Time to file your taxes....'The Millionaire Next Door'

So, amidst all of the 'economic stimulus' talk, it is just about time to file our taxes. Just waiting on the last W-2 and off we go. I read today on cnn that our new President would like a tax rebate for all 'working' Americans. First, you should understand that many of the people are receiving a 'rebate' are not actually paying taxes. Not to dive headlong into semantics, but it sounds more like a 'bate' rather than a 'rebate'.

That being said, for all of you who have filed your taxes, have you noticed that often times you receive a 1099 and you have to input a figure into your 1040 for 'unearned' income? Wait, 'unearned' income? Did it fall from the sky? If you have investments / rental properties / etc. how is this income 'unearned'? Should you be ashamed of that?

All of the class warriors would lead you to believe that folks with money were born with silver spoons and inherited it. Not true - I would recommend that everyone read 'The Millionaire Next Door'. The main lesson that I learned is that 9 out of 10 millionaires are first generation rich and contrary to popular(ist) belief these people work hard and spend less than they make...in fact, these people keep a pretty low profile (more substance than style). You probably would not even think that they are millionaires.

'Unearned' income is a misnomer - if you have worked hard and pinched pennies to invest, good for you. If you don't pay taxes because of the amount of money you make / number of kids you have, I do not want to hear about how you want your 'bate'...