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I work in my flannel jammies and fuzzy slippers unless I have to see people. Still stay in comfie shoes or slippers or just socks, flip flops in summer, even when I have to put clothes on. But, I'm in the land of two-acre zoning with no commercial area, so people are seldom "just in the neighborhood." They know I have a mail slot in my front door. My office is the back corner of the house, so I just hide! I have run after a couple of clients that I did want to see when they slipped their envelopes through my door -- and was in those aforementioned flannel jammies with a sweatshirt and slippers. Don't do that often, but both times were long-time clients and females.

At one of the "Gear-Up" Seminars, the instructor was from California. He said he was finally getting to the "perfect" practice. He spent all tax season in Lake Tahoe at his condo, all returns were dropped off at his office in LA, and other employee's scanned in the info, and inputted the returns, then he reviewed them. He wanted 1,000 like this, and he charged a very large fee. To each his own. If you turn your tax practice into a commodity, then your clients will treat it that way as well. I was just at one of the spin-off's from "Gear-Up", Bob Jennings seminar, and he said to raise your fees 30% and clear out the chaff. That will get rid of the commodity returns, the ones that have revenue but are not helping you in the long run. If I meet with someone for half an hour, and I get $250 for that return, and I meet with someone else, for half an hour, and get $500 for that return, why am I meeting with the one for $250? My idea for 2017 is this, as I am doing all my tax season planning, you pay more to meet with me. If you want to drop off the return, the starting rate is $280. If you want to meet with me, the rate starts at $375. If you want to meet with the CPA exam qualified person on my staff, you can meet with them for $300. Or some combination of fees that make sense for what I have traditionally charged them in the past, and what rate I want to charge them in the future. In my new office? I can not see who comes into the office. They do not walk by my front door anymore. It cuts down on the "drop-in's" considerably. Rich

Taxpayers will never trust congress on this one. Everyone fears that a VAT or national sales tax would end up being "in addition to" instead of "in place of" income taxes. And the world is a smaller place now so there will be ways around it. When Brits arrive in the US on holiday, they bring empty suitcases so they can buy Nikes at $200 instead of $300 and a zillion other things for half price.

If you still have time, I would suggest talking to the examiner's supervisor.

I really try to stay away from face time as much as possible. Those client who hack and wheeze with their colds and flu all the way through the appointment. Unattended children are given a free espresso and a kitten.

I work at my home office. If I have to put shoes on, someone is getting a bill.

Well, you do have a point, Rita. Reminds me of the time I was speaking with a banker at church, when another member walked up to us. She reminded me of a previous conversation when I had told her she should not apply for a separate Fed ID Number for a sub-ministry of the church because it needed to fall under the blanket exemption the church enjoyed. She said she had called IRS and they had told her it was OK to do, so they sent her the application form and she had filed it anyhow. I thanked her for letting me know and she went on her way. The banker then asked if it bothered me that she didn't listen to what I had originally told her. I told him it really didn't bother me that someone didn't value advice I gave for free, because people frequently pay me for advice they don't follow...