COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 31st 2020

With votes counted and the Covid-19 Relief bill now signed into law the fun begins.  I am hoping you have something safe, but special planned for this evening and the rest of this three day weekend, and will not have time to re-read our post from last week detailing all of the provisions but please feel free to click through here for our December 23rd post which has been updated.…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 23rd 2020

Hoping that you are busy, making holiday plans, while scanning the news about the COVID-19 Relief Bill we’re keeping this issue extra short. Just in time for Christmas, Jupiter and Saturn appear in close alignment this week, forming what some have called a ‘Christmas Star.’ The last time this happened was in the spring of 1226, when Notre Dame cathedral was under construction. Their closest connection will be on the Winter’s…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 16th 2020

To say that 2020 has been a wild ride is an understatement. This article in the Wall Street Journal takes a look at surveys, economic data, and research papers to get an idea of what’s changed and what might be coming our way. The pandemic forced many of us to work from home, and that trend may be here to stay. But the increase in productivity came at a cost:…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 9th 2020

States that depend heavily on tourism have suffered greatly during the pandemic, and a few are taking creative steps to diversify their economies by attracting new remote workers. For example, Hawaii’s new “Movers and Shakas” program offers free roundtrip airfare to remote workers willing to spend at least 30 days working in that state and to contribute in some way to the local community. Tulsa is offering grants of $10,000…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 2nd 2020

After months of only bad news about the spread of COVID-19, recent announcements of successful trials of three different vaccines bring a sense of optimism that the return to “normal” is on the way. Pfizer was first, and chartered flights bringing the vaccine to the U.S. from Belgium began on November 27. By mid-December, people may begin receiving that vaccine. A vaccine by Moderna has also completed trials and that…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – November 25th 2020 & Wishing You a Safe Happy Thanksgiving

One of the positive side effects of the pandemic has been reduced traffic on interstate highways. A group of amateur race car drivers decided to take advantage of the empty roads to revive the “Cannonball Run,” a highly illegal endurance race from Manhattan to Los Angeles. The object of this race is to make the run faster than anyone else. Teams plan for months, fine-tuning routes to consider traffic light…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – October 14th 2020

Prior to COVID-19, models of what could happen during a pandemic overstated the possible global death toll, but understated the potential hit to GDP. But as a series in The Economist explains, our current pandemic may have lasting impact. The impacts of shutting down schools for months at a time may persist for decades. Governments around the world are issuing debt at levels never before seen to finance support for…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – October 7th 2020

Fall is here, and with it, the beautiful colors of the season. Hikes and drives to see the colors are still something we can do, despite COVID-19, as this guide in the New York Times reminds us, with pictures and suggestions across the country. The Berkshires in Massachusetts, Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park, West Virginia’s Spruce Knob, Maine’s Grafton Notch, Percy Warner Park and Radnor Lake near Nashville, and Guanella…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – September 30th 2020

With our normal routines turned upside down, people have found as many ways to cope with the pandemic as there are neighborhoods. I love the section of the New York Times showing a series of postcard vignettes of neighbors coming together to connect and help each other, check it out. In Los Angeles, a family picks citrus fruit from trees in their neighborhood, sharing the bounty with the owners of the trees…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – July 15th 2020

It’s the morning of July 15, 2020 and as I post this the clock is ticking on the last day of “Tax Season 2020”.  With the  countdown to the end of Tax Season 2020 on the opportunity will pass for a few time sensitive actions on your part: Today is the last day you can timely pay your 2019 tax liability with either your tax return or extension and the…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – June 17 2020

Resources to Help You Survive – and Thrive – During the COVID-19 Pandemic When the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning to spread, many of us were hopeful that by mid-summer, things would return to normal. However, most people are realizing that the coronavirus will be with us for some time to come. That’s one of the conclusions from a series of short articles at the New York Times aptly titled…  Read more

COVID-19 Weekly Update – June 10 2020

Weekly Digest – 10 June 2020 Resources to Help You Survive – and Thrive – During the COVID-19 Pandemic As painful as the shutdown has been, a recent study indicates that it may have prevented as many as 60 million COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and 285 million in China. Banning large gatherings had the most impact in France and South Korea, while evidence is mixed on the impact of school closures.…  Read more

The Morning Briefing, So Where’s My Money…

I am so glad to share this photo from another beautiful morning run on the beach today, I hope you are all doing something for YOU each day, it really does help.     The reports are coming in about the stimulus checks.  It seems that only those eligible individuals who had an over-payment direct deposited into their (current) bank account when they filed their 2018 or 2019 tax returns…  Read more

Your Morning Briefing, It’s Tax Day, or is it? Updates on Loans, Grants & Stimulus Funding…

It was overcast this morning on the beach, but I was glad to get out to clear my head on #TaxDay?  Yes it’s April 15th but the only extensions we are filing are for our self-employed clients who operate in NYC (there was only a minimal extension of time to file the Unincorporated Income Tax Returns (UBT). EIDL And PPP Applications and Funding I am hearing from others in the…  Read more

The C.A.R.E.S. Act overview and other useful resources…

Over the course of a few weeks nearly everyone’s business and life has been turned upside down. It’s been a crazy time with businesses forced to close, an overload of information (and mis-information on social media) and people risking their lives to save others. With the recent disruption in mind, we have been working to help support you however we can. We’ve seen a number of our clients already impacted…  Read more

How to Make Your Child Care Costs More Tax Friendly

There are special deductions and credits which help working parents defray some of the bite from child care costs. Follow the specific rules and receive tax benefits for qualified child care while you are at work and breathe easy knowing your child is in a safe secure environment.  Interested in finding out more about this and other employment related benefits and how they can reduce your taxes, contact us,…  Read more

com·mu·ni·cate  verb

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

What is Your #1 Piece of Advice to Clients in 2020?

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

New IRS W-4 Form Could be Confusing…

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

COVID-19 Weekly Update – January 13th 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic may have an economic impact far beyond last year and the next two or three. A recent report by the World Bank projects global economic growth to slow to 1.9% per year from 2020-2029. Prior to the pandemic, growth was projected to be 2.1%, down from 2.5% over the previous decade. Investments in infrastructure, diversifying economies and supporting the employment of women may help to mitigate or reverse that…  Read more

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