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You know Drake and the NSA are always watching everything --- EVERYWHERE!! I tend to agree with both you and Joel, yes this basically is an ATX board and yes Drake information might be better served on the Drake board, BUT, this section has helped me actually stay with ATX as it gave some good perspectives and information I might have missed on the other boards. Especially information on Drake, TRX, TaxExact, etc. that I definitely wouldn't have gotten on other boards(Drake for instance, as not being a Drake user, I couldn't probably get into). It's kind of like the political section here --- good information BUT if you don't want to know or don't have any interest --- stay where you want.

Lose 4% funds and 20% of the work. Sounds like a good plan. My average per return is now $120 vs $100. I am all over those odds!! Maybe have time to have dinner with my wife a few times during season. "PRICELESS"

Hello Fellow Discussion Board Members, I am reposting my experiences and recommendations concerning ATX 2013. Systems & Hardware: The following information is the results of my experience for 2012 and my testing of 2013. I will not go into detailed explanations. You may accept my information or ignore it. I will not spend time trying to convince the die hard "old system works and I won't replace it" group any further than the information I am posting. My system recommendations: Operating System - Windows 7 PRO only. No other. Make the move from Win XP, despite any stubbornness you have about not changing. Get over it. It is a dinosaur and will not be supported by Microsoft after spring 2014. Hardware is inexpensive. If your peripherals do not run on WIN 7, replace them. Printers and scanners are cheap. Get over your fondness of the old stuff. 64Bit is nice, but will not give a substantial boost in speed to ATX2013. 64Bit will improve many other programs. Processor speed of 2.6 or higher (actually as low as 2.1 should function if you are a standalone or peer to peer) will be adequate for ATX 2013. 4GB of RAM is sufficient. Any above that will not give increased performance of ATX 2013. If you are using a dedicated server - Server 2008 64Bit (there are several versions) or newer. If your system will support 64Bit, up to 16GB of RAM in the server. The recommended list from ATX will probably be useful for ATX2014. Plan your upgrades now so any learning curve for new operating systems can be done before season. Decisions about software for tax year 2013: After much research, testing and observation, here is what I have to share. The NDA that I signed with CCH prevents me from saying much of what I would like to, so here is the scoop The firm I work for and myself at my private practice are staying with ATX for 2013. This was decided after dozens of hours of trial and research. I have observed that many of the problems that existed for 2012 should not be issues in 2013. The development team has been working very hard to bring a workable product to the table for 2013. Anyone wishing more info, please send me a PM.

Apocryphal story from back when there was a "Stop & Shop" grocery store on Memorial Drive about halfway between Harvard and MIT... A kid gets into the Express Lane (12 items or less) with a full cart. Cashier asks him, "Are you a Harvard student who can't count, or an MIT student who can't read?"

http://www.wimp.com/corgicarousel/

I just logged onto the ATX board. I have not renewed for 2013, in fact we decided early on to try ProSeries this year. So far, though, I am not blocked from the board. Maybe we have just been overlooked for blocking. Jack's comments about ATX being designed to be a truly server based program have me questioning if we should have stuck it out another year, but we have already loaded the new soft ware, converted the returns and started working with the new program. So we will see what this season is like. But when you tried to log onto the ATX sponsored board, were you logging in as adminstrator? How long has it been since you changed your password - they have that 90 day rule, you know. Good luck.

THUS PASSES THE SHIELD. In other words, no privacy [shield] on the internet.

A Buddhist monk approaches a hotdog stand and says, "Make me one with everything." The vendor has heard this one before, and without a word he simply makes the hot dog and hands it to the Buddhist monk, who pays with a $20 bill. The vendor puts the bill in the cash box and closes it. "Excuse me, but where's my change?" asks the Buddhist monk. The vendor replies, "Change must come from within."

I've more than 'met' the requirement. I'm taking additional classes because I need them to better myself.

There are two aspects of the Internet which are simultaneously simple and diabololical: #1 the Internet is forever; and #2 therre is no reasonable expectation of privacy on the Internet. Sic transit scutum.

You need a new IT person friend!

>>> So if you want to claim $10k income from your grinder shop, don't drive around in a new BWM and live in a $600k McMansion. Thank God for the stupidity of the crooks because that gives them away! Remember mobster John Gotti used to say that he is only a plumber! Yet he wore a $2000 suit every day. Last time I saw my plumber of 20 years he was still wearing dirty jeans and his t shirt was still too short in the back.

How often are the images on Google Earth refreshed? The on-ground picture of my house is 4 years old.

As a math freak in school, it is a simple circular equation.

I get charged from time to time -- they tell me after X months with no activity. I call, and they reverse the charges.

If, after explaining all the reasons, I lose clients, it will only be for one season. The will be back which will mean an additional increase for them. I am priced very competitively, even with a 20% increase. I don't want clients that only come to be because I am the "cheapest" preparer. My value as a preparer has increased with all the additional classes and learning to cope with the new things, and I am a professional and expect to be paid. If I raise my prices 20%, and lose 20% of my clients, I make the same money and do 20% less work. I would also loose clients that do not appreciate a professional.

And...be prepared for lots of arguments with the clients.

If everyone does not take advantage of the confusion and increase in regulations for this coming tax season to implement at least a 10% increase, you will miss the boat. I am actually considering 20% for my base price, and several larger increases for the other additionals and add-ons.

That form is for MA. No such Federal Form is in existence yet. It would be provided by the insurance companies and would not be anything we would need to create. IF such a form is created, and IF the insurance companies across the country LEARN HOW TO PRODUCE THEM, and IF the insurance companies learn HOW TO DO THEM CORRECTLY, and IF the rest of the taxpayers in the other 49 states LEARN TO KEEP THEM, and IF the taxpayers BRING THEM TO US, and IF the IRS gives us the CORRECT FORMS, WORKSHEETS AND INSTRUCTIONS, then it "MAY" be an easy thing. Using the experiences of the people of MA as an example is very sketchy at best. One state, a VERY SMALL percentage of the total population of the country and it has taken them 5 years to get it "right?"