Sara EA, thanks for your concern about my rates but I have only about 45 clients, work only during the season, all 1040 with just a sprinkling of rentals or small Sch. C's. I downsized from businesses and payrolls, etc. about 10 years ago when my other CPA retired. I make enough money to cover expenses and pay for dive trips and a little extra. I take no new clients unless referred and are maybe extended family members and lose about as many as gained annually, usually to simpler returns. At 75 with a license expiring end of this year, I just may call it. Or not and go for 3 more years. I enjoy the 10 or so weeks of work and keeping the little gray cells somewhat active. And I love my clients.
The biggest reasons for the low income last year are tiny home office deduction, nearly all free CPE from online webinars, QCD's from my RMDs, living off savings while my husband waited to begin his RMDs this year, and very little taxable SS for us. As I mentioned, 2022 will be a killer year for taxes as his income shoots way up and 85% of our SS will be taxable. We will never be in the EIC situation again which was why I questioned it.
I agree with your other observations about Medicare, etc. Some things, well, a lot of things, just don't make sense - like me qualifying for EIC when we actually have a lot of nontaxable income in SS. But I will follow the recommendation and add to my Roth. One of them return 23.86% last year and the other was 18.36%. I'll go with the higher one knowing that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Since inception in 1999, it has an 8.94% average so I'm okay with that!