Catherine

You will NEVER regret getting the most RAM you can. We have a RAM-intensive business. Tax program, QuickBooks, Excel, browser windows for research, Adobe for pdf's, and more. It's easy to add an external hard drive; harder to add more RAM if you're nervous about opening the case, getting a grounding strap, and mucking about with adding/swapping memory modules. And always get Professional version software. I agree with cbslee; give Dell a call (they always have promotions going on) and see what you can get from them. Direct from Dell you can also get three years of next-day on-site support should something go wrong. Alternatively you can call HP and see what deal they'll give you. Good luck!

Hooray hooray enjoy the day(s)! Congratulations!

95k

Looking into other documentation. From what I can tell, it was a loose partnership. One was going to buy the house, the other do most of the renovations and put in funds because the first had wholesale connections for supplies. Yeah. And we'll never get the other's ssn. Year is 2016; before the tax law changes.

Already done. Blood from a turnip; the bozo blew the money and is broke.

Client made a business deal with a friend; they were going to flip a house. Friend bought the house, client gave personal loan for materials/supplies/etc for the flip. Even got a real note, with real terms, notarized and everything. "Friend" skips out with the money after making a couple of payments; house (in friend's name) foreclosed; almost the whole amount is lost. So it looks like a plain-jane theft loss - but the 4684 for theft losses only flows to Sch A. This was business only; agreement in place, proper documents, plan was to make a bundle on a flip. Should I leave off the 4684 and just report it on Part V of Sch C? I've been looking through instructions pubs and regs until I can't see straight and can find nothing specific to theft losses and Sch C. It does not seem right to report on Sch A; it had nothing to do with personal items. So the question is - am I right thinking this really belongs on Sch C? Or am I stuck reporting on Sch A?

Yes, but when we mail them we get them ready before Christmas. Take the pile to the post office on Jan 2nd and we're done with 'em before people start fussing about their payroll w-2s.

We may try sending them through our file portal this year, for everyone except the few old-timers who don't have email.

We use Paychex's SurePayroll for Accountants. We keep the clients, the clients do 95% of the work, we get paid. Plus we can run interference if needed (add new employee, take one out, adjust state UI rate annually, etc) and pull reports quarterly.

Thanks for correcting. With any luck, those ten would have enough to cover what was withdrawn.

Max W beat me to it. I was going to say get the 5498's going back to Adam. If you have a POA on file, use one of the transcript services (Canopy is free for transcripts; PitBullTax and TaxHelpSoftware both also can do this but have fees) and pull transcripts back to 1980. Those will show contributions and what type.

Not me! Be glad whoever did not get in. The miserable-to-deal-with extra security layers seem to be working. At least for your account!

@BulldogTom I do feel for you. One of the hardest things I had to learn - and I have to keep RE-learning it every couple of years, is that I can not allow myself to care more about my clients' finances and tax situations than they care themselves. We know how to fix it - if only they will listen! Their lives could be so much better! But many if not most if not all will not listen. So instead, concentrate on "Let not your hearts be troubled." Note that at some level we allow ourselves to get all worked up; stop it. (Lecturing myself at least as much, maybe more, than you.) You did your best; the client screwed up and it's not your fault. Do not let your heart be troubled. And charge him a big fat fee - up front - if you take on trying to get even some of the mess fixed. Plus hugs to you. Not Rita hugs! Sympathy hugs.

Eh? Try again, laddie!

You'll have to speak up, sonny!

Ah, but NOW you can say, "I've made a fool of myself in a better place than this, and lived to tell the tale!" My mortification tale is from college. I had stayed up late working on a problem set. Had an 8AM, small, class - with a teacher whose voice was a good match for Charlton Heston; a deep monotone. Sat in the front row (the only one) figuring shame, if nothing else, would keep me awake. Fought and fought and fought to stay awake, and just as I went under, I heard the monotone state, "I see we've lost the front row..." and I had just enough time to think "oh, poopy!" (not that word) before I was out for good. Great story now; utter humiliation at the time.

I do pretty much what Abby and Margaret do. Scan everything. Drake (which I have used since the 2012 filing season debacle) will print every tax form to their "DDM" (Drake Document Manager) choosing the right folder automatically. All backed up to the cloud (we use iDrive; my partners use BackBlaze). The only paper kept are client original docs (until returned), POA's, 8879-series, disclosure authorizations (for clients who want us to send returns to their financial advisors, for example), engagement letters. The occasional reference copy of something or other that we never bothered to scan. 8879-series are kept in ONE folder, all together, by year. One for feds, one for state(s). That way if the IRS ever walks in and wants to see them all, we would hand 'em one folder to paw through rather than have to get someone to go through every client folder fetching them out. After three years, those get scanned in one swell foop then shredded.

I *hate* that! If I can hear the muzak, I know you have NOT hung up on me. Shut your trap; leave the muzak playing. If I'm half-listening and I hear a voice I think my call is being answered when it's NOT. Don't. Just don't. Let the first voice be the person answering. And make them give their name and number at normal voice speed, rather than lightning-fast! Rant over.

Else you can call the office. Assessors

Property Record Cards Online for Concord MA: Concord MA

He's digging for any dirt he can find?

I know of the feature - but quite frankly, there are people on the board and off the board (and formerly on the board) with whom I did NOT get along, but from whom I learned a LOT. There's a woman in our local group. I detest her (and won't bother to go in to the reasons, just assume the list is LONG) and actively try to avoid sitting anywhere near her if we're at the same meeting. But boy, oh boy, have I learned a lot from her over the years. Her ability to cite tax court cases to support positions, off the top of her head, is remarkable. (It's a real shame she's such a disgusting piece of humanity... but I digress.) I don't believe, that if you asked her, she has ANY idea of my low opinion of her. She *might* think I'm not very friendly. Think real hard about responding to someone who rubs you wrong, or blocking them. Make sure it's really worth it. It's also completely possible to get three words into a post and say to yourself, "Nope; not this one, ain't reading it" and move on.

And if Judy ends up NOT having it, I believe that I do. I can see from where I am sitting the file it should be in, and there are a bunch of small folders with "ATX" in the name.

I have often found that Google will do a better search of federal OR state official sites than the embedded search engines. For example, if at MassDOR I specify that I'm looking for tax year 2014 form whatever, they first page (or three) of "hits" will be years OTHER than 2014. Not so with Google. Mostly.

That was specifically for the basis part - not the sale part. Assuming she can find both. If she can only find one..... you go with what you can back up. Sorry for being sloppy in my wording.