Off to a great start!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Sarah P

The house is packed – Great mix of tax professionals. East Coast Advanced is off to a great start today with Logan, Klitzner, and Bluestein.

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Tax Software discounts

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Sarah P

In case you haven’t heard yet, there will be several tax software vendors joining us in Baltimore this week at our Advanced Seminar.  This is a great chance to speak with representatives about which program is most suitable for helping you grow your business - plus everyone who attends the seminar gets a discount!

There is still time to register, but seats are filling up fast. We’ll see you in Baltimore!

Register Here

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Get Ready, Get Set… Seminar!

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Larry

May through November is high season for seminar attendance. Like other learning experiences, it pays to prepare. To get the maximum return on your invested time and money take these simple steps to prepare for any seminar you will be attending:

  • Review the agenda and write down at least one question you would like answered in each session. Often speakers are experts in different areas. If this is the case, you may want to write a question for each speaker related to his or her area of expertise.
  • Take brief notes; things written in your own words will help you remember the topic more clearly. Writing helps you to retain what you have heard during a session. One caution: make notes on key points; do not try to record everything. If you get too involved in note taking, you may miss critical information.
  • On your way home, prepare a summary of your notes and what you learned. This will reinforce the knowledge and allow you to share it with your coworkers. Teaching others what you learned leverages the value of attending and assures your ability to use it to your best advantage.
  • Bring business cards to exchange with other attendees during breaks and meal times. Take a minute to make a note on each card to help you remember the person attached to that card. Fellow attendees are a valuable resource that you gain by attending live events. Networking connections can be used as a sounding board when you have a difficult situation to resolve.
  •  Collect email addresses of speakers and inquire if they would mind receiving a question related to their topic; most speakers are happy to help past attendees. If you take advantage of their courtesy, make questions short, clear, and to the point.
  • Finally, dress comfortably, appropriately, and in layers. There has never been a seminar room that was the right temperature. At the same instant, it is too cold for some, too warm for others, and just right for no one. You will avoid temperature distractions by preparing for whatever you encounter in the room.
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Think You’re Too Old to Jump Into Tax Problem Resolution? Think again.

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Larry

In the last few days I have spoken to two practitioners who were considering adding tax problem resolution services to their practices. They both expressed concern that they may be too old to start something new. After explaining to them that the learning curve could be reduced dramatically by attending the ASTPS boot camp, I started thinking about what is too old? This brought to mind something I had read that is worth sharing; here’s interesting facts from that book:

 

  • Actor George Burns won his first Oscar at age 80.
  • Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel.
  • At age 96, playwright George Bernard Shaw broke his leg when he fell out of a tree he was trimming in his backyard.
  • Painter Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 80 years old. She completed more than 1,500 paintings after that; 25 percent of those were produced when she was past 100.
  • Michelangelo was 71 when he painted the Sistine Chapel.
  • Physician and  humanitarian Albert Schweitzer was still performing operations in his African hospital at 89.
  • Doc Counsilman, at 58, became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel.
  • S. I. Hayakawa retired as president of San Francisco State University at 70, then was elected to the U.S. Senate.
  • Casey Stengel didn’t retire from managing the New York Mets until he was 75.

(Glenn Van Ekeren, The Speaker’s Sourcebook, Prentice Hall, New York, NY)

Over the last several years, I have witnessed practitioners (of all ages) start tax problem resolution as a supplement to other areas of practice. There is nothing wrong with that approach, but many learned that it is a more rewarding and satisfying endeavor that the rest of their practice. They end up expanding and finally switching to being exclusively a tax problem resolution practice. Don’t miss an opportunity because you think you are too old, new challenges will keep you young. There’s an old saying about being “a long time dead,” don’t start early.

 

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Heads up: 2 Days Left for Early-Bird Discount – $100 OFF

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sarah P

Last call for early-bird registration for the East Coast Advanced Seminar in Baltimore! You have until Wednesday to SAVE $100. Space is limited, so reserve your seat before it fills up!

 

Register Here

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Can’t Please Everyone

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Larry

Over the last couple of months, ASTPS offered members several webinars. One series, not yet finished, provided attendees with a good look at several software products that are useful to tax problem resolution practitioners. This series had record attendance. Instead of the twenty or thirty in past webinars, we had one hundred fifty register and over one hundred twenty actually attend.

Despite the excellent turnout, I must admit to some disappointment. A handful of would-be attendees took the time to call or email asking if I had finally lost all sense of reality. That may be true, but in this case, the numbers are in my favor. Hopefully, this reaches my negative critics and encourages them to take a second look at their position. As for the choir that I may be preaching to; I apologize, and I hope you view this bit of a rant as my recognition of you being control of your practice.

Webinars are the ultimate form of communication because you do not have to move from your desk. You can pay attention or not. You can leave without anyone thinking you are rude. They are free.

They are relevant to your practice. They are one hour. They live webinar is recorded and posted on the ASTPS website. If the live event time is inconvenient, listen when it is. If your practice controls you – even in tax season – to the point that you can’t take one hour to work on your practice, it’s time to rethink your management style. The number who attended compared to the number who found fault is a telling barometer.

Even if you have a workable system, there is a benefit to learning what else is out there. You may discover something that is better than what you have. Or, you may see a tweak you could adapt to your system. You can’t get hurt by attending.

Now that I’ve likely confirmed for some that I may be out of touch with reality, I have a favor to ask. If you have a topic that you would like to see covered in a webinar – in or out of tax season – please email it to julie@astps.org. The best topics are those that can be covered in an hour. If you have one that needs more time, send it in and we may be able to get it into a live seminar.

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Posted on April 27, 2012 by Sarah P

Giving our printer a workout today! Getting the manuals ready for the East Coast Advanced Seminar.

Don’t forget to register before May 2nd to get the Early Bird Discount. ($100 OFF).

See you in Baltimore!

http://astps.org/advanced.php

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Look what we found on the front page of USA Today…

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Sarah P

“Troops owe IRS $390 million” 

 (read article)

Talk about perfect timing. In light of ASTPS’s Returning Combat Veteran Support Program, Military Times’ Andrew Tilghman supports that there is a dire need for experienced tax problem reolution experts to rescue this large group of service members with complicated  tax troubles.

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Returning Combat Veterans Program

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Larry

Recently I asked our members if they would be willing to support a program to provide pro bono taxpayer representation services to returning combat veterans (RCV). In less than three hours – in the middle of tax season – 69 members committed to support the program. The request asked each participant to commit to two cases per quarter. They all agreed, but some took it a step farther, they responded that they would take two cases per professional in their firm. The first person with that response said. “I have 10 professionals; therefore, you can count on us for 20 cases per quarter.”

Since that initial 3 hours of sign-ups, the list of participating members has grown to 120 members. I’m confident that list will continue to grow as we end tax season and everyone catches up on their email reading.

The point of the program is to show our appreciation for the sacrifices our combat vets have made for all of us. It doesn’t seem right that they should have to deal with the IRS on their own after what they have done for us. Many of them could not afford representation after returning from deployment. Many have given up jobs, all have foregone family time, let’s pay I forward. We also can demonstrate the positive side of our industry by participating in the program.

By way of an update, we were disappointed to learn that Mrs. Petraeus is unable to support our efforts with her new position in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits her agency from involvement with any private or non-profit organization.

Undaunted we will continue our plan to announce the program on April 18, 2012. I am attempting to raise media interest in the program and will provide all participants with a press release for their local media once the program is announced.

We have created an application form on the website. We are establishing a program to assure the applicants are RCVs and then the cases will be assigned based on proximity to members and the members ability to take cases.

Questions or enlisting in the program are addressed by emailing julie@astps.org.

 

 

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Webinar Today: PittBullTax Software Demo

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Sarah P

Yes, we know it’s crunch time of tax season right now – but this one hour seminar is too good to wait.

If you cannot make today’s live webinar, it will be posted on astps.org in the member’s only section for you to listen to at your convenience.

Title: PittBullTax Software Demonstration Webinar

Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012

Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST

Join us as Irena Bobrova, EA, demonstrates how to effectively use PillBull Tax Software with your tax resolution cases. PitBullTax Software is a web-based IRS Tax Resolution Software intended for tax professionals and designed to analyze and prepare IRS Collection resolution cases such as Offers in Compromise, Installment Agreements, Collection Appeals, Innocent & Injured Spouses, Trust Fund Recovery Penalty cases and many others.

Space is Limited. Reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/361954306

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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