Prodict review: H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2019 [PC Download] byH&R Block

I like doing a preliminary return early so I would know if I have to tweak my W2 deductions for the last two paychecks. However, if you are looking for the best deal Amazon often runs very attractive promotions on Black Friday and a few other times between now and April. You can get notified about the price drops by checking camelcamelcamel site that can send you emails when the price drops by the amount you specify. During the last tax year season, the price fluctuated between $20 and the list price of $44.99, dipping below $30 a number of times. It also qualifies for digital credits for No-rush Prime shipping. However, it no longer qualifies for rewards from Prime Card rewards (new change for this year).

I have been using H&R Block tax software for many years, and overall despite minor complaints here and there I find that it meets my needs best. I keep using H&RBlock because it does what I need and it has always been cheaper than TurboTax. I have been buying the Deluxe version of H&R Block because it covers the mutual fund's sales, cost basis calculations are included (Schedule D, capital gains and losses), the form for Foreign Tax Credit from mutual funds is present (Form 1116), as well as stock sales. It also includes Schedule C (profit or loss from business) and Schedule K1 (K-1 S Corps) if you are reporting gain or loss on your personal taxes. To get this functionality in TurboTax you need to buy the Premium version of the software.

INSTALLATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* If you are using a digital download you will need an activation code to install the software.
The activation code is shown in Amazon email with the subject line "Your Amazon.com order of "H&R Block Tax Software Del...". If needed you can also get it from Amazon Software downloads. To locate it you need to do this:
1) Log into Amazon
2) Select 'Your Account' and the section called 'Digital Content'
3) Select 'Your Games and Software downloads'
4) Then under H&R software entry, you will see activation code

* Does H&R allow to install the software on two PCs?
No. The license agreement that one needs to accept during the install says this:

“Software copies. You may only install and use the Software on one computer. You may copy the Software for backup and archival purposes only, as long as the original and each copy are kept in your possession and control.

Upgrades. You must first acquire a valid License to the Software to receive and use any Software upgrades. After you acquire and install any Software upgrade, you may only use the upgraded version of the Software and you will no longer use the prior version of the Software other than for backup or archival purposes if you need to reinstall the Software."



* I am running the software on Windows 10, however, H&R Block also runs on older  Windows version and Mac.

The H&R Block Tax Software system requirements are:
Operating System:
Windows® Vista® / 7 / 8.1 / 10
Mac OS® X 10.9.5 or higher
Browser:
Windows: Internet Explorer® 9 or higher
Mac®: Safari® 9.1.3 or higher
Hard-Disk Space: 170MB
CD-ROM Drive: 2X CD-ROM drive
Monitor: 1024×768, SVGA color monitor
 
* WHAT IS INCLUDED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using tax software includes two fees - one to use the software and the second one to e-file the returns with IRS. This package includes the cost of using both the Federal tax return and State return for one state (if you need to file taxes in two states, you will need to buy the second state software at full price).

This package also includes the cost of 5 free Federal e-files but it does NOT include the cost of e-file for the state return. Note that there is NO limit on how many returns can be printed on paper for either Federal or State return, so you can print and mail any number of returns you desire.

Note 1: New York State the law prohibits additional charges for State e-file (NY residents still have to pay for using the software).
Note 2: At the very end of the review I posted a full list of states that allow e-file, as well as the list states that require the return to be printed and mailed.

* The state forms are not available as I write this review. When I tried to install my state return I got a message that I will receive an email when state return will become available.

When the state forms become available the state software can be downloaded directly from the H&R Block application from the first screen of the state tax preparation. There is no extra fee.

All updates of both federal and state software are free.

* GENERAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* When you start the software, the first step (after validating your license) allows you to old your data from the previous year's return. You can load H&R Block software, TurboTax or PDF copy of 2018 return.

* Since many of my numbers are not final, I use the H&R feature that allows me to mark entries as “tentative” (right mouse click, then select “mark entry as tentative” from a drop-down list).

H&R Block keeps track of all tentative entries and displays them during a "check" step which normally is invoked at the end of the interview, but can also be invoked by itself at any time. The check step lists all entries marked as tentative so it is easy to update them.

* H&R Block starts the interview process with an annoying up-sell pitch, recommending an upgrade from Deluxe to Premium even when it is not necessary. In my opinion, they should have determined if the person would truly benefit from the Premium version first. That would have been useful. As it stands now it is just annoying.

What is the difference between Premium and Deluxe? The Premium version offers advanced tools for self-employed and rental property owners: cost basis of home sales, dividends, gifts, and inheritance assets. It has advanced schedule C guidance to maximize deductions for self-employment income. And finally, it has guidance for rental property income and expenses. The rest of the Premium package is the same as Deluxe.

Note that the Deluxe package has support for self-employed income as well as stock sale cost basis calculations.

* To combat stolen-identity tax returns H&R Block now requires you to provide state-issued ID number.

* H&R Block provided me some guidance for completing Form 1116 (foreign tax credit, for example, foreign tax paid by a mutual fund). However, I needed to keep switching between the whole-form view and interview to enter data and then back to the interview to read the instructions. Even though the form where you can enter data is visible at the same time as instructions you cannot enter data into it until you switch into the whole-form view. This is cumbersome, but at least there is some guidance for this form.

* I like DeductionPro which helps suggests reasonable prices based on the condition of the donated used clothing items. It is nice not to have to come up with what is reasonable on my own.

* The final tax return can be saved in a PDF format for future reference. I always do that so I can re-print an old return without having to run an old copy of H&R Block (especially down the road when a new computer may not even have an old H&R Block installed).

* H&R Block can print forms when the ethernet connection is disconnected. In 2014 TurboTax introduced a requirement that the data had to be sent to Intuit's servers to be formatted for printing. H&R Block does not have this requirement.

* If you owe taxes there are three options for payment: electronic withdrawal from your bank (free), mailing a check (free) and paying by credit card from a secure web site (not free). IRS does not charge a fee but the sites that provide this service do. There are several web sites that provide this service with a "convenience" fee. If you search for "pay taxes by credit or debit" you will see the detailed fee schedule on the irs.gov web site.

* Is it possible to download an old version of H&R Block software purchased on Amazon?

Yes. Amazon allows you to download the software purchased on Amazon as long as you have an Amazon account. There is no extra charge for downloading old software. The first download I bought on Amazon was in 2009 and I tested that I can still download it.
Note that if you purchased software directly from the H&RBlock site, they add on a charge for "extended download service". Amazon does not do that.

To get the old digital download you go to "your orders", then "digital orders" and then select a year from the drop-down list. The list goes back to the year I opened my Amazon account.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I ran into an issue trying to save my return as PDF995 (i.e. as PDF). Reinstalling PDF995 software (it comes with H&R Block software) did not help. When I looked under Print Settings it showed PDF995 as the default printer. I had to change the default printer to my real printer and then I was able to successfully save as PDF995. I wanted to share this tip in case someone else runs into this issue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★



For state returns H&R Block supports e-filing part-year and/or nonresident returns for:

Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia

All other states require part-year and non-resident returns to be printed and mailed.

Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and Vermont programs do not include part-year / non-resident forms.

Product review: Khombu Ladies Jessica All Weather Bootie

I am very pleased with these boots.  They fit well, they have good arch support, the sole has good traction, they are very warm.  The zipper on the side makes it easy to puts the boots on even when I have thick socks.

You can find these boots on Amazon by following this link, although I found a better deal at a local Marshalls store.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: SKL Home by Saturday Knight Ltd. Rhapsody Bath Towel, Multicolored Bright

The bad:

The stock image is totally deceiving, it shows the reverse part of the towel.  The other side of the towel is very bright: bright red, bright green, bright orange.  I was looking for a pastel multi-colored towel, and this towel is anything but pastel.

The towel came stapled through the middle with a tag. I hate when vendors do it because
sometimes it breaks threads and starts runs.

The good:

I like the thickness (not too thick, not too thin) and the size of this bath towel. It absorbs water well.

Bottom line: the vendor should show both sides of the towel when there is such a dramatic difference between two sides to avoid a complete surprise when the customer gets it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Oliveda I66 The Beauty Fountain with Olive Tree Therapy

Oliveda Beauty Foundation is made out of olive extract, collagen and pomegranate juice and apple juice (the full list of ingredients is below).

First impressions:

Overall, it has a pleasant taste. The mixture is a thick juice with a lot of pulp, the flavor and texture reminded me of prune juice (which I like). The bottle comes with a measuring cup and the recommendation is to drink a maximum of 17.5 ml per dose. So far, I am enjoying the flavor and plan to post a follow up in a few weeks with the final evaluation.

Side comment:
I thought it was a little funny that the Amazon listing shows the woman drinking this product with a straw. It definitely gives you a different idea then the instructions which say not to exceed the maximum and the price that would discourage me to use a straw.

We all heard of olive oil benefits from the Mediterranean diet to more recent research about Hydroxytyrosol ( a polyphenol compound in olive oil) helping with sun damage.  This drink provides another way to consume olive oil benefits.


Ingredients:
Aqueous Extract of Olive Extract (olea europaea), Bioactive Collagen Peptides, Pomegranate Juice, Apple Juice Concentrate, Hydroxytyrosol, Camu Camu, Zinc, Biotin, Preservatives: Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.

Note: the instructions state to refrigerate the bottle after opening.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Portable Charger, Vancely 10000mAh Power Bank

This power bank is 2.5" x 4.75"  and 1/2" thick. It weighs 6.8 oz.  I carry it in my purse, and it can recharge my phone twice from about 15% full state.

The battery has two ports, so I can recharge the phone and something else, like my headphones.

It recharges my battery at 800mAh rate at 15% full, which is not as fast as some other power packs I have but it gets the job done and I like its small size and lightweight for 10K capacity.

I have been using it every day to extend my phone's battery life and it is working well.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Company Store - Images Ripple Stripe Bath Towels 100% cotton bright colors

After not being satisfied with the towels I bought on Amazon, I turned to a high-end linens store called The Company Store. The prices on the web site are pretty high, but this time of year they run very nice sales. Over the last several months, I made five purchases. One day I caught a 50% sale, another 30% sales.

The quality of everything I bought is excellent. I am picky about towels: I don't like them either too thin or too thick. The Company Store towels (I know bought three different sets so I feel I can generalize) thickness of the towels is precisely how I like it.

The design of the towels in this review is called "Blue Ripple Stripe Bath Towels." Their primary color is lime, teal, and navy blue.  The reverse side is mostly navy blue. The first washing generated quite a bit of lint, but now after three weeks, they don't produce all that much lint in the dryer. They are soft and absorbent. They are also colorfast.

You can find The Company Store by following this link. If you use this link you will get a $50 off your order.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Progresso chicken noodle soup (food review)

Progresso chicken noodle soup is my "emergency" meal when there is no time to prepare anything else.  Progresso has a large number of chicken noodle soup variations.  In this review I evaluating chicken noodle traditional.  This is a pretty thick soup, not watery.  The base of the soup is pretty flavorful, not too salty.  The chicken itself is fairly bland. It does not taste as good as home-made soup but a pretty good emergency meal.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Oliveda F60 Eye Cream Hydroxytyrosol Corrective

First impressions:

I began using Oliveda eye cream on December 19, these are my initial impressions after a few weeks of use.   I plan to do a follow-up after I finish the tub.  Oliveda eye cream is very creamy, non-greasy and is absorbed quickly.  It has a light scent, slightly reminiscent of vanilla to my nose.  I found it to be pleasant to touch and I liked how my skin felt after application.  I have been using this eye cream for a few weeks, but it is too early to tell the full impact it has on my skin.  So far I can tell that it feels good and it smells nice.  My skin looks softer and smoother after I apply it.

I looked up Hydroxytyrosol on the web to see exactly what it is and found that it is a polyphenol compound in olive oil. It full name is Hydroxytyrosol acetate (HTy‐Ac). I found a few medical studies that see positive results of this compound combating sun damage.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Totes Boot Women's Dual Side Zip Cold Weather Boot

My favorite feature of this Tote boot is the double zipper.  No matter how thick the sock is I am trying to jam into this shoe it is easy to put on.  The double zipper has fabric behind it, so if I have to unzip outdoors the snow does not get into the boot.

The boots are warm. Overall, I like the boots. However, it has two short comings:
* I wish it had a more textured sole so I feel more secure on the slippery areas. 
* I wish the boot had more arch support. I added an insole with extra arch support and that made it much better.


You can find Tote boots on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Eon Luxe Solutions Fruit Fly Trap - Gnats, Drain Flies, Mosquito, Insect Killer

This trap works by attracting small flying inspects by UV light.  When the insects get close to the light a fan inside the trap sucks them in and the airflow pushes them towards the sticky pad at the bottom of the trap.  If they manage not to get stuck on the glue pad immediately then they will die from dehydration and fall on to the pad eventually. The instructions recommend replacing the sticky pad about once a month.  The trap works best in the dark as it needs to attract the bugs by light, and it is better if there is no competing light source.

This trap works for small insects such as fruit flies, knuts, no noseeums, small mosquitoes.  It does not work for house flyes, ladybugs, moths, wasps, large mosquitoes.

The trap feels well made, everything fits well, the tap cover closes with a satisfying click.

I installed the trap on December 25, 2019. I opened it up to check progress on January 10, 2020.  In the 16 days, the trap caught one insect.  Winter is a low insect period where I live as the weather is cold, often below freezing.  Overall, I think this 16 days experiment showed that the trap is capable of catching insects. I plan to update this review in the summer when we have a lot more insects and it will be easier to tell how effective the trap is. 

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review

Product review: SNOW DEER Heated Socks with rechargeable battery

I purchased these socks in October, and have been using them for two months as I write this review. The warmth they generate is good, but there are also things I don't like about them as noted in this review.

I read reviews and product descriptions for about a dozen electric socks.  These socks are more expensive then a good number of other electric socks, but they have two features that others did not.  I selected these socks because they have the heating elements both on the top and the bottom of the toe area (unlike many socks that only heat the top or the bottom of the food, and often not in the toe area). 

A secondary consideration was that these socks are not one size fit all, but come in small, medium and large sizes.  I  picked Medium and they fit my 7.5 shoe size foot pretty well toe to heel.  However, the top of the sock (the calf area) is too tight and the sock slides down as I wear it. I have average size calves, I never have issues with socks or boots being too tight except for these socks.

The heat in these socks has three settings high, medium, and low.  I start out on high and in about 5 minutes switch to low.  This generates pleasant warmth, I can wear socks all day long as I work at my desk. I don't need to remove them from overheating as I had to do in the past when I used electric Mastex booties (ASIN B00KH6QHCM).  I had to turn off Mastex booties after 30 minutes as they become uncomfortably hot.  We keep the house fairly cool in the winter, and my feet always get painfully cold. These socks resolved the problem better than other solutions I have tried before.

The button that turns the sock on and off is in the logo that appears on the battery pocket.  The manual does not show where the button is. I am including the photo that shows the button: red LED indicates high setting, blue LED is medium, and WHITE is low setting.  To turn them off I need to hold the button for a few seconds until LED turns off.  When set to a low setting I get enough battery juice to wear the socks all day long.  Once I tried sleeping with them, but the battery on the side of the sock creates an uncomfortable bump.

Before buying the socks I made sure that I can buy replacement batteries for Snow Deer socks and found the Amazon carries them at $40 for two batteries:
Additional batteries for the socks

Bottom line: good but not perfect. The socks are too narrow at the top and not comfortable for an average size calf.  The poor fit in the calf drops my evaluation by a star from five-star socks to four-star socks. 

You can find these on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Vesafe Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System

My Honda CRV has a built-in tire monitoring system, but it only tells me that one of the four tires has low pressure.  It does not give me any numbers or tell me which one of the four tires is low. Vesafe tire pressure monitor solves this problem by showing the pressure of all four tires on the display plugged into the cigarette lighter.

The display runs off power in the cigarette lighter. Each of the four monitors has a battery (CR1632).  When the monitor is removed or the battery runs out of juice the display gadget generates an alarm (I show this in my video).

Installation of the tire monitors is a little fussy, as they require tightening the hex hut with a wrench (this wrench is included in the package).  You also need to loosen the hex nut with the wrench when you remove the monitor to add air to the tires.  The hex nut holds the monitor in place and one cannot remove it without loosening the hex nut. This means you always need to have a wrench in the car in case of an emergency.

Overall, the system worked well.  However, the reading it showed on the display was lower by several PSI compared to measurements by several separate tire pressure testers.  On the positive side, the difference was consistent between several measurements, so it is something I need to keep in mind as I look at the readout.  This monitoring system gives me an early warning and shows which tire is lower than others when the car's build-in system tells me one of the tires is low.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Oliveda B32 Body Oil Grapefruit Rose

Oliveda Body Oil first impression: it smells great. Rose smell is pretty but sometimes can be too strong or too sweet.  Turns out mixing rose scent with grapefruit scent results in a very fresh and pleasant combination, it smells mostly as a rose but with citrus undertones.

The product is made from olive oil and the texture of the product is just like the cooking olive we are all familiar with.  It is a thick deep-colored oil.  The instructions on the bottle call for it to be used after a shower/bath.  I use it on my problem area for the most part, on my heels.  I massage it into my skin, I can see a light sheen from the oil, but the skin does not feel greasy and I see no discoloration on my socks.  If I don't moisturize my feet in the winter I get tiny cracks that feel painful.  I have been using this body oil for about 10 days as I write this review and my skin feels good: softer and smoother then it was before.  I also love applying the oil, the scent is very pleasant.  I cannot smell it on my feet, but my hands smell nice for a bit after massaging the oil in my skin.

Here is a link to Oliveda store on Amazon.

Here is a link to Body Oil on Oliveda website

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Mr IRONSTONE Kitchen Utility 4-Tier Shelf

 

Mr. Iron Stone kitchen shelf has a lot of space and an attractive finish. It has six shelves and one basket. The large shelf has the 66-pound capacity, the four medium-size shelves have 15-pound capacity, and the top shelf has 11 pounds capacity.

The shelf is well made, arrived without any blemishes. All hardware was well labeled and instructions were good. They were clear and with diagrams that showed how things fit together. Everything (with one exception I will describe below) fits well.  The only problem I had during assembly is that the four screws (labeled G) that were meant to hold the rails for the basket were too wide to fit into the four holes in the metal frame. Luckily, they were fairly easy to replace with my own screws which were slightly smaller in diameter.

Assembly tips: when you start assembly be careful to determine which frame is the middle frame and which one is the right frame.  The middle frame has more holes than the right frame.  This is shown in the diagram but it is easy to overlook.  I made this mistake and caught it when I had to attach the left frame and realized the holes for the basket rails do not line up.

I had no problems assembling the shelf alone. I used the dining room table to assemble all but the top shelf.  I would rate the assembly as easy. It took me about 2 hours.  All hardware and tools I needed were included.

Overall, I am pleased the shelf: it looks very nice and my kitchen is better organized now.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Progresso Soup, Reduced Sodium, Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup (food review)

Progresso chicken noodle soup is my "emergency" meal when there is no time to prepare anything else.  Progresso has a large number of chicken noodle soup variations.  In this review I evaluating roasted chicken noodle soup.  This is a pretty thick soup, not watery.  The base of the soup is pretty flavorful and not too salty. I like it better then the traditional version of the soup roasted chicken is less bland the chicken pieces in the traditional chicken noodle soup. The soup does not taste as good as home-made soup but a pretty good emergency meal.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆