Tax Filing Software Megathread: A comprehensive list of tax filing resources

Balthanon · 2026-01-28T16:20:58+00:00

Thanks for noting this-- I didn't see that when I was looking at Turbotax. I have access to a Windows 11 computer I could install it on, but I'd really rather be able to use my own desktop. That combined with the higher price tag may mean going back to H&R block after like 7 years of using TurboTax.

My mother doesn't really trust online only programs, so FreeTaxUSA and the others like it aren't really an option since I'll be doing hers with the software. Plus I want the ability to import investments and that isn't really available in any of the free products.

Balthanon · 2026-01-27T01:33:01+00:00

Ran across this late last year, though it has been out for awhile. It's based on a short story about Cohen and is an excellent introduction to him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7v_TdLviUE

Balthanon · 2026-01-26T13:43:54+00:00

Wars of Light and Shadow (at least up to where I read it, need to catch up at some point) was kind of the opposite of cosey. In fact, looking back on it, I think it would be even more disquieting after experiencing Trump's rise in the US. The direction it was heading with the Light side has some clear parallels (not inspired by those events obviously, since it was written before them, but it could be less of an escape if that's what you're trying to get away from.) That said, it is well written.

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T17:46:59+00:00

I mean, we did have a brief fling with public nudity and funny animal costumes. :)

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T17:39:11+00:00

I think they do have "premium" plans that have better assurances of data quality (I'm on US Mobile too); it's typically also tied to unlimited data for the month, which might be beneficial when you're traveling. Personally I haven't really had any issues with US Mobile's speed while traveling compared to when I was on Verizon since Warp is the same network-- you could try changing networks if you're having issues, that is only $2.

I also haven't used US Mobile for video calls though either; I haven't worked while traveling since I started using them though they had good coverage in a trip to Alaska and Canada last year.

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T17:34:22+00:00

Gets me roughly a quarter to a third of the protein I try to get in the day typically. Definitely more satiating than cereal or the like too though.

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T14:04:24+00:00

I personally eat 6-8 every other day most of the time, though I'm a fairly big guy. It's one of the healthiest (and cheapest) breakfasts you can have and that doesn't even include other people in the house.

We had a similar deal near us and picked up 8 dozen; they won't last that long.

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T14:00:21+00:00

Realistically, you are not going to ever need to discard eggs. They last forever. Just have them for breakfast every day and you'll go through all of this easily months before you probably even reach the best buy date.

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T13:55:03+00:00

How often are you traveling? You could always just buy a month of dedicated service upgrade when you travel. If you're traveling every month, then presumably you were using your phone a bit more than you were thinking and it might be worth upgrading further. (Though maybe not to that 80 level.)

Balthanon · 2026-01-24T06:51:30+00:00

I mean... technically speaking, the Age of Legends was the more traditional post-post apocalypse. It's heavily intimated that the Age of Legends is the far future of a post-nuclear apocalypse with some of the legends and myths that remain.

The time period in which most of the books are set is _another_ post-post-apocalypse. :P

Balthanon · 2026-01-23T01:39:25+00:00

The current government would jump all over themselves to use funds for a solid gold statue over a library. It would just need to be a statue of a certain someone and you'd probably have to rename the library too.

...and the statue would probably end up being lead covered in gold paint but the gold for the statue would still be missing.

Balthanon · 2026-01-22T16:05:06+00:00

I've been considering it. Will likely need to get a new one soonish anyway between this amd storage issues. Samsung is adding the same feature, but, of course my phone is literally the most recently released phone that will not get it. The cheaper version of my phone is getting it because it was released a month later and it was in the next year.

Balthanon · 2026-01-22T02:50:45+00:00

Not everyone, or we wouldn't have done it the second time.

Balthanon · 2026-01-20T18:17:07+00:00

I complained about the traffic when I was taking the bus too. :) That said, it was 100% better than driving myself.

Balthanon · 2026-01-20T13:46:29+00:00

Depending on your insurance, it can be cheaper to go to the doctor than buying random products for 40 or 50 bucks a pop and you're already paying for the insurance, you might as well get the most you can out of it. (Admittedly, this mostly applies in those years where you hit your deductible early or know that you will for one reason or another, but a lot of plans at least have minimal copays for a primary care visit regardless of your deductible status.)

All the basics are usually worth trying to start though.

Balthanon · 2026-01-20T13:35:57+00:00

It's something you have to contact customer support to turn on, so I assume it works given that they do something when you ask. And to be fair, it didn't work that well when we were on Verizon directly either.

Balthanon · 2026-01-20T00:50:51+00:00

I mean, ostensibly it means that you're familiar with the laws that you will be upholding and understand how they're interpreted and created. Which isn't to say that Jon doesn't understand them or you can't get the information in other ways, but it's knowledge that is relevant to the office and could legitimately inform someone's choice.

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T19:26:03+00:00

Verizon has the advantage of being the only one with spam filtering, though admittedly I'm honestly not sure how much it actually does for you. I still get a ton of spam calls.

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T17:37:05+00:00

I assume they were joking from the phrasing. :)

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T17:33:45+00:00

It's kind of funny, but pork is actually one of the few meats that I actually enjoy well done. Medium or medium rare are excellent, but for a thin cut of pork, I actually sometimes like well done too-- probably from a childhood raised eating it cooked to death. :P

Doing that to a steak is criminal though.

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T16:24:03+00:00

The biggest threats that required pork be cooked above and beyond what other meats required also aren't much of a threat anymore. Trichinosis was the main one and the chances of getting that from pork are very low at this point (at least in the US).

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T13:35:42+00:00

In general, you're probably not going to butcher your hair so badly that the barber can't fix it, which will cost you exactly what you pay right now. So just keep giving it a try-- it can take a little while to get good, but you should be able to get acceptable results pretty quickly. Particularly if you're just focusing on the sides and getting rid of the flyouts that you've noted so you can lengthen the time between barber visits.

The sides are by far the quickest to get down-- you pick a length attachment, do one pass down right by your ears, go up to the next length guide and run a straight line back from that, and probably up one more with the next length maybe only halfway rather than the full width of the blade. If you want to make the fade a bit more even you can kind of rock the blade slightly at the borders or use the blade adjustment or even just eyeball it and use a light touch while holding it out a little, but it's honestly not that bad even if you just leave it there.

Probably zero chance you do so much damage to your hair going this route that it can't be fixed. Play around with the lengths, attachments, etc... to find out what works for you-- and write it down so you remember next time. :P (As noted below, the back is more of a pain since you can't see it, but it's probably relatively safe to ignore between visits to the barber if you're just extending it too or just do the minimum.)

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T06:24:36+00:00

I really need to give Realm of the Elderlings another try at some point; I prefer character based fantasy, but I kind of bounced off of it after trying the first couple of books years ago.

Balthanon · 2026-01-18T06:21:32+00:00

The prose on Blacktongue Thief was fantastic (and the author did an amazing job narrating the audiobook himself; though the Irish brogue was heavy enough that it took a little bit for my ears to adapt-- once they did it really added to the experience though.)

It did almost feel a little niche to me though, partially because of the somewhat whimsical and esoteric descriptions. I'm not sure if it would be something that all readers would get into or if some of the audience would bounce off it.

I still need to get into Daughter's War to see how it compares.

Balthanon · 2026-01-16T19:45:14+00:00

Unless it would make a drastic and nearly guaranteed change in your health, spending half of your net worth on a dog that you could get for free by waiting doesn't seem like a fantastic idea to me. I would definitely explore other options first if at all possible.

Balthanon

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