Catherine

Chinese takeout is made with peanut oil which does not include trans fats. Actually, peanut oil is monounsaturated so its a 'good fat'. Eat away. Chicken nuggets can be fried quite easily without trans fat (any liquid oil doesn't contain them). So you are panicking for nothing. Twinkies may have to be imported, however. NY banned trans fats some time ago, and except for pastries, most users didn't have a problem switching. What did people do before Crisco and margarine were invented?

You guessed it....butter and lard and other animal products. Don't worry, no trans. lots of saturated fat, but no trans.

It wasn't that long ago the they were strongly pushing trans fats as a safer and better alternative to the mean, nasty animal fats. Nincompoops. (That's not _really_ what I think of them, but it's one I can print. )

Catherine

Thanks, KC.

Been trying to teach this to my girls; time will tell if I've succeeded.

Catherine

Hey, Catherine. You're in MA. I just did returns for a MA trust that dissolved in April. Returns would be due 15 August, and the beneficiaries wanted the returns done ASAP. Well, the IRS lets us use 2007 forms for short year 2008 returns. But, the MA directions say not to do that. In fact, the MA Form 2K-1 doesn't even have a place for the short year (or fiscal year, for that matter) dates, just says 2007. Are they going to give the trustee a hissy fit when he mails in the MA trust return? And, how about the poor beneficiaries, two of whom reside in MA and three in other states? Will MA be chasing them as if the 2K-1s have additional 2007 info instead of 2008? What should we expect?

Massachusetts does a lot of weird things and they take hissy fits at all kinds of stuff that is mainly _their_ problem. That said, they folks who deal with Form 2 are frequently a little more on the ball than others (because the drones are dealing with Form 1, individuals, or child support issues -- a full 1/3 of MassDOR folks work child support enforcement!). I would send it in with a cover letter explaining that the trust is following Federal precedent for using 2007 forms and short year; trust dissolved in April; bene's want to file ASAP, blah blah blah. They will most likely accept that. If there is any fallout, send me a note. I have some contacts who might be able to help if whoever gets the return does decide to pout.

Good luck!

Catherine

Gene, that was Chief's 15th post on this board, and if you rearrange the words in his post, you get Jainen's clever result. Which, if you read it carefully, is actually a reversal of what Chief said.

As usual, Jainen's humor is subtle and erudite.

Indeed, a lovely twist on the original post. FWIW, I've had many more problems with MassDOR than IRS, but still laughed out loud. And one of my best friends -- a truly excellent attorney -- loves to collect lawyer jokes. She's going to _adore_ the first one!

<snip>

Massachusetts business efiling after an extension is efiled and accepted--We have identified a problem with the MA business efile system and we've identified the work-around solution. Problem: Once you send a MA business extension electronically and that efile is accepted, our EFC system is not allowing you to send the MA business efile return. The Work around is this: You must email or call the CS Dept with the affected EINs. CS requests that our EFC team "unlock" the EFC for these EINs, which will allow you to efile the MA business return.

<snip>

And they seem to have expanded this problem to personal returns. Just got an efile rejection on a personal return because "standalone state already accepted" (or similar wording) -- when all that was filed was an extension. This one waits until Tuesday; they'll be closed until Monday but I'll be away from early AM until evening that day.

Sigh.

Thanks for posting the information.

On my screen, down in the lower right corner, above the time, is a circle with the Firefox symbol. When I left click on it, it turns into an IE symbol and puts the current screen in Internet Explorer instead of Firefox. When I mouse over the circle, it gives instructions to do three different actions. Now, my husband has a lot of Firefox add-ons and refers to it as an IE tab that I think appears across the top with the other tabs.

You can also just right-click anywhere on the page and you get choices that include "view page in IE tab".

Any thoughts or opinions on either of these two?

Paycycle - At 14.99 per month per client what are preparers marking this up to gain profit?

site builder - with the complete tax does anybody have any experience with offering online prep?

Chris

I have a web site done by site builder and it has the "Do your taxes online" button. No one used it this past year, but it doesn't cost me extra, so there it stays.

Catherine

The were ALL monochrome in those days! My first was a DEC Rainbow, and it had TWO disk drives, which made it very great, because you could have your program disk in one, and your data disk in the other, no need to switch disks all the time. I well remember getting my first 20K disk drive!

Kids today take for granted SOOOOOOooooo much that it's almost like we live on a different planet. They think of the internet as something that has always been there, while lots of us remember when it STARTED, and when it was basically just something that University's used....... The world of computing has sure changed a lot in a very short time.

The first computer I used was batch cards submitted after waiting your turn for the keypunch machine. Come back in an hour to see where your program died and go back to wait in line for keypunch again. Then we got _paper_ printing terminals that talked with the mainframe through a 300-baud link with a telephone handset stuck in a modem. Only the computer science majors got monochrome CRT monitors. And you had to work after midnight, and the proto-internet was still called the Arpanet....

My first work computer was a 2-floppy Mac, and the first home computer was a DOS machine. My oh my; quite a change in not very many years. I started college in 1976, so start to finish is just over thirty years for me. There's more computing power in my cell phone today than in the whole state back in '76.

Catherine

I'm using version 2.??? and will get the upgrade soon, and also be pleased with it, I'm sure. But I never try to be first in these things.

Catherine

Since I posted the above, I downloaded and installed Firefox 3.0. The file size is about HALF the size of version 2 (a whopping 7 MB), so they have obviously streamlined and tightened the code substantially. They've also instituted some security upgrades (although even the old version was light years beyond Internet Exploder). The new version works the same _way_ as the old one (with some nice upgraded features) and has a slightly different "look" - just enough so see it's different from the old version.

So anyone who's thinking about it -- I'd say to go for it.

Separate question -- how does Thunderbird email compare to Eudora email? Anyone have a comparison?

Catherine

I do have a question about Desktop-Dozen. If you purchase the program and then the rates change again, do you have to puchase the program again or can the rates be updated? If they can be updated then what is the cost to do that? Thanks for all of your great ideas!!!!

The rates get updated, I believe.

Catherine

So, I was a Blockhead and never used Form 9325. Who uses it? Why? I have been forwarding the IRS e-mail acknowledgment to my clients for which I have e-mail; it seems to have the same information. (I don't have it go directly to them as it seems to be overkill, so I like to add my own short message at the top and mention the states, too.) Do I really need to add paper to mail to what has been an electronic filing? Too many years following Block's rules to grasp this Form.

I just print out the Federal and state e-file acceptance histories from ATX and mail those out. Or print as pdf and email them.

Catherine

I'm using version 2.??? and will get the upgrade soon, and also be pleased with it, I'm sure. But I never try to be first in these things.

Catherine

Rick --

I'm going to recommend a book to you that, if you read, you may find some surprising areas of interest and agreement. The book is "Day of Reckoning" and it was written by Pat Buchanan.

You may think that it's a strange recommendation to give to someone with "42 years of voting Democratic" -- but you'll find a _really_ interesting analysis of our military commitments, the national implications of "free trade" agreements especially in regards to the middle class, and our standing in the world at large.

I picked the book up at the library on someone's recommendation, fully expecting to be able to vehemently disagree with most of it. While there are surely parts I disagree with, the analysis and background are extremely well-researched, carefully thought-out, and well presented.

And if you think, reading this, that I am espousing either a liberal OR conservative point of view, you would be incorrect. I think both major parties are, for the most part, wrong in their party platforms, but in very different ways.

Catherine

I take plastic through my web site. There's a PayPal button where people can use PayPal to pay me WITHOUT needing a PayPal account of their own. They can use a PayPal account, or use their MasterCard or Visa card, as they choose. Payment gets put straight into my bank account.

No monthly fees -- which is good, because to date I've had only ONE person choose to pay this way (most give me a check). I'd really hate to be paying a monthly fee for that.... after a year of monthly fees, it would be cheaper to do that one return gratis! And that's sure a precedent I don't want to set.

Catherine

Can someone with a site reference or info answer this question. TP age 73 already withdrawing from IRA(regular) under RMD rules dies before he can take out this years RMD. Must administrator withdraw RMD under TP's # and remainder can go to heirs? No spouse alive, just 3 kids to inherit all. My reading leads me to believe that even though TP is deceased there still must be a RMD for the year of death. Thanks to all who can shed light on this.

From CFS online Tax Research, Quick Reference Guide, CFS/Federal Information/Retirement

Beneficiary qualifies as a designated beneficiary, is not the sole beneficiary, and is spouse or is a qualified designated beneficiary:

Beginning no later than 12/31 after the year of death, if there are not separate accounts, use the age of the oldest beneficiary in the calendar year immediately following the year of death and Single Life Expectancy (reduced by one in each subsequent year). If all the beneficiaries are not all individuals, the 5-year rule applies. If there are separate accounts, use the Single Life Expectancy (reduced by one in each subsequent year) of each beneficiary for their separate account. If RMD had been reached, use the longer of the life expectancy of the oldest beneficiary or the decedent in the calendar year following the year of death.

Not sure if this really helps, but it was what I could find quickly.

Catherine

None of this matters the world is ending on July 15, 2008! I have even given up hangings until then. (JK)

Why that particular day? (There are still signs on lampposts around here warning people that the Rapture will take place on some day in October, 1997 -- we're still here, no one disappeared to my knowledge.)

I agree that ClickStampOnline was the better of the choices and was very disappointed when PB discontinued it and got me to move to their more expensive and IMHO less capable program Shipstream. Further Shipstream would not even run on my new computer, yet its interface is identical to Endicia.

Although I liked ClickStampOnline, Endicia does have some features ClickStampOnline did not though, such as printing actual stamps.

Now what is "Desktop Dozen"?

Desktop Dozen is a set of 12 desktop utilities. There is a postage calculator, a printing calculator (like a paper tape, only on-screen), zip code finder, area code finder, multi-year calendar, a date calculator (good for "client was in US from date X to date Y - do they get NR Alien status?"), and a bunch of others. Cost was like $20 or something. They run quick and took hardly any disk space. http://www.spudcity.com/d12/desktop_dozen.htm is where to look.

Catherine

I have not been able to get a response from JQ International regarding the purchase of a new chip that will change the postage rates on my postage scale. Does anyone know if they have gone out of business? If so..... What postage scale are you using or what would you recommend for my small office??? Thanks for your help ;~)

There's a desktop utility called "desktop dozen" (did someone here or on another forum recommend it to me?). It has all the postage rates. Use the scale for weight, and the utility for postage.

Also, Dymo has a new labeller package that comes with the label printer, a digital scale, and an online postage purchasing account. Not cheap, but it's a permanent solution. I have a label printer that I use constantly; it's a real convenience and a real workhorse.

Catherine

>>a grammar checker<<

I used to hate that, but I'm beginning to think a bit of standardized grammar might be helpful. Here's a monster double negative, a multi-uple negative, from one of our national leaders, Ben Bernanke, just this morning saying the Fed "will strongly resist an erosion of longer-term inflation expectations, as an unanchoring of those expectations would be destabilizing for growth as well as for inflation."

I think he means that inflation is a good thing because it controls inflation, but I'm not sure.

There's another old saying that a double negative means a positive, but that there are NO double positives that mean a negative.

Yeah, right.

Catherine

Took EA exam quite a few years ago. Used Gleim. I used them for my CPA exam prep (which was computerized). Very happy with them and the cost was reasonable. They probably have self-study for the computerized EA. www.gleim.com

I also used Gleim and was happy with the results. You'll get it next time!

Catherine

Nice site, Catherine. That motivated me to add File Share. I'm usually able to use Mozilla FireFox. Once in a while, my site or e-mail or Site Builder or even this board acts funny under Mozilla; then I click the IE switch. The techies at Site Builder use and love Mozilla, so they'll get the kinks worked out someday.

Glad you liked it! Yes, it will be better when the file share works on Firefox as well. It's much more inherently secure than Internet Exploder.

Catherine

Thanks so much, Catherine. I will pass along this information. I'm certain these folks will appreciate having even one contact to make about this issue. They can then take it from there. Thanks again!

You are very welcome; so glad I could help!

Catherine

Hey, I've been using that on my personal email for several months! Isn't it great? I've gotten so many comments about it, too.

I notice that you are in Lexington MA. I lived in Boston for 13 years in another life. Now I have a retired couple who moved to Concord to be near family. They have several Ohio trusts. I believe only the revocable trusts need to be "converted" or updated to MA trust verbiage for probate absquatulation purposes. Neither they nor do their daughters know any attorneys who handle this work. My Ohio "go to" attorney doesn't have any MA connections either. Is there an attorney with whom you work and trust that competently handles trusts? Let me know if you do. I thank you!

Absolutely! There is a lovely lady, who specializes in trusts and estates and is just terrific at her work -- and she's IN Concord!

Lindsay Smith Kafka is the name and her contact information is also on the "Links" page on my web site (www.grant-financial.com). Phone 978-369-3985. There's another guy in Salem that I think highly of; he and Lindsay give seminars (for other attorneys) together. But it's a hike from Concord, and she's right there.... if your folks want the other contact, he's also on my web site.

Yes, I just love the sig line and I've gotten some funny comments about it.

Catherine

I am testing my new signature line.

Thanks for the tip - Judge.

Tom

Lodi, CA

Found it!!

Thanks.

Catherine

Can clients upload files to you thru the website?

Yes, they can. I also have an execusite web site that I bought through ATX. You can look at it at www.grant-financial.com. Home page has a link to a secure file share -- THAT only works in IE; I use FireFox and have to use an IE tab for that one thing. But it's great; I've had lots of clients send me pdf's, original doc's they forgot to bring.... one client who is in the Philippines sends my _everything_ over the file transfer -- and ditto going back to him.

Everything came with the site. All I added was PayPal (mainly for a couple of out-of-state clients who pay slowly), my local weather page (free "stickers" from weather underground), and info on me. Updated the links to include NAEA and some local folks I keep referring people to. And most of those waited quite a while.

One of the other things you can do is send targeting newsletters to selected clients. I haven't set that up yet, but it's next on the list of things to do (in my copious free time, LOL). I did add the "do your taxes online" button, but no one used it that I know of.

Catherine