by Leif Jensen | Feb 9, 2015 | General |
I was reading an article that was arguing against networking and in favor of building friendships. I believe the writer of the article does not completely understand the purpose of networking. The author is not alone, in the past I have been apart of networking...
by Leif Jensen | Feb 4, 2015 | General |
Private letter rulings and their fees The basic fee to get a private letter ruling from IRS is soaring to $28,300 for requests received by the agency after Feb. 1, 2015. The current levy is $19,000. The charge is much lower for taxpayers with gross income of less than...
by Leif Jensen | Feb 3, 2015 | General |
The IRS took a disabled veteran to court over his claim as a real estate professional. The veteran who owns an apartment house, he lived next door to the building and did all landlord duties. Such as making repairs, hauling trash, communicating with tenants and...
by Leif Jensen | Feb 2, 2015 | General |
In a recent court decision an attorney’s malpractice will not avoid a late filing penalty. An executor diligently hired a lawyer to file an estate’s 706 (why they did not hire a CPA is the true question). Unbeknownst to the executor, the attorney was battling brain...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 28, 2015 | General |
S corporations that file late returns face a stiff fine of $195 for each month late, up to a maximum of 12 months, multiplied by the number of shareholders in the firm. So where a one-owner S company lacked reasonable cause for filing 11 months late, the Tax Court...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 27, 2015 | General |
A tremendous amount of thought and energy is going into a potential way to revamp the corporate tax system. With subsequent changes to the individual tax rates, there is alarm with many experts. It is believed that corporate tax reform needs to be paired with an...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 26, 2015 | General |
As we all know, many workers’ had a goal of retiring at 65 or sooner. Unfortunately the lack of preparation savings and the “Great Recession” delivered a severe blow to these people’s balance sheets as well as to their plans of retirement. It now seems that fewer than...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 20, 2015 | General |
I was watching a new program recently, in which a politician was being interviewed. Since this interviewee was a Democrat I was surprised when they cautioned that government needs to be diligent as to where government should be expending resources. The interviewee...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 19, 2015 | General |
It has been expressed in the news that the filing season in 2015 for your 2014 taxes will be one of the most trying in years; according to the IRS Commissioner. The IRS will be understaffed and will not be available to all, for assistance if answering questions to...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 14, 2015 | General |
As a small business owner I know how important great staff is to the success of a business. But the impact of those employees that are not great and their impact on the business are terrifying at some levels. An assistant who does not keep up on client follow-ups A...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 13, 2015 | General |
It seems that entrepreneur bachelor degrees are in the news. A number of Ivy League institutions are in the process of revamping their tired entrepreneur bachelor degrees. More and more Millennials believe that the way to make their fortune and pursue dreams of...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 12, 2015 | General |
The interconnection of everything in our lives especially from our work to our homes and vehicles through the internet of things is the vision of the future. Consider your refrigerator e-mailing you that you need milk. Having the house thermostat recognizing your...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 6, 2015 | General |
I was reading an article that was spelling out steps that entrepreneurs should be doing differently to get started. This is one of those articles that have 5 steps spelling out in big letters just what should be done. Basically all of the points told the same point,...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 5, 2015 | General |
I am working with a young client who realizes that they have been making some mistakes with their money. This is an interesting issue, especially since I am aware of those much older in exactly the same situation. As expected there is limited income, credit card debt...
by Leif Jensen | Jan 2, 2015 | General |
If your spouse passes during the year; both are considered married for the entire year and for filing status purposes. Now if the surviving spouse remarries before the end of the year, the dead spouse if forced to have a tax return filed on their behalf as “Married...
by Leif Jensen | Dec 30, 2014 | General |
A court decree of annulment holds that there was no valid marriage ever existed. Taxpayers who have secured an annulment are now considered unmarried for the entire period that the marriage purportedly existed. It makes sense that the couple initially filed tax...
by Leif Jensen | Dec 29, 2014 | General |
I recently met with a potential new client. They were a referral for an existing business client. The fact that he was a referral helped because he already knew the value that I could bring to his business. During our meeting we were hired. The gentleman come to...
by Leif Jensen | Dec 23, 2014 | General |
They are both inevitable and unfortunate facts of life; death and taxes. But planning for both really should go hand in hand. Also, I personally believe that everyone should have a plan for both regardless of current net worth. I am currently working on a few...
by Leif Jensen | Dec 22, 2014 | General |
Congress has renewed the exclusion for up to $2 million of forgiven debt on your primary residence. Next year this will or would be great news for a client of mine. He’s going through a slow divorce and their home is in foreclosure. The bank apparently has been...
by Leif Jensen | Dec 15, 2014 | General |
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2015, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck will be: 57.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 56 cents in 2014 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down half a cent from 2014...
