easytax Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I received the following email and have several questions and comments. Please note; I know nothing of this company and am asking just about concepts, etc. When we say $19.95 / month, we mean $19.95 / month. No Pay-Per-Return Costs – No Annual Commitment MyTaxPrepOffice is a new online tax software company for tax professionals. Our online software brings you all the benefits of the cloud, no installation hassles, no need to back-up your tax software because we do it for you, access to your client returns wherever you are; all you need is a browser and an internet connection. In addition to working on Windows, Linux, and Mac; MyTaxPrepOffice will work on tablets hosting a supported browser. Because we’re an online software company, it only makes sense to offer customers a monthly subscription. Here’s what you get for $19.95 / month ✓ 1040 Individual ✓ All State Individual Returns ✓ 1,000+ Forms for Individual Tax Returns ✓ No limits on the number of State Returns ✓ No additional costs for clients with multiple State Returns ✓ Document Manager and estimated space to store 20,000 documents ✓ Office Notes to improve communication between clients and staff ✓ Business Returns available as a separate subscription ✓ No More Renewal Letters Announcing a Price Increase The MyTaxPrepOffice Price Guarantee is simple, keep your subscription active and it remains $ 19.95 / month. This means no surprises in the mail after tax season. You can breeze through the summer knowing what you’ll pay. Say goodbye to renewal letters by subscribing to:www.MyTaxPrepOffice.com Try MyTaxPrepOffice Now No credit card - No commitment Has anyone else seen this offering? Has anyone tried this? Would there not be some client confidentially allowing data that you no longer control to be "out there (cloud)? I do NOT like "the cloud" as this is simply a replay from decades earlier where the "push" was to use off site units (same as cloud really) instead of having your data under your control. Yes there are some good things (easier maintenance, back-up if need be, etc. all the usual things) but having the possibility of being cut-off from my data scares the bejesus out of me. I can assure I have my data by doing a bit more work without trusting an entity "in the cloud". More work, YES; feeling secure === PRICELESS! Just checking to see if I am totally a fossil or if my beliefs are still sane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee B Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Yeah, I got the same email and several things caught my attention: 1. Usually you would expect to see a resume of the company and the principals - there isn't one 2. Gives a street address in Cheyenne WY - No registration of the name with the WY Secretary of State. 3. Checked with the IRS Website - No firm in WY listed as an approved software provider or an approved transmitter Frankly this could be from anywhere and it could be anyone - No way to tell if it's reputable firm or if it's scam. My writeup and payroll processing software are cloud based, so I don't have a problem with being in the cloud. However anyone who would sign up with this solicitation is taking a blind leap of faith. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 If it looks like manure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 instead of having your data under your control. Yes there are some good things (easier maintenance, back-up if need be, etc. all the usual things) but having the possibility of being cut-off from my data scares the bejesus out of me. I can assure I have my data by doing a bit more work without trusting an entity "in the cloud". More work, YES; feeling secure === PRICELESS! Just checking to see if I am totally a fossil or if my beliefs are still sane. I feel the same. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTaxPrepOffice Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 Yeah, I got the same email and several things caught my attention: 1. Usually you would expect to see a resume of the company and the principals - there isn't one 2. Gives a street address in Cheyenne WY - No registration of the name with the WY Secretary of State. 3. Checked with the IRS Website - No firm in WY listed as an approved software provider or an approved transmitter Frankly this could be from anywhere and it could be anyone - No way to tell if it's reputable firm or if it's scam. My writeup and payroll processing software are cloud based, so I don't have a problem with being in the cloud. However anyone who would sign up with this solicitation is taking a blind leap of faith. First I would like to say thank you to all forum members and the active community you have here. I know many people that give and receive to this forum. Second I want to say thank you to everyone for being conscientious of the importance of their client data. I would just like to provide some insight into the concerns noted above. 1) While our ownership has multiple years of tax industry experience, they have asked to remain anonymous for personal reasons at this time. 2) We formed our LLC in Wyoming under the name Advanced Tax Solutions. You can view that here https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=017192059142022149044072165209089053042191030224 We have filed a DBA under the name MyTaxPrepOffice so the connection can be made, it just hasn't been processed yet. 3) We completed our e-file testing in November and we have been inquiring with the IRS why we are not listed as an approved e-file provider yet. I will post a link to the IRS site, after the issue is resolved. I hope these answers help address any concerns about us being a real company. We know how important it is to ensure the security of your client data, even when that makes things difficult for a new startup like ourselves. Keep up the good work with the forum. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 First I would like to say thank you to all forum members and the active community you have here. I know many people that give and receive to this forum. Second I want to say thank you to everyone for being conscientious of the importance of their client data. I would just like to provide some insight into the concerns noted above. 1) While our ownership has multiple years of tax industry experience, they have asked to remain anonymous for personal reasons at this time. 2) We formed our LLC in Wyoming under the name Advanced Tax Solutions. You can view that here https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=017192059142022149044072165209089053042191030224 We have filed a DBA under the name MyTaxPrepOffice so the connection can be made, it just hasn't been processed yet. 3) We completed our e-file testing in November and we have been inquiring with the IRS why we are not listed as an approved e-file provider yet. I will post a link to the IRS site, after the issue is resolved. I hope these answers help address any concerns about us being a real company. We know how important it is to ensure the security of your client data, even when that makes things difficult for a new startup like ourselves. Keep up the good work with the forum. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team I choose NOT to send my client information to be stored on any server except the one in my office. I have total control. This also comes with total responsibility which is part of the game. However, if I allow my client information to be stored on a "cloud" company or service, I have no control over security but still have total responsibility for the security of said information. NO CLOUD for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I choose NOT to send my client information to be stored on any server except the one in my office. I have total control. This also comes with total responsibility which is part of the game. However, if I allow my client information to be stored on a "cloud" company or service, I have no control over security but still have total responsibility for the security of said information. NO CLOUD for me. And, what happens to access to MY clients' data if I move to another service in future? NO THANK YOU! The only thing I'd want on the cloud or internet-based is tax and accounting research. Unless I want hard copy print of a book or manual, I see no need to install that type of software on my computer or deal with receiving updates via download or disk, but that is totally different than actual prep and data storage. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 With my developer hat on: Cloud removes some very nasty headaches. No support for installation, maintenance, updates, backing up data, etc. Factoring in support for just these issues is a HUGE part of software cost. Like it or not, modern computer users are insulated from having to know how computers function, and expect software vendors to train them if needed. This is not a bad thing, as it means more can use the wonderful tool, it is just different. (Imagine if GM had to teach me how to drive, give directions, make repairs, fill the gas tank, etc., all for free, because I bought a GM vehicle.) Much more easily to handle proper licensing as one can monitor exact access and cut it off as needed. Costs go up as one has to charge enough to cover customers being online 24/7 and moving large amounts of data. But, those costs get passed on, and if the customer is not all that active, I might make more money. (I would not want to have to run a meter and bill for access.) Unless I am sloppy and do something incorrectly, I have zero liability for lost data, so no new risk there. The bad is all on the customer. Outages. Intuit has suffered them, as has Amazon. If these two, expecially Amazon, cannot keep up 100% of the time, then how can anyone else? Intuit's online payroll was unavailable for more than 24 HOURS not too long ago... Amazon is the back end for MANY cloud services, so it is safe to say they are the best, and yet they cannot be perfect. If data is lost, the customer has likely trusted they did not need an online backup and are in bad shape. Slower data entry is almost a given, and a bad thing for even a lousy keyboarder. For safe data, each entry must be stored and added, slowing down entry. Well, unless you live in a Google fiber area and your cloud service is in the same loop... (For example, I am writing this using a remote connection to my main computer, and even at slow typing, I have to "wait" a few ms for the remote software to send the keystrokes to the main computer, update the display, and send the restults back to me and update my display. This is a very fair comparison to cloud or even network based software speed.) So for now, we remain softare installed on the customer's computer and do not require internet access at all. We continue to consider a cloud offering, but nothing on the horizon. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 And another point, I live and work in a rural area and cannot get cable or DSL. I am dependent on satellite and when the weather is bad, I would be out of business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Sat... use it for TV. Would not like to use it for internet - too much latency. Tried it once, worse (to me) than using my phone as a hotspot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 using my phone as a hotspot. what is wrong with using your phone as a hot spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 what is wrong with using your phone as a hot spot? As long as you have strong 3G or 4G signal, and don't use your computer to move a large amount of data, or need to be sure that your data flow is interrupted by being booted, then nothing. Hotspots are NOT a broadband connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTaxPrepOffice Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 First I would like to say thank you to all forum members and the active community you have here. I know many people that give and receive to this forum. Second I want to say thank you to everyone for being conscientious of the importance of their client data. I would just like to provide some insight into the concerns noted above. 1) While our ownership has multiple years of tax industry experience, they have asked to remain anonymous for personal reasons at this time. 2) We formed our LLC in Wyoming under the name Advanced Tax Solutions. You can view that here https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=017192059142022149044072165209089053042191030224 We have filed a DBA under the name MyTaxPrepOffice so the connection can be made, it just hasn't been processed yet. 3) We completed our e-file testing in November and we have been inquiring with the IRS why we are not listed as an approved e-file provider yet. I will post a link to the IRS site, after the issue is resolved. I hope these answers help address any concerns about us being a real company. We know how important it is to ensure the security of your client data, even when that makes things difficult for a new startup like ourselves. Keep up the good work with the forum. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team I made a commitment to post a link to the IRS website when they listed us. I recently learned that will be about four weeks out. So, in-lieu of the IRS site, here are a couple of our approved states that already have us listed. http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-44070-288814--,00.html http://www.revenue.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/FAAAAC78-AAFC-40B1-A38E-405A84643F91/0/TY2014MeFATSApprovalList.pdf I will not be making further posts on this thread. My goal was not to sell anyone any products on this site, we know there is a market for both opinions. I only wanted to address whether http://www.mytaxprepoffice.com was a real company. If you fall on the same side of the discussion we do, you can feel comfortable knowing we are real. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 (edited) 1) While our ownership has multiple years of tax industry experience, they have asked to remain anonymous for personal reasons at this time. 2) We formed our LLC in Wyoming under the name Advanced Tax Solutions. You can view that here https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=017192059142022149044072165209089053042191030224 We have filed a DBA under the name MyTaxPrepOffice so the connection can be made, it just hasn't been processed yet. I hope these answers help address any concerns about us being a real company. We know how important it is to ensure the security of your client data, even when that makes things difficult for a new startup like ourselves. Keep up the good work with the forum. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team Why not be transparent? It bothered me enough, so... (I can't wait for you all to see this! ) Thanks for providing that link, Brian! Clicking on it took me to the WY business entity detail that shows that this company is a domestic LLC called Advanced Tax Solutions, LLC whose registered agent is Business Filings International, Inc, its principle office in Henderson, NV. http://www.bizapedia.com/wy/ADVANCED-TAX-SOLUTIONS-LLC.html Searching for that co name, Business Filings International, Inc, and location lead me to 4 people all with connections at Wolters Kluwer: President, Karen Kobelski, employement history shows two positions with Wolters Kluwer - VP Sales, Marketing, Service and also VP Small Business Solutions: http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Karen-Kobelski/1315670934 Secretary, Deidra D Gold, another with a position listed at Wolters Kluwer - Executive Vice President and General Counsel for North America: http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Deidra-Gold/113287217 Treasurer, Norm Plaistowe - serves as Chief Financial Officer of Wolters Kluwer Corporate & Financial Services of Wolters Kluwer NV. Mr. Plaistowe served as Chief Financial Officer of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=12933252&ticker=WKL:NA VP is Richard J Parker - Secretary of CCH Legal information Services, Inc and holds active roles in fifteen companies and inactive roles in six additional ones. He is also listed as Secretary of CCH, Inc, Wolters Kluwer U.S., Inc., Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc, some others, and is past president of Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, Inc. http://www.corporationwiki.com/Illinois/Riverwoods/richard-j-parker/26149700.aspx COMMENTS ANYONE? Edited December 21, 2014 by jklcpa had to add the ninja 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret CPA in OH Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Outstanding research, Judy! Why not be transparent, indeed! Will we ever know what is really going on here? The demise of ATX? Disgruntled former employees developing their own software to compete? (Think Quickfinder and Tax Book) Veeeerrrrryyyy interesting..... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 If it looks like manure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 (edited) I only wanted to address whether http://www.mytaxprepoffice.com was a real company. If you fall on the same side of the discussion we do, you can feel comfortable knowing we are real. Brian - The MyTaxPrepOffice Team Discovering this WK connection and the attempt to hide it, I feel less comfortable than ever .... <--- wishing I could make that bigger is this what you wanted, Judy? Edited December 21, 2014 by kcjenkins to add 'Judy's Wish granted' 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Discovering this WK connection and the attempt to hide it, I feel less comfortable than ever .... <--- wishing I could make that bigger is this what you wanted, Judy? Perfect. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxJedi Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 On 12/20/2014, 3:36:51, jklcpa said: Why not be transparent? It bothered me enough, so... (I can't wait for you all to see this! ) Thanks for providing that link, Brian! Clicking on it took me to the WY business entity detail that shows that this company is a domestic LLC called Advanced Tax Solutions, LLC whose registered agent is Business Filings International, Inc, its principle office in Henderson, NV. http://www.bizapedia.com/wy/ADVANCED-TAX-SOLUTIONS-LLC.html Searching for that co name, Business Filings International, Inc, and location lead me to 4 people all with connections at Wolters Kluwer: President, Karen Kobelski, employement history shows two positions with Wolters Kluwer - VP Sales, Marketing, Service and also VP Small Business Solutions: http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Karen-Kobelski/1315670934 Secretary, Deidra D Gold, another with a position listed at Wolters Kluwer - Executive Vice President and General Counsel for North America: http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Deidra-Gold/113287217 Treasurer, Norm Plaistowe - serves as Chief Financial Officer of Wolters Kluwer Corporate & Financial Services of Wolters Kluwer NV. Mr. Plaistowe served as Chief Financial Officer of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=12933252&ticker=WKL:NA VP is Richard J Parker - Secretary of CCH Legal information Services, Inc and holds active roles in fifteen companies and inactive roles in six additional ones. He is also listed as Secretary of CCH, Inc, Wolters Kluwer U.S., Inc., Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc, some others, and is past president of Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, Inc. http://www.corporationwiki.com/Illinois/Riverwoods/richard-j-parker/26149700.aspx COMMENTS ANYONE? Hi, I am late joining the convo, but I was searching over the internet trying to find some kind of review for this software and only found two google reviews - one good, one not so good. I appreciate all of the comments especially your research, which led me further. What I discovered is that Business filings Int'l Inc (NV) was formed by 'CT Corporation Inc' which has a website that links both to Wolters Kluwers https://ct.wolterskluwer.com/. Now, first, let me inform you, I worked for CCH Small Firm Services another Wolters Kluwer company that develops ATX, Taxwise, and a major tax chain software as a quality assurance tester. So I am aware that WK is not only a Tax software developer but serves in the law capacity as well. Well,CT Corp is a company that offers services to companies such as corporation formation, filings and compliance (Business Law). Now this can mean one of three things, 1. disgruntled or greedy employees decided to start their own company, (but since they used WK to form the LLC and DBA I highly doubt it). or 2. They are a company that hired WK (CT Corp) to form their organization and that would explain why you have employees of WK listed as agents on numerous organizations (I realize that the owners of mytaxprepoffice could also be former employees) or 3. WK is a marketing genius and is expanding there market through offering a cloud based software to smaller sized tax firms, start ups or preparers who can not afford the cost of ATX, this puts them in position to strategically compete and possibly 'steal' customers from intuit, taxslayer etc. Either way, I personally tried the demo for the product, and being my first season, the product is very user friendly, organized, streamlined, guided and interactive. It doesn't appear as intimidating as ATX or Drake, and I am seriously considering using it. I am looking into whether i can download returns to my own secured storage as to insure my clients data. I will update you guys with my experience. If the case is that a division of WK launched this product, than that makes me feel a little more confident about it, but I would think they would put their 'name' on it to ensure the customer. So I think it is number 2. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawkentoday Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 I tried this companies tax preparation software. It was horrible. Not user friendly, had basic mistakes. I had to refund the fees to one client. I spent more time sending them issues than doing tax returns. The response that I received from there "support" group was normally that they were sending it to development to research. About half the time they got it fixed within a few days, but when i dumped them, I still had outstanding issues. Finally got rid of it and went back to my regular software. You get what you pay for. I felt like I was Beta testing for them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 CCHSFS is actively pursuing a virtual office/tax prep service. You can take a survey about it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F6DVKYH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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