Author Archives: Russ

This Isn’t What I Think of When I Hear “Law School”

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Russ

When I think of a law school, I think of a university teaching students how to be attorneys. My cousin is a professor at the University of Chicago Law School; that’s a law school. That’s not what I’m writing about … Continue reading →

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What Will President Trump Do To Our Taxes?

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Russ

When I woke up this morning I discovered yet another impossible item just happened (the Cubs really did win the World Series, right?). The media was saying that Hillary Clinton was going to be President. Oops. So what will President-Elect … Continue reading →

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No Gambling Log, No Problem, Right?

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Russ

Two married poker players worked as house players (commonly called “proposition players” or “props”) in California. They were paid wages for their work, but they had gambling winnings that they didn’t include on their tax return. They state they lost … Continue reading →

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The 2016 Real Winners of the World Series of Poker

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Russ

Nine individuals came to Las Vegas over the last three days to compete for the championship at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Who would be the lucky winner? And who really got to keep the money? This year’s winner’s … Continue reading →

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Stealing From the Disabled Worked…For a While

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Russ

Virginia and Derma Miller, mother and daughter, had a good thing going. They took identities of the physically and mentally disabled and filed tax returns on their behalf. Of course, those returns all had refunds, with those refunds finding their … Continue reading →

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That Was the Tax Season That Was

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Russ

Well, my sixteenth Tax Season is in the books. Let’s see what was good, bad, and ugly–and I’ll include a warning for next year. The Good: First, the IRS did a much better job with the Practitioner Priority Service (PPS). … Continue reading →

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On Disclosure

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Russ

As you may have heard, there’s a Presidential campaign going on. I try hard to avoid politics in this blog, but one story that came out relates to Donald Trump taking a Net Operating Loss (NOL) on his tax return. … Continue reading →

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As Relieable as You Might Have Thought

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Russ

That is not a typographical error in the headline. Yes, I meant to type, “Relieable.” Why? Because of a story of a Tampa, Florida tax professional who was as relieable, err, reliable as the headline. Donna Demps was found guilty … Continue reading →

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On 1099 Due Dates in 2017

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Russ

You may have heard that Form 1099-MISC’s must be filed earlier next year. That’s true, but it only impacts some of the 1099s. Let’s look at the IRS instructions: New filing date. Public Law 114-113, Division Q, section 201, requires … Continue reading →

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Prepare to Panic

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Russ

No, I’m not talking about the two choices in this year’s presidential election. Rather, I’m talking about the situation if you have yet to send your tax paperwork to your tax professional. It’s just about time to panic. Mind you, … Continue reading →

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