Investing, Finance & Taxes
Explore these online resources for free with your DBRL library card.
Financial Literacy
LOG IN TO THIS RESOURCE. Follow along with interactive activities and easy-to-understand articles to learn how to manage credit and debt, save and invest with confidence, plan for college and retirement and avoid fraud and other scams. This resource is designed for students in grades 7-12 but also applies to adult learners.
Morningstar
LOG IN TO THIS RESOURCE. Analyst reports and ratings for over 40,000 investments including stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. Articles and videos on investing and personal finance. (Due to license restrictions, there is a limit of four simultaneous library users.)
Personal Finance and Investing Guide
Personal Finance
- 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy
360 Degrees of Financial Literacy is a national volunteer effort of the nation’s Certified Public Accountants to help Americans understand their personal finances and develop money management skills. - AARP Financial Planning and Retirement
Information on budgeting, financial planning and retirement, with special interest for senior citizens. - Bankrate
Compare bank rates for mortgages, home equity loans, CDs, auto loans, credit cards, etc. from Bankrate, Inc. - Currency Exchange Rates
This provides a multilingual currency converter. It uses daily OANDA Rates, the touchstone foreign exchange rates used by corporations, tax authorities, auditing firms, and financial institutions. It includes current and historic rates. From OANDA Corp.
Investing
- Morningstar
View articles and videos on investing and personal finance, and read analyst reports and ratings for over 40,000 investments including stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. (Limit to 4 simultaneous users.) - Value Line Investment Survey
See full-page reports, analyst commentaries and Value Line’s trademark rankings of all stocks covered by the print edition. - Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
FINRA is a government-authorized not-for-profit organization that oversees U.S. broker-dealers, and is dedicated to protecting investors and safeguarding market integrity in a manner that facilitates vibrant capital markets. - Historical Stock Quotes
Allows you to search for the closing price of stocks from January 2, 1985 to the present. Provided by MarketWatch, Inc. - Investopedia
From Forbes Media, this site provides information about investing for beginners and more experienced investors and includes free registration to set up your own portfolio online. - MagPortal.com – Magazine articles on Finance & Investment
Magazines include Business Week, Smart Money, Investment Advisor, Motley Fool and more. - Manifest Investing
A site that provides tools and education to demystify the investing process. - Motley Fool
One of the best known sites for investment advice and financial information. - TreasuryDirect
Information from the U.S. Treasury about their products and services (e.g., bonds, notes, bills). You can set up an account and purchase securities directly.
Company Information
- U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
The SEC’s EDGAR database provides free public access to corporate information, allowing you to quickly research a company’s financial information and operations by reviewing registration statements, prospectuses and periodic reports filed on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
Stock Exchanges
- NASDAQ Stock Exchange
Official site of the NASDAQ Stock Market features stock exchange quotes, news, market activity, personal finance information, etc. - New York Stock Exchange
Official site of the New York Stock Exchange features information about listed securities and market data. You can register to set up your own online portfolio of up to 20 stocks that you can check at any time.
Taxpayer Assistance and Information Guide
Library staff will help you find forms or information; they are not, however, qualified to help you fill out forms or to provide tax advice.
Volunteer to Be a Tax Preparer
For the last several years, the Columbia Public Library, in partnership with local volunteers, has offered free tax preparation services. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, an IRS affiliate, is gearing up for the 2024 tax season and is seeking more Mid-Missouri volunteers to handle the expected volume.
Visit the IRS Tax Volunteers website to learn how you can help people in your community with their taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs.
Tax Forms
The library will have very limited quantities of the basic federal forms from the IRS. These are available to you at no cost. Please note:
- The IRS is no longer providing paper copies of Publication 17 for libraries to distribute. We will have a very limited amount of instruction booklets for the 1040 form.
- The MO Department of Revenue does not provide paper forms for libraries to distribute.
You can download and print your own federal forms and instructions or Missouri forms. (Printing from library computers costs 10¢ per page.)
Local Taxpayer Assistance
Free Income Tax Help 2024 at the Columbia Public Library (for in-state returns only)
The library will begin to take appointments for the VITA tax help service on Tuesday, January 16, and the program will run February 1 – April 13.
Call (573) 443-3161 to make an appointment. Appointments will be scheduled during open hours at the Columbia Public Library.
If you have an appointment with VITA tax help, please bring the following items with you to your appointment.
- Copy of the most recently filed tax return
- Identification
- A photo ID for the taxpayer
- Social Security cards and/or ITIN notices and birth dates for every individual on your return.
- Income
- W-2, each employer and other income-related documents
- Social Security, railroad retirement or veteran’s benefits
- All 1099 forms (1099-G, 1099-R, 1099-INT, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, etc.)
- Personal business income and expenses
- Deductions
- Dependent care provider info
- Education 1098s and student loan payments
- 1098 form showing home mortgage interest
- Health insurance and out-of-pocket medical costs
- Long-term care insurance receipts
- Property tax receipts and tax receipts for new car purchase
- Charity receipts
- Health Insurance
- Marketplace health insurance form 1095A
- Income documents for all household members whether claimed as dependent or not, including students living at college, even if they had no coverage for all or part of 2023.
- Property Tax Credit or Rent Credit
- Real Estate tax receipt or rent verification letter with landlord’s name, address and phone number
- For mobile homes, MO form 948 & paid property tax receipt
- For Direct Deposit Tax Refunds
- Checkbook, blank check or account statement showing account number and routing number (not deposit slips or credit/debit card)
The free income tax service is through the VITA program, an IRS affiliate. Tax counselors are unpaid volunteers that are IRS certified.
AARP Tax Help at Salvation Army, 2024
Provided by AARP Foundation volunteers
Salvation Army on Ash Street
1108 W Ash St
Columbia, MO 65203
Tax help starts February 1 by appointment only; Call (573) 969-9133 to make an appointment.
Love Columbia Tax Help – FULL FOR 2024 (no more appointments available)
1209 E Walnut
Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 256-7662
Starting February 16, 2024, tax help is provided on Fridays. Call (573) 256-7662, extension 160 to make an appointment.
VITA Tax Help at Family Impact Center – 2024
MU Family Impact Center
105 E Ash St
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 882-2428
Appointments are done on a walk-in basis every Monday from 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Wednesday 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Friday 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Income Tax Assistance Callaway County – 2024
Provided by AARP Foundation and VITA volunteers
Callaway Senior Center
531 Commons Drive
Fulton, MO 65251
Tax help starts February 1 by appointment only. Call (573) 416-0858 to make an appointment.
Federal
Federal Tax Information | |
---|---|
Internal Revenue Service | |
Electronic Filing Information | |
Free File (Free Electronic Filing) | |
Forms & Publications Orders | (800) 829-3676 |
Recorded Tax & Refund Information | (800) 829-4477 |
Tax Assistance | (800) 829-1040 |
Taxpayer Advocate Service | (877) 777-4778 |
TTY/TDD Help | (800) 829-4059 |
Mailing Address for Federal Tax Returns (Missouri Residents)
If you are enclosing a check or money order, mail your return to:
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 931000
Louisville, KY 40293-1000
If you are not enclosing a check or money order, mail your return to:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Kansas City, MO 64999-0002
Missouri
Missouri Department of Revenue Tax Assistance Center
Truman Building, 301 W. High St., Room 330, Jefferson City, MO, (573) 751-3505
The MO Department of Revenue is no longer providing paper forms for libraries to distribute. You can download and print your own Missouri forms. (Printing from library computers costs 10¢ per page.)
Missouri Tax Information | |
---|---|
MO Department of Revenue | |
Electronic Filing Information | |
Customer Assistance | (573) 751-3505 |
Previous Return & Form Questions | (573) 751-3505 |
TTY/TDD Help | (800) 735-2966 |
Mailing Addresses for Missouri Tax Returns
If you are expecting a refund, mail your return to:
Individual Income Tax
P.O. Box 500
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0500
If you owe, mail your return to:
Individual Income Tax
P.O. Box 329
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0329
Where’s My Refund?
- Missouri Department of Revenue Refund or Balance Due Status
By phone: (573) 526-TAXX (8299) - IRS (Federal) Refund Status
By phone: (800) 829-4477
Value Line Investment Survey
LOG IN TO THIS RESOURCE. See full-page reports, analyst commentaries and Value Line’s trademark rankings of all stocks covered by the print edition.