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Happy New Year! to EVERYONE here. I could NOT run my business without y'all.

Happy New Year to everyone, and hope you all have a healthy and prosperous 2017! I'm looking forward to it. I've learned a lot from this forum over the years and continue to do so. This year went by really fast. It's hard to believe tomorrow is the last day!

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/50-new-years-resolution-ideas-and-how-achieve-each-them.html Although most of mine come to naught; hope, like spring, springs eternal. So....I surfed part-way through the above list before becoming overwhelmed by the enormity of these tasks (this positive stuff is tough). I consulted a friend who said he's resolved to make no more resolutions in order to avoid disappointment in himself, but that seemed to be....hmmm...not quite fair (or something). Well, to get to it, let's see - what's possible in that list? EXERCISE! That's got to be a good one -- two months ago the doc told me to: (a) stop using my treadmill for a coat-hanger and (b) walk on it 30 minutes a day. I told him that's impossible and he cut his recommendation to 15 minutes (reminds me of that "Goodfellas" movie joke: doc gives a guy six months to live; guy says he can't pay the bill; doc gives him another six months). But I digress - what about 5 minutes? Yeah I know that's pitiful, but it's doable. I'll place the walker in front of the TV, enable closed captions (the treadmill motor's loud), and tune in an action movie with lots of swordfighting and stuff (a treadmill is extremely boring). Next doctor's visit I'll tell him I'm phasing the program in um...uh...well...gradually. Okay, let's formulate plan B (just in case). I noticed "BE POLITE" in the list. That doesn't sound too daunting and I'm mostly polite anyway (could probably pull that one off 99%). Still, being in the tax prep business; shouldn't we be allowed a little leeway? "Cut us some slack" as they say, since we must resist the occasional urge to lunge across the desk and strangle that (pick one: crazy/stupid/arrogant) ignoramus. Enough about my lofty goals. What's YOUR resolution?

To be more understanding of clients that are difficult. Oh hell, I make that one every year and break it in February. I like Elrod's last one, that should be easy.

Happy New Year! ............

Right back atcha, Catherine!

I got a recommendation from a tax preparer in a neighboring town who also had a home office, as well as a couple other recs. Had them all out to talk to us and bid. We liked one and contracted for him to do everything: permits, purchase, installation, inspection, advice. We're in pricey Fairfield County, CT, so probably paid about the top of the range for the services plus the cost of a mid-range generator (small house but need to run my office), so easily $11,000 total. But, the time I was out of business those 11 days during tax season and another week the beginning of October and all the food spoilage when unexpected outages hit and hubby slowing his recovering after shoulder replacement by hauling water to flush toilets and eating our and draining our pipes and fleeing to hotels when the temperature drops and the stress and sleeplessness during each hurricane season, ice storm, wind, etc., I really think it's worth every penny. I turn 70 next year and want to be visiting my granddaughter and not loading food into coolers or staying in a 42 degree home. Generator tests itself every Saturday. We have a service contract and just went from twice/year to once; friend who recommended has gone to every two years. Propane guy was showing his apprentice our generator (they now install, but did not then) like a proud owner showing under the hood of his new sports car! He said our Kohler is better than whatever make his employer installs. When we had our chosen electrician install, he said it was then at least 90% of his business. During outages, you hear generators humming all over town.

So this just happened. Client calls and tell me he's purchasing health insurance. Congrats. "I've not had any health insurance for any of 2016. Will I still have to pay the penalty for 2016?" I just need all of you to appreciate this moment with me. I wonder if my soul has been removed to make room for all this sarcasm I managed to push down. Happy New Year.

I pretty much manage that one.

The neighbor's generator tests itself for fifteen minutes every Sunday morning at 9AM. We only really notice in the summer when windows are open; it's not disruptive or annoying at all.

That's also the way I understood it.

efile doesn't even start until Jan 23. This smells to me like something HRB has offered for awhile--a refund advance you could get in Dec., offered mainly to returning clients (ones who had a history of getting their real refunds without offsets). The no fee, zero percent seems to me like "if it sounds too good to be true....." Someone has to pay for the risk that the client doesn't return/repay/qualify for a refund, and I'm sure it isn't JH or the bank. Sad that some people are so desperate for their refunds. Maybe this year when the money doesn't show up until late Feb the mindset will start to change.

PrimoPDF is free and if you choose to - it'll encrypt any pdf.

No, dear. Your soul is safe. You may find at some time in the future that you have an uncontrollable sarcasm explosion, however! Holuhraun Volcano Iceland

Did you tell him the truth or line him up for a hug?

Just smile and say, " I am sure the penalty will be repealed on January 20th, retroactively.

I'd say when you are done, be done, no matter what. No communication at all. Jack's advice to return all data is great (keep a copy in case you are dragged to court or something along those lines). No response from you means no added fuel. (Hard learned lesson.) I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. George Bernard Shaw Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgebern137450.html "I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." George Bernard Shaw