Changing goals and speed

[AClark]

That's exactly why I'm ultra meticulous now. A $1600 IRA cost us around $4000 all said and done with interest, and that was after I called and negotiated the interest down.

I've looked at the forms, and the instructions. It's not that hard, of course they'll change for next year when I file 2017 taxes but it's mostly understandable. If I feel like it's too much for me, I have no shame in taking the whole mess to a CPA to figure out. I don't trust H&R block or any of the "cheap" tax services to do something like this, they are good for the very basics, but I feel that is all. Anyone that can read and type can do a 1040EZ or 1040A.

 

[Bruce]

The only time I was contacted by the IRS (the real IRS, not the phone scammers ) was the ONE time I paid a CPA to do my taxes. Of course the audit was a couple of years later. No penalties but this was back when interest rates were 18.5%. The CPA would have gone to the audit with me, for MONEY. The IRS wanted something that the CPA decided was capital gains to be ordinary income. This was with respect to a reconveyed timeshare. Guess what was in all the paperwork I gave the CPA? A letter saying that the money should be treated as ORDINARY INCOME!!!!! That was 30 years ago, been doing my own taxes ever since.

 

[Latestarter]

Never been audited, not "valuable" enough... But I did "not file" 2 years in a row and they caught up to me years later. That was a 10 grand mistake. The thing is, I was do for a 2 grand refund the first year I didn't file and owed less than that the second.

Well, that's when I found out that good old Billy boy clinton passed a rule that the federal govt could legally steal money from us citizens. You see, if you're due a refund and don't claim it after two years, the govt figures they are entitled to just go ahead and keep it. Obviously if you really wanted/needed it, then you would have filed to get it in a timely fashion. For some strange reason my using that against them didn't hold water. I countered with the fact that it took them more than two years to come at me for the money I owed them so I didn't feel they really wanted or needed it so I didn't think I should have to pay it. silly me. Just one of many reasons I despise the govt that exists today that isn't even a shadow of what our forefathers set up for us. Better stop now before the rant gets out of hand.

 

[Baymule]

We always use a CPA and have for years. No way I'm going to tackle all those forms, especially when they change the rules/laws every year.

 

[Mike CHS]

We used a CPA last year for the first time. I have ran a business but not a farm and building infrastructure has resulted in many thousands of dollars that I wouldn't know how to deduct or not. She did good by us and we will use her again.

 

[AClark]

Not to take away from Hurricane Harvey and the folks suffering that, but we flooded on Friday. I'm still working on clean up. We got 5 inches of rain in the matter of 3 hours or so? Everything in my barn is wet, my house is on a hill and raised up so it doesn't get it, but everything else is drenched. Really glad we put down plastic pallets in the feed shed, so everything in there stayed dry, but it was getting close to the top of those.
Water runs across my yard, but mostly down into the pasture. It's a muddy mess.

Amazing that the horses have shelter, yet stand out in the rain. It doesn't seem to bother them at all.
I happened to be out running errands, got the flood alert on the freeway...while doing 45 MPH (see photo) with the windshield wipers on high and low visibility...I found it ironic, like "No $#!t flood warning". Bright side, DMV was empty and I didn't have to wait in line, and getting $200+ back for over paying on taxes and plates.

My thoughts and prayers for folks on the coast, I've been following the weather and I'm just in awe over all of it.

 

[CntryBoy777]

It's good ya didn't have anything ruined by the gully-washer there....and the $200+ ya got back had to ease the discomfort some..........the horses probably were wanting to enjoy the cool down with a shower.

 

[Bruce]

Yeah it is UGLY down there. Saw a video that said one place got 20" of rain in just 3 hours. I can't even imagine that.

 

[AClark]

Me either. I saw 2 wrecks on the freeway on my way home Friday, both had spun out in the rain and ended up in the ditch, one was totaled. I just can't imagine that kind of rain, 5 inches in 3 hours was hard, heavy rain. There is no way you could drive in more than that. We had streets closed off and the radio blaring the "turn around, don't drown" mantra.
That part of the freeway is where the wrecks were, and it wasn't even bad there. Further down near the city exits the water was deep on the freeway. Then of course, the folks that pass you like you're sitting still, and you know they can't see any better than you can.
The DMV was a perk, I'm just putting it back on my new truck payment, it's $200 less I'll pay in the l ong run and on interest.

 

[Baymule]

Silly horses. During hurricane Ike, mine had the choice of deep woods, the neighbor's barn, or wide open. Neighbors said they stood out in the howling winds and rain during the hurricane. Something hit one of them in the face because her eye was swelled shut. Other than that, there was no injuries.

It was a smart thing to do to stack your feed on pallets. Hmmmm... you might want to double stack them!