The weather is starting to warm up so it’s time to get outside and start exploring! Here are some local activities scheduled for this summer. Check out their websites/Facebook pages for more details.

• All British Car Show at David Davis Mansion – June 4, 10:00am-3:00pm

• Old House Society House Tour – June 10, 10:00am-3:00pm

• Baby Animal Days at Rader Family Farms – June 10 and 17, 11:00am-4:00pm

• Sunday Funday at Vrooman Mansion with Gill Streat Eatz Food Truck – June 12, 12:00-5:00pm

• Castle Home & Garden Tour in Lexington – July 2, 10:00am-12:00pm

• David Davis Garden Walk – July 14, 1:00-7:00pm

• Bloomington First Fridays (Downtown Bloomington 5-8pm, every first Friday in the summer)

• Normal Uptown Circle Live Music – scheduled all throughout the summer

• Cornbelters and KCL baseball games at the Corn Crib

• Free Lunchtime Concerts at Withers Park (Wednesdays, 11:30am-1:00pm; various performers)

• Mackinaw Valley Vineyard & Winery Summer Events – various events throughout the summer

• Wine Down Wednesday at Hoffman House in Fairbury

• Bloomington Farmers Market (Downtown Bloomington 7:30am-12:00pm)

• PK Unkorked Wine Shop & Tasting Room in Pontiac for live music

It has now been a full year since we switched to our new phone system, and we are happy with how it has allowed us to be more efficient in responding to our clients. 

Please continue to reach us via our general office number 815-842-4393 (consider adding Douglass Financial to your phone contacts). From there, we are able to direct you to our Bloomington office and/or directly to the person you would like to reach. 

Every once in awhile we field a question about whether someone’s retirement income will be taxable in retirement. While that is a somewhat complicated question, here are some key points to note:

• Each state taxes retirement income differently. In Illinois, distributions from qualified plans and IRAs are not taxable, nor are Social Security and pension benefits.

• At the federal level, Social Security benefits are taxable based upon income from other sources. Again, there is some calculation that needs to be done to determine how much will be taxable, but it will not exceed 85% of the total benefit (e.g. if you have $20,000 of Social Security income, no more than $17,000 of it will be taxable).

• Also at the federal level, distributions from qualified plans and pensions are taxed at your ordinary tax rate (typically 12%, 22% or 24% for most of our clients), which is determined by how much other taxable income you have.

• Typically in retirement, Roth IRA distributions are not taxable on the federal or state level. Tax planning is a vital part of the retirement planning process, so we look forward to designing a plan that fits each of our clients and the individual situations.

The IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.

The VITA program has operated for over 50 years. VITA sites offer free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns, including:

• People who generally make $58,000 or less

• Persons with disabilities; and

• Limited English-speaking taxpayers

In addition to VITA, the TCE program offers free tax help, particularly for those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors.

While the IRS manages the VITA and TCE programs, the VITA/TCE sites are operated by IRS partners and staffed by volunteers who want to make a difference in their communities. The IRS-certified volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS.

VITA/TCE services are not only free, they are also a reliable and trusted source for preparing tax returns. All VITA/TCE volunteers who prepare returns must take and pass tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards. This training includes maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information. In addition to requiring volunteers to certify their knowledge of the tax laws, the IRS requires a quality review check for every return prepared at a VITA/TCE site prior to filing. Each filing season, tens of thousands of dedicated VITA/TCE volunteers prepare millions of federal and state returns. They also assist taxpayers with the preparation of thousands of Facilitated Self-Assistance returns.

Bloomington Housing Authority
104 E. Wood Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
309-830-4832
Volunteer Prepared Taxes
Get Directions and Service Details


Normal Township ARC
600 East Willow St.
Normal, IL 61761
309-888-9099
Volunteer Prepared Taxes
Get Directions and Service Details

Heartland Community College
(1st floor of Instructional Commons North)
1500 W. Raab Road
Normal, IL 61761
Volunteer Prepared Taxes
Get Directions and Service Details

During this holiday season we wanted to provide you with tips/resources to prevent scammers from getting your personal information as you increase your online activity for the holidays:

Phone Tips

·        Never provide personal information such as social security, credit card or bank account numbers to anyone even if they say they are a government worker, especially if they called you.

·        Government agencies like the IRS, SSA and the FBI will not call you on the phone if they need to communicate but rather send you a letter or email.

Internet Tips

·        When making online purchases, use only one credit card for all purchases

·        Ensure that websites have secure payment process prior to submitting payment

·        Never open or respond to an email that you are not familiar with or recognize

General Tips

·        Get and review a free copy of your credit report at least every 12 months from each credit report company @ www.annualcreditreport.com

·        Monitor your credit statements monthly for any fraudulent activity.

·        Report unauthorized transactions to your bank, financial firm or credit card company ASAP.

Learn more on the Bloomington Police Department website @ www.cityblm.org/police or www.facebook.com/cityblmPD. They have several informative brochures that you can download.