The leftover guacamole is turning brown, Peyton Manning may or may not have ridden his last rodeo, and PuppyMonkeyBaby has surely established some kind of new standard for Super Bowl Commercial Weirdness. The NFL season is officially in the books. In my opinion, the ads were decent (and certainly cheerier than last year), the game […]
Even though all the news media are telling us how HARD things are out there, there are still regular people who are quietly but quickly moving forward with their financial goals. And, sometimes, they get a little help. (For instance, you know someone who is NOT worried too much right now? The big Powerball winners […]
For our East Coast friends — how are you enjoying/surviving #SnowZilla? Keep posting those pictures … and stay safe out there. For us, this week is actually heating up a little! The first full week of tax preparation is behind us (as of Tuesday this week), and it’s already been very busy. We have LOVED […]
This past week saw some pretty tough economic news. Retail sales numbers for 2015 were released and the results weren’t pretty. (Some commentary here: http://bloom.bg/1RwiUv5) On top of that, the stock market has been taking a dive, and Wal-Mart announced the closing of 269 stores around the world (152 in the US), and the laying […]
The big news in tax land last week was about the states that are choosing to delay their refunds because of concerns over identity theft. Right now, Illinois, Utah and Louisiana are delaying their STATE tax refunds (I repeat — these are refunds for state income taxes, not for the federal returns) for weeks or […]
Well, now the holidays are truly behind us, and this is the week where reality sets in for everybody. With the way the schedule worked out this year, it almost feels like we’ve been in a holiday stupor for three weeks! But this week is when life gets closer to normal. And, in my opinion, […]
I woke up Monday morning, after the wonderful holiday weekend … and I had a realization: there are only THREE days left in 2015. Obvious, yes … but it carries implications for your wallet, if you are wise with these days. The VERY good news is that we’ve been able to clear out four appointment […]
I’ve finally discovered the real secret of these holidays. It is the one common thread through every faith this time of year, and it is one of the most unifying factors in our Western culture. Shopping. I say that with a good helping of eye-rolling. Whichever faith tradition you hold dear, it’s likely to have […]
Well, communication and requests are now coming across my desk in a way that we haven’t seen for a few months, but I’ve come to expect it for this time of the year. We are in our intense “preparatory” stage for tax season AND so are our (smarter) clients. I absolutely love what I get […]
As is my habit, this post is being composed on Monday … and today happens to be good ol’ Cyber Monday. I say “good ol” because, well, the days are long gone when the actual rationale behind it was true: remember — everyone had dial-up at home, and Monday was the first day after the […]