JohnH

Here's a company I used to buy lists from for a business purpose. I found them to be very reliable at the time but I haven't dealt with them in several years. I'd probably go back to them if I needed to buy lists again. Maybe someone else can recommend another company or provide recent info on this one for you. http://www.infousa.com/

It's also helpful to explain to the client that The Today Show isn't a reliable place to obtain quality tax advice. Everyone knows that the only professionals qualified to render detailed guidance on matters of this importance are hairstylists and mechanics.

I just tell them nothing like this has been covered by any seminars I've attended, but if there's a credit available then I'm sure the person who sold them the washer/dryer had all the details if they referred to a tax credit to induce them to buy. They should ask the salesperson for any documentation he/she has to support the claim and I'll be sure to review it at tax time.

But it's never too late to do a corporate resolution & some minutes to get things on track, either. Well, as long as the audtior isn't standing at the doorstep.

Yes, I noticed the article too. I've got the income limit nailed cold. So does this mean that if I get an audit notice I can just send it back to them along with a copy of the article and tell them there's a 99 per cent chance this doesn't apply to me? Or does it illustrate the statistical anomaly that says if I have one hand in the oven and the other hand in the freezer, then "on average" I should be feeling comfortable at any given time?

I sympsathize with taxpayers who get hit with this premium jump when there's a one-time increase in their income in a given year. I also have one client who has been hit with it from the inception and probably always will be. I'm a compassionate sort of guy for the most part, but in this case I'm a little more heartless - my answer to them is "Be grateful you have the income."

Just shove some of those tax returns off in the floor until you can get around to them. It's a matter of priorities, Gene.

This article is just what I like - more ammunition!

Why stop with only two monitors? Here's what happens once you get bitten by the multiple monitor bug: http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/gallery_browse.asp?ID=711&date=desc&nummon=true&mon=desc

I can see you certainly have a knack for prioritizing.

Gail: I like your idea!. I keep several years stacked in a single vertical line with the same icon but with different names. It's still possible to click the wrong one when in a rush. Nesting the prior years into a separate folder makes much better sense - it requires an extra step to open a prior year.

You know, the second monitor doesn't have to be top quality, or even like the main monitor. I have one computer setup that has a nice LCD flat screen monitor for the main and a CRT monitor for the second one. All you need is the proper card for each type of display installed in the computer. You can pick up a used CRT monitor from most computer repair shops for $100 or less, including the card & installation if needed.

Booger: You'll still be much better off using 2 monitors - much more flexibility. Go for it.

No need to consider withdrawing your post; sometimes a good through discussion just looks like controversy. If I didn't know about both references, this discussion wold inspire me to check them out. Or if I used only one of them, I'd consider looking at the other one in order to make a good decision based on my practice needs. http://www.thetaxbook.com/ http://www.quickfinder.com/

The Tax Book editors have chosen to take a hard line on posts that 1) deviate too far from tax matters and 2) violate their interpretation of offensive or rude behavior. I think they're a little over-sensitive in this area because I enjoy wide open discussion and I don't generally take things personally, but they didn't ask my opinion. Their position is that overly aggressive lanugage in posts can drive participants away from their product. They may be right. Not knowing the specifics of why jainen, Old Jack, and a few others were banned, I have no idea if the Tab Book editors acted fairly or not in their situations. However, I was warned a couple of times and I had the choice to either dial it back or get banned. I decided to play a little more closely by their rules. If my experience with them is typical then it really isn't very complicated - they own the forum, so they get to decide how it's run. This is one of the many reasons I like this forum so much. We still have rules, but the atmosphere is much more open. We don't have to worry about collateral damage to a product we're trying to sell if someone steps across the line, and as jainen pointed out we have a fairly clear method of labeling a topic when it may be incendiary. I also like this alternative forum because I'd miss the benefit of jainen's and Old Jack's professional input without it.

I don't see it as an odd marketing claim at all, and I spend a fair amount of my own time in the marketing field. Any statement of this sort can either be meaningless fluff or it may be significant, depending upon what the end product looks like. WIth The Tax Book, I like the end product. None of this is intended to imply that Quickfinder isn't also a fine product.

You can right-click on the icon, choose "Rename", and just change its name. No need to change the icon itself. That's how I keep them separate.

OldJack makes good points, but then there are counterpoints. The Tax Book is written by people who actually work in the tax business and thus they have unique insights into the needs of tax pros. They also offer a variety of combinations of the publication and an excellent CD. Online updates are standard and The Tax Book sponsors a top-notch forum whose participants include the authors of the publication. None of this takes anything away from QuickFinder, but simply points out that each publication occupies a valuable place in our business. I have at various times in the past subscribed to each, and at one time both, and find each of them first-rate publications. I also have no investment or connection (other than as a customer), to either publication.

Sandy: Thanks for the heads up. I went to the Carbonite web site, skipped the free trial, and went right to "Buy" The coupon code got the price down to $64.97 for the 3-year deal. Here's the link if anyone else needs it. http://www.carbonite.com/how_it_works/

I had completely forgotten about our TV antenna. Ours was mounted on a long rusty pole which extended down to the ground beside our front porch. When we changed channels, one of us would run out on the porch and turn the pole while someone inside shouted: "Keep turning. More. More. Whoah, back a little. Stop right there - that's as good as we can get it!"

My daughter asked me that one time when she was a youngster. I told her that back before we had electricity, we had to watch TV by candlelight.

How about "ice box" to describe a refrigerator?

I just completed an audit about 4 months ago in which constructive dividends were a significant issue for 2006 & 2007. The auditor did treat them as Qualified Dividends. As long as the ownership period is met and the other elements for qualifying dividends are present, it doesn't matter if they are constructive dividends. In my case, the taxpayer and his corporation combined probably paid less tax on the income than would have been paid had it been received as salary/wages, even after taking into account the loss of the deduction by the corp.

Yes, you are (of course) correct as usual. I shouldn't criticize them for adhering to their contract. But as of tomorrow we're changing roles. I'm the landowner and they are the workers, and they're fired.

I'm posting this as a public service for anyone on this forum who uses a mini-storage company and especially anyone who has clients who use them. It's also a duplicate of a post I'm putting on other forums. I've been dealing with the same company for 16 years, now owned by a national chain. I learned today that the unit I'm renting for $128 per month now rents for $80 per month, but of course these jerks didn't notify me of that fact - I had to pry it out of them. They prefer to gouge their long-term customers because they think the customer won't go to the trouble to move or won't bother to ask. I'm changing storage companies soon, and in keeping with a PROMISE I MADE TO THEM TODAY, I'm telling everyone know about the shabby way they treat their loyal customers. So if you use a mini-storage company or if you have any clients who do, you should encourage them to ask questions and compare prices. I'm sure this is related to the current state of the economy, but there's simply no excuse for gouging loyal customers in this manner. I won't name the company, but I'd suggest holding their feet to the fire no matter what company you may be dealing with. Be sure to pass this info along to your clients - you'll be doing them a favor (unless you have one of the guilty parties as a client). Rant over; promise kept.