JohnH

Thanks for all the additional replies. The trust is ending because the beneficiaries want to simplify their lives. Costs are not worth maintaining the trust, in their opinion. All beneficiaries are in agreement to end the trust.

I vote letter. Depending upon the amount involved, I might even pay the $12 for express mail, just to document when the reply & check copies were mailed in.

Thank you Sara. That's very helpful and a big relief.

Friday afternoon question, since my mind is elsewhere. Husband and wife own residential rental property with $50K cost basis but appraised at $200K in 2002. She dies later in 2002 and her half goes into an irrevocable trust. So the cost basis for her trust is $100K. Adult son and daughter of the couple are the beneficiaries of the trust. In 2012, the property is transferred to an LLC, owned 50% each by husband and the wife's trust. The LLC files as a partnership, with income/loss being reported by the husband and the trust via their K-1's. In 2014, husband dies. Property appraises at $400K. His will calls for his interest in the property to pass to the same son and daughter as above. Property eventually sells for $400K and the LLC will dissolve. As I see it, the cost basis for the son & daughter is $200K ($100K each) for their share of the husband's interest in the LLC. The son & daughter will report zero gain on each of their their proportional shares of the husband's 50% of the LLC ($200K selling price minus $200K stepped up basis), and the mother's trust will report $100K of long term capital gain ($200K selling price minus $100K in cost basis). Is that correct? Second question - any thoughts on whether the trust can show the $100K of long term capital gain on the K-1's issued to the son & daughter beneficiaries? (Tax will be much lower if the beneficiaries can report the gain rather than the trust). So far I've read lots of confusing stuff on this. Any thoughts or speculations would be helpful.

Well, more new information. I didn't know about the Snipping Tool. Now I've already used it a couple of times. Anybody have suggestions for any more neat features?

Today is Friday May 27. This morning when I came into work, I turned on my computer and began a normal day. But then as I visited this forum it occurred to me this could have been a very stressful & aggravating Friday. As I noted in my reply to your post on Monday of this week, since I had clicked the "x" on the Win10 installation window, the sneaky Win10 install had been scheduled for Thursday night without my knowledge. I only discovered this after running the utility you graciously provided the link for. Since I switch my computer off in the evening, I suspect that when I turned the computer on this morning the Win10 install would have been sitting there waiting to pounce. By the time I made coffee and started trying to work, I would have been bogged down in a frustrating cycle of "what's going on and why?" So again I just want to say "thanks" for the heads up you gave on Monday. Many thanks.

I turn off my computer every evening. When I came in this morning and started it up, it was nice not to have to deal with the annoying Win 10 popup, since I ran the Never10 utility. Thanks very much for that link.

Thanks. I had clicked the "x" in the upper right-hand box this morning (as always) without looking carefully at the screen. Sure enough, when I checked the status, it told me Win 10 was scheduled to be installed this upcoming Thursday. So I went through the extra steps to cancel the upgrade. Now I think I'll run one of the above blockers. Talk about sneaky - this is unforgivable behavior by Microsoft. They really are accountable to no one.

I'm with you. If I have a refund, I made a major planning mistake during the year

Here's the sign I prefer if my office. It covers all sorts of situations. OfficeSign.pdf Although with some clients I occasionally I want to pull this one out:

What I'm going to suggest is unpopular, but here's what I'd probably do. Maybe I'm just feeling overly generous today. I assume he owes about $1,300 based on what you said. Unless it's a terribly complicated return you are best served to get rid of it. I'd print out the return and mail it to him via certified mail with return receipt. Add a fee to the bill for paper filing if you are inclined to do so, plus a charge for the certified mail/RR charges. I'd include a note that he is incurring about $12 per month of charges (interest plus FTF penalty) on the $1,300 as long as it remains unfiled, but if he doesn't file by Oct 15, IRS will add another $65 per month to the aforementioned. Recommend that he file the return with IRS using the same method you used (certified mail with RR). The certified mail with RR proves he got the return from you, and the letter gives him proper advice on what happens if he delays or doesn't file by Oct 15. Maybe he will pay and maybe he won't, but at least you don't have to think about the situation any longer. If he cheats you out of your fee, at least you'll be able to prevent him from cheating you again in the future. Sometimes the best stress relief is to claim the high ground and move on.

I found another one while tinkering with the keyboard. Here's the expanded list. Type of Formatting Keyboard Shortcut Bold Text Ctrl+B Italic Text Ctrl+I Underline Ctrl+U Strikethrough Ctr+T Bulleted List Ctr+Shift+L (press again to switch to numbered list, etc) Increase Text Size Ctr+Shift+> Decrease Text Size Ctr+Shift+<

Thanks for the link. I'm repeating it here since this reply jumped to a new page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/using-sticky-notes This opens up even more possibilities for sticky notes.

I also noticed that it's necessary to scroll down a ways in the "All Program" list before seeing "Accessories". Even though it begins with "A", it isn't at the top of the list. I think that's because regularly-used individual programs are at the top, then you need to scroll down to start looking at folders. The "Sticky Notes" program is just one of many application inside the "Applications" folder.

Looks like I am the only person who didn't know about this feature. Thanks for all the great additional tips Judy. I'm storing them on a sticky note.

I was having some work done on my computer by AVG today, and I discovered something I didn't know existed. (I'm running Windows 7 on this computer.) The technician kept putting an electronic sticky note on the screen as he was working & making notes on it. It looked just like a regular paper sticky note. Then he would close the sticky note when he finished that task. When I asked about it, he showed me where it is in "Programs" and he said it is a standard feature. Maybe I'm just the last one to the party, but I never knew this existed. I've been playing around with it and so far I've been able to open the sticky note in every program I run on this computer. Does anyone else use this very much?

The "don't appear to be too trusting of each other" part of your reply is definitely a red flag. All the more reason to do everything strictly by the book.

Interesting. I think I'll start showing my occupation as "Accountant (Semi-Retired) (Marginally Profitable)" and see what happens. Will let everyone know.

Well, you clearly crossed the line between preachin' and meddlin' with that sly grin.

I still remember a young TV reporter years ago who pestered me relentlessly about deducting her clothing (especially her shoes) because she had to look sharp for the cameras on assignment. She insisted that shoes were regularly damaged by walking in muddy or unsanitary areas. I finally suggested that she buy some combat boots, since I'd never seen a TV reporter's feet in any remote segment I ever watched. That didn't go over well. Fortunately she moved to Arizona and is probably haranguing some other poor tax preparer.

Whoa there, Gene. Are you certain the statute of limitations has expired on Workers Compensation claims?

I tried Drake's forms entry early on. But I found the entire forms entry concept to be inefficient and flawed on several levels. Drake's power is its speed, and you can simply work faster by efficiently using the data entry screens. Even in ATX, the forms entry feature only applies at the most basic level. For anything remotely complex, you wind up leaving the forms and working in a worksheet or data entry screen. May as well make that your default the way Drake does it - understand the data entry screens and trust them to feed into the form correctly. (Of course, it's very easy to click on "View" to take a peek at the form if you need reassurance, then return to data entry. It's nothing more than a toggle there and back). You can even write a macro to do that for you if you wish.

In thinking back to when I started with Drake, I spent considerable time watching their training videos during the first few weeks. They are short and to the point, but they help you to get familiar with basic operations and also familiarize you with the terminology Drake uses for different parts of their software. They also provide info on shortcuts and the various routes you can follow to accomplish some tasks, depending upon what works best for you. And they make it crystal clear how simple the program is (contrary to all the hysteria we hear about how difficult it is to switch from forms entry). The switch is fairly seamless, once you lay aside the misconceptions.

Learn to use macros. Do it as soon as possible. Maybe modify a few of the macros that come with the program just to see how they work and how easy they are to write. Then write a few simple ones yourself. Once you get the hang of it, you'll reach a level of transparency fairly quickly, being able to see the end result and formulating a rough idea of how to get there before you start. Macros will help streamline your repetitive work. I suspect you might be able to write macros that streamline some depreciation entry work and save yourself considerable time doing that task.

It would qualify as a uniform for me, because I think it's foolish to pay extra money just to have someone's emblem on my clothing. I don't waste my money on this sort of vanity. But I guess that would automatically rule me out as a sales rep for the company in the first place.