Who we are - sharing

[oceanlovin'ea]

About me - Linda F

Since I got out of high school, I have always worked in the accounting field. But after I had children, I did some part time work with temp agencies and then I managed a small credit union for a couple of years until the number of workers in the plant went so low we decided to merge with a larger credit union. I worked at that credit union for a couple of years but I didn't want to work full time any more and they needed someone full time. So I took the H&R Block course in 1985 and went to work for them. I worked for them for 15 years. I started working when we still wrote returns by hand. I worked in a really great office with some people who knowledge was excellent.It was good years there and I was able to be home with my kids 9 months out of the year while they were growing up.

Some friends had a travel business and asked me to help them with some data entry in the fall of 1998 and I ended up working for them till shortly after 9/11 happened. I tried one season to work both jobs and I got so burned out I couldn't do it. Plus I was not happy with how management had changed at HR so I stopped doing taxes.

I missed doing taxes and I missed my clients so I decided to open my own business in my home. I think I started out with around 75-85 clients and now have around 125, I think. My business has grown mostly through referrals from my clients. I also do bookkeeping for some small businesses.
I love working from home. I am a night owl so I work in the evenings a lot, especially if I have other things to do during the day. I keep my grandson 1 day a week and pick up my granddaughter after Pre-K 2 days.
I don't ever want to be so big that I have to hire someone else to work for me. My husband works for me and after he retires in 2010 he will work more in the bookkeeping part of the business since that is his field also. My business isn't my life (except during tax season) but it is part of my life and the rest of my life is what make me who I am.
Oh, I took the EA exam and became an EA in 2005. I am glad that I did that. It gives your clients extra confidence in you.

That's all there is....folks.

Linda F

[JohnH]

I still have a few overlays

I still have a few overlays somewhere in my office storage area - I remember seeing them a few months ago.

I also ran across a pack of the thin clear acetate sheets we would use to make the overlays. You'd put the blank form in the copier and then load the acetate & hit the print button. If all went well and it didn't jam, you'd have your overlay. (It always worked much better if the copier had a "bypass" feature)

If the overlay was really good, you could just line up the edges of the printed data sheet and run the copies. With a bad overlay, you had to line up the "X" or else actually look at the data through the overlay to be sure it aligned properly.

I see nobody so far has mentioned the other major innovation in tax prep - the carbonless form sets. I used to spend hours trying to project how many I'd need for each tax season, and then wind up trying to get a rush order in late March for the remainder. They were expensive - you didn't want to end the season with a bunch left over, but you also didn't want to see Apr 15 approaching and at the same time switch back to inserting carbon paper between forms and putting staples in the very top edge.

A-h-h, the good old days...

[thomtax]

I still have a few overlays somewhere in my office storage area - I remember seeing them a few months ago.

John - Perhaps you could get a marketing guru and create a market for "Antique Tax Return Filing" - Think Pet Rock and Tick Necklace.

I don't think most people appreciate just how much we have become dependent on computers and printers. They are just taken for granted.

LT

[Roberts]

me

In 1994 I got a job at an investment firm as a stockbroker. In 1996 I purchased part of the firm and run the operations and handle my book of clients. In 2002 I became a CDFA and do divorce financial analysis as a side business to generate investment clients and increase income. An attorney suggested I get the EA license to help be an expert on the witness stand and since I had no idea what an EA was, I took the basic H&R Block class and enjoyed it. In 2004 I took and passed the EA exam and have been doing tax returns as a "free" service for my larger clients and as a way to attract some investment clients.

I enjoy learning so I'm now looking for another credential to attain. I am also currently in the research phase of writing a book.

[JohnH]

Great idea

Of course, some people already accuse me of running an "Antique Tax Return Filing" operation because I steadfastly refuse to e-file.

[FEDUKE404]

Why paper?

Of course, some people already accuse me of running an "Antique Tax Return Filing" operation because I steadfastly refuse to e-file.

Actually, I tend to agree with them. E-file is the best thing since sliced bread!

And, to show how long I've endured tax work, I remember running "check tapes" at H&R. (I still worry about how many "old" pieces of paper out there have my SSN shown!)

FE