Dear Family,
Happy Valentine’s Day weekend. Are you doing something romantic? We sneaked off and took our romantic weekend last month. I found a winery resort in Temecula where each guest room is a separate villa. They are so popular, they’ll be adding another hundred or so this year. What’s your favorite romantic getaway? (Just drop your note here.)
Meanwhile, it’s deeply into tax season. Great news. The Senate voted to reject those ridiculous 1099 filing requirements that were to have been imposed upon us next year. It’s not law yet. But you can count on it to become law. Whew. That would have required us to issue 1099s to everyone a business paid $600 or more – your airlines, gas stations, your office supply store, your raw materials vendors, everyone.
There’s a lot of activity and stories out there this tax season. As you may have noticed, I am writing with a several excellent teams of financial and consumer writers. The WSJ and MarketWatch teams, provide valuable tax information and analyses. The Equifax and Suze Orman teams provide tax, financial, family and consumer guidance. The articles really are helpful. Reading them can save you time, money – and perhaps even help you bring peace and quiet into your home.
You will find the highlights of this week’s articles, below, along with this week’s features – IRS News, Money Funnies, AccountingWeb Blog, and more.
Remember, we will be using Twitter more and more often, to get quick notes and updates out to you – www.twitter.com/taxmama . You don’t need to subscribe to Twitter if you’re on Facebook. Just friend me there. The posts will appear there, as well.
The Tax Calendar is up and accessible from any phone at all (that accesses the web). In fact, you can reach our site and view the entire TaxMama site via your phone. Yay!
This week, I was invited to submit Small Business Taxes Made Easy to folks at the Gerald Leob Awards for Distinguished Financial and Business Journalism, conducted by UCLA Anderson School of Management. This is very humbling company. The panel of judges inspires awe. You can follow them on twitter. Looking at the list of submissions, from the WSJ, CNN and other major places,…wow!
An interesting feature of the submission process is that they prefer to get the books and articles in electronic format. McGraw-Hill is sending them THIRTY ebooks for the judging. Another oddity is that this award from a California university is presented at a ceremony in New York. When I asked them about that, they said it started out there. After all, that’s the heart of the financial community. But they did bring the awards to California one year – and no one came. Ooops.
You can pick up your own copy of Small Business Taxes Made Easy inexpensively at Amazon.com. There’s even an ebook version out there for your Kindle or ebook reader.
CPE Link Classes
We’ll be back after tax season. Meanwhile, use the recorded classes as resources.
https://www.cpelink.com/teamtaxmama
Even in the middle of tax season, you sometimes need to learn something – or look up a procedure, quickly. One of the best ways to do that is with one of CPE Link classes. Look through the topics on the self-study classes or resources. Each course will include the handouts – with the reference material you need.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/earn-cpe-without-leaving-the-office/
EA Class News
Su Rappleye lives in Alaska. Apparently, there are no testing centers there, so she had to go to Hawaii to take the CPE Exam. She passed them all – and is on her way to getting her EA card from IRS. Now, if only IRS would post the new Form 23, with the lower price! Still waiting.
Looking for this year’s schedule. It’s coming. I promise. I expect to have the 2011 schedule and early-bird pricing up by mid-to-late February. With early bird discounts.
You still have time to study for and pass one exam before the testing window closes on February 28th.
https://irsexams.com/registration/
Remember, you get a 10% discount on the EA Class if you register for TaxMama’s Family first.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/membership/family-membership/
The discount code can be found in the Family Look-Ups resource.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/family-member-resources/
Other TaxMama News and Tax Articles:
This week’s MarketWatch column is the February To-Do list, with some things you had not thought to do.
https://www.marketwatch.com/Journalists/Eva_Rosenberg
In this week’s Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney Tax Blog, you will find 5 Things to Consider on Your 2010 Tax Return. Arden Dale introduces an important issue – another IRS amnesty program for folks with offshore money who have not been filing FBAR reports. Rachel Rosenthal covers the Jackson Hewitt vs H&R Block war. Laura Saunders explains how the $13,000 gift tax exemption works. It does help if you understand the concept. Jennifer Merritt describes Timothy Geithner’s take on corporate reform. Bill Bischoff explains some of the law changes brought about by the Health Care Act – that affect your lives. Look for more of my articles each week.
Keep an eye on this page for daily updates – https://blogs.smartmoney.com/tax/
Win a chat with Suze Orman! You might be the lucky person each month to win that prize, and some other goodies.
Just visit Suze Orman’s new MoneyMindedMoms.com site. You will find lots of practical money-saving tips – and ideas to help folks struggling with time, money, conflicts and more.
- You can ask Suze questions in the forum – Suze is actually dropping by an answering your questions, just as I do here. Join us and speak to Suze.
- Suze introduces her Protection Portfolio, a very inexpensive way to store all those important financial documents and others that you need all in one place during an emergency.
You’ll find TaxMama’s columns there each week, along with a dozen delightful women. This week, Tricia tells you how to find free electronic books. Liz helps you make peace with your children by turning them into collaborators. Doreen shows you what happens when you neglect your car. Vicky tells you the surprising result of having her child save up her allowance for a coveted item. Phyllis asks the sobering question – will Medicare pay for our long-term care?
https://www.moneymindedmoms.com/articles/
At Equifax this week, TaxMama gives you a checklist of benefits for your 2010 tax return. Ilyce Glink gives you her spring 2011 housing market predictions. Dan Solin introduces new blogger Roger Wohlner. Linda Rey tells you how to get the most money for your insurance claim with an insurance appraisal. The Equifax Credit Experts tell you about credit trends in 2011 and things to watch for.
https://www.equifax.com/blog/tax/en_ff
This week’s AccountingWeb.com blog discusses how to share information with clients – giving them a place where they can also upload files to you – securely. You will find some reasonably priced tools to keep these files available for clients year-round.
Daily Fitness – This is THE place to come to find easy ways for us desk-slaves to take a real health break. New fitness ideas and exercises each day.
Have you seen AccountingWeb’s new small business publication? Going Concern – focusing on keeping the profits flowing. https://goingconcern.com/subscribe/
In IRS News, we tell you about the millions of dollars of fraudulent refunds IRS issued on electric and alternate fuel vehicles. And a very simple way to avoid this practice. The folks at CompleteTax give us tips on tax breaks for the unemployed. The California Franchise Tax Board is starting a series of audits on folks who received those 1099s for cancellation of debt – which means they are guaranteed to generate some revenues for the California State Treasury. Other states will be watching the success of these audits. Expect them to follow suit. Since so many people were unemployed this past year, you’ll find an article from CompleteTax about tax benefits not to overlook. And did I tell you that you won’t have to pay for your IRS return if you were unemployed? CompleteTax will even upgrade you.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/asktaxmama/irs-news/
In Money Funnies we face utter humiliation. You know those things you wish you could un-say? So do these hapless folks.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/asktaxmama/money-funnies/
In TaxQuips this week, We start the week with Angela, who wants to know if she can deduct her medical massages. John is excited, but leery. He can’t believe that his $45,900 worth of dividends are not taxable. Could that be correct? Craig wants to understand the HUD-1 form. What can be deducted? From one of those unclaimed assets services, Jill learned about a state bond her grandmother had bought for her. She cashed it in. How much of it is taxable? https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/tax-quips/
Note: You can view them all on YouTube, too Daily TaxQuips from TaxMama® – taxmama1’s channel.
As always, we love your feedback, opinions and ideas.
You are what makes all this fun – and interesting!
Please use the Comments link online.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/asktaxmama/ask-taxmama-issue-585
TaxNerd gear makes a bold statement year-round.
It helps attract the opposite sex!
Shop at www.taxnerd.net or https://www.zazzle.com/taxmama*
Hugs from your favorite TaxNerd,
https://www.zazzle.com/taxmama*
Eva Rosenberg, EA
Your TaxMama®
Your TaxMama® is watching…out for you.
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TAX CALENDAR
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/tax-calendar-2011/
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01/31/2011 File Tax Return for Wagers (Accepting Wagers, Pool, Lottery for Profit)
01/31/2011 Furnish W-2s recipients
01/31/2011 Furnish 1099 MISC to recipients
01/31/2011 Furnish 1099 Interest to recipients
01/31/2011 Furnish 1099 Dividends to recipients
01/31/2011 Furnish 1098s to borrowers – Mortgage interest
01/31/2011 File 4th, Quarter Payroll Reports
01/31/2011 File Employers Annual Payroll Reports
01/31/2011 File Annual Payroll for Agricultural employees
01/31/2011 Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return
01/31/2011 Individuals who missed 4th estimated pmt – May file & pay taxes now
02/15/2011 Employees to File new W-4 with Employer
02/15/2011 Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
02/28/2011 File Paper copy W-3’s with Social Security Admin including copies of W-2’s
02/28/2011 File paper copy of US transmittal of US information Returns
02/28/2011 Farmers & Fisherman – Use Personal Income Tax Return – Sole Proprietor
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From TaxMama® to You!
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Follow TaxMama®’s Tweets – https://twitter.com/TaxMama
You are invited to put a TaxQuips Widget on your phone, social networking page, website, or… You’ll get the TaxQuips as soon as they published – long before they are distributed in by e-mail. It’s a nifty gadget. Just pick up the code and paste into your site or application.
https://www.widgetbox.com/widget/taxmamas-taxquips-daily-tax-podcasts
Download TaxMama’s 2010 iphone Tax Calendar. My gift to you.
Never miss a tax deadline again!
The customizable tax calendar is here.
Add or Remove dates. Add your own reminders – get alerts.
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SPECIAL DEALS
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EA EXAM NEWS & SOLVING THE TAX PUZZLE
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Take TaxMama®’s 2010 EA Exam Review Class
All done!
Now, it’s all about self-study and hand-holding everyone until you’re all done!
– sign up now – and join the FUN!
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A flood of Tax Professionals are interested in
taking the EA Exam. We still have a few handy
dandy totes to hold all your books, notes and discs.
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Read the ebook – Everything You Wanted to Know About the EA Exam
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/free-member-resources/
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