The Internal Revenue Service today issued a consumer alert about possible fake charity scams emerging due to the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups.

The tragedy of the unexpected can only get worse if you find yourself completely unprepared. This may sound impossible - who is ever prepared for the unexpected? But there are a few things you can do in case of such an event. Hurricane season starts in June and the Internal Revenue Service advises individuals and businesses to safeguard their records against natural disasters by taking a few simple steps.

I am sure it feels like tax season just ended, but we are halfway through the year and now is the perfect time to do a bit of housekeeping. Ensuring that you are making the right decisions, payments and withholdings for your situation is crucial to a happy tax season next year.

Following are a few tax checkup things to do...

Sorting through the legal paperwork and tax implications when a spouse dies can be overwhelming. Your emotions are already rolling so avoiding added stress and frustration is extremely important. There are many tax issues so knowing what your options are can be very helpful.