Happy Tax Day

Sadly, our drooly little tax deduction can't be used until next year's taxes.

Happy tax day! Nah, I kid, I kid. ‘Tis one of the most aggravating days of the year, no? But this is not the place for politics, much as my dear husband would love nothing more than for me to write a summary of the libertarian party’s view on taxes as legalized theft. On a happier (yet, amazingly, tax-related) note, my clever little brother just found out that he passed the last of his four CPA exams. I’m told that fewer than 10% of accounting nerds pass all four on their first try, so we’re all very proud. Tyler has always been incredibly smart, especially where numbers are concerned. Finance just comes naturally to him. After getting a second degree in accounting at the University of Washington (if you want to know how he spent his first 4 years at UW, ask the fine, upstanding men of his fraternity), he interned at an accounting firm in Bellevue. He won a highly coveted position on staff and began working for them in September. With those four nasty exams happily passed, he’s now finally a full-blown CPA. It’s no surprise that my brother has chosen a finance-related career. Since childhood, he’s always been something of a mercenary. He used to try to trade his nickels for my quarters (with no success, I might add.) In third or fourth grade he did pretend stock trading for school, and I have a vivid memory of him begging my mom to buy a copy of The Wall Street Journal outside the local Pay ‘n’ Save. She did, of course, and my tiny little brother was lost behind the giant newspaper pages, seeing how his stocks did. Finally, while I would never deny my husband the joy of doing our taxes (it’s a twisted yet fun game for him that involves a lot of swearing, vodka sodas, and absolute obsession), I have quite selfishly discovered another benefit of my brother’s success: I now have my very own free tax advisor.