I jsut posted a post with good news, but so long wanted to add this separate (just FYI).


Interesting and scary since California is scaring away high-income tax payers with some pretty hefty taxes. I have to say there is not much you can do to avoid tax at the individual level - most tax avoidance schemes happen at the corporate level (in response to some comments in the article). Though admittledly those making billions may have some tricks up their sleeves. But we have many clients in the $200k-$1 million income range who don't get much in the way of deductions, outside what you and I do. (The exception being big retirement benefits - but more at a corporate level all the same. Only business owners are making this much):

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/102197.html

I was just thinking the other day why was "multiple pregnancy" unforeseen for tax purposes, but not a regular pregnancy. Do you know how many people conceive by accident??? LOL. They read my mind:
http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=23018

Gender Pay Gap, Once Narrowing, Is Stuck in Place
One big group of women has stopped making progress in narrowing the gender
pay gap: those with a four-year college degree. The gap between their pay
and the pay of male college graduates has actually widened slightly since
the mid-’90s.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/business/24gap.html

I always wonder if these studies truly consider the time taken off to raise children. In my office the women are happy to work part-time and have flexibility, are all busy with children. None of the men are asking for flex time, work part-time, running kids to school and doctor and such. If I get paid a little less because I demand more time with my kids, so be it. I am just not sure how fair these studies really are. Or maybe just lucky not to have come up against this in my industry (to date). I know at the peon level we the men and women were all paid the same. At the level I am at now the men are interested in management and the women are not, of course that reflects in our pay. There are no single or childless women in my office though. But my boss bends over backward for me to put my family 1st and you can't put a price on that. I'd work for less for this kind of job any day. Low stress and lots of flexibity, but paid well too.