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And remember the Data Entry Tabs ( General, Income, Adjustments, Credits, Taxes, Other Forms, Misc. States) are organized like the sections of a 1040 so it is relatively easy to figure out which tab the entry should go. Obviously there are a few exceptions, but entering the form # at the bottom brings it up. Once you break the old habit and get used to it it works great especially with the short cuts, hot keys etc. And to boot, it is lightning fast from the time you click view to see and then print! This fall I had to do a few 1040X for 2011 and instead of doing them in ATX, I converted them to Drake and did the 1040X in Drake just for the practice.

Yes, it’s that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here Is The Glorious Winner: 1. When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked. And Now, The Honorable Mentions: 2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef’s claim was approved. 3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her. 4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days. 5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit. 6.. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer… $15. [if someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?] 7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he’d just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape. 8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.” Read the rest at My Underwood Typewriter

JOhn, That really sums it up well John, That really sums it up perfectly. ATX is essentially using data screens as well, just not clean and consistent ones. Like both you and Judy, I find viewing the return after entry works well and is fast. When I think about it, it took more time to get back to the forms screen to see what my input did in ATX, than it does in Drake using the view return. This really makes you wonder about the supposed advantage of forms based tax software. For example, schedule E input in ATX is all done on an input sheet and you have to go back to the form view to see what happened. Even if you start on the form, you end up drilling down to the input sheet and then having to go back to see what changed.

Mt.Gox is the world's most established Bitcoin exchange. You can quickly and securely trade bitcoins with other people around the world with your local currency! https://www.mtgox.com/ Simple Bitcoin Converter updated constantly Prices are now (by default) gathered from multiple Bitcoin markets, and averaged by trade volume. http://preev.com/ The weakness in existing currencies stems from lack of faith in institutions—particularly central banks, which are often in league with commercial and investment banks. When a government bails out a failed bank or insurance company—in essence, by printing money—the net effect is that the currency as a whole is debased, in favor of a few and at the literal expense of everyone else, which amounts to a fair description of today’s global financial system. Hence the sudden appeal of bitcoins, which appear, for the moment, at least, to be immune to the machinations of inept or crooked bankers and politicians. In many ways, bitcoins function essentially like any other currency, and are accepted as payment by a growing number of merchants, both online and in the real world. But they are generated at a predetermined rate by an open-source computer program, which was set in motion in January of 2009. This program produced each one of the nearly eleven million bitcoins in circulation (with a total value just over a billion dollars at the current rate of exchange), and it runs on a massive peer-to-peer network of some twenty thousand independent nodes, which are generally very powerful (and expensive) G.P.U. or ASIC computer systems optimized to compete for new bitcoins. (Standards vary, but there seems to be a consensus forming around Bitcoin, capitalized, for the system, the software, and the network it runs on, and bitcoin, lowercase, for the currency itself.) Bitcoin releases a twenty-five-coin reward to the first node in the network that succeeds in solving a difficult mathematical problem requiring a certain amount of brute-force computation (known as a proof-of-work calculation.) The solution is then broadcast throughout the network, and competition for a new block and its twenty-five-coin reward begins. (There’s a good rundown of the technical aspects of Bitcoin on the Bitcoin wiki; there’s also a wonderfully pellucid explanation of the proof-of-work angle from Paul Bohm, on Quora.) At first, anyone armed with an ordinary computer could download and run the Bitcoin software and gather (or “mine”) bitcoins. The more computing power you can dedicate to Bitcoin calculations, though, the better your chances of arriving first at each solution. This feature of the system, by design, resulted in a kind of computational arms race that strengthened the network by rewarding increased computing power. Four years into the Bitcoin project, only very powerful, purpose-built machines have enough muscle to keep pace with existing network nodes. In this way, bitcoins are mined like gold used to be, in quantities that are small relative to the total supply, so that the supply grows slowly. There is an upper limit of twenty-one million new coins built into the software; the last one is projected to be mined in 2140. After that, it is presumed that there will be enough traffic to keep rewards flowing in the form of transaction fees rather than mining new coins. For now, the bitcoins are initially issued to the miners, but are distributed when miners buy things with them or sell them to non-miners (such as jumpy Spanish bank depositors) who desire an alternative currency. The chain of ownership of every bitcoin in circulation is verified and registered with a timestamp on all twenty thousand network nodes. This prevents double spending, since no coin can be exchanged without the authentication of some twenty thousand independent cyber-witnesses. In order to hack the network, you would have to deceive over half of these computers at the same time, a progressively more difficult task and, even today, a very formidable one. From the first, Bitcoin was devised as a system for removing the possibility of corruption from the issuance and exchange of currency. Or, to put it another way: rather than trusting in governments, central banks, or other third-party institutions to secure the value of the currency and guarantee transactions, Bitcoin would place its trust in mathematics. At the P2P Foundation, Nakamoto wrote a blog post describing the difference between bitcoin and fiat currency: [bitcoin is] completely decentralized, with no central server or trusted parties, because everything is based on crypto proof instead of trust. The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust. Banks must be trusted to hold our money and transfer it electronically, but they lend it out in waves of credit bubbles with barely a fraction in reserve. We have to trust them with our privacy, trust them not to let identity thieves drain our accounts… With e-currency based on cryptographic proof, without the need to trust a third party middleman, money can be secure and transactions effortless. Much of what has been written so far about bitcoins has centered on the perceived dangers of their relative anonymity, the irreversibility of transactions, and on the fact that they can be used for money laundering and for criminal dealings, such as buying drugs on the encrypted Web site Silk Road. This fearmongering is a red herring, and has so far prevented the rational evaluation of the potential benefits and shortcomings of crypto-currency. Cash is also anonymous; it is also used in money laundering and illegal transactions. Like bitcoins, stolen cash is difficult to recover, and a cash transaction can’t readily be traced back to the source. Nor is there immediate recourse for the reversal of transactions, as with credit-card chargebacks or bank refunds when one’s identity has been stolen. However, it is difficult to believe that anyone who has written critically of the dangers of bitcoin would prefer an economy where private cash transactions are illegal. The Bitcoin-software community is loosely governed not by wild-eyed kids camping out in half-deserted lofts but by what appears to be a rational and sober group of adult administrators who run the Bitcoin Foundation. This organization was modelled on the Linux Foundation, according to Gavin Andresen, who is currently the Bitcoin Foundation’s chief scientist. As the lead developer for the project, Andresen is paid a salary by the Bitcoin Foundation. He has been involved full-time in Bitcoin since the spring of 2011. Like the Linux Foundation, the Bitcoin Foundation is funded mainly through grants made by for-profit companies, such as the Mt. Gox exchange, Bitinstant, and CoinLab, who depend on the stability and continued maintenance of the underlying open-source code. “The Linux Foundation provides a bit of a center for Linux, and to pay the lead developer, Linus Torvalds, so that he can do nothing but concentrate on the kernel,” Andresen said. “It’s a tricky thing, once you get to be a certain size as an open-source project, how do you sustain yourself? Linux is the most successful open-source project in the world, so we thought it would make sense to use that as a model.” And the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the federal agency that enforces laws against money laundering, announced new guidelines requiring certain “virtual currency” trading entities to register as Money Services Businesses (M.S.B.s). Though the Bitcoin Foundation’s general counsel, Patrick Murck, was somewhat critical of the new guidelines, this move went a certain distance toward calming Bitcoin speculators and others who’d been worried that the government would take more drastic steps against the mining, transfer, and exchange of bitcoins. Gavin Andresen is among those who sees the new FinCEN guidelines as a positive development. In my opinion, the FinCEN guidance is fantastic news: it gives Bitcoin users and businesses clear rules on how they will or won’t be regulated. It is great for ordinary users, because FinCEN said that using bitcoins to buy products or services is perfectly legal. And, long-term, it is great for businesses, because they now know how FinCEN will classify them and what regulations they must obey here in the U.S. That said, it might cause problems for some smaller U.S. bitcoin-based businesses, who might have been hoping that they wouldn’t be regulated at all. The bigger bitcoin businesses have been anticipating this for a while, so I don’t think it will affect them.

How does this encourage people to pay their tax? Oh well, it is what it is. Low income taxpayers can get a $43 agreement by filing a financial statement. Anybody can get $52 with electronic funds transfer. Online approval is automatic up to $50,000, while a written request requires financial disclosure over $25,000. So there are some ways we can help clients, including filing the request. And don't forget that payment within 120 days does not require an agreement or user fee (just penalty and interest). Even beyond that I advise clients to just send in payments without paying the user fee for a formal agreement.

That might have been good strategy a few years ago. Then, the IRS threw up all kinds of barriers to getting an successful OIC, but now they are working to get them approved as quickly as possible. This was due to the TAO's report that said the IRS was losing out by rejecting so many offers. In our office, we have submitted about 30 OIC's and so far 10 have been approved with little or no hassle. On my part, I have submitted 14 OIC's and the 1st 4 were approved. I expect a few to fail, clients that were not able to provide concrete information or unable to keep up on their Est. tax pymts. There were some minor tweaks in the final amount, but nothing worth disputing. Most surprisingly one client had more income than what the IRS accepted. He receives quarterly bonuses and the IRS said bonuses do no count in the income calculation. (we always understood this for once a year bonuses, but for regular ongoing bonuses?, the IRS made the client a gift.)

sneak preview -- looks *epic* http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/2014-sneak-peek.htm

Wow! So much destruction and explosive power! Too bad I don't get Discovery on my basic cable. It does look interesting but I would keep thinking about how much waste there was - channeling my mother's voice even after all these years.

I do the same as Judy. I only use the data entry screens to push the data into the computer. Then I click on "View" to see the information on the form (the form recalculates automatically when you click on "view" so you never actually use the "calculate" button as far as I can tell). It's very simple to toggle between "View" and "Date Entry", and the program is so fast that you have the desired screen in front of you at the blink of the eye. It isn't as though you need to go through any steps to toggle back & forth in Drake. One of the reasons I say that Forms Data entry is overrated is because even in ATX, there are numerous times when you must use a data entry screen anyhow. You either have to jump to a sub-screen or jump to a different form, then back to the 1040. With a few exceptions, about the only time you truly enter info directly onto the form is when you have a small, relatively insignificant entry or when you want to force an override. And the data entry screens in ATX are varied, whereas the data entry screens in Drake generally follow a similar pattern in their layout and how you get into & out of them. So navigating the data entry screens is much easier in Drake since you are so often in familiar territory. I keep coming back to the old issue of speed. Drake is fast. This is mainly due to the simplicity & efficiency of its design and layout. There aren't many bells & whistles, so you have a program doing what it is supposed to do - produce an accurate tax return as fast as possible.

I can't answer for John, but what I do is I review the actual return on the screen before printing it. When I am finished with my input, I click on "view" that calcs everything and brings up the forms to be printed in a list on the left side of the screen. It isn't all that different that what you see in ATX with the forms tabs over there. I can click on any of the forms, schedules, worksheets, and the letters that are listed to view exactly what the return includes.

My EIC checklist is pretty short. 1) Does client qualify for EIC? 2) If yes, give them the phone number for HRB.

Forms based data entry is vastly overrated. It's more of a crutch than an efficient means of tax preparation. There are rare occasions when I miss it, but on the whole I'm very glad that Drake helped me break that dependence and utilize data entry screens efficiently.

Well I'm and old ATX'er who switched to Drake for the 2013 tax year. Looked at the Form-Based data entry tutorial for 1040s, looks easy to get accustomed-to,... not much different from ATX, if not better. Most of my workload is 1040s with a few 1120Ss & 1041s so it shouldn't be much of a hassle to get acquainted. Has to be better than ATX last year.

Merry Christmas! There are many nice things about this time of year, but for anyone not associated with a particular Christian church, I invite you to attend one of the concerts, fellowships, or rituals in your community. Happy new year! If you don't already have your resolutions in order, may I suggest the following? I know of none better. On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

how about a state of confusion?

I just updated the forum template to include State field from your profile under your avatar, so now it's searchable through the Member Search, and also clearly visible on your posts.