Internal Revenue Code changes have averaged one--per--day over the past eight years ---- with 500 revisions in 2008 alone. Who's counting? Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate, announced the statistics in her annual report to Congress. An independent organization within the IRS, the Taxpayer Advocate Service helps taxpayers resolve complaints with the agency when problems cannot be resolved through normal channels.

Will Advocate Olson's reports convince our lawmakers to draw back from their drawing board? Not during these troubled times. Expect them to enact even more alterations to an already confusing code in the immediate future.

How do individuals who need to focus on tax planning all year long keep on top of all those major and minor modifications? Most decide to become clients of tax professionals -- advice -- givers adept at assuaging affluent angst and able to avoid pitfalls adroitly while capitalizing on opportunities to diminish, delay or deep--six amounts that otherwise would swell IRS coffers. And that kind of advice does not come cheap. In locales like my neck of the woods near New York City, such clients should expect to pay hourly fees of several hundred dollars and up for guidance.

Help is available from lawyers, CPAs, financial planners, or Enrolled Agents -- persons licensed to practice before the IRS, who are neither attorneys nor CPAs, but who are former IRS employees or have passed rigorous tax examinations administered by the IRS.

Fortunately, pricey professionals are not the only source of succor for Americans apprehensive about their financial futures and their retirement prospects. There are alternatives that are easier on the pocket. One option is to sign up at places like high schools and community colleges for inexpensive adult education courses on various aspects of personal finance -- for instance, tactics that trim taxes or methods for investment selection.

But people who need financial advice should be wary of free lunch seminars that are actually showcases for hucksters. Seminar sponsors usually promote their programs as educational events, with free meals thrown in. But the seminars generally feature hard -- sell pitches for substandard investments designed to enrich the sponsors -- many may be Uncle Bernie wannabes -- and impoverish investors, especially unwitting seniors.

It is also possible to obtain advice at no cost from knowledgeable, disinterested professionals. This resource is available to an ever--increasing number of individuals who belong to affinity groups or work for companies that offer such advice. Individuals eligible for assistance can call centers staffed primarily by financial planners who offer advice only -- untainted by compensation linked to commissions on product sales.

But what is available for people in need of instant advice who are without access to call--in centers? Thanks to technology, there are person-to-person Internet advice sites that let them talk to experts on topics like taxes and investing. It is important to note, however, that these sites do not vouch for the accuracy of their experts' advice.

A major purveyor of telephone counseling and hand--holding is Keen -- a company that describes itself as "Your Personal Advisor," offering live, immediate advice for everyday life. In the interests of full disclosure, I was among the first dispensers of tax advice recruited by Keen, when it debuted in 2000.

Keen's specialists cover a broad range of financial topics -- anything from tax -- efficient maneuvers that callers can implement themselves, to new theories to test out on real -- world advisers, to portfolio diversification strategies.

Keen allows callers to check out advisors' backgrounds and their ratings by previous customers. Another confidence booster is that Keen makes the call to both parties -- ensuring that its online oracles are clueless about callers' names, phone numbers and other personal information, unless the callers choose to divulge such details.

What does a service like this cost, and how does one pay? As with most Internet sites, Keen accepts credit cards and bills per--minute, but frequently discounts fees for first--timers. There is no minimum fee commitment and callers decide when to conclude the conversations, so they are in control at all times. The result is helpful advice at far less than the cost of in--person sessions.

That noted, Keen is not ideal in all situations. At least some of its mavens will lack your mom's smarts and accessibility, and none can compete with her, whose 24/7/365 counsel comes at no cost at all! Still, Keen is particularly well suited for several common situations. Its advisors can provide inexpensive reassurance when taxpayers want to verify that information received from their advisors or the IRS is correct or when their returns are being audited.

Keen is particularly useful during tax filing season when other advice lines may be overloaded. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), taxpayers trying to dial into the IRS telephone assistance system for comparable help may be stymied by busy signals or put on "hold" only to endure lengthy waits. But Keen's advisors offer prompt answers.

Throw in another plus for last--minute filers choosing Keen over the IRS: They improve their chances for obtaining advice on circumventing stiff, nondeductible penalties for late filing (as much as 25 percent of the balance due on a return submitted after the due date) and late payment. The IRS charges interest on penalties and back taxes. Whereas taxpayers can count on Keen's availability on April 15, that is the day when "abandoned calls" -- the GAO's term for calls to IRS telephones that go unanswered -- surge. And, in case you forgot, that is also the day the Titanic sank.

To contact Keen, go to www.keen.com, or call 1-800-ASK-KEEN (275--5336). If you log on to the Web site and browse its directory of tax advisers, you can select one by clicking on a "Call Now" icon. Or you can follow the voice prompts in the case of the 800--number.

That may be all it takes to speak with someone who can staunch the hemorrhaging to the IRS.

Julian Block is an attorney and author based in Larchmont, N.Y. He has been cited as "a leading tax professional" (New York Times), "an accomplished writer on taxes" (Wall Street Journal) and "an authority on tax planning" (Financial Planning Magazine). For information about his books, visit julianblocktaxexpert.com.