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Yes, I remember that class well. At 12 years of age Rita was the youngest person to ever teach at my middle school. And thanks to her excellent teaching skills, I made it into high school just after my 21st birthday. BTW, I can still use a slide rule. Best way in the world to visualize a log table.

Guaranteed Payments for his work and K-1 for his share of the profits. The partnership agreement should spell all that out or be amended to cover the new situation. The GP will be on the K-1; no 1099.

http://www.mathgoodi...operations.html The answer is 20 using the order of operations rules. (The order of operations rules essentially tell you where the parentheses should be) 4 x 4 + 4 x 4 + 4 - 4 x 4 is the same as (4x4) + (4x4) + (4) - (4x4) is the same as (16) + (16) + (4) - (16) is the same as (32) + (4) - (16) is the same as (36) - (16) You could also get the same result by canceling out the 16's (after the multiplication is done) or by any of several other routes. My abacus also yielded the same result

A police car pulls up in front of grandma Bessie's house, and grandpa Morris gets out. The polite policeman explained that this elderly gentleman said that he was lost in the park and couldn't find his way home. "Oh Morris", said grandma, "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?" Leaning close to grandma, so that the policeman couldn't hear, Morris whispered, "I wasn't lost. I was just too tired to walk home."

The correct answer is 20. I was an algebra teacher for eight years. Unless there are grouping symbols, you perform multiplication and division, from left to right, before addition and subtraction. Do one operation per step. JohnH showed all the steps. He was one of my best students back in the day. Wait til you see him on the slide rule. http://www.math.com/...s/S2U1L2GL.html

I believe the difference here is that, in my client case, the member/partner was incorporated, received wages as an employee, and also used subs at times. He/S-corp properly invoiced the LLC and payments were made to the corporation. If the op situation was simply an unincorporated sole proprietor trying to wear two hats, then I agree with Lion and Jack from Ohio.

The mathematically correct answer is 20, for reasons shown and displayed above. There is a reason for the ordering of mathematical operations -- and this "test" is a prime example of why they exist. Do the problem in other orders if it pleases you, but you must NOT then claim that your answer is the only "correct" one. After all, you have started by tossing centuries-old conventions to the wind. You may not then claim that your method is the new convention, giving the only correct answer.

PEMDAS This stands for Parenthesis (are none), Exponents (are none), Multiplication (yes), Division (none), Addition, and Subtraction (yes)

I agree with you Tom.. I know that there are bad preparers out there that need to be controlled but this is exactly what I expected would be the result of giving the IRS total control over who can prepare returns. It would have made so much more sense for them to just crack down on the bad actors, but they could not resist an excuse to take control of ALL preparers. Then, because that is a huge number of people, they use automated systems to administer the rules. So you get stupid situations such as yours, where the 'automated' system is mis-programmed, but there is no recourse except to live with it.

I don't have the tape handy, but here's the result on my calculator display:

Federal e-file will be available from now on for returns that meet MEF standards. This is true for 2011 & 2010. No state e-files for 2010 are being accepted at all. Several states are no longer accepting e-files for 2011. You will get a "Rejected by EFC" for the returns that are not being accepted by the states. ATX software will decide when you create the e-file in the return whether it is MEF acceptable. I have e-file 15 Fed and about 8 state returns for 2011 since Oct. 15. Also 3 Fed returns for 2010.

I came up with 20 (16 plus 16 plus 4 minus 16)

Rules of calculation: 1. All calculations inside parantheses 2. All multiplication and division. 3. All add and subtract. 4 x 4 + 4 x 4 + 4 - 4 x 4 = (4 x 4) + (4 x 4) + 4 - (4 x 4) = 16 + 16 + 4 - 16= The correct answer is 20. Math, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus major in High School.

But I think that the ordering rules mean that even though no parentheses are shown, the correct way to view this equation is to do all of the multiplication first, which gives you: (4x4)+(4x4)+4-(4x4) which equals 16+16+4-16 which equals 20. Math class was a long time ago, so I am willing to be corrected.

How Old is Grandma? One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. He asked what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general. The grandma replied, & I quote; Well, let me think a minute . I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, well the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn't yet walked on the moon. Your granddad and I got married first, and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother, and every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect. And they went hunting and fishing together. Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, 'Sir'-and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.' Sundays were set aside for going to church as a family, helping those in need, and visiting with family or neighbors. We were before gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living here was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends not purchasing condominiums. We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey. If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk. The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald's , and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10 cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, 'grass' was mowed, 'coke' was a cold drink, 'pot' was something your mother cooked in, and 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby. 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a word. And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap; How old do YOU think I am - ???? Grandma would be only 70 years old in 2012