Donating money to worthy causes is wonderful, but you'll get even more tax advantages if you donate appreciated stock instead. Here's how it works. First, you'll need to evaluate how long you've held the stock. Stock held for one year or less falls in the short-term category; the rest is considered long-term. Next, figure out the stock's fair market value, or what you'd receive if you sold the stock on the day you make the charitable contribution. (Please note that you don't actually have to sell the stock.)

AMERICANS DONATED AN estimated $250 billion to charity last year, primarily through individual contributions, according to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel's annual Giving USA report. About half of that money was donated in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, donors are feeling the pinch, says Suzanne Coffman, director of communications for GuideStar, a nonprofit data provider on charities. Charities are concerned that consumers - having already given extensively in the aftermath of the tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and other major natural disasters this year - won't be as generous with their end-of-year charitable donations. Local charities in particular may be left out in the cold.

If this year's tax filing deadline will be a "pay" day for you and you don't have the cash, the Internal Revenue Service gives you several payment options. First, even if you can't pay your tax bill, go ahead and file your return on time. This way you'll avoid the IRS's failure-to-file penalty of 5 percent per month (up to a maximum of 25 percent) of your balance due. You'll still face the failure-to-pay penalty each month your bill is outstanding, but it's only 0.5 percent of the amount you owe.

The anticipation can be worse than the reality. Here's how to beat the odds when the IRS targets you. The best way to soften the sting of a tax audit is not to wait until The Letter arrives. Start right now to protect yourself by keeping complete and accurate records and keeping them in good order so you can replicate every number on your return. The truth is that audits aren't that frequent anyway. Fewer than 1% of all taxpayers receive that ominous looking letter from the IRS. And the nightmare may be only as bad as organizing your records and sitting through a few tense hours of paper shuffling.

Your banker is set to approve your loan as soon as he gets copies of your last few tax returns. There's just one problem. You can't find them. While there's no reason to go overboard in your tax record keeping, sometimes you do need old paperwork. Loan officers usually want copies of past returns to verify your financial situation and income sources. Your filings can help you track IRA contributions or verify that your Social Security payroll taxes were properly paid.

The easing market may be worrying those who invested in real estate this year, but to avoid facing even more financial pain at tax time, those investors should consider the following year-end tax strategies. Keep in mind that real-estate investment tax tips are a bit different from standard investment tax tips, given that real estate is not as liquid as other investments. "There are some things you can do, but for the most part real estate works a little bit differently than some of the other areas where you normally do year-end tax planning [such as] selling some dog stocks from your portfolio," said Eric Kea, a director of the real estate taxation practice at BDO Seidman.

Program Description Policyholders who have permanent plans of insurance under one of the programs listed below may borrow up to 94% of the cash value of the policy after it has been in force for one year. United States Government Life Insurance (USGLI) - USGLI was generally issued to veterans of World War I. This program has been closed to new applicants since 1951.

This loan program is a small "companion benefit" to VA's Specially-Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant program. It's rarely used, but it's available if a an SAH-eligible veteran or service member should need it. The goal of the SAH program-as a whole-is to provide a barrier-free living environment which affords the veteran or service member a level of independent living he or she might not otherwise enjoy. The SAH grant itself can be used to build a specially-adapted home, buy a home that's already adapted, or adapt an existing home; however, it's currently limited to a maximum of $50,000. Depending on the scope of the SAH project, veterans or service members may need supplemental financing to pay for the difference between the total cost of the house and maximum grant amount.

VA loan guarantees are made for the purchase of homes, condominiums and manufactured homes (when they're classified as real estate). VA guarantees a percentage of the loan. This helps the veteran obtain a no-down payment mortgage at a competitive interest rate. VA loans may also be refinanced. (Please see Cash-Out or Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing Loans programs on this site. You can search on "Cash-Out" or "Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing." Be sure to include the quotation marks when you type in the entry.)

The Native American Direct Loan Program makes home loans available to eligible Native American veterans who wish to purchase, construct, or improve a home on Federal trust land. The home must be your primary residence. (It's also possible to use the program to re-finance an existing Native American Direct Loan.)