Rachel Kaufman, freelance reporter

I'm an interrogator of gargoyle lovers, frog fondlers, and the eternal optimists saving the news industry. These are some of the stories I've written.

Finance

Savings Splurge: Local Experts on Federal Tax Credits

By • Nov 20th, 2009 • Category: Finance, Real Estate

Those aspiring to own real estate who didn’t think they’d make the deadline for a tax credit now have eight thousand more reasons to buy: On Nov. 6, the government extended the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers for another six months. Instead of expiring on Nov. 30, buyers now have until April 30, 2010 to sign a contract for a home.



How To Not Screw Up Your Taxes

By • May 27th, 2009 • Category: Finance, My Best Stuff

My name is Rachel Kaufman, and I don’t understand taxes.

I thought I was doing everything right until tax season. That’s when my tax prep software told me I owed thousands of dollars for my small – by all standards – writing business. Thousands I … didn’t exactly have. Sure, I’d been saving some money to pay the IRS, and I thought it’d be enough, but there I was, scrambling to find a hefty chunk of extra cash. About $2,000 extra.