JohnH

I completely agree that Drake doesn't do things elegantly. Neither does Excel when it's used efficiently. But Drake gets the job done lightning fast and doesn't unnecessarily hog resources on the computer. We're preparing a tax return, not launching a space shuttle. I'll demand "elegant" for media, not basic math.

You're so right. And after posting it, I realized that the humor doesn't come through as effectively without hearing the pronunciation in Spanish. It truly "loses something in the translation".

The four stages of Tequila, in Espanol y Ingles: 1) Estoy feliz (I'm happy) 2) Estoy guapo (I'm handsome) 3) Estoy invencible (I'm invincible) 4) Estoy invisible (I'm invisible)

Done ! Thanks for the reminder, Pacun.

Dang! Abby Normal, you beat me to claiming Rita, and for the exact same reason. But, Bart I need to warn you about something. I suspect Abby Normal is a pretty good shot, and I'm not going to be able to resist the urge to duck. So under the rules, that means you're then obligated to shoot me.

Anybody who thinks Drake is "Mickey Mouse" obviously hasn't taken a serious look at it. But if bells and whistles are your thing, don't bother with Drake. It's a serious workhorse. Lightning fast, super efficient, and stingy with storage space. Customer service is incredible. Nothing in this price range touches Drake in any of those areas. Nothing. There is a learning curve with Drake, but for anyone willing to invest the effort, it will pay off multiple times over. (Unless of course you don't place much value on your time. I've come to realize that many tax preparers really don't).

Probably my all-time favorite. Just wish it was still available with the images.

Reminds me of an experience I had when serving as an Electronics Technician in the US Air Force (1966-1970). A group of about 6 of us were nearing the end of our enlistment and we were scheduled for proficiency testing. It wouldn't make any difference, aside from possibly a promotion a month or two before discharge, along with more responsibilities just when our focus was on getting back to civilian life. We were sitting around a table discussing strategies to score as low as possible on the exam, just because we were bored and wanted to mess with their minds. Our group had a reputation for spending lots of off-duty time at the Airmen's club or partying in the barracks & off-base. Hey, don't judge - we were a bunch of single guys with an average age of 22. One career-type NCO was trying to persuade us not to do this on the exam. When everything else failed, he said "Hey, you guys like to party - if you score well you might get a promotion. That would mean you'd have another $100 a month to drink more beer!" The guy to my right looked him in the eye and replied in his most deadpan voice "Sarge, we couldn't possibly."

In my experience, this is the mentality of the typical multi-rental owner. They act as though they have a right to maximize their profitability matter how much it inconveniences others. They squeeze every penny out of their service providers.

Rita, I think you have an ethical obligation to give him his options, the best of which is to file an extension and see what happens. If he insists on filing now, and he insists on filing a silent return, you can tell him you won't do that and he will have to go elsewhere. One thing which is lost in this conversation is the fact that our clients trust us to give them all the information available, and that includes information which may be inconvenient to us. If all the taxpayer wants is to have all the lines filled in, he can get that done with Turbo Tax at a fraction of what he pays us. But I could be wrong....

Oh, I scanned when I should have read. Sorry.

What if you find out later that not checking the box would not have generated a letter or a penalty? How would you explain that to the client when he talks to his co-workers who did not pay the penalty that you unilaterally decided to have him pay? This could be detrimental to a client relationship unless you give the client all his options and let him make the call on whether to extend or file now. There's no way I'd make the decision for a client in this uncharted water.

Bart: You don't need to worry about doing his work. I think he was shopping around because he called me too. He seemed honest enough, so I gave him a fair estimate and he sent me his thumb drive. I'm opening it right now and it looks like everything is strictly on the up and up34324234-2934-=02-0`-2``=9210=`0`02-12`-2`-2`-2`12`3=01243-09137849082374012734=-ipdjk;sdjfasnm p qkjsd ]po mi=I r2r-ir i3 ] ^^^3_(_)(*&)*tilt()))++)+ 3 m] o 3o #####

----> The penalties for incorrect 1099s and late filing seem to be stricter this year. I couldn't tell from my research if not receiving the W-9s qualifies for reasonable cause and exempts the clients from late filing penalties. I want to make sure I give the clients correct information regarding any potential penalties.<----- You might want to study what these people have to say about 1099's and TIN verification. There's some pretty scary stuff in there regarding the Tier 3 penalty, and good advice on how to insulate your client from it. http://1099express.com/TinMatch.asp

Smart move.

Sounds like the Garrison Kiellor story about the time Ole visited the big city for the first time. A panhandler walked up to him and asked "How about giving me a dollar for a sandwich?" Ole replied, "Well OK, but first I need to see the sandwich."

I once had a client who delivered & maintained Porta-Johns for construction sites... Oh never mind...

---> So if you're listed as the "Best" and have five star testimonials, you will naturally get the call before anyone else. Your reputation online is enhanced with five star reviews provided. <--- Nice scam. Without knowing anything about you other than you can pay $279, they rate you as "Best" (whatever that means) and give you five-star reviews. Do you see something fishy about this, or do you think phony testimonials are a good way to build trust with new clients?

Sounds like she was unhappy with the recent rate increases. But the important question is, did she get her mail posted in time for the last pickup of the day?

I agree with all the responses above. (well, I have to especially agree with Rita since she said she agreed with me). Each response has its pros and cons, nothing is a sure thing, but you have more info. You can't do all of them simultaneously. So, Crank, you are going to have to decide which suggestion or combination of suggestions works best for you, taking into account your own personality and the gut feeling you get from your limited interaction with this woman. That's what we do in business - we make business decisions.

Offer to let her pay you in installments or else when she gets her refund. What do you have to lose? Your time is already invested. Set aside ego & emotion and focus on the business aspect. It's a one-off event, do the only thing left to try and turn it into a profitable one.

During what seemed like a routine week it hit last Thursday Feb 8 for me. Every day since then has been more coming in than going out (lots of mine are mail-ins and drop-offs in my mail slot). Now if I can just get rid of this case of shingles that reared its ugly head over the weekend... Thank God it's a mild case since I had the vaccine about two years ago. From what I've seen and heard from others, what I'm experiencing is a breeze. If you're a seasoned citizen, be sure to get your shingles vaccine.

Headaches - unending problems - relentless phone calls & emails. Potential PITA right out of the gate.

I got that same one last week.

Don't you also need my social security number and bank account numbers? I've already got the buy low/sell high thing covered, thanks to some sage advice from Will Rogers. I put all my money into a stock that's going to up. If it don't up, don't buy it.