Blog

I started writing this week’s blog/newletter while on the water heading into “the city” for a few meetings ; I feel so lucky to be able to take the NYC Ferry to peir 11 in Manhattan.  I took this shot as we passed under the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge as we started our journey… Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge Than as we continues on we traveled under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the…  Read more

“WELCOME TO 2023” and yet another opportunity to start fresh with a New Year’s resolution, or not. I was curious, and googled “what is the average time a new year’s resolution lasts”, no fear, all will be revealed.  I didn’t really want to make a resolution even though I have been thinking about this and planning my reveal for weeks. Nothing easy like exercise at least 5-6 times a week or so…  Read more

It’s December 23rd and very stormy here in the NY metropolitan area, so no “white Christmas” for us but we are happily celebrating Hanukkah and looking forward to Christmas this weekend, no matter what the weather.  Of course it is all about family and friends and food.  Just this week we had an in-person training as we prepare for tax season 2023, and what better way than to start than with delicious…  Read more

It’s so great to receive those holiday photo cards as we watch the kids get bigger and go from cute to beautiful or handsome, while we still look so great too.  We also know we are doing something right when our clients show us extra appreciation with thoughtful and yummy gifts/gift baskets.  Thanks for thinking of us. Notice the new photo size; after a few quires to my website people…  Read more

It’s December 9th, not a scary date to most of us, nor does it sound like time is running out, but it is.  There is still time for tax planning, and please don’t groan but this excites me. Yes I’m a bit nerdy, but I do love this time of year. This is a great time for our year-end client meetings which may culminate with a plan enabling our client…  Read more

Tax season is finally over and I love having more free time again.   I am back to taking walks on the beach where the sunrise is great, even on a foggy day, but nothing beats the amazing colors of fall foliage… Thank you Jeff and Emily for sharing this amazing shot from Telluride, Colorado, safe travels home. Thank you Ilene for sending me some great photo’s from your walk on…  Read more

It’s been the week of 100+ figs, some days I pick 5 or 6 and others 20 to 30, then a friend will stop by and find yet another ripe one and pop it in their mouth.  My favorite way to eat them is split in quarters, sprinkled with feta cheese and then grilled; very easy, very delicious, very healthy, they can pass for dessert.  It’s also been a week…  Read more

Fun fact: Beginning in 1882 Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September as a way to honor the women and men who campaigned tirelessly for workers’ rights and give most workers a three-day weekend off from work.  In the true sprit I am getting ready for Labor Day Weekend 2022, with plans for planting my fall garden, continuing my hip rehab with barefoot walks on the beach, barbeques…  Read more

I am in mid-week 6 of my hip replacement recovery and glad to see real progress as I have returned to my office for 3/4 days and am able to walk without a cane and use just the hand rail for assistance on the stairs.   Now I am also back in my garden picking those cukes, and string beans that like to hide in their leaves… What could be better…  Read more

It may just be back to “business as usual” for summer 2022 as we’ve enjoyed great weather and I hear about vacation plans and see photos of family gatherings.  I am in week 5 of rehabbing my hip replacement and am now able to enjoy the weather as my daily physical therapy walk includes the handicap ramp onto the beach at the end of my block. Beach 131 Rockaway NY…  Read more

Get well wishes and lovely flowers have really boosted my rehab efforts. Get well soon I am 3 1/2 weeks into recovery from my right hip replacement.  Up until yesterday morning I was feeling better and stronger every day, and then… Weekly Take Away …after weeks of following the prescribed and ever increasing physical therapy exercise outline I woke up  feeling exhausted, with a 4/5 level of  pain.  I was…  Read more

I hear that many of our dads had a great father’s day celebrating with family and friends: fishing trips with laughter but no fish on the line, special meals in local restaurants, special meals prepared by our dads for the family, zoom and facetime meetings with smiles all around and of course many backyard bar-b-ques. Despite continued high gas prices and continued covid-19 cases most with much lighter symptoms it…  Read more

You and your staff can really benefit from using technology to handle repetitive administrative work; this will help free up staff time to be used for higher level tasks like speaking with customers and analyzing the data.  These days, you can use technology to take care of almost any issue facing your business. Artificial Intelligence can be used as an interface with other software so that you and your…  Read more

No one really likes talking about their death, which makes updating—or even writing—a will an unpleasant experience. Often, people put off thinking about their will for another day, assuming they have a lot of time to deal with it. Along comes the SECURE Act and we see the importance of proactive planning, not just for your retirement, but for your beneficiaries as well. NEIL D. KATZ, J.D., LL.M., CPA Last…  Read more

I offered my top tip for accountants and their clients for an article which was published last week, then I googled communicate and this is what I found: com·mu·ni·cate verb 1. share or exchange information, news, or ideas. Similar:   liaise, be in touch, be in contact, be in communication Use it in a sentence  “We as effective tax advisers communicate with our clients so we can understand what their needs are…  Read more

I was asked to contribute to this online article as posted by Intuit for other tax professionals. My tip: “We find that our business and individual clients are still confused about how the TCJA affects various issues, such as their overall tax liability, entity structure, retirement benefits and deductible expenses. We will continue to encourage strong communication and engagement with our team of professionals. Our clients are comforted when they see that we are there…  Read more

You may feel overwhelmed by this new form and the calculations involved with setting up sufficient 2020 tax withholding.  We certainly understand as it seems that to do it correctly you need to be a tax professional or have a really good grasp on how your income is earned as well as what deductions and tax credits you are entitled to. Watch this video to see our reaction to the…  Read more

Showing your employees that you appreciate them by investing in their future will pay big dividends. Hopefully you have been using 90 Day Action Plans for you and your firm/medical practice/business.  Now that you are familiar with the process, lets expand to create Professional Development Plans for you and your employees as it relates to your business. It seems that no matter the subject of my presentation, I will usually include…  Read more

A great way to start the new year is to implement a 90 Day Action Plan for your company/medical practice/business; you may what to enhance that strategy by creating your own Professional Development Action Plan and by helping your employees create their Professional Development Action Plan as well. I love and recommend using a 90 Day Action Plan for this project! An Employee Professional Development Plan can follow all the…  Read more

It’s hard to believe but 2019 is over and it’s time to create or update your business plan. If you’re like us you’re are currently working on your 2020 business plan too (writing 2020 might take a bit of getting used to!) We are recommending that our clients  “take stock” at this time of year and think about their business & strategy for the year ahead. If you’re looking to…  Read more