It's one of those days

[jklcpa]

I just got off the phone with a client that is dumb as a rock. Seriously.  Two years in a row I discovered that she wrote down her phone number wrong. I tried to call several days in a row for answers to my questions to no avail. "That number is not in service." With that, I sent her my printout of notes with 2 simple questions 10 days ago. Days go by with nothing but crickets, and then she called from the (correct) number that she should have given me, and it is apparently in her boyfriend's name, so I assumed it was a spoofed fake name from a robocall and didn't answer the call.  After listening to her message and calling her back using redial, she wonders how I had the correct phone # to call after I told her that she wrote it down wrong. When I asked if she got my notes in the mail, she said 'no' and then said, "well, I didn't open anything from you anyway"    Arrrrggggghhhhh!

I suffered on with the conversation and mentioned that tax law changes should benefit her but that it might be a good idea to check her 2018 withholding (because she's one that likes a big refund) because the IRS revised the withholding tables, and if she would like to discuss that to please bring a recent pay stub, and ... wait for it... she said "oh, one more way they are screwing us."

Did I say Arrrrggggghhhhh! already?  She's one that won't be invited back next year.

 

 

[Catherine]

 for this client!

 

I don't recognize the picture you included, but feel like I should.  Who is it?

[grmy2h]

1 minute ago, Catherine said:

 Who is it?

Will Robinson - Lost in Space.

[Terry D EA]

It is Billy Mummy who played the part of Will Robinson. Now I'm dating myself.

[Jack from Ohio]

11 minutes ago, grmy2h said:

Will Robinson - Lost in Space.

 

4 minutes ago, Terry D said:

It is Billy Mummy who played the part of Will Robinson. Now I'm dating myself.

That picture is form an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in which the little boy controls the whole town because of he evil powers.

[jklcpa]

Yep, Jack got it right. The episode is called "It's a Good Life" where the little boy wishes people off to the cornfield.

[Terry D EA]

Didn't recognize the episode but it is still Billy Mummy

[Catherine]

I *knew* the kid looked familiar!  I certainly watched Lost In Space (where he was older), but I did not really watch the Twilight Zone.  Thank you all!

[Abby Normal]

12 hours ago, Jack from Ohio said:

controls the whole town because of he evil powers

Jack's dream job.

[Jack from Ohio]

10 minutes ago, Abby Normal said:

Jack's dream job.

 

[JohnH]

3 hours ago, Catherine said:

I *knew* the kid looked familiar!  I certainly watched Lost In Space (where he was older), but I did not really watch the Twilight Zone.  Thank you all!

Twilight Zone reruns are fun to watch.  You constantly see many actors in their younger years as they were starting out before they went on to become famous. 

[Lion EA]

And, you can binge watch a bunch on many holidays.

[Roberts]

Idiot clients?

Client makes a solid salary and is a single earner in the household - last few years he'd made about $150k. They always received a $7k refund which they used on vacation.

Nothing changed from what I can tell in their lives except he took a new position in the company and this year earned $345k. Nice. Except now they owe about $4k with the return.

The wife informed me she didn't have a clue how they were ever going to be able to afford to pay that and is wondering about a monthly payment plan. How is that possible?

[Jack from Ohio]

1 minute ago, Roberts said:

Idiot clients?

Client makes a solid salary and is a single earner in the household - last few years he'd made about $150k. They always received a $7k refund which they used on vacation.

Nothing changed from what I can tell in their lives except he took a new position in the company and this year earned $345k. Nice. Except now they owe about $4k with the return.

The wife informed me she didn't have a clue how they were ever going to be able to afford to pay that and is wondering about a monthly payment plan. How is that possible?

[Abby Normal]

2 minutes ago, Roberts said:

didn't have a clue how they were ever going to be able to afford

Maybe they can do a payday loan.

[Abby Normal]

3 minutes ago, Roberts said:

single earner

But I bet there double spender!

I see these kinds too often and I always ask, 'no interest or dividends', with my most incredulous look.

[Cathy]

Robert,

12 minutes ago, Roberts said:

The wife informed me she didn't have a clue how they were ever going to be able to afford to pay that and is wondering about a monthly payment plan. How is that possible?

Robert, I think your answer to "How is that possible?" is in the prior sentence (same paragraph).  It's the wife...the husband is a single wage earner for the family and the wife is a stay at home shopaholic and may have found a nice little place to gamble too.  I have seen couples like this and God forbid, something tragic happens with the wife.  After, the widower trucks on and always has plenty enough to pay me without asking me to hold his check.  I can say this outloud because I'm a female too!  Not one who would live way beyond my means....but nevertheless I have seen it happen too many times over the years.

[Cathy]

JKL, 

You took the words right out of my mouth..."She's one that won't be invited back next year."   

Life is too short for such nonsense, and you can count on the fact that she's a tad bit smarter than she lets on.  Not too big of a tad, but a tad anyway!   With all of the 

changes that have come and gone and will come again next year,  if you don't give it your all, you don't come back!  You may even be told to go somewhere else before next year!

Take care,

Cathy

 

 

[Roberts]

I've been to their house - I don't see the wife as a big spender. It's a nice house and they drive nice cars but they've had them all a few years. It's certainly not clothing or jewelry from what I've seen.

I have another couple about 30 years of age and no kids. She makes $100k and he makes $130k. They live in a $150k home (with a full mortgage) and have no assets outside of their retirement plan (they do contribute about $30k there). WTF is the money? I have friends who make exceptionally similar money at 50 years of age - NO dividends or interest and a full mortgage (they just built a new / slightly larger house but nothing massive).

[Catherine]

My guess is high-end phone plans, top-of-the-line cable TV service.  Dinners at nice restaurants, buying lunch every day at work.  Vacations that involve hotels and airfare.  Eats up the money fast.

[SaraEA]

I too have clients who have very nice incomes and little in the way of interest or divs.  When I call them and say they can put $28k into their SEP, owe IRS and state $10k, and need to make first-quarter estimates of $5k, they say "okay."  Where is that money coming from?  Most are not in cash businesses and are smart enough not to keep their cash under the mattress.