Originally Posted by
Kagehitokiri
if youre trying to entirely avoid paying for tax advice, that really is not possible
I would surmise (though perhaps "wish" is a better word) that OP is building his background knowledge by talking to experienced laypeople so that he can ask more pertinent questions of the paid professionals he looks to hire. That's what I'd be doing in his situation. I've interviewed many professionals who really don't know their own domain that well yet manage to build successful practices by fooling people who know much less than they do. Building a certain level of knowledge myself helps me determine who's a true expert versus merely a smooth-talking buffoon.