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But there is a HUGE, demonstrable advantage my practice of turning them off. I sleep much better at night, and consequently I am much less grumpy when posting to the Politics Forum. :)

H-m-m. Hadn't thought of that. I think I'l buy my wife a CFL bulb for our laundry room.

In my town we have a special collection for batteries, CFL and that sort of things. I do NOT want to dump lead or mercury back into the soil to pollute the groundwater. The EPA may want me to destroy those clothes because they are plain ugly, and causes eyesight pollution

If one of those CFL bulbs got broken over your laundry, I think the EPA would want you to destroy all the clothes the fragments fell upon. http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl I've installed a few LED bulbs in my house and I like them much better than CFL's. LED's are more directional, but they are great in table lamps and can light fixtures. Prices still need to come down some more to make them truly economical, but I think that will come about over time.

Intuit needs to fix Intuit Tax Online. Forcing people to use outdated web browsers holds back innovation on the web, and leaves customers open to attack through un-patched software vulnerabilities. There is no excuse for it, especially for a software company with the development resources that Intuit has.

If you had seen some of the electronic equipment malfunctions I've seen over the last 40 years, you would have a different viewpoint. I don't trust anything with a moving part (fan) or anything with a heating element (printer or copier) that is left to shut itself off or go to sleep under any circumstances. If I knew a device could wake up on its own overnight in an unattended building to do an update or a backup, I'd probably not sleep well. I deny power to them before leaving the premises.. I know it's a belt & suspenders approach, but we all have our obsessions. Mine is based upon personal experience.

Grown adults can and should have sensitive feelings. It isn't the victim's fault if someone is abusive. This forum allows plenty of leeway for subjective opinions, but still requires civility. In particular, personal insults violate our terms. I don't think there is an exception even if the insult is true. Asking the moderators to uphold our terms is what a grown adult would normally do.

You can set Windows to automatically install important and recommended updates or to install important updates only. If you don't want updates to be installed automatically, you can choose to be notified when updates apply to your computer instead. Then, you can download and install them yourself, or you can set Windows to automatically download updates, and then notify you so you can install them yourself. I use this method during tax season because I do NOT want windows to takeover control of my computer in the middle of a tax prep.

Darn It. rfassett contributed many thoughtful ideas, strategies and made important points here in the ATX Community. I didn't always agree, but I have a healthy respect for rfassett. I for one will miss rfassett's input and insight.

Yes, we do. Some of them expire with the 2013 tax filing season; and a very few are gone for good. It pays to be able to tell your clients which credits are still good for 2013, but will be gone next year. This is in the same vein as knowing when a client's child is going to turn 17 and reminding them that they are going to lose the Child Tax Credit. Sometimes they have to adjust their withholding accordingly.

"Different strokes for different folks!" My solution is to keep the flip phone that I have had forever and use it along with my 10" tablet that connects to either WiFi or the wireless Phone line; whichever is available. This may be overkill to many, but I can sit on the couch, sit on the porch or in the car and use my tablet for almost anything and be able to SEE the screen. To me, these are toys. My state of the art computers are another issue; these I never skimp on beyond looking for good deals. I just gave my XP laptop which I had built to order in 07, to my married grandkids. They can use it to full advantage. I no longer can. My new 17" laptop is a real gem; as is my desktop. I don't believe in trying to run a business with out of date or broken tools.

There are those whose approach to all questions is "it's my way or the highway."

I have *known* Ron for a long time from various internet Tax Forums. If he has been run off? It probably has something to do with dealing with folks who just do not get it, and will never get it, and that is just how the world works sometimes. Some folks have all the answers and it does't matter what others may think or to be respecful in disagreement. Sorry you had to beat your head against the wall, Ron. You are one of the good guys. Rich

Maybe that's because you thought it was a phone. Actually, a smart phone is a sophisticated, highly portable computer which just happens to have telephone capabilities. Your computer isn't too much for you, is it?

Well that is certainly true. And Taxed does not always resist, either. But she's getting better [smarter] about that. And Jack is trying, also. I think we're all trying to keep the tone better.

Yes, but if you're going down, you might as well go down in flames. Sometimes it feels so good to throw out a cheap shot--until later, when remorse ruins all the guilty pleasure! I know about this. I've been married for almost 40 years, and I haven't always taken the high road. Thankfully, we have learned how and when to say "I'm sorry" and mean it.

See, if you don't take everything as an insult, it can end it without escalating it. That is an adult way to deal with it. Jack might have been looking for a fight, but happily he did not get one. I'm sorry rfassett did not deal with a similar situation as well, but hopefully he'll be back later. I did not really understand why Judy gave him one, but I did not think it was that big a deal.

That's my thought too. I love the Dick Tracy idea, but it's just not ready yet.

Point taken ---- maybe a better way would be to say --- our leaders should be ... :-) :-)

Can't argue with that --- I'm same way. The "however" here is that I've seen a lot of folks (former career in law enforcement) where a lot of the people needed someone to "step in" and protect/stand up for them AFTER they tried it themselves but couldn't "get there" or stop an ongoing thing. That's what I mean by moderator "stepping in". Never-the-less, I BELIEVE the person is still responsible to let the offender/botherer know they are offended/bothered and if things continue ---- then to either remove themselves from the situation or seek help from someone --- such as a moderator. As a side note: I've also seen where the entities/people that someone might go to for assistance when they can't get it done themselves --- make a bigger mess and cause even more havoc than existed before (think government - micro-regulation).

I laughed even tho I saw it coming!

Thanks Jack. I won't be using ATX for 2013 return, but I'm sticking around to see how things go for those of you who elect to continue with them. Looks like 2014 is going to be the shakedown cruise for the new and improved ATX. I'm tentatively keeping ATX on my short list of backup programs. One never knows - if I'm still in this business after next year, I might decide to give ATX another try in 2015.

I feel like CSI Boa Vista just sitting here with my popcorn...

I find it interesting that a thread about disposing of clients turns into a discussion of how clients are supposed to contact you. Whatever rings your bell, I say. If its passenger pigeons, than that is great. But firing clients? Yeah, I got that one. There are VERY good reasons to fire clients. Mine is the "Caller ID Cringe". If I see the number on the caller ID and I cringe, then its time for me to re evaluate that client. My number one source to fire them is to raise thier rates. If it was $350 this year, next year it will be $425, and the next it will be $500. If that doesn't do it, then at least I am making alot more money. I don't want so many clients that I can't play golf. I also have my financial goals that I want to get too. And I am about 2-3 years away. (I may ALWAYS be 2-3 years away, If I can still handle it, why not?) And since my missus can retire, (possibly) in two years, that lines up well. The main point of this thread is managing your practice, and not letting your clients manage you. Rich