Catherine

I remember 8" floppies - the secretaries used them at DEC (Digital) to keep copies of letters etc. My first foray into computers was with keypunch cards. A LONG wait to punch your cards, hand them in to the mainframe, come back in an hour to see where your program barfed (fortran), wait in line for the keypunch machines while you tried to figure out how to fix the mess. Rinse and repeat. Anyone remember the paper terminals and telephone-handset audio-coupled modem connections? We had a choice between 300 and 600 baud rate - but the 600 only worked late at night. Which is when mainframe time was cheaper anyway. Yes, we were allotted a budget to pay for mainframe time. Something like $20 for the semester.

I still have a Macintosh 180c laptop - that still runs! 8" (or so) *color* screen. Built-in trackball (and no laptop since then has ever had any system so nice for screen maneuvering). Still has "KidPix" on it that my girls used when Gwen was 1 1/2 (she's my younger girl, the 24-year old who just bought a house last fall...) And I still make the sounds like the KidPix narrator made when something got erased.

I still have the installation disks for Word 5.0, too. Not sealed, though.

Client comes in. Two new dependents this year (parents), release of exemption to the ex, missing basis on trades that needed to be tracked down, complications etc - we all know the type. Wants to know why her refund is less than $200 when last year it was almost $5K, since "nothing has changed, really." Oh, really?!?! $57K bonus and up a bracket - nope, not much of a change at all. How can people get a $57K bonus and not notice during the year?! Then she wants to know why her bill went up -- lady, I still don't charge you what the aggravation is worth. Sheesh. Rant over.

If you find it, please post the instructions or link here!

This forum is for professionals, not "civilians," and your question goes much deeper than "do I need to file this form." Please find a really good EA or CPA to help you - they will be worth their fee significantly more than any attorney (with no disrespect to attorneys - but we tax pro's are better at helping, hand-holding, fixing messes, and we charge far less, to boot).

More accurately would be "in non-geologic time"...

Justifiable homicide. That is (or should be!) the nickname of this "major update" and I thank God that I am still on Win7Pro64-bit.

I'd put it on Line 21 with a back-out also on Line 21. Since you've already looked up the regs, have a pdf in the client folder ready for if/when the CP2000 notice comes.

I have found them even more cumbersome to do with the tapes from Judy's TenKey. That works when there is ONE purchase and ONE sale date - but not (for me) when shares/units were bought many times and then sold off in several chunks. I lose my place... unless I am using pencil & paper.

You WILL get it, @BHoffman - but put this one on extension and tackle it in May!

Can you e-file that 2848? I know I can with a return - but have not tried to send one all by its lonesome.

And the stupid calculations are a PITA and have to be done with pencil and paper, too.

When the MLP's uniformly generate losses, do not produce cash distributions, and don't pan out for the cash-flow-poor older client, it's not a good investment - at least for them. The only client I have who does well with these things already has bucket-loads of money.

Rita is correct; they DO have until 4/15 to withdraw. Broker is an idiot or doesn't want to do the paperwork; they need to dump him/her/it. Alternative - if 2017 situation is different - is to re-characterize to 2017 contribution.

That's what they do in Canada. Makes *tons* of sense.

Had a case some years ago needing an ITIN for a dependent who lived in Canada. IRS kept "losing" the documents - or so they claimed. TA office guy said "send them to ME!" and he hand-walked them over and stood over the bozos at the IRS until they issued the ITIN, and then walked back, called me with info, and mailed it all back out himself. I could have kissed him; we battled that for about six months (or more; memory fades) and had submitted identical doc's at least four times.

Wish I could get hold of the same lady for a client of mine (elderly woman) for whom we have been waiting since last March for her 2015 refund of a paltry $400-ish. They said "processing" then they said "need more info" which was sent then they said "need still MORE info" which was also sent... Same name, snn, and address as for the last FIFTY-plus years - we cannot figure out WHAT on earth is the holdup and every time I have tried to call I've gotten the 2-4 *hours* on hold and each time ended up having to hang up (or was hung up on) before anyone answered. Thinking hard about getting the taxpayer advocate involved - except I have no time to do *that*, either. But I am really glad to you and for your client, Deb, that it was resolved!

I have told him so - therefore he knows now, at least.

From extrapolation - when I see them showing up in elderly clients' accounts (where they do NOT belong), along with gazillions of losing stock trades. Clear indication of churning and commission-harvesting activities.

Yeah, well for me last year it was my nephew who killed himself. I was there the day he was born (dad was away; Eric was a bit early). I get to do his final returns this year, along with his parents' returns. (fyi, courtesy nephew; his mom & I have been friends since college. No bloodline.)

bump up in queue...

So, who on this amazing board is in Colorado? One of my husband's colleagues moved there a year or two ago and now needs help with his sole-prop business. No employees. May convert to S-corp for 2017. Any takers?

The little brown ones are most likely chipping sparrows. *All* over the cities.

HUGE bald eagle flew at low altitude over my car and then landed in front of me (I was going slowly to start with, and stopped). First time I've seen one live and in person. This was in Lexington MA, barely a 1/2 mile from a major interstate highway. Wow. Just wow.