d reeves

Intuit's Implausible Guidance Explanation Isn't Fooling the Street

The guidance isn't at all implausible. Intuit delivers TurboTax two basic ways: through software installed on desktop computers, and with a web version. With the desktop version, you pay up front; with the web version, you pay only when you file. Both products cost the same amount.

If the broad trend toward the web version continues, you would expect a higher percentage of turbotax purchases to occur when people finish their taxes, not when they start them. And it's not completely a guessing game, either; Intuit can track activity on the web version, and they should have a pretty good idea of who is and isn't likely to ultimately purchase and file through TurboTax.