===== Product Information ==============================
   Product:             TaxACT '98 Standard Version Tax Preparation Software
   Version:             1.1
   Version Date:        25-Jan-1998
   Product Type:        Software
   Basic Distribution Policy (see License, below, for details):
      Freeware, copyrighted but freely distributable and useable

   Product Description: TaxACT '98 completes your tax return the 
                        fast, easy way! TaxACT includes over 80 
                        forms, schedules and worksheets, plus the 
                        interview steps you through completing your 
                        return, or you can enter directly onto the 
                        tax forms. TaxACT calculates your return for 
                        you, then reviews your return and alerts you 
                        of possible errors. Print and file your 
                        return on paper or e-file. Deluxe and state 
                        versions are available at www.taxact.com.
   Reason for version:  Complete your 1998 taxes with TaxACT '98.

   Category:            Finances; Income tax preparation
   Keywords:            tax taxes free refund finance financial 
                        taxact deduction 1040 IRS return
   Required Packages:   ta98std
   This Package:        TA98STD

   Required Configuration
      Processor Family: Intel 80x86 (minimum 80486)
      Minimum OS:       Windows 95
      Standard RAM:     8000K
      Hard Drive Space: 15000K
      Required:
         VESA Super VGA (SVGA, VESA)
         Color monitor
         Keyboard

   Orders:
      Address:          2nd Story Software, Inc.
                        642 10th Street, Suite 202
                        Marion, IA 52302
      Toll-Free Phone:  1-800-573-4287
      Phone:            319-447-4751
      FAX:              319-447-4674
      Internet:         http://www.taxact.com

   Support:
      Address:          2nd Story Software, Inc.
                        642 10th Street, Suite 202
                        Marion, IA 52302
      FAX:              319-447-4674
      Internet:         support@taxact.com


===== Information for Users ("READ-ME") ================

------------------------------------------------------
                     TaxAct '98
              Second Story Software, Inc.
                    January 1999

------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to TaxAct '98. This document contains useful
information about the program that was not available
when the online help was created.

------------------------------------------------
Contents
------------------------------------------------

1.  Tips and Suggestions
    * Minimum System Requirements

2.  Electronic Filing Notices
    * Getting the Electronic Filing Module
      * ERO's (Paid Preparers)

3.  IRS Publications

4.  Juno Online Services

5.  Other Available TaxACT products
    * TaxACT '98 Deluxe
      * TaxACT '98 State

6.  Letter from 2nd Story Software Founders

------------------------------------------------
1.  Tips and Suggestions
------------------------------------------------

Minimum System Requirements
---------------------------
In order to run TaxACT '98 Preview Edition, your system
must meet the following system requirements:

 - 486/66 Personal Computer (Pentium Recommended),
    with at least 8 MB of RAM (16 MB Recommended),
       and 16 MB of hard disk space available

 - Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT

 - Super VGA monitor capable of 256-color mode

 - Mouse strongly recommended, but not required

 - Printer required, if filing paper return

 - Modem/Online Access required for electronic filing
    and online features


------------------------------------------------
2.  Electronic Filing Notices
------------------------------------------------

Getting the Electronic Filing Module
-------------------------------------
If you choose to electronically file, you will need
to download the free Electronic Filing Module, available
on our web site.  Go to the following page for details
on how to download the E-file module:
http://www.taxact.com/tsupport/updates.html

ERO's (Paid Preparers)
----------------------
1.  If you are a paid preparer and plan to file electronically
you need to have ERO (Electronic Return Originator) status
and have an EFIN number assigned by the IRS.  If you don't
have an EFIN, you need to complete Form 8633 to request it.

2.  You need to download the electronic filing module mentioned
above AND you need to purchase Nelco DIRECTRONIC software in
order to send your returns to the IRS.  There are several
packages to choose from:

A.  Start-Up Package: The setup fee is $50 which includes the
DIRECTRONIC software and 5 free returns. Each return after the
5 free returns is $9.95 each.
B.  Standard Package: Created for firms that expect to file
40-75 tax returns. The setup fee for DIRECTRONIC software is
$200 and each return is $5.00.
C.  High Volume Package: The setup fee is $500 which includes
the DIRECTRONIC software, and each return is only $1.
D.  Unlimited Package: The setup fee is $650 with no per
return fee. This is ideal if you are electronically filing
more than 150 returns.

Contact Nelco directly to purchase the DIRECTRONIC software
at 920-339-1040.

------------------------------------------------
3.  IRS Publications
------------------------------------------------
The most common IRS Publications are included on the
TaxACT '98 CD-ROM.  You can access the IRS Publications
from within the TaxACT Help. You will need to have the
CD-ROM in your computer's CD-ROM drive in
order to access the IRS Publications.

If you downloaded TaxACT, but would like to receive the
CD-ROM with IRS Publications and Juno included, call
toll-free 1-800-573-4287 to order your CD-ROM for
only $7.95 shipping.

------------------------------------------------
4.  Other Available TaxACT Products
------------------------------------------------

TaxACT '98 Deluxe
-----------------
2nd Story Software offers a Deluxe version of TaxACT '98.
The Deluxe version is available for only $9.95.

Below is a brief overview of the Deluxe Features that
are not offered in the free version:

Tax Advisor -- Get the extra help included with the
NEW Tax Advisor! When you need to determine if you qualify
for a specific deduction, or how to select a particular
classification, the Tax Advisor is ready to help!

For example, if you don't know if you can claim a dependent,
the Tax Advisor steps you through the five qualifications.
And if you aren't sure what filing status to use, just click
on the Tax Advisor to find the appropriate one for your
situation!

15 More Life Events than the Standard Version -- When
you must deal with real-life events that happen once or
twice in your life, you can't be expected to know how to
handle their tax implications. TaxACT incorporates
special help wizards to step you through the tax
consequences of your life events, like selling your home,
having a baby, receiving inheritance, getting a divorce
and many more!

Depreciation Report -- Detailed depreciation report available.
Print a list of your depreciable assets including this year's
depreciation and accumulated depreciation.  Also print a
Disposal Report for any assets sold or fully depreciated for
the year.

What If -- TaxACT Deluxe reviews your 1998 tax return and
identifies areas that may be affected by next year's tax law
changes. Plus, it gives you tips on ways to minimize the
impact of those changes.

Tax Calculator -- Do what-if scenarios with your tax return
without adjusting your actual numbers! This feature
summarizes your tax return, and gives you the ability to
enter adjustments, positive or negative, to see the impact
on your taxes.

Joint vs. Separate -- With the click of a button, determine
the difference in your tax obligation if you filed Married
Filing Joint or Married Filing Separate.

Accuracy Guarantee -- If you should be assessed an IRS
penalty due to a calculation error in TaxACT '98 Deluxe,
2nd Story Software pays your penalty!


TaxACT '98 State Versions
-------------------------
2nd Story Software offers State versions, which are
available for only $12.95.

With the TaxACT State edition, your state taxes are
calculated automatically as you complete your federal
return. No duplicating information to complete your state
tax return! Simply let TaxACT State review your return for
missing information then print and you're done!

TaxACT is an integrated solution, so once you've entered
your federal information, it is automatically transferred
and calculated by your State edition. There's no need to
enter your information twice when TaxACT can do it for
you!

The states offered are Alabama, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and Wisconsin.

------------------------------------------------
5.  JUNO ONLINE SERVICES
------------------------------------------------
Juno(R) is included on the TaxACT '98 CD-ROM.  You may
install Juno from the CD-ROM by accessing the installation
file (setup.exe) in the Juno directory. For more details
about Juno, please refer to the following FAQ.

If you downloaded TaxACT, but would like to receive the
CD-ROM with IRS Publications and Juno included, call
toll-free 1-800-573-4287 to order your CD-ROM for
only $7.95 shipping.

Juno FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
---------------------------------------
What is Juno?
With well over 6.3 million members, Juno is the second-
largest Internet online service in the United States. Some
members use Juno just for e-mail while others also use it
to access the World Wide Web. Juno offers three levels
of service: the basic free e-mail service, Juno Gold(sm),
and Juno Web(sm).

Is the basic service really free?
Yes. Juno charges no monthly fees, hourly fees, membership
fees, or fees of any other sort for use of its basic e-mail
service. You don't need to have Internet access (as you do
to use Web-based e-mail services such as Hotmail) and you
don't have to buy anything from Juno.

What about phone charges?
When you use Juno, your computer communicates with our
central computers over your telephone line. We provide
several hundred local telephone numbers for our members
to use and expect to offer even more in the future.

How can you offer e-mail for free?
Juno uses the same model used by radio and television:
advertisers pay Juno to have their ads displayed to Juno
members. Most of the ads are interactive "banner" ads,
which are displayed in a corner of the screen while you
read and write your e-mail. Our goal is to make sure the
ads on Juno are interesting and valuable to our members.

What is Juno Gold?
Juno Gold is an optional premium service offering certain
e-mail features we cannot afford to provide for free. For
instance, Juno Gold allows you to send and receive file
attachments such as pictures, spreadsheets, and word
processor documents along with your e-mail.

What is Juno Web?
Juno Web is an optional premium service offering full
Internet access in addition to the ability to send and
receive file attachments with your e-mail. You can use
Juno Web to explore any of millions of web sites,
including news, weather, entertainment, finance, sports,
shopping, and children's sites.

How can I sign up for Juno Gold or Juno Web?
First, install the software on the enclosed CD-ROM and
create a free Internet e-mail account. Once your free
account has been created, you will be given the
opportunity to sign up for Juno Gold and Juno Web.

What do I need to be able to use Juno?
You need a PC-compatible computer (486 or higher) equipped
with a 9600-baud modem (14400-baud or faster recommended)
running Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95, Windows(R) 98 or
Windows NT(r) 4.0. You'll also need a CD-ROM drive, a
mouse, and an SVGA monitor, as well as at least 8MB of
RAM and 20MB of free disk space.

If you encounter difficulties installing Juno, call Juno's
Technical Support hotline at (800) JUNO-889.

Notice: Local telephone charges may apply. Users of Juno
must agree to the terms of Juno's Service Agreement, which
is displayed during account creation.

Copyright(R) 1995-1998. Juno Online Services, L.P.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Juno and the Juno logo are
registered trademarks, and Juno Gold and Juno Web
are trademarks, of Juno Online Services, L.P.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of
the Microsoft Corporation.


------------------------------------------------
6.  Letter from 2nd Story Software Founders
------------------------------------------------

Dear TaxACT User,

We personally want to thank you for choosing TaxACT '98.
We are confident you will find it a high quality product
at a very reasonable price.

We've been asked by many of you, how can we offer TaxACT
for FREE.  We'd like to address your question below.

It's pretty simple actually - supply, demand and customer
satisfaction!  When a new company starts in a competitive
industry, such as tax software, it is necessary set
yourself apart.  We've done just that.

We are a start up company with a lot of drive, excitement
and knowledge.  We don't need layers and layers of
management to make one decision.  We know what needs to be
done, and we do it.  Then we pass those savings onto you.

Our long-term plan is to continue to offer a superior
product free of charge year after year, in hopes to build
a strong relationship with you.  (And of course, if you
choose to purchase TaxACT Deluxe and TaxACT States, we
appreciate that greatly!) As we add additional
products to our software line, we hope you will find them
as useful and valuable as our TaxACT products and continue
to buy them.

Our success depends on your satisfaction and your
excitement about TaxACT to help spread the news about 2nd
Story Software and TaxACT '98!  So, please pass this
information and our web address along to your friends. Tell
everyone you meet about the great products from 2nd Story
Software at such incredible prices!

Alan, Cammie, Jerry, and Lance
(2nd Story Software Founders)

(c)1998-1999 2nd Story Software, Inc.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


===== Packing List =====================================

As released by the author or publisher, this package contained the
following files in addition to this VENDINFO.DIZ:

        Filename      Size     Date       Time     CRC32
      READ_ME.1ST      171  25-Jan-1999  09:24p   F9D97F00
      READ_ME.BAT      433  25-Jan-1999  09:24p   003F3EE7
      FILE_ID.DIZ      445  25-Jan-1999  09:23p   0D3A31A0
       VENDOR.DOC      216  25-Jan-1999  09:24p   13796CEE
       VENDOR.TXT      216  25-Jan-1999  09:24p   13796CEE


===== Installation =====================================

INSTRUCTIONS:

File size for TaxACT '98 Standard Version is 4.3MB.

Once downloaded, locate the file.

Run the file. (The default filename for the file is ta98std.exe)

If you have downloading difficulties, contact us via email at
support@taxact.com.

Don't forget to check back regularly for updates on TaxACT '98.
Also, order TaxACT '98 Deluxe and States today at www.taxact.com!


===== License for Use and Distribution =================

                        TaxACT License Agreement

This License Agreement is made by and between 2nd Story Software and the
purchaser/user of the TaxACT software product ("Consumer"). By using the
software, Consumer agrees to the terms of this License Agreement. All
questions or communications should be directed to 2nd Story Software,
Inc., 642 10th Street, Suite 202, Marion, Iowa 52302.

1. Copyrights and Trademarks

TaxACT and 2nd Story Software are trademarks of 2nd Story Software, Inc.
TaxACT software is owned by 2nd Story Software, Inc. or its suppliers and
is protected by United States Copyright Laws and International Treaty
Provisions.

Graphics/images courtesy of ClickArt(R) Copyright 1998, Broderbund
Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

ClickArt and Broderbund are registered trademarks of Broderbund
Software,Inc.

2. Limited License

2nd Story Software grants Consumer a limited and non-exclusive license
to use this software. Consumer may not resell, repackage, redistribute or
otherwise use TaxACT without express written permission from 2nd Story
Software.

3. Disclaimer of Warranty

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN PARAGRAPH FIVE (5) HEREIN, 2nd STORY
SOFTWARE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING TAXACT. 2nd
STORY SOFTWARE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED.

4. Exclusion of Consequential Damages.

Except as provided in paragraph five (5), Consumer's sole remedy for any
alleged breaches of warranty herein is limited to returning the software
to 2nd Story Software within 30 days of purchase for a full refund less
shipping and handling charges. In no event will 2nd Story Software be
liable for any consequential damages. Customer agrees that 2nd Story
Software's maximum liability under any circumstances is equal to the
purchase price of this software, except as stated in paragraph five (5).

5. Limited Warranty

2nd Story Software guarantees the accuracy of its calculations in the
Deluxe Edition of TaxACT only. If the IRS assesses a penalty due to a
calculation error on the Consumer's tax form generated with TaxACT
Deluxe, 2nd Story Software will reimburse Consumer the amount of the
penalty. This remedy is limited to Consumer's personal return, and does
not apply if Consumer uses TaxACT to prepare returns for persons or
entities other than Consumer. This guarantee and warranty does not apply
if Consumer overrides amounts within any tax return.

This Limited Warranty does not change, reduce or otherwise affect
Consumer's responsibility to properly and lawfully prepare tax returns.
2nd Story Software makes no warranties related to the accuracy or legal
implications of any information Consumer provides on any tax return
using TaxACT software. The ultimate responsibility for any tax returns
prepared using TaxACT software remains with Consumer. 2nd Story
Software has no responsibility or liability for Consumer's failure to
enter all required information accurately, Consumer's willful or
fraudulent omission or inclusion of information on a tax return,
Consumer's wrongful classification or description of information on a
tax return, or Consumer's failure to file a timely tax return.

If Consumer believes he or she is entitled to the reimbursement described
herein, Consumer must notify 2nd Story Software, Inc., in writing of
Consumer's claim within 60 days of the IRS imposing a penalty. Written
notice must be sent to 2nd Story Software, Inc., 642 10th Street, Suite
202, Marion, Iowa 52302. The Consumer must include their return, a copy
of the penalty notificationfrom the IRS and any other pertinent data that
may be requested in order to determine if the penalty was indeed due to a
calculation error in TaxACT Deluxe.

(c) 1998-1999 2nd Story Software, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
