Professional Organizations

[erchess]

I am an EA so I am eligible to join the NAEA and the NATP. I plan to join both before the end of 2008 and probably before the end of 2007. However, there will be a period when I belong to only one. I am interested in opinions re which I should join first. I would particularly be swayed by testimony about the continuing education opportunities, particularly those not involving travel.

[dsi]

I belong to both organizations. I couldn't say which would be best for you, but they are both very, very great organizations to belong to.

[ChEAr$]

Which?

here is one opinion. and remember that I am only a member of NAEA and
of course our state society, having been active in both since 1989.

NAEA is more attuned to just EA issues and has an active lobby in DC which
represents actually all preparers in the long run. But it's educational efforts
leave a lot to be desired, since it' mostly confined to representation issues,
as evidenced by the annual NTPI courses in August (this year in Baltimore).
Most annual CEU credits members get from their own state associations or
societies.

NATP on the other hand is more broad based and has a better in house
educational program, putting on programs throughout the country. I've
attended several over the years, esp in corporations and business
entities. Their state associations however lack the political clout on the
local (state) level.

We'd welcome you in the NAEA and the NC leadership of course will
welcome you in their state association. Just tell Nancy Colvin that
Harlan sent ya! (grin)

[Black Bart]

I swear to tell the truth, the whole

...I would particularly be swayed by testimony...

truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me Pumpernickel.

I'm in NAEA and the continuing education hours are okay (2 hours in each issue of the EA Journal) and the price is competetive, but mostly I like the practice articles. Some recent ones:

Working with non-filers.

Trust fund recovery penalty.

Debt cancellation income.

Tax savings on your medical expenses.

[New York Enrolled Agent]

Erchess

ChEAr$ pretty much hit it on the head for me. There are a number of good practitioner organizations but NAEA only has enrolled agents as members and thus uses all its resources to advance the EA profession. It's DC lobbying efforts on behalf of all enrolled agents cannot be matched by any other group.

[Black Bart]

Hobby Lobby

...NAEA...It's DC lobbying efforts on behalf of all enrolled agents cannot be matched by any other group.

Well, I wish they'd lobby a little harder 'cause I just had some new letterheads run off and the printer asked me (wearing that curious/expectant expression on his mug which indicates suspicion of an STD), "What's an Eee-Ayy?"

[erchess]

Ummmmm

What's an STD and why would your printer think that you would put it on your letterhead??

Also, can your printer beat www.vistaprint.com for letterhead, business cards, and other printing needs??

[Black Bart]

Dear erchess,

What's an STD?

Modesty forbids a full explanation here. I suggest you (1) Google it (2) Start readin' Dear Abby (that's where I heard about it) (3) Ask your mom...umm, no; wait a minute -- better just ask a perfect stranger (probably a grown-up male would be best). Shoot; and all this time (even though I know a knight takes crooked jumps), I thought we Arkansas boys had a monopoly on rustic provincialism.

Also, can your printer beat www.vistaprint.com for letterhead, business cards, and other printing needs??

Well, I don't know. I just looked at that website and they offer 'free business cards," but I'm a little suspicious. I'm kinda thinkin' they just want my pedigree details to sell to telemarketers.

Outside of the cards, their letterheads seem a tad high to me. For $14.99 you only get ten pages. My local guy printed 1,000 for $59.99. Of course, mine are just black and white and don't have a logo like theirs does. Still, since I'm not an astronaut or anything, I cain't really think of any kind of racy logo to put on my letterhead. Whaddaya think about maybe a slogan? "Bart's Taxes: Good As Any -- Better'n Some."

...and why would your printer think that you would put it on your letterhead??

I don't know, unless maybe he found out I used to buy Playboy (I swear I only read the articles).

[erchess]

hmmmmm

Regarding STD, I know about that kind of STD but I was searching for something you would put on your letterhead. Some European Universities still award an STD but it stands for Doctor of Sacred Theology - the acronym being based on the order of words in Latin. A long time ago the University of Tubingen awarded this degree to an Augustinian Monk by the name of Martin Luther who would eventually become rather well known. Somehow I thought you would most likely not put that degree on your letterhead for a tax business any more than I put my BA in History or Master of Divinity on mine.

I would never recommend Vistaprint's free business cards to you. The catch is not that they will use your contact information but that the back will have line of print promoting them. I do know that the chairman of the Young (members of the major national political party I don't belong to) in my county has their free cards. Young in this case I think is over 19, not in college, and under 35. I know he uses these cards because my mother is a precinct chair for that party. Come to think of it, my Psychologist also used their free cards at one time, but switched because to order more free cards you have to start from scratch whereas having ordered free cards the process for getting the same card without their ad on the back is simple and the process for getting something other than a plain white back is not much more complex.

I paid $65 for 500 letterhead and 500 blank sheets, and I think about $35 for 500 business cards and perhaps a dollar each for refrigerator magnets with my card and a calendar. (At some point during every month they cut 50% or more off all the prices you saw for a few days to as much as two weeks.) All my stuff has the same multicolor graphic design on it and I didn't have to pay to have it designed or uploaded into their system. A down side is that at any point another business, probably a competitor. could start using exactly the same design without even knowing what they were doing. The other downside is that I can't get exactly "my" design from anyone else and thus I don't have it on my business checks because I won't pay Vistaprint's fee for checks.