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Editorial
Experts: Tax day extra stressful
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Are you ready for Wednesday?
Perhaps you've already got your tax refund back, or you've already bitten the bullet and sent in your check.
Or maybe you're one of those last-minute filers who hits the post office at the last minute.
Regardless, don't underestimate the stress associated with paying your dues to Uncle Sam.
It's no small matter, according to medical and psychological experts.
* You are more likely to die in a car accident on Tax Day because of driver stress levels, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
* 56 percent of U.S. adults say the tax-filing process is stressful, and 18 percent say it's "very stressful," according to a Zogby Interactive Survey.
* Tax Day was the second most stressful day of the year -- behind only a day with numerous tornadoes, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
* About 75 percent of Americans cite money as a significant cause of stress, according to the American Psychological Association.
So what to do?
Dr. Megan Jones, a Stanford psychologist, offers this advice:
* Pivot your perspective. Remember, making more money does not make you less stressed, but changing your attitude about money can.
* Look forward, not back. Use tax time for you and your partner to get together on the same page financially.
* Be proactive. Start making changes, even small ones, to improve your financial standing. Place a classified ad and have a garage sale.
* Box it up. Visualize "boxes" where you put each stressful obligation and avoid thinking about it until you consciously decide to do so.
Check out more ideas at www.golantern.com.
One thing you definitely DON'T have to do is heed telephone calls from scammers claiming to be from the IRS, saying they were Chief Brown and the McCook Police Department is going to arrest you if you do not immediately pay taxes you owe.
The IRS does not contact citizens by telephone, and the McCook Police Department does not collect money for the IRS or any other entity.
Scammers have been using similar tactics, claiming be from the Nebraska Public Power District.
Don't add to your tax day stress by letting criminals rip you off.