Petrish Dyer

A few years ago, I was at my lowest point financially. I was looking for a solution to rise above the financial crises I was experiencing and trying to find a way to keep my home out of foreclosure. I decided to contact a few agencies and a couple lawyers who all encouraged me to claim bankruptcy and start anew. The second lawyer sold me the bankruptcy dream, and I left his office with a sigh of a relief and plans to return with a $2,500 check to get my life back.

But I kept on researching; and I began to realize that, instead of being a quick fix, bankruptcy was a solution with a seven-to-10-year financial hardship to endure after that. I decided that would actually keep my life on hold instead of letting me start anew.

If you are thinking about going in this direction, please also give the following some consideration.

As an active-duty military member, preparing and filing your tax return can be a nightmare. Regardless of your duties or where you're stationed, tax season will cause you to stop what you're doing to complete this important task.

However, Uncle Sam has taken into account your unique lifestyle with special tax laws. These include the extension of deadlines for filing and paying taxes while on active duty in a combat zone. But did you know that there are quite a few military tax deductions and credits that are hardly claimed?