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I might be looking forward to only one more year. It depends on the progression of my eye issues. I have already thrown my hat in the ring for 2024, but I have been struggling for the past 6 months or so. The use of frequent eye drops and ointment at night has helped tremendously (depending on the day). This only helps with side effects as there is no cure for Macular Degeneration. I intend to give it my best shot, but honestly, I am getting tired of the spammers and scammers; the computer updates; the computer breakdowns; the constantly having to watch your back for malware, viruses, etc., and the games that Microsoft is playing with our OS. Honestly, it's been a great ride, but it really isn't fun anymore. Hopefully, some R & R will change my attitude. I am tired of waiting for clients to bring in their information, pick up their returns, return calls and take care of issues addressed by the IRS and the States. If it weren't for all of you, I would already be gone. I get my best information here and my best cheering up; as well as the realization that others have it much worse than I do. Thank you again for all of your help and kindness.

Update: We cloned the hard drive this afternoon. All went well. Installed the clone and it worked perfectly and passed all the tests. Removed the clone and installed the original hard drive. Again, all is well. The clone is now in a safe place and all systems are go. I have the best IT person ever. He is a client of mine. I take care of his business and he takes care of mine.

The big health insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers and especially Medicare Advantage Plans are destroying our health care system. As long as they make record profits, they don't really care about the patients and the medical providers. Small rural hospitals and independent pharmacies are going out of business all over the country due to reimbursement rates that are way to low to even keep their doors open.

Anyone can buy health insurance and my wife works at a major university - they will allow us to continue our current insurance inside their plan and we pay their cost (it's a benefit they pitch to employees). With Obamacare eliminating the pre-existing condition problem, getting health insurance isn't an issue. We don't have a pre-existing issue but you never know.

I would guess her financial plan includes low enough income from years 60-65 to qualify for ACA insurance. That is a strategy I see a lot of people taking. If you have enough stashed to live off of and only generate interest/CG to get you above poverty level and below 200%, you get basic medical insurance for free. Smart planning IMHO. Tom Longview, TX

According to a national survey, Tik Tok is the first source for tax advice for taxpayers under the age of 40

If you have a PDF of the returns and a PDF of the records, even if you can't get ATX to work, you will have everything you need.

Everybody has a pre-existing issue. For-profit insurance companies make a living denying us coverage so they can pay dividends to their shareholders. It's the worst example of capitalism applied to a public good.

For me, we specifically allow customers to continue to use the software past their expiration. We limit what they can do (such as not adding new data) because of the expiration. Even with this policy, it would be foolish not to have paper and/or PDF's.

I feel for you, Marilyn. I hope that you can maintain your eyesight for as long as possible. All of the above and medical issues mainly for my husband are why I decided to hang it up. I don't even know what Microsoft did to my laptop, because my entire desktop changed after one of their updates. Now I struggle to find many of my programs. I hate their new file explorer. I am so excited every time that I finish another extension. I still have too many corporations to wrap up, but I will get it all done by the end of the year.

Dennis, you had better think about raising that ante. I will be 85 in a few weeks and, truthfully, do like what I do most of the time. At 70, I was only halfway through my career and still working part-time as a Dental Receptionist. I pulled that plug at 73 because my business was really taking off and a few years later in 2012, I took and passed the RTRP test and built an office addition onto my home. These were well thought out decisions and have only recently begun to feel the limitations closing in. When I started this thread, I never expected it to become amazing as it has. At age 70, I set the goal at 80 and look what happened. For nearly five years I have been preparing for whatever comes. Therefore, I am putting those filters in place; but will never willingly walk away until I have to.

Well I am 77 now and I still enjoy working with my long time business clients every month. Right now I only work about 17 or 18 hours per week Working on personal tax returns is the least enjoyable thing I do so I only do the personal tax returns of my business clients.

A Tax Return Transcript only shows what was originally filed. It doesn't show any changes made by the taxpayer or the IRS. The only transcript that shows everything is called a "Record of Account Transcript".

So PhTT has taken over for PhFB in prestige?

I plan to live to 100 or even more. Plenty in my family have, with being able to drive and work close to that age too. Primary focus now is getting our daughter's benefits to the max we can, then we reset. Same as having an estate plan for now, when she is subject to means testing, then rewrite when her means testing goes away. For the desktop organization issues, relying on the IS has never been my style. I currently use Stardock's Fences. It keeps my shortcuts in the places I want, from monitor to monitor. I have used their taskbar software too, to keep that area looking the way which works for me.

I'm 57 and the only reason I'm working is to pay for health insurance. 3 more years and I'm done (baring a complete stockmarket meltdown).

Tell them to make sure to kill end of the ATX Server services are running, before doing the clone. Better safe than sorry.

As a person who has been running a business, mostly alone, since 1992; that is not a question with an easy answer. Many of my clients have been with me for all of those 32 years. Because I am tenacious, thoughtful, loyal and hopefully kind; I hesitate to throw them "to the dogs". I also know that working in some capacity is the best and healthiest thing for me. I am more upset with the outside world and the workings of the electronic age than I am with my internal self. Being born left-handed in an age that considered that to be a handicap; I have fought a battle for a great part of my life. Besides, working helps to pay for the things that make life easier and more enjoyable for my husband and myself. "Retire" has never been in either of our vocabularies.

If I was primarily working with personal tax return clients instead of monthly write up/payroll/tax business clients I would probably be retired now.

sometimes a poor memory helps us return to an activity (like running marathons). So sorry about your vision issues,

I wish you all the best for your future.

Marilyn, best wishes for you. Much of your weariness reflects a growing disenchantment with the electronic age and all the problems which have multiplied dramatically in recent years. If you have to quit, you are living in a great state. I mail order cheese from WI.