Catherine

Makes me feel warm that it was "just" -4F this morning here (Massachusetts) with light winds. My husband lived in California for a while (3 years) after he got out of school. He says he went close to crazy from the one-and-only forecast: "Late night and early morning low clouds and fog". Catherine

Thanks for the reminder -- I was going to put a note in the folders of the two clients this may apply to -- I'll do that right now. Catherine

I did this for a client late last year (printed out the "not for filing" ATX copy). The bank took it. And I ordered some blanks to keep on hand. The suggestion of signing up for EFTPS would be a good one IF it didn't take a couple of weeks for the registration plus snail mail confirmation and PIN to come through. The clients I've had who've gotten stuck have usually been caught by a tax payment due _after_ their old PR vendor stopped working for them but _before_ the new one took up the reins. And there is _never_ time to wait for EFTPS signup or for coupons to come in the mail, either. Another recent problem I've seen is banks _refusing_ to take tax deposits unless you are also a bank client (BofA is one). I've made a list of a couple of banks around here (eastern MA) that will still take deposits from non-banking clients, just in case. Catherine

My dad did taxes for all our relatives for "free" (actually, we went over for Sunday dinner, pigged out, and then my dad and whichever uncle went off with papers). I remember one time when he forgot the carbon paper, and I got called in to make my uncle's copy by hand. I had _no_ idea what I was doing, but I remember being proud that my printing was good enough and that I was careful enough to be entrusted the job. Must've been all of about 9 years old. Thanks, KC -- I hadn't remembered that in years. CAtherine

Unless you have a PDF writer installed as a printer.... that has worked for me. It might be worth a try with a trial batch of, say, two organizers. And see how it goes. Catherine

Arf! Arf!

We still have an HP LaserJet 6MP. It's top speed is a blazing 6 pages per minute -- but it prints the APL fonts. So we keep it around mainly for that. But not too many years ago it was still my primary printer. It also still does a nice job with envelopes. Catherine

Then that's been changed from the last time I enquired of them (admittedly, more than 5 or 6 years ago). They (MS; I called specifically to ask this) told me flat-out that I needed separate licenses for my laptop and desktop machines. So I simply left the program off my laptop. And thought mean things in their general direction. Catherine

1. Is there much difference between Office 2003 and Office 2007? Office 2007 is substantially different from earlier versions; you'll be looking at learning a lot of new stuff (including wehre they hid common controls and tools) in the middle of tax season. Stick with 2003; it looks and feels much more like the version you are used to. 2. What do I not get with an "upgrade" as opposed to a full version? Upgrade looks for earlier version files. If those aren't there, you won't end up with a working version -- it will refuse to install. 3. Will a 2007 upgrade work from the 2000 version? In other words, is skipping intermediate versions OK? Probably. Keep in mind that any Microsoft product is not worth using until at least two major revisions/correction have gone by (sort of like Intuit's QuickBooks every year; don't bother to install until they've done two rounds of bug-fixing). 4. How may legal installs can I do? One computer per license, but check the license for details. If you want one copy at work, one at home, and one on your laptop -- that's three licenses. 5. Which would you do? I upgraded to 2003 about two years ago. Will not go to 2007 until dragged kicking and screaming (actually, at that point I'll probably go for Open Office). Remember also that all Microsoft's new versions are HUGE (make sure you have a big hard drive) files and are RAM-hogs to run (load the machine with as much RAM as it will hold -- one reason for VISTA was to allow more RAM so that you can actually _run_ the newer RAM-hungry MS products). More reasons to avoid MS and their "upgraded" programs, IMHO. Catherine

Oh, I love this!! Here's another story only women laugh at -- and it is absolutely true, as I know the woman involved and she told me at her kitchen table. This woman had a small farm. And on this farm she (NO, this is not Old MacDonald) kept a few goats. And they were always getting into trouble of one kind or another. Goats are obstreperous creatures. And young billy goats are also exceedingly eager to prove their manliness (goatliness?) to any/all female goats (and anything else that doesn't get out of the way fast enough). So this one young billy goat was busy establishing his reputation on anything he could. One day he decided to demonstrate his skills on the post of a split-rail fence. And got a serious case of splinters in an inconvenient location. Which my friend had to take out with tweezers..... one by one ....and it took her a long time. I do not recall the technique she used to restrain the goat during this procedure, but I do remember that by the end of the story, we were both helpless with tears and hiccuping with laughter. But any male human who hears the story kind of collapses in on himself and whimpers "ow ow ow ow ow". Catherine

I have two laser printers that are just terrific: a Brother MFC-8840 DN (B&W multi-function machine) and a Brother 4070 CDW (color). They are networked, they both print duplex (slower than only one side but worth it), and they are both fast (again, duplex is slower because they have to flip the sheets). Set-up was surprisingly fast and painless. The high-capacity toner cartridges are about half again as costly as the regular ones, but do roughly triple the service. At my husband's office they just got a slew of new HP printers and there are apparently some major compatibility problems with their computers. As well as with older equipment they have that cannot print data and reports to these new printers. The IT guys are very busy over there and lots of people are very unhappy about the situation. So before buying new HP's I'd want to do a "test run" for compatibility. Catherine

With thanks to the friend who sent me this..... THE GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally beautiful! Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone with cash. Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain, very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty. Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece, gently aging but still a warm and desirable place to visit. Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all conquering past. Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel, has been through war and doesn't make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business. Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada, self-preserving but open to meeting new people. After 70, she becomes Tibet, wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages...only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there. THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN Between 1 and 70, a man is like Iran, ruled by nuts....

No stock; only real estate is the house (not worth much, but she has an appraisal). The preferences will be very good to know about; thank you! Catherine

Hey folks -- I have a client whose husband passed away. They had enough warning that the few things that weren't in joint names were put into both their names well before his death. Total assets are well under any federal or state limits. No IRD; he wasn't employed and any/all interest was from accounts in joint names. What do people think about preparing/filing estate returns with all zeros to get the SOL started? And if so, then in ATX how do I get those zeros to _print_? When I've tried, I get blank lines. Blanks are not equivalent to zeros; they just look like they're blank. Catherine

I don't know what "chitlins aint blue" means either, but it reminds me of another maxim: Red meat isn't bad for you --- fuzzy GREEN meat is bad for you! ;-) Catherine

My contribution is in the little attachment...

Thank you, KC. Catherine

Amusing replies on my choice of terminology, but I'd still appreciate an answer on the SSA filing! Catherine

Hey all -- This year I thought I would try to e-file client W-2's and 1099-MISC's instead of sending them all out on paper (recipient copies would get mailed, of course). I have sent out the signature pages to my clients (I forget the form number, starts with a 6) and even have two of them back. And my state (MA) is on the list of participants in the e-file program. Anything I should be on the lookout for? If these forms get submitted electronically to the IRS, do the W-2's also get sent off to the SSA? Or do those red-ink forms still get mailed out separately? Sorry if this rambles a bit; my nephew and his mom were here for their end-of-college-semester financial checkup and they got into an argument I ended up referree-ing. I manged not to dope-slap either of them, although they both needed it. Maybe I offended them both enough that they won't come to me for "help" anymore. Catherine

Nah, don't take the Sub-Zero. They're "stylish" (although I prefer functional in appliances), but they have a _very_ high rate of repairs according to the various reporting groups. If you're going to take something for your trouble, at least take something that won't cause you even _more_ trouble! Catherine

I worked all day helping my daughter with a dress she is making. It's turning out just gorgeous, but we've been fighting tension problems in the sewing machine. All that's left is the hem, which we will finish tomorrow. Happy New Year to all, and may the year to come bring us all lots of business but not more than we can comfortably handle! I know I'll be looking for help from my wonderful, talented, knowledgeable colleagues here at this forum and the others I read. Catherine

Ditto for me; I date back to ye olde by-hand with pencil on draft, then copy CAREFULLY! in ink on the final. I really like seeing how the forms link to the worksheets to the subsidiary forms to the schedules.... But I must admit that it drives me NUTS sometimes when the bunny "hops" you around in a circle and you don't know where else to look for missing piece X! And I wonder about Bob sometimes -- like if it's time to back away sslloowwllyy, with placating gestures. Catherine

I didn't follow the TV series all that much but did catch it occasionally. But I really liked the original movie with Christy Swanson and Donald Sutherland. PeeWee Herman's unending death was hysterically funny. Catherine

You are all such very STRANGE people. I am proud to be a member of the group. Catherine

If this means you are working in your knickers (and only your knickers), we do not need to know this. Thank you. Catherine ;-)