Year End Newsletter

[Kurly]

Mornin all:

Do you send out newsletters? If so do you buy commercially or create you own? What software to produce the newsletter do you use? Any samples you would like to share.

kschons@comcast.net

Thanks All

[zeros]

Newsletter

I send out a newsletter every year. Just a way of letting my clients know where my office will be. I spend some time on creating the letter but not certain how much good it does other than stating my location. Some don't even open it. It does include an itemized deduction list and other information I need. I use EXCEL and four pages which I bring to the printer and print on 8x14 paper and fold it.

[Jiggers]

Newsletters

I used to send out informative newsletters to all clients. Or at least I thought they were informative. I spent lots of time putting these together in December, getting them ready to mail out the last week of December.

Most clients never paid attention to them, some even brought the envelope in unopened, handing it to me with the question "what do you need?"

I changed that long newsletter to a one sheet, 2-sided, 8½" X 11", "TAX FILING INFORMATION OF 2XXX TAX RETURNS".

This gave my information due dates, information on making appointments, extensions, tax appointment checklist, my "Privacy" statement, etc.

I mail this out, with my engagement letter, and, if necessary, a vehicle mileage statement.

[thomtax]

Engagement letter

I mail this out, with my engagement letter, and, if necessary, a vehicle mileage statement.

Jiggers,
I am trying to work on engagement letter. If you don't mind, would you send me a copy of your letter to see what needs to be added, deleted or changed. Or, if you prefer not to, maybe direct me to a site for a suggested form.

To prevent tying up the board, you can send it as private email.

Also, anyone else that is willing to share, I would appreciate your copies also.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[geekgirldany]

I too tried mailing out a tax update newsletter. I asked several if they got it. All said they threw it away. They didn't understand it and that was what I was doing their taxes for them.

I have never thought about sending out engagements letters. That is a good idea. I ususally wait until after the return is finish to get them to sign mine.

[taxfun]

Newsletters & Engagement letters

We will not complete a tax return without a signed engagement letter. In almost 25 years of practice for our firm, we have never had a client refuse to sign an engagement letter.

We try to publish (written in-house) a 3 page tax news letter monthly; however, we do not always make it in the the first 4 months of the year.

We try to cover the major tax law changes in our client letter accompanying our organizer right after Christmas.

[geekgirldany]

We will not complete a tax return without a signed engagement letter. In almost 25 years of practice for our firm, we have never had a client refuse to sign an engagement letter.
.

Do you have a standard engagement letter that you already have printed out and just have them sign it first? What I have been doing is that my engagement letter is part of my tax programs letters. So it prints their name, address, etc when I print the return. That is why I always waited until I finished to get them to sign it. But really looking at it doesn't do much good waiting until the end does it?

[taxfun]

Engagement letters

We have standard engagement letters for individual returns (we use Lacerte) that we edit annually that go out with our organizers and year-end letter just after Christmas. Our S-Corporation, Corporation and Partnership engagement letters are written when we take on a client and are generally multi-year which are updated when we had services to our engagement, or at other appropriate times.

[Beth]

Engagement Letters

Does anyone use an engagement letter that essentially says, "until one of us cancels"?

A firm I worked for used these, and it sure would seem like one less thing to do each season...

[Jiggers]

Need one each year

Does anyone use an engagement letter that essentially says, "until one of us cancels"?

A firm I worked for used these, and it sure would seem like one less thing to do each season...

I think I would want an engagement letter each year. Signing a new one each year helps them remember that they signed one.

I can just see the client saying "I don't remember signing one of those in 1968". Besides, things change each year, their honesty included.

[dyne]

I have been preparing my own tax newsletter for 24 years which I staple on top of my
clients tax returns each year. Usually it is only one page. I have been told by my many of
my clients that they look forward to reading it.

[Jiggers]

Attached to return?

I have been preparing my own tax newsletter for 24 years which I staple on top of my
clients tax returns each year. Usually it is only one page. I have been told by my many of
my clients that they look forward to reading it.

You give them your newsletter AFTER you have completed their return?

[Gretel]

I mail a newsletter created by ClientWhys in November to about half of my clients. In December all my clients get a letter with info needed for tax return preparation and in early January a small number of my clients gets an organizer.

I received feed back on my December mailing but never on my November mailing and I am thinking of discontinuing the November newsletter.

[dyne]

Yes, I give my newsletter each year to my clients when they come to me each year
by stapling it to their tax return copy. The alternative is to MAIL it to them earlier, like
in December. But it cost a lot of money and many of them will not read it anyway. I have to
stay ahead of the information but I have finished my newsletter for this coming year and
am working on the newsletter for the NEXT year. I also have many newsletters on differant
issues which I wrote and I give them out to clients when they ask about such matters.
Often I will staple several of my various newsetters on top of the tax returns I just prepared.
I admit I do things differantly than most preparers. For example I give each client a RED
folder with my name, etc embossed on it. In it on the left flap is a one page questionnaire for NEXT
year with possibly other questionnaires for a business, rental, etc. I staple the returns copies
I prepared on the right flap. When the red folder becomes too bulky, I give them a new red
folder and start over again. I require each
client to KEEP and BRING back my red folder each year with their data entered on MY
questionnaire. Most do, a few do not. Those who do not comply are eventually referrred away.
Of course, I have to LISTEN and ask questions and look at their receipts and records.
I have over 300 clients. No postage. I do NOT keep hard copies of clients tax returns.
I can generate them from the computer when needed.
Unorothodox-yes, but it has been working for almost a quarter of a century. Fred.