The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has begun selecting returns for audit and will intensify its efforts of selecting returns after April 18, 2011.  So how do you know if you are at increased risk of being selected for an IRS audit?

Those at greatest risk are individuals and businesses, reported to the IRS by court order, as participants of fraudulent or abusive tax practices.

The IRS also rates each tax return using its Discriminate Function System (DFS).  Each tax return is assigned a score from the DFS.  If your score falls within a certain range, it may be randomly selected for an audit.  How the IRS scores each return is a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few.

Applied Materials, the biggest supplier of semiconductor fabrication equipment, appears on an MSN Money list of recommended stocks.

Investors have flocked to companies in the fast-growing markets for tablet computers and solar panels, as well as flat-panel displays for TVs and other consumer electronics. Applied Materials (AMAT, news) has a prominent stake in all three.

To really get on track, take the longer view. Below, 4 people open up about their money challenges. Maybe you see yourself in one of them.

So it's barely February, and you're already slipping on your financial resolutions. So what? Forget despair and self-loathing. Here's a better idea: Make New Year's resolutions for 2021.

It takes more than a million -- that's for sure. Popular culture gives some hints at how many dollars it takes to be really wealthy in this millennium.

What does it take to be considered rich? The old million-dollar standard seems defunct now that this amount is often touted as a minimum that should be saved for a comfortable retirement. Let's look at some recent attempts to pinpoint the new standard of wealth.

You'll have a much easier time getting ahead if you avoid these 12 financial pitfalls. Yet nearly everyone makes one or more of them.

This list is based on the new book "Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing and Giving Back," by U.S. News senior editor Kimberly Palmer.

Yes! We can be more efficient. In fact, we are so efficient that our office is paperless. Operating a paperless office affords Summit tax the ability to also be “portable”.

Maybe barely -- and maybe not. But if you have to try, as millions of Americans do, you'll need to understand every trick for stretching your income.

Being unemployed has taught Cindy, a former airline contractor from Cincinnati, an unusual lesson: If you want to save money, try freezing your milk.

"I had no idea that you could freeze milk, but it turned out to be a brilliant discovery," said Cindy, who asked not to be identified for fear of people knowing she lost her job. "Milk is not cheap and being able to store it in the freezer has been incredibly helpful to manage my expenses."

Summit Income Tax Service, LLC is a cutting-edge income tax preparation service that promises to change the landscape of the tax preparation industry.

Summit Income Tax Service, LLC, located in North Plainfield, NJ, is a cutting-edge income tax preparation service that promises to change the landscape of the tax preparation industry.

Summit Income Tax Service, LLC is also committed to being “green”.

In pursuit of a paperless office, we use the most advanced income tax preparation technology to reduce our carbon footprint.