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Hey, lets be reasonable. If we password protect it, it's probably as safe as mailing the client a paper copy is. They can be stolen too. Odds are, unless your client is extremely rich or famous, the chances of their pdf being hacked are not likely. Yes, it's possible, but it involves the hacker first getting access to the pdf file. Not likely for ordinary folk, unless it's an inside job. And WE should not have to feel responsible for that.

This reminds me of the true story of an elderly aunt of mine. All her life she said her final instructions should include a particular piece of music she wanted played at her funeral. Most of us laughed it off as just one of her many eccentricities. But sure enough, as they wheeled the casket out of the church, the organ struck up one of the loudest renditions of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah that I've ever heard. She would have been pleased to have flowers with that card attached.

Keep your conspiracy theories out of our tax forum, Jack.

A new business is open and one of the owner’s friends wants to send him flowers for the occasion. They arrive at the business site and the owner reads the card: “Rest in Peace.” Understandably the owner is angry and calls the florist to complain. After he tells the florist the obvious mistake and how angry he is, the florist replies, “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry, you should imagine this. Somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a card saying, ‘Congratulations on your new location.’”

They will be increasing but I have not determined how much. Office rent is up, utilities are up, CPE prices are up, supplies are up.... if prices don't go up I will be making even less than I do now which is already less than it should be.

I use the import function too for those 1099Bs with many entries.

There is much confusion about "data breach" and "e-mail hacking." Two totally different and unrelated issues. Yet everyone treats them as the same. I continue to use e-mail regularly. My largest problem is clients not checking their e-mail more than once a week.

True, but my state (MA) still holds *me* responsible should a data breach be traced to email I sent. Heck, it holds me responsible if it comes from an email sent TO me by a client that I did not (1) delete from my system - including attachments, and (2) email the client back, separately (no "reply") telling THEM to delete the email and attachments from their system. First important step: stay out of looney-tune-central MA. Wish I could follow my own advice on that one...

I agree. I scan for my own files. But I enter the info. I don't trust the accuracy, not to mention possible glitches it may cause.

Try to get demos of the programs to try with your tax prep software. I have CCH's Scan & Flow. Have done a lot of scanning/organizing but not much flowing (computer crash, scanner upgrade, laptop the program was on died, etc.). Each year the program reads/recognizes more and better; scanning was never the problem. An occasional is it a 6 or an 8 question, but it color codes it for me to check against the original document. Do get a good quality scanner such as Fujitsu, as sometimes it's the light source in the scanner that's the weak spot and not the software. You'll need to test how the programs compare when importing into your tax software. And, how the cost compares to hiring a data entry clerk.

None of the programs work as they are advertised to do. Save your money and continue entering as you have in the past.

Thanks - I think....

I can not remember the year that I did not increase fees. Akin to that - there has never been a year that my costs of doing business have not increased. The trick sometimes, has been making sure the increased fees surpassed the increased costs. How else could I get the raise that I so justly deserve every year? I have no interest in earning the same amount of money every year - or even two years in a row. If it came to that, I would close the doors on this practice.