Tax Goddess Newsletter – December 2015
THANK YOU, ALL! The holiday season is almost with us, and it always reminds me of my love for my family, my friends, and my clients. I feel so blessed to be working with you all as clients, vendors, friends,…
Don’t Bogart That Deduction, My Friend!
Imagine, for a moment, that you're a hardworking pot dealer just trying to operate an honest shop in the newly legal marijuana industry. You get audited, and the examiner hits you with a $290,000 bill! He then asks to talk…
Tax Amnesty Returns to Arizona!
Guest post by: Giselle C. Alexander*, J.D., LL.M., C.P.A. Taxpayers have an opportunity to resolve delinquent taxes with the Arizona Department of Revenue and receive the benefit of penalty and interest abatement. The recovery period is brief, so taxpayers should…
Vive le Tax!
This year, millions of American tourists took advantage of their summer vacation to travel abroad. Favorable exchange rates made European destinations especially attractive. Seeing Old World cultures gives us perspective that we just can't get when we load up the…
What’s In A Name?
Sports fans go crazy this time of year! Baseball fans are watching the pennant races heat up; football fans are watching the NFL take the gridiron to kick off the new season; and tennis fans are moving their heads from…
Cadillac Taxes For Everyone!
Employers have played a key role in financing their employees' healthcare ever since WWII, when they threw in tax-free benefits to attract talent in a time of wage controls. So it's no surprise that when Congress passed the Affordable Care…
Toxic Deductible Sludge!
Back in 2010, British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and spilled millions of barrels of oil just off of the Louisiana coast. Countless small business owners, including fishermen, hotel operators, restaurants, rental companies, and seafood processors, suffered and went…
Little Tax Lien on the Prairie
Us Weekly is one of those glossy tabloid magazines you see in the checkout line at your local supermarket. Every week, they run a photo feature called "Stars: They're Just Like Us," with revealing, slice-of-life gems such as a Bachelorette…
Pomp and Circumstance!
June is Graduation Season, and odds are good that you've spent some time seated on a cheap folding chair or arena bleacher watching someone proceed down an aisle in an expensive cap and gown. Commencement speakers will thank the faculty,…
The Wisdom In Waiting – Why We File Extensions
Guest Post by Sylvin Lange One of the most frequent questions we get from our clients is why we typically don't file income tax returns by/before April 15th deadline. It's an understandable question since that date has been embedded in…
Tax Goddess Presents: The Tax Man Runneth
The 2016 presidential election is 20 months away. Sadly, for those of us who don't watch C-SPAN for fun, that basically means it's right around the corner. (Keep a sharp eye out for negative campaign ads, coming soon to a…
Managing Your Online Reputation and Reviews
Guest post by Norma Huibregtse When was the last time you “googled” your business? Did you find reviews on your Google Plus and Yelp listings? If not, you are probably like many small businesses who are not managing their online…
Tax Goddess Presents: Shocking News!
This time of year, taxpayers across America are scrambling to put together their last year's mileage records. First you've got to total up how many miles you drove for your trade or business. Then you've got to add up all…
Tax Goddess Presents: 007 for a Day!
Who hasn't wanted to be a spy at some point or another? Boys see their first James Bond movie, and they don't want to be like 007 — they want to be 007. Girls learn how Mata Hari put her…
Why Using an Expert for Your Estate Planning (and Taxes!) is the Best Idea
GUEST POST BY LIBBY BANKS As an estate planning attorney, I often get calls from people who've used online trust or will planning software, or gone to a cheap trust mill to put their plan together. When I’m asked about…