This is a great callout. I started doing my taxes with TurboTax at the first available opportunity this year, and while I usually knock it out and call it a day, I stopped near the end because it just wasn't clear where the numbers were coming from. I'm sure part of that came from being a new homeowner and having additional forms I wasn't familiar with, but I remember in college going to the local Kennesaw library, picking up a copy of the 1040-EZ form, and being surprised at how easy it was to just read the form and fill out the fields. Tax prep has this mystique of complicated arcana that mere mortals are unable to grasp, and the only safe way to complete the process is to hire a professional at H&R Block for near $100.
Yes. As I reflect on it now, it seems like a pattern we see in many institutions - insurance, legal access, real estate - we expect the services of an expert to intervene on our behalf.
This is a great callout. I started doing my taxes with TurboTax at the first available opportunity this year, and while I usually knock it out and call it a day, I stopped near the end because it just wasn't clear where the numbers were coming from. I'm sure part of that came from being a new homeowner and having additional forms I wasn't familiar with, but I remember in college going to the local Kennesaw library, picking up a copy of the 1040-EZ form, and being surprised at how easy it was to just read the form and fill out the fields. Tax prep has this mystique of complicated arcana that mere mortals are unable to grasp, and the only safe way to complete the process is to hire a professional at H&R Block for near $100.
Yes. As I reflect on it now, it seems like a pattern we see in many institutions - insurance, legal access, real estate - we expect the services of an expert to intervene on our behalf.