JohnH

Brandon was my sales rep as well. I agree, he's a very nice guy - he meets all my standard for a good sales rep.. But the sales rep in me wouldn't want to be in his seat during the next few months.

Thanks for the reminder. Just made my latest donation as well. And thanks for all the help from everyone on this forum. I agree that you're a fantastic group with a wealth of knowledge and a genuine willingness to share it with others around this virtual water cooler.

There are times when their time is more important than yours at a given moment, and there are also times when your time is more important than theirs for the same reasons. That's why I like email so much - it is far less intrusive on everyone's time.

File a NC return with a Schedule C this year and you'll be absolutely giddy.

Do you think the thought ever crossed the translator's mind that maybe they were actually secretly auditioning him for a Monty Python skit?

We're only supposed to drink one cup of snow coffee per day. I think I exceeded my weekly quota before lunchtime. OH, I do hope the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will send a film crew my way with REAL coffee.

Yes, you can exclude it. Age is not a factor in the $2,000 exclusion rule on the NC return. Everybody gets it.

E) Check Facebook and Online Forums from my iPhone (oops, gotta go - soup's ready)

I'd do that except for one problem. I can imagine the phone call from some clients during tax season: "Hey, just asking how it's coming with my tax return. Oh, and by the way, can you check to see if that worthless stock I sold you has ever recovered any value?"

What's the rationale for arbitrarily adding to the fee? IRS isn't punishing the client enough, so we need to add to the pain? Seems like this flies in the face of doing what's in our clients' best interests.

Because the IRS business model has changed. Whereas in the past, many penalties were designed to encourage compliance and many penalties could be forgiven with a simple request , penalties are now viewed as a source of additional revenue. If you don't believe me, look at the fact that new legislation often refers to increased penalties as the revenue stream to offset tax cuts. So IRS is much less forgiving (and common sense doesn't count for much) when it comes to penalties.

Sounds similar to a conversation I had with a foreign client a few years ago. He was covered by his country's retirement system and thus his earnings in the US were exempt from Social Security taxes for many years under a totalization agreement. He married a US citizen a few years before he retired. Then after a couple of years, when he brought me his tax info, he had an SSA1099 in his documents. WHen I asked about it, he said the Social Security Administration contacted him and told him he should apply for a "spousal benefit" based on his wife's earnings. Plus, he is covered by Medicare. He said he was very surprised by all this but he was just following the instructions the SSA gave him. After explaining all this to me, and with a big grin on his face, he said "Dis iss a vonderful country!"

Tell them the penalty meter is running at a rate of $195 per month. Maybe that will get the client on the ball.

Wonder what the Good Lord would think of her sloppy approach to financial stewardship.

I like to enjoy the summers AND winters. If it weren't for extensions, I likely wouldn't be able to get in any skiing in Jan-Feb. And it's hard to postpone that activity until May-June.

Filing a return clears the $3k out of the system and starts the SOL clock running. It will save possible CP2000 correspondence in the future and also protect the client against any surprises down the road.

I don't believe it stops there. Even after selecting the vendor for 2013, good business practice demands that you have a backup vendor. I switched to Drake back in late Jan, but it wasn't a blind leap of faith. I had evaluated them in the past and they have been my backup plan for several seasons. I expect to stay with them next year, but I'll still be evaluating other vendors. Just because they're now my primary, I'll still have a backup vendor in the wings. (Maybe even ATX if they get their act together) If iI were running a practice with more than 300 or so clients, not only would I have a backup vendor chosen , I'd also be preparing selected clients on their software on a per-return basis. As Warren Buffet said in a slightly different context - "You never know who's swimming naked until the tide goes out."

Why would he need extra staff? Extensions are a great way to stretch the filing season out over a more reasonable time period to increase personal production & associated revenue. Extensions keep you from sweating. Sound business strategy as far as I'm concerned. I routinely pepare 50-60 extensions every year (including my own).

No borrowing ability and a big tax bill. Looks like the client needs to consider an installment agreement. And start paying estimated taxes as she is being advised.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Resurrection Day weekend.

I was only kidding. A gastroscope is used for the EGD and a colonoscope is used for the colonoscopy. They are different lengths, different diameters, and the design is slightly different.

If they do, hopefully it's in the correct order. At least there's a 50% chance they'll get it right.

Now THAT'S an interesting motivator. If they could develop a colonoscope which could filter out the red hue, but then tell everyone to use red gatorade, red Kool-Aid, or cranberry juice for the bowel prep. I'll bet once that evening is over, they'd be running to the doctor's office to get the procedure done.

There could be pictures, and he may have actually told her something or the other during the after-procedure conversation. But I wouldn't really know because I pretty much dozed through that conversation. The best part is going home after the procedure is over. What man wouldn't enjoy napping on the sofa, watching TV, eating everything in sight, and passing gas all afternoon? Plus your wife being pleased about all of it...

I asked my doctor if he'd give me a note for my wife certifying that my head wasn't up there, but he politely refused.