when they were left on hold without any background music. In reality, they were on hold for 'only 3 minutes
*Avoid being put on hold - Go to gethuman.com for steps you can take to get a live person at more than 1,000 businesses.
*Some of the companies that you'll find on the site:
AT&T
Comcast
Delta
GE Appliances
Hertz
JPMorgan Chase
MetLife