Blog

This is the last time (for a while) that I will refer to tax season 2024 in my weekly blog.  We all know that tax season never really ends until the IRS and most states shut down their e-file portals in October, but we can dream.  Every year we say “this has been the worst tax season ever”, and it has been yet again.  Friends and family roll their eyes…  Read more

What a difference a day or an hour can make, especially here at the beach. This morning I “slept in”, yes at 7 AM I missed that classic shot of the sun rising out of the ocean on the horizon, but with no wind, no rain, it really did feel like a spring day…. 7 AM this Morning The votes are in; Saturday Morning Sunrise – Favorite of the 4…  Read more

It’s tax season and as we accounting professional head into our even crunchier time where we are balancing our time between finalizing those returns which can be completed and those which are being extended, we are spending even more hours sitting at our desks.  I am also spending time balancing on my ” classic balance ball office chair” which I rotate onto from 2 other chairs throughout the day to literally…  Read more

We survived the first major tax deadline day of tax season 2024 and were able to celebrate a bit last weekend even with the rain on St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s amazing what some dogs will put up with for a bisket or photo opp.  At least they were able to stay inside and pose for “St Patrick’s Day Dog’s on Parade”… Winston Such a Good Sport Mitchie, Service Dog in…  Read more

It’s Friday morning and I am just back from the beach, where at last the sun was actually visible! It’s positive thoughts that help me through these long days of tax season and starting my day at the beach certainly helps set the pace for the day… Friday Morning & Here’s the Sun at Last In Rockaway we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early, this year it was Saturday March 1st,…  Read more

It’s been crazy busy here as we head into the heat of tax season, and, if I have learned anything from prior tax seasons it’s “Take Care of You First” and it will all work out in the end, or if not, starting the day right should set the stage for your mood and your interactions. This week I made a new friend as I started my day with a…  Read more

I have been enjoying my mornings lately, starting with a long walk on the beach with my husband; nice to share the beautiful scenery even in this bitter cold weather, but… he caught the cold/flu that has been going around and was grounded. I went out on my own Saturday morning, it was beautiful, but the frozen snow made it really slippery.  Can I blame him for my slip and…  Read more

We are now through the second week of 2024 and some of us have not made it back into the office after the holidays due to the flu, a cold that has been making the rounds or some stormy weather.  I have been “OD”ing on cups of hot tea with honey, lemon and ginger and my homemade chicken soup to help fight this nagging cold.  It seems to be working…  Read more

A BIG Good Morning 🌅 and welcome to 2024🥂🍾🥳🎇, I am happy to repeat the sentiment we have been hearing and repeating over the last few days “Best Wishes For A Happy Healthy New Year for You and Your Friends and Family”; I for one will continue to wish everyone a good day.   This week when speaking with my daughter we talked about the holiday meals and visits we had…  Read more

I look forward to holiday season as a time when we come together as friends and family to celebrate our accomplishments, enjoy each other’s company and favorite dishes, create new memories, recount anecdotes from past holidays and watch a series of favorite classic movies.  I hope everyone enjoyed the 2023 Hanukkah🕎and Christmas 🎄holidays as much as I did.  Some of us had some stormy weather⛈️ and others had a white…  Read more

Holiday season is here and going strong with homes lit up inside and out, community sponsored decorations and oh so many “feel good” holiday movies 🎥 and series to watch on our favorite streaming platform.  So many times we say life imitates art and art imitates life, so I thought I would share a holiday happy ending story that began last November… After wadding/scanning through the selection of holiday movies…  Read more

Hanukah, also known as the festival of lights, how nice to have a holiday that lasts over a week with so many ways to celebrate, food, friends, games, presents and candle lighting.  We were happy to be invited to our good friends’ home for Friday night, the second night of Hanukah and the commute (just across the street made it a no brainer).  With eight days and nights, this week’s…  Read more

Hanukkah, “The Festival of Lights”; the holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE started last night: Thursday December 7th.  We know it as the time for Hanukkah traditions like:  lighting the menorah 🕎(adding one candle each night), giving and receiving gifts 🎁including chocolate gelt (chocolate coins) 🪙, playing spinning the dreidel (colorful top) and those delicious latkes (potato pancakes)  and apple sauce. Happy…  Read more

December 1st, how did this happen, I feel like it was just summer a week or two ago and I was working in my garden.  I guess the holiday decorations 🕎🎄that have sprung up this past week are a sure sign that it’s holiday time, even if we here in NYC are experiencing “warm” 37–48-degree weather. It’s winter somewhere, certainly in Michigan where we spent last week.  It is certainly…  Read more

It’s official, LIPA has accepted our application and paperwork, we are now banking our exported KWH.  That means that not only can we “withdraw” KWH when our panels are not producing, we can now report our solar panel project on our 2023 personal income tax return and receive tax credits from the IRS and NYS.  As NYC residents we also qualify for a real estate tax reduction over 4 years. …  Read more

Any tax deadline time is stressful and demanding for accounting firms and staff, but as we approach our final deadline for the 2023 tax season the stress of completing returns and receiving e-file and other documents can really take a toll.  I am glad to be able to live and work so close to Rockaway Beach, Queens and to be able to take a break or short walk on the…  Read more

Our office is still going crazy as our “final” tax deadline of October 15th approaches.  We have given up on sending out repeated emails for “that last missing piece of information” which can help our clients minimize their tax liability and are just working with the information we have “in house”.  I have checked with other tax professionals who are experiencing the same behavior from some of their clients.  I…  Read more

Today is a perfect tax storm day with many 2022 extended tax returns and estimate #3 for 2023  due.  As we brace for this major deadline many of us are also watching the weather reports as Hurricane Lee moves up the atlantic coast; it looks like a perfect storm is heading our way too.  Remember that safety should always be the top priority, so take precautions to protect yourself and your loved…  Read more

It’s labor day weekend and I can imagine that many families are planning a long weekend as the kids will be heading back to school next week.   We often talk about planning, tax planning, vacation planning, retirement planning, etc.  I never reccomend doing something “just for tax purposes” but with proper planning you just might take a partial business deduction for a portion of your trip expenses.  Summer travel  plans can…  Read more

As our clients plan their summer vacations we get calls about the potential to “write off” some of the costs as a business expense.  Just last week I extended my trip.  When the tax conference I attended in Seattle ended Friday evening, I took advantage of being on the west coast and flew down to San Diego for a visit with my daughter and additional training.   Check out the tax…  Read more