JohnH

No need to be concerned. They'll let you know what's up when they decide it's in THEIR best intests to pass along relevant information.

Same thing they told me 3 weeks ago when I brought it to their attention. Maybe you have more influence with them...

KC: Thanks for clearing up the mystery. I thought maybe I was just too dense to get Taxbilly's humor today.

I finally bit the bullet and signed up for ATX for the upcoming tax season. (Still ticked off that I didn't get a toaster oven, but they did enter me in the latest drawing, which I'd forgotten about until the rep mentioned it. If I win, I promise to give 20% to my church and 10% to Eric in addition to what I regularly contribute toward this Forum) Anyhow, my disk arrived today and I noticed it had a Dec 4 ship date on it. I think they did the same thing last year - the disk doesn't do you any good unless you have the unlock codes, so sending the disk is a no-risk tactic. I've complained about their inept marketing in some other situations, but I give them credit for being smart in sending out the disks regardless of whether you've re-upped or not. They have nothing to lose beyond a couple of dollars in freight charges, and it will spur some people to get off the dime and do something. And, as Chad pointed out, the disk really isn't even necessary except for people who can't or won't download.

I ran into the same problem a couple of weeks ago when I tried to reset my password I found that I could reset it by going into the "Manage Users" screen rather than the "Modify Password" screen. Now I fully agree that if they are going to give you an option to "Modify Password" then it ought to work, and I agree that their password security is silly and cumbersome, so I'm on board with your general complaint. But I thought I'd pass this along to you just in case you want to try and get it reset without the aid of customer service.

Julie: You could tell them that if all they want to do is "create a loss" you can give them a tax-deductible invoice which they can pay. It's lots more efficient than buying all that photography equipment & having to put up with pesky customers just to get a tax break. Plus they won't have to worry about hobby loss rules.

Guess the $15 could just be added to the invoice as a "Fee Fee".

I'm puzzled by the problems with General Journal entries that some of you are citing. It's easy enough to select "General Journal" and look at any set of Journal Entries in the same format as a traditional GJE. Also, I've found that a Transaction Detail Report can be configured with "Debit" and "Credit" columns to resemble the traditional format. I will often set up a custom Transaction Detail report and memorize it when I'm trying to work backwards to straighten out some data entry problems. As Catherine pointed out, memorizing it enables me to jump in and out of it as needed. Like Old Jack, I'll often toss the info out to an Excel spreadsheet, but the custom Transaction Detail report can often eliminate that step, especially with some creative use of the filters. I totally agree that clients can do some incredibly dumb things with the COA. I'd like to see an option that prohibits making any changes to the COA unless the accountant is in the room. I'd also like to see an option that prohibits making "Deposit" entries until the client is forced to skip over the "Undeposited Funds" account with a "do you really want to do this" prompt requiring two steps and maybe the entry of a password. One helpful modification I have found to be very handy is to set up an "Accountant Review" account. This allows the clientt o post transactions to this account when they aren't sure what to do with them and can't reach me. Rather than have them hidden somewhere, they are right there in the "Accountant Review" account with a red flag hanging from them whenever I look at the QB file.

True story. Our church collects men's underwear to give to the residents of a local rehab center. For obvious reasons, we specify that only new underwear in the package is acceptable. We refer to it as "Undie Sunday". One year the person who put the reminder in the bulletin wrote "It is acceptable to donate boxers or briefs in the original package, and the donation box will be in the usual place. So next Sunday be sure to drop your shorts in the lobby."

I noticed that on Monday - too late to change the reports I'd already sent out to clients. I believe NC will accept the payments and reclassify in their computers, although it wouldn't surpise me if they send out correction notices. Since the penalty is based on total underpayment and there won't be one, I'm assuming they won't penalize anyone. And if you have reports that aren't prepared yet, it's easy enough to override on the form, although I agree that ATX should have updated the form by now. FOLLOW-UP: I called NCDOR to ask about this. The person I spoke with said they have had lots of calls about it and they are expecting errors. She said they will make corrections and no penalty notices will be issued, provided the form is timely filed with correct payment. I'm willing to believe that what she said is correct.

Here's something I discovered years ago and I think it works great. The attachment lowers the mouse platform so that it sits just above knee level, so I rest my arm on my leg while using the mouse. I can feel the difference in my wrist when I use a mouse that sits on a desktop, so I'm absolutely certain this lowered platform is the best way to use a mouse. I'm referring to the first item: "Mouse Platform, Under-Desk" http://www.aidata.com.tw/products?c=319 It's also very helpful to untether the mouse by using a wireless mouse - you spend less time trying to accommodate the wire when using the mouse.

If the client didn't get a first mortgage when he originally sold the property, he should be asking his lawyer why this wasn't done. I think the taxes are the least of his concern right now - he should be getting to the bottom of why he's in this situation and whether it may be salvageable. But if he's really in a second position, he also might be able to bid the property in if the courhouse sale doesn't yield enough to repay him. Depending on the actual numbers, FMV, etc, he might either get the property back at a good price or else be able to force the bidding high enough to get some of his mortgage repaid. He may actually be in a strong bidding position unless everybody involved (bank, buyer, lawyer, seller, etc) just compounded a bunch of dumb errors.

I've just always assumed that every time you open one of these e-cards, even if it's from a legitimate site, you are verifying that you have an active email address and your name goes on yet another list that's sold to people pushing everything from perfume to viagra. It has the same effect as replying with a request to be removed from lists when you get unwanted emails. Am I correct about this?

Thanks KC. Does anybody open these greeting card emails? I get them from friends or family members from time-to-time, but I just delete them. If they later ask, I just tell them I don't follow links of that type, even from people I know. Too many risks like this one, plus I don't want to be on every email list that's sold by the sponsors of the legitimate sites.

Do you REALLY want to get involved in this? My advice to him would be to consult an attorney.

You're exactly right. http://www.hgwt.com/hgwt2.htm His name was never revealed in the entire series, and "Paladin" was a nom de guerre given to him by "Smoke", the gunfighter he killed in the initial episode..

As long as we're going down memory lane, here's one I remember from when I was a kid. Can anyone tell me why I thought Richard Boone's character in "Have Gun, Will Travel" had an unusual first name? (It seemed odd to me even as a youngster, but for years I thought his first name was "Wire").

Interesting situation here - I find myself disagreeing with both KC and jainen, then reversing myself and partly agreeing with jainen. I disagree with the entire premise that Mel is a sales person for the seller - he's being asked to perform the task of an independent consultant for the buyer. That's where the POTENTIAL conflict of interest arises, but only because he's currently employed by the seller (although not as a sales person whose bias would be obvious to all parties & understood). Under the circumstances he's wise to disclose what I would still insist is a only a potential conflict of interest. On the other hand (in spite of being wrong about Mel's role in the transaction IMHO) jainen raises two other important issues which are very important. By disclosing his compensation to his present employer, he covers all the ethical bases. And if his recommendation is to buy the used system, both the seller and the buyer benefit from his participation in the transaction. I'm also inclined to think the buyer is already leaning toward the used system simply because they asked Mel to look into it when they already had a proposal in hand for the new system. They just want Mel's opinion to confirm what they already want to do. The only problem would arise if Mel thinks they should not buy the used system, in which case he should probably just say "no" and drop the whole issue.

Mel: There are lots of situations where a potential conflict of interest MAY exist, but that shouldn't stop the process of getting things done as long as all parties are being treated fairly. You've disclosed the potential conflict of interest, so I think you've done your part with respect to that issue. The next question would revolve around who you are dealing with in the company. If you are dealing with lower-level or mid-level people who must report to higher ups, then I think you'd want assurances that they've passed the conflict of interest disclosure up the chain of command and gotten an OK. On the other hand, if you're dealing with the decision makers at the top, then if they don't have any problems with the conflict of interest you shouldn't let it bother you. Do your best and charge them for it.

You are correct - the address should be 1201 N Mitsubishi Motorway. However, I double-checked the zip code and the one I used comes right off the return address label that came with the forms. (I just edited the original post to hopefully clear up any confusion) I never have been very good with numbers...

Thanks for all your hard work, Eric. BTW, I had no problem logging back in, probably because I clear my cash every payday (and then some).

While some of you don't fool with Form 8109 and insist that all your clients use EFTPS, I know there are others who have clients still using them. So this is a reminder to order a few 8109-B forms for those situations when the client calls in a panic and has lost, run out of, or otherewise finds themselves in need of an 8109 for a payroll tax deposit or corp income tax payment.. I just received a set of 25 that I requested on Oct 22, so I assume it generally takes about a week and a half for them to arrive. Not a bad turnaround time, but too long to wait when a client asks at the last minute. The request must be on your letterhead stating why you are entitled to receive them, and you can ask for up to 25 forms in a single request. It should be mailed to: Internal Revenue Service National Distribution Center 1201 N Mitsubishi Motorway Bloomington, IL 61705-6613 (I believe this is a new address, because most of my previous requests were mailed to a PO Box).

This is a good time. What about costs to you - is it time for us to chip in some more?

jainen I think Tom's 400% is probably correct (or maybe a little low). That's 100% for Tom, 100% for me, 100% for KC, and I'm sure there's at least one more of us. Whatever the case, don't stop posting - your expertise and views are needed here.

---> I just hope we can all get along despite the election! <---- Good point. And for my part, there's no reason NOT to get along despite the election. There are many on this forum with whom I disagree politically, but I have the utmost respect for their tax knowledge. Nothing they could say would change my vote, but when they raise questions about how I'd handle a tax issue I begin to re-think everything I thought I knew about the subject at hand.