Stand-alone ATMs have become another tool for criminals to steal the identities of unsuspecting people.

Many homeowners recognize that they have quite a number of things around the house that serve no practical purpose. Paperwork can accumulate seemingly overnight, turning a once-organized home into a messy monument to clutter. Oftentimes, uncertainty about which financial documents to keep and which to discard causes homeowners to keep everything, which can lead to unnecessary clutter.

Following the January tax law changes made by Congress under the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), the Internal Revenue Service announced it plans to open the 2013 filing season and begin processing individual income tax returns on Jan. 30.

The IRS sends millions of letters and notices to taxpayers for a variety of reasons. Many of these letters and notices can be dealt with simply, without having to call or visit an IRS office.

Athens residents are crying foul after more than 2,000 people received an audit notification from an agency representing the city of Athens, asking them to provide four years worth of tax information starting in 2006 in order to prove they've been paying city income taxes.

A new year not only brings a host of new opportunities, but it also brings a host of familiar obligations. One such obligation is paying taxes, which doesn't have to be done until mid-April. But waiting until the last minute with respect to taxes can make the process even more difficult, and putting it off certainly won't help those people who vowed to stop procrastinating in the new year.

The Athens NEWS Tax Guide Series features tax resources and articles to help with tax season. To read the digital edition of the fifth in the five part series of Tax Guide special sections focusing on saving for retirement, click here.

Regardless of how much the economy struggles, men and women will always have an eye toward their retirements. Saving for retirement might be more difficult in a bad economy, but that doesn't mean suc