Why now?

[BHoffman]

We had the meeting yesterday. We went over the tax return in great detail. Client kept chatting for 45 minutes. Client went away smiling although I wasn't because he forgot his checkbook, but I don't efile until I get the 8879 forms back with payment anyway. Wife did not join him, and she has to sign 8879 so not efiled yet.

Client emails me today to ask if he can make still make a 2009 IRA contribution. Grrrrrrrrrr.

I told him yes he can. I also told him the fee for redoing his return will be $100.

[BP.]

Thanks for this post. After completion, before efiling, client emails me to ask if they should track daycare expenses. I say yes & tell him what info he'll need to claim the credit, thinking he means for 2010, as they had an infant in Nov. Couple days later, another email with provider info and 2009 expenses. And he balks at the $40 add'l on his bill. Too cheap by your standards, BH, and I'll keep that in mind for future do-overs.

[Gretel]

This $40 just covered the additional form, right?

[BHoffman]

After all this, client emails me back and explains he is asking about a ROTH contribution

I told him I'm tired and cranky today and sorry if the previous email sounded curt.

[JohnH]

What seemed curt about it?
Was it the word "idiotic" planted near the middle of paragraph 2, or the disparaging remark about his ancestors and the horse they rode in on at the end of the last sentence?

[RitaB]

Or maybe

Or maybe that part where she instructed TP to get his head out of his #$$ and bring his checkbook? What? Do I look like a charitable organization? And, if it's a ROTH, how bout sayin so, do you think I can read your little bitty mind?

I don't really think the client would be offended. Hey, walk it off, that's my motto.

[BHoffman]

I'm about ready to drink it off

[RitaB]

Lol

I'm about ready to drink it off

Yeah, me too, and I don't drink. I have spent 15 minutes looking for a form, and it was in my copier. Aaugh!!!!!!!!!

I would probably slam one back if I knew how.

[Possi]

Oh, I'm here for you...

I can teach you how!!!

[Jesse]

Yeah, me too, and I don't drink. I have spent 15 minutes looking for a form, and it was in my copier. Aaugh!!!!!!!!!

I hate it when that happens!

[ChEAr$]

You can tell when ETS approaches (end of tax season).

If you DON'T drink, then maybe you should. Actually, I recommend it, because
alcohol thins the blood and thus helps prevent heart problems and strokes.
Also, a thin coating of tobacco smoke in the lungs helps prevent asthma and pollen
problems; and BOY do we have pollen this year; as usual.

$100 is too much to change a return. $40 is about right. However, if one wants
to contribute to an IRA, regular or ROTH, he has to come back in so I can fill out the pertinent worksheets in my software to make sure he is entitled to such.

So, now then. My favorite 5 pm tv show is below and is a place, like this,
"where everybody knows your name."

[JohnH]

And now for a musical interlude:

♫♫♫♫

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8ljNobUys

♫♫♫♫

[Matt Sova]

End of season

I quit closet smoking on Thanksgiving. Rarely purchased cigarettes, just would smoke at the bar with friends and buy the occaissional pack or two during tax season. No big deal to quit. Today I told my staff accountant I was going to buy a pack of smokes because of the stress. She told me she would walk out if I did. Needless to say I still have not smoked since T'giving.

Drinking however.....

[JohnH]

Stay away from them. Learn something from what happened to me.

I quit 3 times before finally giving it up for good back in the 70's. The first two times I started back after giving in and having a single cigarette when I was in a stressful situation. Both times it was after having been off the darn things for a year or more.

Finally decided to think of myself as a non-smoker rather than an ex-smoker. That worked. Thinking of yourself as an ex-smoker puts you in the mindset of smoking as being something you COULD go back to, either by choice or in unusual circumstances such as stress. Thinking of yourself as a non-smoker helps put the idea out of your head - think of it as simply something you just don't do, period.

[Snaggletooth]

Mind Games

John, maybe I can do the same thing about food.

Think of myself as a current svelte track star instead of an ex-football lineman.
I'm so jealous of joggers I wanna hit one whenever I'm driving.

Or maybe join my local chapter of "food anonymous?"