Catherine

Happy Birthday, KC! When I grow up I want to be just like you!

Almost all my extensions are in. A couple from whom I am awaiting signature doc's only and if I don't have those by Friday they go on extension too. This week I'm going back to look for folks who should send in money. After being dead int eh water for eight days, I made the decision that getting all extensions submitted for all clients was more important than any other consideration.

The initials are more important because your clients and acquaintance-level colleagues respect them. They are meaningless without the actual knowledge and skills to back them up. I got the EA over a decade ago to represent clients coming to me with prior-year problems. My degree is in earth & materials sciences but I put myself through college doing bookkeeping and accounting. Worked for an agency and got to work in so many different fields and that has been really useful. I've seen know-nothing bookkeepers make a muck of things. I've seen know-too-much bookkeepers make a muck of things (including on purpose, by theft). I've seen know-it-all CPA's make a very impressive muck of things. I've seen CEO's make a muck of things (the one I'm thinking of, by embezzlement) and the CPA in charge of financial statements to the board most definitely did NOT want to follow up on my very leading questions. I've found errors in audited financial statements prepared by a high-end chartered accountancy firm, brought in by a client with interests in a foreign company. I resolved issues in a month that led a guy with a Master's in Accounting a merry chase for three years. I always figure, there are no differential equations involved, so how hard can accounting be? The answer: not terribly IF you are willing to look with an open mind, dig into and DO the messy grunt work, and not muck with things-as-they-stand until you understand what already works and what does not. The big issue with EA's and corporations is that it's really hard to do anything but tiny corporations as a one-person shop, and still serve other clients. That's where a CPA firm comes in handy - they tend to be larger. They also tend to work with companies big enough to have a competent in-house accounting staff. The alphabet salad means nothing if you can't back it up. Lack of alphabet salad means (or should mean) nothing if you can produce the results. And the alphabet salad I like best is on my Constitution teaching cards; "Catherine G White, CLFBM." Came from the first big presentation I did, years ago. Lady who had hired me to talk to her group (and was very surprised at my lack of height; had expected me to be much taller) told me the next day that I was a "cute little fire-breathing munchkin" and I just loved that.

Anyone who wants a walk-through of MA can call me at 781-899-2200 x1.

Absolutely! The least they can do is come fetch when it is convenient to YOU -- and if it's inconvenient to them, that's just ducky with me.

I sometimes leave my machine on when it's backing up as I want to leave and I'm not willing to wait until it finishes. There are also night owls here who start work at 5PM and go overnight. I hope we're all taking the time to sleep! I have gotten VERY cranky about needy clients. If they're not willing to stay up for me, I'm not willing to stay up for them. End of story. And don't even TALK to me about those who want fast turn-around so they can go on vacation for three weeks. Those people come closer and closer to getting dope-slapped (I won't -- but I *will* think about it!).

Dead in the water for eight days with computer issues. My town tried to evict us. Does that say enough about what kind of season this has been for me? And for real, the practice is going up for sale after 4/20. I'll teach and keep a couple of low-rent or family clients.

You do not want ANYTHING connecting these fraudsters to you. Hand them back their papers and don't even let them take your business card let alone any of your work. Tell them that when (not if; when) the IRS audits them they are NOT to come to you as you now know they are willing to ignore the rules.

Oh, yeah!

There are times I am so disgusted I want to go back to clay tablets and cuneiform.

Yeah... no one has told the cold weather systems that.

One guy has emailed to say he'll drop his documents through my mail slot on his way home from work. day 1: oops, I forgot, sorry - tomorrow! day 2: I didn't know where to put them so I just left. (hel-LO! mail slot is the big brass flap door in the middle of the front door; good thing you're not a mailman) day 3: I tried but there was a towel blocking the mail slot and I didn't know what to do. day 4: tonight. We'll see if he's smart enough to read/understand the email, sent TWICE, saying to ignore the towel as it's only a draft-blocker. (It would no longer be there except it's been so COLD this past week - we went back to winter and have had snow three times this week but not enough to shovel thankfully.)

me, either. piffle.

Nope but I will in May; try then.

me too !

"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia." Another exquisite line. And the BEST sword fight ever on camera. They trained six hours a day for weeks with Olympic coaches developing it.

We have a senior credit that folks can only get if they file. Filing starts the SOL. Filing also provides paper trail should it be needed later for nursing home evaluation of income. And these days, it can provide warning of identity theft, too. If I do the work, I charge. Full fee always shown on bill but for those who don't "need" to file the discount is frequently very large.

I tend to file. One of the triggers is "federal or other state change" and they DO share information. Without a CA-6 (and I also DETEST that form) having been filed you are almost certain to get a nastygram from MassDOR. File it, making sure to append the federal changes, put in the explanation that there is NO change to MA tax. Another important bit on the CA-6 is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, to check the box requesting a statutory hearing. That way, if MA pulls some bone-headed stunt, you have an opportunity to protest it. Without checking that box, if some bonehead mis-enters information and sends a demand for $1,000 additional tax, you will have ZERO chance to protest. (They are more likely to pull that kind of stunt with no CA-6, one reason to be sure to file it.) I have rarely had to request a hearing -- but without checking the box you are poop outta luck.

Size DOES matter - and here's the antithesis of @Elrod's tiny beer. Carlton Draught - "Big Ad"

We sent an email last week to ALL clients whose returns are not complete stating they would be put on extension and we would try to get payment coupons out by 4/18 for those who owe. Couple of folks who think they will owe called to say "fine but payment coupon please!" so we'll make sure that happens. The few we had heard nothing from yet got a different email stating they would NOT be put on extension unless we heard that they intended to have us do taxes for 2015 for them. All but two replies have so far been "yes please" and those two were no surprise. I have found that folks who make bone-stupid mistakes (and then desperately look for someone to fix the un-fixable) frequently don't come back - don't know if they're embarrassed or what. The ones we're waiting for 8979's from will get another email the end of this week stating if we don't have those asap then THEY will be put on extension. Our fax number and link to SecureSend will figure prominently in that email.

I process in the order the LAST piece of information is received. For example I have one young couple who came in mid-February "we have all our stuff!" then they get here... "except for her W-2, one of our two mortgages, grad school expenses, bitcoin details...." and I'm still waiting for some of it. Won't even touch them till that last bit arrives.

I *never* get tired of watching that movie. The very first scene where Inigo shows up (at the river side) he is actually a printed cutout! If you look closely, you can see the photographic shine. He wasn't available that day and he's only in the shot for a couple of seconds.

Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride" where Vizzini (the villain) keeps saying, "Inconceivable!" but everything he says is inconceivable is the next thing that happens. That word

Me, too. I undercharge. We probably ALL undercharge.