Mallorie Blake

My husband and I have been married for six months as of today (yay!) and I am just starting to get our tax things ready. As a tax pro and newlywed myself, I am going to give some tips on things to do beforehand.

Those who are planning their weddings for later this year, PLEASE pay attention too.

First, you have to change your name. This turned out to be the biggest hassle for me and I am not even getting into it. All I will say is do not pay anyone or have a service prepare the forms for you. I used missnowmrs.com or whatever it was and it was a nightmare. If you don’t have the time to take care of it on your own, have a trusted friend or family member help you.

Before doing anything with your taxes, make sure you have your new Social Security card. The name and Social Security number that is on your tax return must match what Social Security has on record, otherwise it will be rejected and/or delayed.

If you moved, you can go ahead and just put your new address on your tax return. It would be helpful to file Form 8822 Change of Address with the IRS incase they send you any notices.. which hopefully they don’t! This is important because if the IRS sends you something certified, it’s not typically forwarded to a new address.

Make sure you notify your employer and have your W-4 form updated. Don’t get too excited and just change it to “Married” because that can result in less taxes being taken out of your paycheck, thus owing at tax time. I have had recently married couples crying at my tax desk over this. Make sure you understand what you (and your spouse) are actually doing. If you like to see a refund, I would recommend changing to married, but held at single rate.

Make sure financial institutions and anyone you do business with knows of your name change and/or change of address so tax forms are sent to the correct address.

When you are ready to file your tax return, you have two filing statuses to choose from: Married Filing Jointly, or Married Filing Separately. In most cases, Married Filing Jointly is the most advantageous for many reasons. In some cases, filing separate can be better. That is a discussion to have with your tax advisor, who can compare and determine which is best.

Happy New Year everyone!!

I hope everyone is off to a great start. I spent my new years eve planning how I wanted to make a better version of myself starting in 2018. I decided I am starting Beachbody’s 60 day Brazil Butt Lift, in conjunction with the Bootylicious Meal Plan. Once I determined the meals for this week I went straight to the grocery store (yes, on NYE) to make sure I have everything at home so there are no excuses.

My first meal of the day is the goat cheese egg white omelet, which I have pictured. To add to the Brazilian theme I used blue, yellow, and green Fiestaware!

The Goat Cheese Egg White Omelet has approximately 255 calories and 11 grams for fat

Here is the recipe for the Goat Cheese Egg White Omelet:

Ingredients:

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

Nonstick cooking spray

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/2 whole wheat English muffin

6 medium strawberries

Instructions:

Combine egg and egg whites in a small bowl and mix well

Heat medium skillet lightly coated with spray over medium low heat

Add eggs and cook (don’t stir as eggs set; lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath

When eggs are set, top with goat cheese and gently fold in half

Serve with muffin (toasted if desired) and strawberries on the side