Catherine

I think the advice of an attorney in the grandmother's state is not out of line here, though.

I know we have a couple of folks here with double hats (tax and law), and maybe they have an answer for me. Trusts created by grandmother fbo grandchildren, in her state, formed under her state's laws and with situs in her state. No problem so far. Trustees of trusts live in two other states. Still no problem. What happens when grandmother dies? Are those trusts still sited in her state? Or does situs automatically move to the states where the trustees live? Or where the new funds custodian (moved out of grandmother's bank to an investment firm) has principal offices? Everything I can find online states what is needed is a positive decision by trustees along with 60-day prior notice to beneficiaries. Nothing automatic. If that is correct, situs is still grandmother's state unless and until the trustee(s) choose otherwise and so inform beneficiaries. Yes? No? Other?

It all makes perfect sense; the program was started as a way to *save* energy. Since it does the opposite, instead of scrapping it they expanded it. Typical government program action. (That is NOT meant to be a political diatribe, but rather a snarky snipe at bureaucracies and how they make decisions in general. How many times to we see the exact same "methodology" in every bureaucracy we deal with... too bleeping many!)

Just about any recent-ish version of Acrobat will password-protect files. I buy not-the-most-recent new, never used, licensable versions from ebay (which is usually good for 2 or 3 computers; perfect for a small office). Since it is not the "latest and greatest" it's usually less than half the cost of a new version. Since I don't need any of the fancy high-end features, there is no sense in paying for today's latest. But I do want a valid license. Citrix File Share *is* more than a bit pricey, as is their e-signature program. CPaperless has a much less expensive (per-signature only, no monthly fee) e-signature program that I like. They also have an add-on to Acrobat called Tic, Tie, and Calculate that I also very much like and use. File portal: someone will find a problem with ANYTHING you try to use. I have had trouble getting folks to use the "Secure Send" feature on my web site so I put the link in as part of my email signature. More now see it, at least... pdf995 also has a suite of products that either run in a sponsored mode free (ads with each use) or to license cost roughly $9.95 each (one of them is $19.95) and those are a good alternative if you don't want to try to find/install Acrobat.

LOVE it -- and you are right. Too elegant and too simple ever to be implemented.

So..... any tax programs that work on Linux?

Especially that last sentence...

I have a friend who sets his watch to Greenwich time and adjusts mentally from there. As far as he is concerned, the world around him changes *its* schedule.... he has a point.

OK; thanks!

Thanks, Lynn! Do you know him? Taken one of his classes?

Anyone here from the Phoenix area - or know someone there? My brother in law has decided to give up on TurboTax (at long last and about time) and wants a pro. But he also wants someone close enough to sit down with. Being at the other end of the country, that's not me.

Jack tends to be aggressive and snarky; we all know that. However, the original poster makes an excellent point. By charging sales tax that they are NOT passing on to the state, they are effectively stealing from both the state (in whose name they are taking additional funds that are not required to be collected) and from the person who is paying the higher-than-required price. My question is rather, do you really want to do business with a company that has NO qualms about such unethical acts?

So here's the question. I have a client who has a partnership K-1 with info from eleven states. Some of the states (don't have the list here; at my other office) info pages in TTB and online say "filing required for non-resident if there is ANY in-state income", regardless of amount. But is that at the partnership level or the partner level? It's just senseless to file all these states; the partnership paid in taxes and from most of them he would have $1 - $4 refunds. Opinions? Do we file these eleven states? Just the one where the refund might be more than my charge? None but the resident state? Pick a number via dartboard?

However, if she cannot make payments (insufficient cash flow) definitely check out the OIC option.

Dear MsTabbyKats: You have my prayers for a full and swift recovery. I am very glad you found a good buyer so quickly; the last thing you need is to be worrying about a business. Take care of yourself, and keep posting here! We will support you, listen to you -- and you can take pot shots as those of us who have not (yet?) high-tailed it for the nearest faraway place from taxes. Margaret said everything else I would have said, and she said it better than I would have.

They are trying to stop people from stopping the forcible-update feature. W10 upgrade block settings

I did expect an emergency - and we have had upheaval lately; my mother-in-law just passed on about two weeks ago - so I jumped up and grabbed the phone. Caller ID showed the client's name and I refused to answer it at that point because I did NOT trust my temper not to verbally rip her a new one right then and there. No guns unless my life is threatened - this stupid state will take ANY excuse for trying to take them away from me. Unlike Texas, we don't have a "he needed killing" as a valid defense.

I had the MOST amazingly inconsiderate client call. 4:20AM. Two calls (with messages) to my business line at my office. One call (with a long, rambling message) to my HOUSE PHONE (how this nitwit got that is anyone's guess, I surely did NOT give it to her!) also at 4:20AM. Then two MORE calls; one at my home office phone (please note NOT my house phone), the other at my regular office, at 9:28AM. All this morning. Believe it or not they were thank you calls for sending her some info on whatever... with a notation that she waited until after 10/15 so I wouldn't be so busy (yeah; four and a half hours after). Then she called AGAIN at 11:15AM and this time I took the call. Told her I was very glad that the information was helpful, but that calls at 4:20AM are not now and will NEVER be acceptable, to ANY of my phone lines but most especially to the house line. That she woke up the whole family and if it happens again, she will NOT be a client of mine from that point forward. Her lame excuse? "I thought it was 4:30PM." Yeah; right. If she is that crazy she belongs in an institution.

Judy -- hope your dog is better very soon!

Go see your granddaughter. All the latecomers can bloody well WAIT -- after all, they have been making YOU wait for months! As for your own return; send it on paper and file all the "someone used my ssn" paperwork AFTER you cuddle that baby. Consider it an order, so clients who fuss can be told, "Sorry, I am required to be elsewhere."

I had a nasty week but today wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared yesterday. Got the last tidbits from the four that I had not yet written off as "fugedit; they're not filing 'til next week" and had everyone done by 6PM at which point I went home. Several folks from whom I have nothing yet (and like rfassett I could have told you who those would be last January). Couple more with complex returns where I am either missing crucial pieces and/or need to go through with a fine-toothed comb which was NOT going to happen today. Ours got filed last week, finally. Have to keep reminding my self that I am NOT my clients' mommy and cannot MAKE them send me stuff; and that I cannot allow myself to care more than they do (but I can be fussier about accuracy). But I do intend next year to be MUCH more strict about sending out those "what is missing" emails sooner. Will train my assistant to do some triage while he is scanning documents.

You all basically went through everything I was thinking of -- but I had thought myself into confused circles. Basis, not deductible but depreciable after placed in service - unless there is some small non-acquisition amount that could be considered a current year expense. Fortunately the paperwork from Dubai is in English. Am leaving pawing through those for last...

This one is a doozy, and this client's taxes will probably be filed late as there are too many complications with this and other issues to have it all properly done by Thursday. Client is buying two condos for the purpose of renting them out. However. (1) They are not yet built (but are being built), (2) they are in Dubai, and (3) since he is not a citizen of Dubai he can't get a mortgage, so (4) he is paying in cash, in chunks, as milestones are reached. How on God's green earth do I treat these acquisition costs for US tax purposes? Are any of them even worth considering until the units are completed? As far as I can tell, none of them are start up costs, as they aren't for market research or utilities or advertising or any of the standard categories. (Will have to look at insurance; it's possible he is carrying some but the construction company's coverage likely covers in-process construction.) Eep. Any/all help greatly appreciated!

If you like Gail's idea, look for a used copy on Amazon or Abebooks - you can get used textbooks for way under list from either of those. Plus the big thing with S-corps is dealing with shareholder issues (basis, loans, etc) and those don't change year to year. So buy a prior-year version even cheaper to learn the AAA/OAA-basis-loans-benefits parts.

There sure is *something* not playing nicely with your ATX software. It might be the software playing not-nicely with itself (with apologies for the rude allusion).