JohnH

My daughter, who works in an industry directly affected by the Affordable Healthcare Act, told me about this set of animated explanations concerning the legislation. Overall, it's a fairly balanced presentation and probably something I'll send to clients who inquire about it. Your mileage may vary... http://kff.org/health-reform/video/health-reform-hits-main-street/ http://kff.org/health-reform/video/youtoons-obamacare-video/

When I first started, we would staple 3 pages of each form together with carbon between them. Top set went to IRS, middle set went in our files, and bottom set to the client. Then the carbonless sets on NCR paper came along. THAT was high tech! But they were expensive - I seem to recall about 35 cents per page. We would prepare the main forms using that paper and revert to the carbon paper sets for lesser-used schedules. The return looked like a product from a committe. For the high-few returns we would prepare them by hand, then type them on a typewriter, and photocopy them. My first copier used liquid toner, the paper came in rolls, and the copies had a gray cast to the background.

Averages tell you something, but they don't tell you everything. For example, if I place one hand in the freezer and the other hand in a hot oven , then on average I should be feeling about right. Or, as my former pastor used to reply when some would ask him what the "average" honorarium is for a wedding, funeral, etc -> "Well, the average is about $150, but hardly anybody ever gives the average."

I got 24 correct, 13 wrong for a piddly 65%. Need to brush up on my American geography and American History. World geography was fairly easy for me, except for those pesky Balkan states. Looks like I'm headed back to repeat 8th grade.

Single ply only. If you double it, the waves get trapped in the interface and can get reflected directly into your brain. Have you ever seen what happens if a piece of aluminum foil gets left in the microwave? Don't want that happening to your cerebellum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdv8uiGacI

The instructions can only be passed along verbally, unless you have the decryption key for the secret version. But here's a picture you can use to fashion one that works pretty well. Also, here are a couple of my friends wearing variations on the basic design. I don't have any data on how effective these versions are:

I think it's because the microwave is made in China. When it runs it sucks all the data out of my computer through the router, beaming it to the Chinese military. Yesterday they learned I have exactly $2.36 in my checking account and my house payment is due next week. But I have a simple solution. I've fashioned an aluminum foil three-corner hat that I wear to disperse the transmissions & connect a 6-ft long ground strap between my wrist and the water pipes while typing. This ground fault interrupts the process and causes their Beijing server to crash. See? It's working right now, because you can read this but the ChiComs don't have a clue what I'm up to. It works - trust me.

Can you tell us where in NC you are located?

Most of us have needed a fresh start at one point or another in life. I'd hate to think that every mistake I made would have dogged me for the rest of my career, especially since many of those mistakes were muti-faceted, complex, and often involved other people also dropping the ball along with me. I also know from personal experience that I have learned much more from my mistakes than from my successes - that's just the way things work in life. So I wish him well and hope he succeeds in his new endeavor.

You could also make a recording of dogs snarling, growling, and yelping. Then play it at full volume and say "Sorry, I've got to go right now. The dogs are fighting again!"

Your comment reminds me of a situation at church several years ago, when the director of our Child Development Center asked my advice about a payroll tax matter. There were only two ways she could handle the matter, one was wrong and the other was correct. I gave her the correct answer, but it involved extra work on her part. A few weeks later, I was speaking with another church member (who was familiar with the situation) when the director of the CDC joined our conversation. She told me she had decided to take the easier route - the one contrary to my advice. Of course she had some very good reasons in her own mind for having done the wrong thing. After she walked away, the person I was originally speaking with asked if it bothered me that she didn't take my advice. I told him the people pay me good money for advice they often don't follow, so why should it bother me if someone fails to follow my advice when it's given freely?

Well now, surely most of us make the useless entry of the "Tax Preparation Fee" on line 22 of Schedule A, already knowing all the while that the haircut is going to phase it out. But at least it keeps the client from asking...

"Oh, thanks for showing me that. Next year I'll buy a ring AND a boat. That'll be more than $12K and I can deduct 'em both. Right?"

It just means they intend to make you the scapegoat if anything goes wrong.

Much of the time, the client asks the same question because we only have this conversation with them once a year. They forgot what was said last year and so they revert to what they thought was right. And the fact is, much tax law doesn't make any common sense anyhow. So why wouldn't a reasonable person question some of the nonsense we have to tell them? I'd tell them to go somewhere else if they continually question my abilities, because I don't want a client who doesn't trust my advice. But in many cases if they take exception to the tax law, then that just tells me the client has some common sense.

The snake story reminds me of the bicycle chase scene from "What's Up Doc" with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neil. One of the funniest moments in film history as far as I'm concerned. The van flattened on the street side and the broken window pane near the end are classics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpAWpgZV-K0

Just make my "contributions" figure about the same as last year.

Good suggestion. Another approach would be to choose an alternate vendor and let ATX serve as your backup this upcoming tax season, maybe on a pay-per-return basis. Then if they prove themselves worthy, you can switch back to ATX provided they give you pricing which will offset part of the addtional costs you incurred.

I often keep it even simpler. I frequently just conference the client in on the call so they can give verbal OK for the agent to speak with me. There are, of course, situations when I don't do that, but they are the exception.

I'll bet you could work up your own stand-up routine based on your dealing with her. Now if there were only a Tax Preparers' Comedy Club...

Oh, that must be it. This NEVER happened in the past - instant service was the norm before the sequester...

Yes, I've had to wait while the IRS rep retrieved the authorization - sometimes 20 minutes or so. Last week I even had to re-send it when it didn't show up after waiting for some period of time. That's why I have a speakerphone...

And I'm betting it's also uphill in both directions. :)

My favorite senior citizen discount story goes back many years, to the time when fast food retaurants first inroduced senior discounts. My wife's sister and brother-in-law had stopped by a Hardee's to buy breakfast at the drive-through. As they rolled up the the window, the young cashier excitedly told them the restaurant now offers senior dicounts and they could save 10% by just signing up. My wife's sister (who was slighly over 60 at the time) replied with a question - "What made you think we would qualify for the discount?" The young cashier replied sheepishly, "The manager told me to just use my judgment."

And let's never forget that if the taxpayer qualifies for the home office deduction because they store product in there, then this opens up the deduction for food and vet bills for the "security cat" who guards their inventory.