Catherine

I have three newsletters per year that I send - mid-year, fall, winter. I buy them, personalized to my business, from Tax News and Tips in CA. They do a *great* job and my clients love them. End of year my clients also get a Christmas/holiday postcard (VistaPrint has some really nice ones -- and they're practically around the corner from me so their "slowest" shipping speed still gets to me fast). Anything that comes back from those two - client gets emailed or called. The big letter - "welcome to tax season" plus engagement letter and 3-pg checklist organizer - goes out first full week of January. Some of those checklists come back with annotations, numbers, circles and arrows, notes, and more -- other clients come in with the unopened envelope.

My mother-in-law (in her 90's, raised during the Depression) STILL unfolds Lipton tea bag wrapper papers and uses the inside to make grocery lists.

I use mixed case with everything; for me that is far easier to read, even on forms.

This is totally cool. It is of an Italian dam -- with an interesting twist. http://www.viralnova.com/hidden-dam/

A woman I know is notorious for offering to meet someone for an errand or lunch or something and "forgetting" her wallet -- leaving whatever sucker... um, friend - I meant friend, yeah -- to pay for HER lunch, HER errand purchases, and even HER parking fee!! Eventually (like, months later, after several reminders) she will reimburse for the errands and parking -- but figures lunch was a "treat" -- after all, you had the pleasure of her company! I don't meet her for lunch or anything anymore and haven't for years. Can't afford it!

Isn't that the important part? One family I know, the ex tried for years to turn the screws on dad in every way possible -- through the courts, financially, and by poisoning their daughter against him - as well as keeping the daughter physically away by every subterfuge known to mankind and a few designed specially for her by Hades. Looked for years like it was working, too -- then the daughter got out on her own (post-college), and saw what had *really* been going on with her own eyes (no longer through mom's filter). Dumped mom-the-bi+ch like a hot potato, apologized to dad for ever believing one word -- and ever since has had a fantastic relationship with dad, and coldly tolerates mom on very rare occasion only.

Just last night I e-filed my last set of client 1099-MISC's for 2012. I charged this guy TRIPLE the usual fee for being obscenely late and making me hound him like a toothache for the information. Just felt like sharing....

They said nothing about this in beta test, nor were any PR functions included in the testing procedures. No 941-series or W-2 types forms included in the beta test program. That doesn't mean they won't include them, later, in the 2013 program. Doesn't mean they will, either.

A little corny -- but he *nails* the magic trick! http://www.shockmansion.com/2013/09/14/video-swedish-comic-tries-magic-trick-with-a-banana-absolutely-nails-it/

OK -- just TRY to get through this one without tears running down your face from laughter. Some are rude and I think it says more about the spell-checkers built into the phones than anything else... http://funkypickens.com/25-funny-auto-correct-fails/

I was in kindergarten; had just turned five years old about a month earlier. At home, watching TV, when they interrupted whatever kiddie show I was watching with solemn looks and words I didn't understand. No video coverage; those were the days when they only got pictures over the satellite links at specified times, to tape on-site and replay locally later. Everyone was so grim I got scared and started crying without even knowing why. Funny the things that stick in your mind: while I can't remember what was said on TV or who said it, I remember the solemn expression, the grim tone, the "snow" in the picture (because the rabbit ears weren't tuned quite right), the feel of the rough sofa upholstery when I hid my head on the arm, and feeling scared.

Now I won't even watch it, after seeing the last few posts. Thanks for the warning and my heart goes out to the little boy even without knowing what sick "joke" was played on him.

Wow -- fantastic!! Congratulations. Next time anyone accuses tax accountants of being "stuffy" they should get that video played for them. Have you considered playing it on continuous loop (silently or low volume) in your office during the season, for clients to enjoy?

Thank you, Taxed, but I do NOT need or want another full time job! I know just where South Hamilton is -- we are in the same state. In fact I was just up in Beverly not too long ago.

I think I'd rather talk to that customer-no-service guy, "Peggy," from the commercials.

Ignoring the running gags about sexy clothes and CFL's... It can be dangerous to put CFL's on dimmers -- make sure the ONLY CFL on a dimmer is one rated for such. Otherwise you do have fire danger. Ditto LED's; they must be dimmer-rated. If you have a CFL that breaks, for best practice you are supposed to call the hazmat squad to clean it up because of the mercury. We haven't had any break that I recall but I'd probably clean it up myself -- after playing with liquid mercury decades ago I highly doubt the microgram in a bulb is going to hurt me -- but the bulbs all must go to the hazmat pickup. And TV's *are* on their own version of "standby" all the time -- that's why the picture comes on so quickly. And why they sell the power-off power strips, to make them actually turn off if you want to save that tiny bit of energy.

What is required for a sole prop to do business in CA? Any good links? The client is currently very far from CA -- looking ahead to steps needed so he's ready to do business full time when the fiancee is in grad school there, planning for fall of 2015.

Got this from an acquaintance of mine. HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER Three friends married women from different parts of the world. The first man married a Greek girl..... He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away. The second man married a Thai girl..... He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table. The third man married a girl from West Virginia He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table every day. The first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything either, but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down, he could see a little out of his left eye and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher. He still has some difficulty when he urinates.

Thanks, MAS. Tom - done.

Is there anyplace I can review the rules for independent contractor vs employee for CA? I have a client who is considering hiring a contract worker in CA to do some consulting, represent them at trade shows, and the like. Here in Mass., that person would most likely be considered an employee -- as we have THREE sets of rules from various agencies, all of which are more strict than the federal rules. None of the sets is easy to find. With that in mind, rather than spend hours rummaging through the FTB site, I thought someone here might have a quicker way for me to do that research. TIA, Catherine

And it must be SO hard for you, Jack! Our sympathies as well our congratulations on your restraint.

Both good ideas, jklcpa and Lion! Thank you.

Thanks, Lion. I have two leads, and plan to get a temp agency helper at least. This time just office help; a little less money and heaven knows I got next-to-zero tax help out of the kid last year, despite his "years of experience" with VITA.

I've had a couple of folks give calls like that over the years. If they sound like real refund-shoppers, I ask them how they look in orange. The response, "Huh?!" leads me to inform them that tax fraud comes with prison sentences. If they merely sound misguided, I tell folks they can get their taxes done right, cheap, and quick. Pick any two.

I won't blow the $30+/month for the data plan and am still using a "dumb" phone. Right now, since mine has a problem, I've actually switched to an old/abandoned phone of my daughter's temporarily. Thanks, though.