Andrea Coombes, a tax editor at Bankrate, translates complex personal finance topics into understandable language that helps people live their best financial lives. She’s a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and over the past 25 years has worked as a financial coach, personal finance writer and editor, and volunteer tax preparer.
Her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, MarketWatch and many newspapers nationwide. She's been interviewed on local and national TV and radio, including NPR's All Things Considered, CBS News, NASDAQ and Marketplace.
Andrea has moderated panels on how to invest for retirement, how to use 529 college savings plans and more, and she's an experienced personal-finance speaker who has presented to groups on a variety of topics such as how to budget, improve credit, manage debt, and build savings. She's also worked as a personal financial coach and certified consumer credit counselor, helping people reach their goals. For two tax seasons, she worked a volunteer tax preparer.
A lot of people are nervous about doing their taxes, and about managing their money in general. I'm here to say: It's not rocket science. There are small steps each of us can take to slowly start moving towards our long-term goals. We can do this, people.
— Andrea Coombes, CFP®
A tax levy is the next step after a tax lien, and it means your wages, financial accounts and other property may be seized by the IRS.
Retirement accounts such as Roth and traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are a great way to save, but mind the tax rules on withdrawals.
Many taxpayers receive a Form 1099 at tax time. Here are the common types of 1099s, and what to do if you get one.
Schedule C is for sole proprietors, including freelancers and independent contractors, to report their income and expenses.
Tax credits can help you save big on your taxes. Here’s how they work and how to qualify.
If you got a big tax bill or refund, consider adjusting how much money is withheld from your paycheck for taxes.
Here are the income tax rates, sales tax rates and more things you should know about taxes in Vermont in 2024 and 2025.
Here are the income tax rates, sales tax rates and more things you should know about taxes in South Carolina in 2024 and 2025.
