Leaderboard

I thought of this thread today when I read something on www.bogleheads.org Financial Advisor: "Your portfolio need changing. It isn't set up to properly pay for college for the kids." Client: "I don't have any kids/" Financial Advisor: "I was talking about MY kids."

I could wish (were it of any avail) that lawyers who give tax advice were hit with the same penalties that we would get if we gave legal advice. Parity and fairness...

This discussion makes me glad that we mere tax pros aren't permitted to give financial advice. We can give tax advice--like telling the client who has no tax liability one year they might as well make their IRA contribution to a Roth because the deduction won't help them and the future tax savings might. We might even go a step further and suggest to a client who has 10 little IRA CDs in 10 different banks that they might consider consolidating to make their life and tax return less complicated. Or give the same advice to someone who has so many brokerage accounts they have no idea what they actually own and get so much mail they end up forgetting half their tax docs because they are in the habit of not opening those myriad statements. But as to what they should invest in, we must remain silent. Good thing, 'cause not all of us watch the same TV shows.

and that is EXACTLY the problem! I share your rant. As do many of us here, most likely. Even (maybe even especially) those of us who also have law degrees and law licenses. The good lawyers I know are the ones who get the *most* frosted about mis-steps by other lawyers.

/s BUT THEY are God and can do everything ...... at least --- what their lobby says (maybe because they write the law wording too???) Sore spot for me as I do believe strongly in tax education and having to stay abreast/ahead of what changes ----- but attorneys only need to keep CE's etc. for attorney things and still get to be "ALL" to everyone and everything. (yes, a good attorney usually only does what they should/might have ACTUAL training to do --- BUT ALL get a pass on most else, because of them writing law, etc.) Hence we can not "legally" basically issue or do something attorneys have clerks do and do not really require knowledge or thought (no insult intended to clerks, etc.) but attorneys CAN state tax law even without actually knowing tax law, etc.. rant over --- have a GREAT day.

The divorce decree originated in a civil court. The Internal Revenue Code is contained in Title 26 of the United States Code. The USC trumps civil courts, which means the IRS doesn't have to, and won't, abide by anything but what a federal court has to say. In your case, the IRC says only the mother whom the children live with can claim the exemptions unless she signs an 8332 stating she will not do so. The father can certainly take her back to civil court on contempt charges, but he'll have to win a signed 8332 to be able to claim them. I once had a couple who were divorced in October whose divorce decree stated they had to file jointly that year. I can only conclude the lawyers don't know tax law at all or don't attend to details (software produces most legal docs these days), and judges are too willing to accept what the lawyers agree to without paying attention.

Here is an e-mail I just sent to every @cchsfs e-mail address I have: PLAIN AND SIMPLE - - - THE AUTOSAVE FUNCTION DOES NOT WORK FOR YEARS 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015. WHY IS THIS NOT BEING DEALT WITH? THIRD TIME THIS WEEK I HAVE LOST NEARLY AN HOURS WORTH OF WORK ON A FILE BECAUSE THE PROGRAM DECIDED TO CRASH ITSELF. DUE TO THE NON-FUNCTIONING STATE OF THE AUTOSAVE, POOF!! ALL MY WORK IS GONE AND I MUST START OVER. I HAVE AUTO-SAVE SET AT EVERY 5 MINUTES. CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, BUT THAT SHOULD MEAN THAT THE PROGRAM CREATES A SAVED FILE EVERY 5 MINUTES? DO YOU NEED SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROGRAMMERS OR CODE WRITERS? LET’S NOT EVEN START ABOUT THE SERVER RETRY PROBLEM. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE NICE FAT INCREASE IN PRICE FOR YOUR “COULD USE A LOT OF WORK IN THE FUNCTIONALITY PORTION” SOFTWARE FOR 2016. I WILL BE A THORN IN AS MANY PEOPLE’S SIDE AS I CAN TILL I RECEIVE SOME SORT OF ACCEPTABLE ANSWER. I AM ALSO SPREADING THIS MESSAGE TO SOCIAL MEDIA SITES THAT I FREQUENT. 4 YEARS IS MORE THAN ADEQUATE TIME FOR COMPETENT PROGRAMMERS AND DESIGNERS TO FIX THIS ISSUE. Jack L. Raby J.R.'s Tax Preparation RANT OVER....

So it does appear however it might have been a default -- in which case it might be possible to roll it back and start over. Especially if the check was not cashed.

Considering that the beneficiary is under age 70 1/2 there are 3 options available (sounds like an IRA or qualified annuity due to the amount of tax withheld). 1. Open an inherited IRA, Life Expectancy method. 2. Open an inherited IRA, 5 year method. 3. Lump Sum distribution. It appears beneficiary took option 3. Local podunk financial manager may be thinking about a spousal beneficiary.

What a tragic situation to deal with. I am so sorry that you and your family. Must go through this. Prayers for you all.

This just in... (ready for a really good laugh?) Good morning Jack, I apologize for the issue that you are having. I understand that it is very frustrating. We have not had a widespread issue with the auto-save feature not working recently in our latest versions of ATX, so we would like to work with you on your computer specifically. Please call in at your convenience, and we will be very happy to have one of our technicians work with you to correct this issue. Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience of this issue that you are experiencing. If you need further assistance, please contact our customer support department at 1-800-638-8291. Thank you for using our products!! Tabitha Ervin Wolters Kluwer ATX, CCH Small Firms Services 225 Chastain Meadows Court, NW Suite 200 Kennesaw, Georgia. 30144 What she does not know, is that her "tech support" people have tried multiple times over the 4 year period with no success. I will contact them from the firm on Monday and shut down their "end around diversion play" and see what they have to say. Film at 11:00...

Am I going to have a problem with you, Raylon?

And so it continues.... Hello, We do apologize for any issues you may be experiencing at the time. In regards to the Auto Save ATX will automatically save all open returns at regular intervals based on your selection in preferences. Returns that have already been e-filed or returns that have been marked Complete will not be saved. In order to further review the issue please contact customer support to speak with a representative and if necessary remote in for further troubleshooting. If you need further assistance, please contact our customer support department at 1-800-638-8291. Thank you for using our products!! Radisha Daniel Wolters Kluwer ATX, CCH Small Firms Services 225 Chastain Meadows Court, NW Suite 200 Kennesaw, Georgia. 30144 phone- 800-638-8291 fax-888-815-7587 [email protected] My response.... No disrespect intended, but you may want to read my original e-mail again. ATX does NOT automatically save ANY open returns unless I click on the save icon or close the return. I have been using ATX since 2002. I am computer literate. I KNOW what an autosave function is supposed to do. After working in a return for nearly an hour, the program pops up “An error has occurred and the program must close” messages, closes the program, and ALL the work I have just been doing is lost. I have contacted customer support about this issue multiple times since the train wreck of 2012 was issued. I have yet to see ANY change in the functionality of the autosave function. IT DOES NOT WORK. I await contact from someone at your company that can give me REAL and SUBSTANTIVE answers concerning this issue. I grow weary of the smoke being blown at me. I am NOT an average user. I DO understand computers much better than the average person. Stop trying to snow me. Your reply as well as my response will be broadcast on social media. This kind of incompetent treatment of a known deficiency for 4 years is totally unacceptable. Regards Jack L. Raby J.R.'s Tax Preparation

Not enough, speak a little louder, maybe they'll hear you (us). They fail their hearing exams with every new release.

Maybe I was too strong?

I don't know how anyone got the 10% plus the sales tax removal. I ended up going back to the 10%. The reps all seem to have different ideas of what the discounts are. I ended up keeping my original renewal, because I am so far behind with IRS letters, extensions, people that haven't filed for years and family issues that I just can't learn a new program. I was nice, because customer support people get dumped on so much and they don't make the stupid rules. I did tell him that I am about to be pushed to Drake, because I am sick of all of the messing around with pricing. I'm sure that the higher ups don't give a hoot.

It used to be hard for me to say NO. Life got a whole lot easier after I learned how. Yesterday, a PITA client who was MIA this year called and left a message saying she had filed her own return. She just had a tax question. Did I return her call? NO. WIll I answer the phone if she calls again? NO. So, I think to remain sane in this job the ability to say NO is crucial....and say it in a nice way, maybe with a big hug

Mark Zuckerberg, one of the world's wealthiest people and in the tech industry physically puts $.03 of tape over the camera on his laptop - consider what that means.

True... HH filing status in that case. In order to comply with the court order, she would have to sign over the exemption with the 8332. Without that form, I don't believe he can claim the children's exemptions even if he has the court order in his hand. Didn't the IRS get out of that legal battle years ago, and now accepts the 8332 exclusively? I have many clients doing that dance, and I follow up with the 8332s in every instance. It gives the exemption ONLY to the non-custodial parent and the custodial parent maintains the HH filing status.

If the father left the house before June 30th, last year and the children stayed with her maintained that house and was the main home for their children, she qualifies for HH regardless what the Judge says.

The IRS will follow its established regulations concerning dependency, etc.. The county judge has no authority over what the IRS regs are nor how they are enforced. This has been standard IRS policy since 2008. You may want to consider terminating your relationship with both of them. Or, buy stock in Excedrin Company.