Most of the time I write about how to improve your physical health, but today I want to talk a little bit about financial health. Now that we are beginning the new year, and new decade this time around, we have to start thinking about our finances a bit. In order to finish off last year, we still have to pay our taxes for last year - and that scares a lot of people. The purpose of this article is to help ease your mind a little.

I know the tax form can be very intimidating, but when you really get down to what you are doing, it isn’t all that difficult or scary. You should do a quick estimate so you know what to expect when you start doing the long form or go to your tax man.

The first step to calculate income tax is to figure out how much money you made. Just take all the statements you got from your employer, bank, and other places that paid you and add them up. Next you have to determine your deductions like charity and mortgage interest. Subtract your deductions from your total income to come up with your taxable income. From there you look up your tax on a tax table.

Subtract any credits, like for children, from your tax and add any penalties to get your final tax. With any luck, you will have paid in more than you owe and the government will be sending you a big fat refund check.

See how easy that is. Try not to get stressed about your finances becase that will hurt your physical health. When you are ready to do your taxes, check out some of the online income tax software programs. You can save a lot of money compared to hiring an accountant.