Better Numbers for Lawyers

Last week’s Super Bowl in New Orleans was a week-long “fais do do” featuring world-class food, drinks, and music. Advertisers rolled out their newest, shiniest campaigns and newest, shiniest products (Apparently, Anheuser-Busch thinks they need to remind viewers to drink something called “beer”). Sharp-eyed fans even saw a football game between the AFC champion Baltimore […]

You may not realize it, but you have a friend at the IRS. Her name is Nina Olson, and she’s the “Taxpayer Advocate.” Olson and her 2,000-person staff are an independent organization within the IRS, charged with cutting through IRS red tape when the Service can’t get the job done itself. Are you stuck between […]

We usually try and keep these dispatches light and entertaining. We know you’d rather read about “Tax Strategies for Somali Pirates” than, say, the latest regulations governing domestic international sales corporations. But every so often it’s time to put on our serious face, and this is one of those times. By now, of course, we […]

Happy New Year! 2013 is here, and after months of post-election sound and fury, we took a quick “test leap” off the dreaded “fiscal cliff.” Look out below! By this point, we’re all familiar with the income tax consequences of the cliff. The Bush tax cuts expired, as scheduled, on December 31, sending everyone’s taxes […]

We all know money can’t buy happiness, blah, blah, blah. But money can buy a lot of other good stuff we all want – like comfort, security, freedom, and independence. So, last week, millions across America lined up at gas stations, convenience stores, and bodegas to take a shot at last week’s record Powerball jackpot […]

Last week marked the celebration of our most uniquely American holiday. No, we’re not talking about Thanksgiving. We’re talking about Black Friday, our national homage to consumerism, conspicuous consumption, and all things capitalist. Walmart and other “big box” retailers pounded a final nail in Thanksgiving’s coffin, opening at 8 pm that night so shoppers could […]

Happy Thanksgiving! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted you to know how grateful I am to have YOU as a member of my valued community! The holidays are here, and millions of Americans are kicking off the season with “Black Friday” shopping. Braving the crowds and the cold, facing scorn from family they’ve left behind, they line […]

Hurricane Sandy roared ashore last week, interrupting our regularly scheduled election already in progress. And yes, we’ll be addressing election results shortly, especially as we get more guidance on what to expect for your taxes. But we’re impressed, as always, with how a natural disaster brings out the best in Americans, and we’re pleased to […]

There’s no denying that amateur sports, especially college football, are big business. Together, the 15 top-grossing teams score over $1 billion in revenue, with the University of Texas Longhorns alone generating $71.2 million in profit. Numbers like that would normally make the “receivers” at the IRS smile. But college football is different. The big Division […]

Ordinarily, we use these posts to discuss fun items related to taxes and finances. We know that you can read the usual boring articles about the usual boring tax topics pretty much anywhere else. And most of you are happy to let us worry about “the details.” Every so often, though, we need to discuss […]