getting to know you tuesday

It’s Getting To Know You Tuesday! Our guest today is blogger William Perez, who serves as a guide at About.com: Tax Planning: US.

1. Where are you now?
I live and work in San Francisco, California. But physical location is becoming increasingly irrelevant in my profession. Most of the work I do is performed using the Web, email, fax, and overnight shipping. And as a result, I get to work with very interesting people who live all over the world.

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
I’m a human being first and foremost. Plus, I am self-employed and don’t have a title. I write about tax planning for the About.com network of Web sites, and I own a boutique tax practice helping clients who are facing difficulties with the IRS. I spend the vast majority of my day researching, organizing, and communicating complex sets of information: whether writing articles for About.com, organizing tax information for clients, or resolving complex cases with the IRS. I suppose a good title would be “communicator” since I’m in the business of making sense of vast amounts of information between the IRS, clients, and the general public. But at the end of the day, I have a task to do, a task as a human being, which is mine only and which I cannot delegate to anyone else. I have to take care of myself and I have to take care of my community. I’ve chosen to do that by using my skills in managing data and information. I hope this helps make a difference in people’s lives. Because, honestly, if it doesn’t help, then I have labored for naught.

3. What books are on your night stand?
My bookshelf is right by my bed, which is great for relaxing at the end of the day and delving into something other than taxes. Right now I’m reading a very well-written philosophy book by Bernard Williams, Truth and Truthfulness. Before that, I read John Berendt’s The City of Falling Angels about the burning of the Venice opera house. I’d like to read even more, so I’m thinking of getting some audio books to listen to during my commute. Any suggestions are appreciated!

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
I’ve been in the information industry for my entire career, whether as a writer, editor, or accountant. Yes, accounting is most definitely an information industry, and one that demands many of the same skills. We now have so many ways to gather, compile, and transmit information using collaborative technologies. These technologies are just now starting to come to the tax profession, and it’s very exciting. My dream job has long been to be at the center of a vast information network: compiling, researching, summarizing and re-distributing useful bits of knowledge. And that’s pretty much what I’m doing now. If my focus wasn’t on tax, I would be doing the same thing with a different subject — perhaps something in the humanities.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
I just watched The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, a Romanian film about an elderly man who has trouble getting the medical attention he needs. The film is labeled of comedy, but it’s a comedy in the classical sense of the word. Before that, I saw Finding Nemo again.

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
I have a very special interest in helping taxpayers who need to file late tax returns. So often, individuals and small businesses fall behind in filing, and then they feel overwhelmed and ashamed and have no idea what to do. It’s very rewarding to guide them through this process, get them caught up with the IRS, and back into the habit of filing on-time. So many times, these taxpayers are demonized by the IRS, by the press, and even by other accountants as “non-filers” and “delinquents.” But the reality is, people miss deadlines and fall behind. They aren’t cheating or trying to escape the system. In most cases, something very traumatic happened in their lives, such as a failed business or a divorce, and they are just beginning to pick up the pieces of their lives and get back on track. Of course, this also presents tactical problems, as tax laws change every year, and remembering all the special rules for each tax year takes a special kind of diligence.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
I forget where I heard it from, but the best advice I ever heard was “pay yourself last.” That’s the exact reverse of the usual advice. More and more people are going into business for themselves, becoming independent contractors, or switching jobs. That can be a recipe for financial disaster because we forget to save for retirement, pay our taxes, or save for big expenses. Discretionary spending should be our last priority. And I really believe that saving for retirement ought to be our top priority. Not only will this reduce our taxes, but it will provide us with financial security in case we encounter an economic downturn.

8. Coffee or tea?
Coffee! I really love coffee, and probably drink too much of it. The best cup of coffee I ever had was at a tiny cafe in Rome, in an alley behind the Pantheon. (I forget the name, but it’s about a block away from the often-recommended Taza d’Oro.)

9. Name five artists on your mp3 player.
Okay, here goes. Client, Juno Reactor, Morcheeba, The Corrs, and Kitty Margolis. These are amazing artists creating beautiful music that really makes you stop and think. I have very eclectic musical tastes, and am always on the look for new artists to listen to.

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
Lately I’ve become obsessed with science news. We are discovering some rather amazing things about the world around us. We are now able to modify our genes, engineer our food, change our gender, and view satellite images right from our computers. There’s a new pharmaceutical that allows people to stay awake and mentally alert for two full days, apparently with few side effects. Soon, we’ll be able to modify each and every aspect of our life using various technologies. All this technology is forcing us to re-examine who we are as a species, how we want to look, how long we want to live, and, most importantly, how we want to live. But at the end of the day, we are still subject to the laws of mortality. We will each of us die. So what can we do to make life a little better, for ourselves and others? This is certainly a far cry from preparing tax returns and writing about the latest tax credits. But what is a tax credit really, except the nation trying to help people through tax incentives. Perhaps we’ll eventually have the technology to engineer our tax life as efficiently as we engineer our biological life. I would like to figure out if that’s even possible.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
I have a master’s degree in philosophy from San Francisco State University. I attended several schools as an undergraduate, including the University of Dallas. I’ve tried applying to doctoral programs, but that’s intensely competitive. I’m going to hold off on that until I have a clearer idea of what I’d like to research. (Perhaps there’s something deeply philosophical about taxes? I don’t know.)

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
I am very adverse to making changes here and there in the code. We really need a flexible and transparent set of tax laws: one that collects taxes fairly, broadly, and efficiently. We should have a document that taxpayers can actually read for themselves, and be able to figure out their tax liability without pulling out their hair. However, I’m not sure we can expect fundamental tax reform anytime soon, but I’m hopeful something can be accomplished in my lifetime. Until we have a national dialogue on tax reform, we will still need to make changes in the code to address our most pressing social problems.

One of the biggest economic threats we face as a nation is saving for retirement. Some of us don’t max out our 401(k) plans. Others don’t have access to 401(k) plans at all. And some people don’t even fund their IRA, even though everyone can. I was talking to one reader earlier this year who was trying to figure out why her IRA contributions weren’t deductible. It turns out, she was covered by her 401k plan, but only for one month until she got down-sized in February. She couldn’t max out her 401k because she no longer had access, she couldn’t get a deduction on her IRA, and she made too much money for a Roth. Do we really want to penalize taxpayers for getting laid off? Taxpayers are going to start retiring, often with little or no savings. We are heading into a very critical period, one that will strain our economic resources unless we give people the tools to take charge of their retirement.

Some of my clients have started taking my advice to max out their 401k and their IRA. What a powerful combination! That provides $19,500 in tax-deferred savings (or more if you qualify for the catch-up contributions). But, not every one has access to a 401k plan. So here’s two tiny changes in the code. Allow an annual limit of $19,500 under Code Section 402(g)(1). Next, create parity between IRAs and 401k-type plans by making the IRA contribution limits in Code Section 219(b)(5) refer the same limits under 402(g)(1). This would provide all Americans with the same opportunity to save for retirement, whether through a 401k, traditional IRA, or Roth IRA, or a mix-and-match of all three. Of course, these annual amounts should be indexed for inflation and there should continue to be catch-up contributions for those age 50 and older.

Please send me hate mail if this idea stinks. Seriously. I’m not a policy wonk. But I do think the tax code needs to work harder to make it easier for Americans to take full control over their financial destiny.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
I was very depressed when the final episode of Prime Suspect aired on PBS. I don’t own a TV, so I rely DVD rentals and the Internet for my programming.

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
Neither. Both programs bring in too much revenue for Congress to repeal altogether without raising raises across a broad spectrum of taxpayers. The estate tax receives a lot of media attention, but taxpayers can completely avoid estate taxes, if they so desire, through proper planning. The alternative minimum tax is more troublesome. Every year more and more taxpayers are getting trapped by the AMT, and there’s very little that taxpayers can do to avoid this tax. Most of the AMT adjustments are for state, local, and real estate taxes. So it would make sense to built limitations for those deductions into the code instead of continuing to have a parallel tax system. But if we really think about it, do we really want to provide disincentives for paying state, local, and property taxes?

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
If I’m getting a huge refund, there must be a mistake somewhere. I plan my taxes so that I owe a little every April. This helps keep me on my toes, and reminds me that taxes are something I have to pay whether I like it or not. In the excitement over refund checks, many taxpayers ignore their total tax liability, which is the amount they were obligated to pay into the system based on their tax situation.

But if I did get a windfall, I would use it to max out my IRA, and then use any left money over to upgrade my health insurance.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
Why do the bad guys get to be the newsmakers? Taxes are scary enough, and hearing about how large accounting firms are helping people defraud the system is just sickening. It’s no wonder that honest taxpayers start to wonder if they can get away with it too. I’d like to nominate a completely different tax newsmaker: Warren Buffett. His annual letters to shareholders are full of interesting tax stories. In his 2006 letter, he stated “Had there been only 600 taxpayers like Berkshire, no one else in America would have needed to pay any federal income or payroll taxes.” [page 19, http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2006ltr.pdf]

Think about that for a minute. Go ahead, I can wait.

The IRS received and processed 17,470,645 tax returns in fiscal year 2006. [Table 2 in the Internal Revenue Service Data Book 2006, Publication 55B, Washington, DC, issued March 2007] But all that would have been needed are 600 tax returns from healthy, profitable companies. That’s an outstanding observation that Buffet makes. However, I do think taxes need to be collected from a very broad base, so that we all can have a say in how the government spends our hard-earned dollars. But one does start to wonder if something can be done to vastly simplify our tax life.

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?
I’m a huge fan of Kay Bell’s Don’t Mess with Taxes. It’s my favorite tax blog right now. Of course, I think my own site at taxes.about.com is pretty good, but I am very cognizant that there’s a lot of room for improvement. Tax is such a complex and important topic, and there’s plenty of opportunity for people to collaborate on making sure taxpayers are informed about all the great strategies for keeping our taxes as low as possible. Tax professionals who are interested in writing articles and getting published should contact me, as I am always on the look for great content.

Thanks William!

www.About.com
About.com is part of The New York Times Company

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It’s Getting To Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Robert Flach, who writes the Wandering Tax Pro.

1. Where are you now?

I work out of my apartment in the “heights” section of Jersey City, New Jersey. I used to have a storefront office – but I was paying rent for 12 months for an office that was open for at most two months a year.

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?

Do you mean Mr Flach? I have no official title other than THE WANDERING TAX PRO – because I like to travel after the tax season, and my mind often wanders.

3. What books are on your night stand?

I read mostly murder mysteries – ones with cats, talking or otherwise, like Mrs Murphy or THE CAT WHO series. I also read the Margaret Truman Capital mysteries and the J.A. Jance JP Beaumont series.

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?

My one regret in life is that I did not take my piano lessons seriously as a child – I would love to be a lounge piano player – like Bobby Short. I would also like to be a theatrical producer – I did have some experience in my younger days producing local semi-professional theatre. I actually do have one other regret, but I cannot discuss it in mixed company.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?

If you ask me next week I would say SPIDERMAN 3. It is hard to say the last movie I saw in a theatre – it would have been sometime last year.

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?

While I do have millionaire clients, and have had the occasional celebrity client (one year I did the return of the then captain of the NY Giants – he never paid us!), most of my clients are what one could call the “average middle class taxpayer”. I do a lot of “civil servants” - law enforcement (FBI down to municipal police), firefighters, and teachers - as well as those with rental property and Schedule C filers. I now limit my practice to 1040s – I no longer accept new corporation or partnership clients.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?

Taxes are secondary – financial considerations are always first. Taxes are only pennies on the dollar. What good is it to spend $1.00 to save 28 cents in taxes. You haven’t saved 28 cents, you have lost 72 cents.

8. Coffee or tea?

Coffee. I did not start drinking coffee until my mentor got an instant coffee machine in the office decades ago. I was in the “front office” and as clients would come in I would make them a cup of coffee and make a cup for myself. I ended up drinking a dozen cups a day.

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).

iPod? mp3 player? Huh? I don’t even have a cell phone! As for my CDs – Frank Sinatra, Michael Feinstein, Jethro Tull, CSNY, and Tony Bennett. I also have a collection of just about every Broadway Original Cast Album (vinyl) from the 50’s through the 70s – which I inherited from my uncle – and have many original cast recordings on CD. While I work I have the MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE syndicated station streaming on my computer.

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?

In the 36 tax seasons that I have been in “the business” I have never prepared a tax return using tax software. Nor have I ever filed a federal return electronically. I prepare some 400 sets of tax returns each year – all by hand! While I intend to continue to prepare federal returns by hand until I retire, I would submit federal returns electronically – or online – if I could do so for free, like I can submit NJ returns online via NJWebFile. The closest I came to using software was many, many, many years ago when, as an employee of Deloitte Haskins + Sells, I would manually fill out an input sheet to have the return calculated via COMPUTAX. I remember thinking that by the time I had finished filling out the input sheet I could have actually completed the handwritten return.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?

I attended St Peter’s College, a Jesuit college in Jersey City. My major was Business Management. A waste of time – I learned more working in the storefront office of my uncle’s tax pro than I did at SPC.

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?

Obviously eliminate the dreaded AMT. I have also thought that it might be a good idea to do away with the deduction for depreciation of real property. Awhile back I wrote to George W and suggested that taxpayers be allowed to “carry back”, as well as carry forward, excess capital losses. I had several clients who made over $100,000 of capital gains during the Clinton years, and paid tons of taxes on these gains, and then lost over $100,000 when the bubble burst, and will never be able to use up all these losses in their remaining lifetime at $3,000 per year! Over the course of a 36 month period the taxpayers basically broke even – but they paid tons of tax, included the dreaded AMT, on basically a “0” net income! I got a form letter back from a low level White House flunky thanking me for my input.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?

Either AS TIME GOES BY on various PBS stations (with Dame Judy) or GREAT HOTELS with Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel – or maybe VERONICA MARS, or the MIDSOMER MURDERS repeats from British television on the Biography Channel. I also enjoy ROSEMARY AND THYME, another British mystery series, on WLIW. Last year I would have said EVERWOOD. I also like 7th HEAVEN, although I do think that it may have “jumped the shark”. There is so much excrement on broadcast and cable television today (read “reality” tv).

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?

Probably neither – but I would expect the AMT. It seems that everyone has forgotten about the estate tax. While I am not a supporter of the estate tax, my only fear is that its repeal could do away with the “stepped up” basis of inherited assets.

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?

Hey – it depends how huge. Probably go on a cruise.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?

Probably the idiot from SURVIVOR. He is an excellent example of the level of intelligence of the cafones who appear on “reality” tv programs.

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?

Why www.robertdflach.net, of course. Just joking. I don’t know if I can pick a favorite. Blogwise, in addition to TAXGIRL, I regularly read DON’T MESS WITH TAXES, GINA’S TAX BLOG, TAX PLAYA, ROTH AND CO UPDATES, TAX FOUNDATION and MAULED AGAIN, and scan several others. I check the NATP and NSTP sites and the SMALL BUSINESS TAXES AND MANAGEMENT daily, and subscribe to the daily email newsletters from ACCOUNTANTSWORLD and CCH.

And here is some additional info from Robert:

As you know, I write THE WANDERING TAX PRO, and have been doing so for 5 years. I also write, although all too infrequently, the NJ TAX PRACTICE BLOG at http://njtaxpractice.blogspot.com.

I learned how to prepare income tax returns the best possible way – by preparing income tax returns. Prior to going to work for my uncle’s tax pro in 1972 I had absolutely no tax training, not even the basic college tax course. On my first day my employer gave me a brief case with a client’s 1971 tax “stuff” and a copy of his 1970 tax return and told me to “jump in and swim!” As I had questions I would ask my boss, who would stop what he was doing and take the time to explain the issue to me. It was a good investment of time for him. When he went on to his final audit in 2000 we had been working together just short of 30 years!

-

Thanks, Robert!

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It’s Getting To Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Kathy Howell, who works with the IRS in Oregon.

1. Where are you now?
My office at IRS in Portland Oregon

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
Senior Tax Specialist, good question

3. What books are on your night stand?
Pub 17 and 17 1/2

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
Flight attendant

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
Happy Feet

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
Individual Income Tax

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
Pay yourself first

8. Coffee or tea?
Coffee

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
Fergie; Justin Timberlake; Nelly Fertado; Kelly Clarkson; Michael Buble

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
Not much

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
Portland State; PCC; Florida State: (education and accounting)

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
Marital tax deduction.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
The Office

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
AMT

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
Savings

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
Richard Hatch

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?
www.irs.gov

Thanks, Kathy! You can find out more about Kathy here.

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It’s Getting to Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is tax preparer/enrolled agent and blogger, Trish McIntire.

1. Where are you now?
Live and work in Arkansas City, KS a small town on the Kansas/Oklahoma Border.

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
Owner-that means I do it all.

3. What books are on your night stand?
Books currently reading/re-reading- The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, Mentored by a Millionaire, Lord of the Rings, and E-Myth Mastery.

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
My dream job would be directing and teaching theatre, especially youth theatre. But I want to star in this area and make a good living.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
The last movie I watch all the way through (not just catching part of) was the DVD of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
My practice centers on individuals and small businesses by choice.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
My parents made sure that we understood we had to take responsibility for our actions. I see too many taxpayers who won’t accept that the reason they are in tax trouble is because of what they did or didn’t do.

8. Coffee or tea?
Iced Tea

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
Bon Jovi, Martin Page, Elton John, Tina Turner and showtunes (from musicals)

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I am a computer geek.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
University of Kansas - BA in Theatre

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
Taxability of social security seems to fall through the cracks. When I started 19 years ago, the thresholds where social security benefits start being taxable are the same as today. Yet benefits have increased, more people have pensions, and retirees are continuing to work. I have not problem with the benefits being taxable but I think the thresholds should be
adjusted to current dollars and regularly adjusted for inflation.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
The only TV show I work to get home for is Criminal Minds.

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
AMT- leave the estate tax alone and fix it at the 2009 level.

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
New fully loaded MacBook

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
For my client base, Richard Hatch.

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?
Drake User Forum

Thanks, Trish! You can see her web site at http://www.mactaxcenter.com/

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It’s Getting to Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Wendi Kotzen. Wendi is a partner in the tax and real estate groups at Ballard Spahr Ingersoll Andrews LLP.

When I entered the practice, it became apparent to me that tax law was not exactly chock full of female attorneys. In fact, at any given Tax CLE, you were bound to see mostly grey-haired men. That’s why I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the Tax Supper Club in Philadelphia which was at the time chaired by Wendi Kotzen. Wendi was one of the first successful female tax attorneys outside of law school that I had the honor to meet. I’m so pleased that she agreed to play along today!

And onto the interview…

1. Where are you now?
In my office.

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
Partner.

3. What books are on your night stand?
The Good German, Fit or Fat.

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
Talking Head.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
The Good Sheppard.

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
Real estate related tax issues.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
Invest for the long term.

8. Coffee or tea?
Hot black coffee and iced tea.

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Carole King, Crosby Still Nash & Young, Jeff Buckley

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I play the lottery regularly and love day dreaming about what I’d do if I won enough to have a BIG bank account.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
University of Pennsylvania, political science

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
I’d reduce the amt rates to 40% of the regular tax rates and allow state and local taxes to be deducted for amt purposes. I think that when the amt was passed, the top regular tax rate was 50% and the amt rate was 20%. When the Bush tax cuts were passed, the amt rates were not reduced accordingly.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
I watch a lot of TV, most of it bad but generally I try not to miss the Law and Orders, CSI NY and CSI, 24 (but it’s a bad season), and the Sunday Talks

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
I don’t think that Congress will repeal either - I think that Congress will conclude that the amt is too expensive to repeal and everyone should pay some tax (see answer to 12) and that the estate tax credit should be increased as opposed to the estate tax repealed

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
Save it toward my retirement.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
For the tax community, KPMG

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?
Taxprof blog and taxsites.com

Thanks Wendi!

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It’s Getting To Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Chris Bale (no, he’s not that Christian Bale) of… well, where to start? Chris is a web site maniac. Check ‘em out:

www.etaxjobs.com
www.mytaxcareer.com
www.taxgrotto.com

Chris is our second UK tax guru (since I know you’re wondering, Richard Murphy was the first).

And now, onto the questions…

1. Where are you now?

In Newcastle airport (UK), waiting for plane to go to Toronto to see some clients over there. Oh, you mean employer I think? I am associated with eTaxJobs.com, taxgrotto.com and mytaxcareer.com

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?

Shareholder/Director - it means I am in charge (allegedly)

3. What books are on your night stand?

Lots by Alfred Bester (amazing visionary for his time)
Also Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (great new author)

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?

Milkman - fresh air, exercise and don’t need to talk to anyone because I am delivering the milk so damn early
(we still get milk delivered to our house each morning in the UK - I know this is rare anywhere else in the world)

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with my son !)

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?

People trafficking - no seriously, I am interested in the ability of tax professionals to move cross-border with their skills. It is becoming increasingly common to be able to utilise one’s tax knowledge in different jurisdictions, especially in the realms of Transfer Pricing, Indirect Tax, Supply Chain Management, Private Equity/M&A Tax

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?

Don’t get married (but I did)

8. Coffee or tea?

Fresh Espresso first thing, then tea all day

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).

None, I listed to spoken word

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?

I was not very good at tax

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?

Durham University, UK, - Psychology

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?

Blanket legislation to prevent ultra HNW individuals from offshoring their assets. It’s coming anyway but the buggers are getting away with murder right now.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?

Scrubs & Ugly Betty

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?

Estate tax

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?

Send it back, am UK resident

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?

KPMG

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?

LOL (nice plug) - Taxalicious

–

Thanks, Chris!

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It’s Getting To Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Joel Schoenmeyer of Death and Taxes: The Blog. Welcome Joel!

1. Where are you now?

Oak Park, Illinois, in my home office.

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?

Do I even have an official title? I suppose that, since I’m a sole practitioner, it can be whatever I want: sole owner, proprietor, senior partner and king of Joel A. Schoenmeyer, Attorney at Law.

3. What books are on your night stand?

Lots of classics — I’m working my way through a lifetime reading list. Right now I’ve got Madame Bovary (just finished — book club was last night), Catch-22 (just started), and Tarzan of the Apes on my night stand.

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?

As you can tell from my answer to 3. above, something having to do with literature — writing or teaching.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?

The Namesake.

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?

Estate and gift tax, since I practice in the areas of estate planning and probate. More specifically, disclaimers have a special place in my heart.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?

Probably “pay yourself first.”

8. Coffee or tea?

Coffee with lots of milk and sugar (at least five tablespoons).

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).

I listen to a lot of pop music — five representative artists would be Chic, Steely Dan, XTC, Prince, and Regina Spektor.

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?

I just took up the piano (and started learning how to read music) about a year ago.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?

Michigan State University, BA English 1992. And then I got my JD at the University of Michigan (1996). Go Spartans!

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?

I’d switch to a consumption tax.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?

The Wire.

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?

AMT — it affects more people.

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?

Save it, of course! I’m a planner through and through.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?

Maybe Richard Hatch, because my blog’s focus is on relating tax issues to things and people that ordinary people know or care about. Fraudulent tax shelters? Exciting to people in the industry, but maybe not to the general public.

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?

Tax Updates by Joe Kristan (http://www.rothcpa.com/taxupdates.php).

Thanks again! This was fun.

- and thanks to you, Joel!

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It’s Getting to Know You Tuesday! Today’s guest is Kay Bell, of Don’t Mess With Taxes (which you have to read based on the title alone). Welcome, Kay!

1. Where are you now?
Austin, Texas

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
CIAO, Chief Information and Administrative Officer
Secondary title: Queen Tax Geek!

3. What books are on your night stand?
The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
Actually, I have my dream job, since I don’t technically work in the tax profession. I get to write about taxes and hopefully help some folks with my articles, but I don’t have to actually file their returns!

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
Sneaked out to our local theater last week for a tax break to see The Lookout with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the kid (who’s no longer a kid) from Third Rock from the Sun. A neo-noir bank robbery thriller.

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
I personally like the “sausage making” component; i.e., how and why Congress makes the laws we all have to then deal with.

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
Best tax advice: Follow the rules, regardless of how stupid they might seem.
Best financial advice: Save early, save often.

8. Coffee or tea?
Some coffee with my milk.

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
The Dixie Chicks, Joe Ely, Marco Beltrami (soundtrack from The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), Jane Monheit, Joan Osborne

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I enjoy bird watching

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
Texas Tech University , B.A. in journalism

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
Charitable contributions would be an above-the-line deduction so that everyone who gave to good causes could get a tax break.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
The Shield

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
AMT

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
Put it in my property tax savings account. We don’t have that escrowed with our monthly house payments, so we have to set aside the annual amount on our own.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
Being a Texan, I have to go with Jenkens Gilchrist.

17. And, other than taxgirl , what’s your favorite tax related web site?
There are so many good ones. Can I have, other than taxgirl, two others? TaxProf for its sheer comprehensiveness and taxalicious for keeping the fun and absurdity in taxes.

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It’s Getting to Know You Tuesday! Our guest today is Professor James Maule, who teaches at Villanova Law School and authors a pretty cool tax blog. Here we go:

1. Where are you now?
In my home office

2. What’s your official title and what does it mean?
Professor of Law, and it means that I am on the faculty of a law school, fully tenured.

3. What books are on your night stand?
None. My “books to be read” piles are on the kitchen counter and the kitchen table. You can find reviews of the books I’ve read at various places on the TaxProf blog (http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/) under “What Law Professors Are Reading.”

4. If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be?
General manager of the Philadelphia Phillies or captain of a cruise ship.

5. What’s the last movie that you saw (DVD or in the theatre)?
Casino Royale

6. Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest?
Personal income tax and business entity tax

7. What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you?
“Determine a percentage of income to save, set it aside, pretend you don’t have it, and then make spending decisions.”

8. Coffee or tea?
Tea

9. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
Five? Impossible. Sacred Spirit, Enigma, B-Tribe, Pink Floyd, Sarah McLachlan, Tina Turner, Tom Petty, Peter Kater, The Pretenders, Amethystium, Neil Young, Kitaro, Enya, Elton John, Delerium, Carlos Nakai, Bob Dylan, to name just a few.

10. What would I be surprised to know about you?
That I collect penguin collectibles. Considering that my resume is online, that’s probably one of the few things with no reason to be on it.

11. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, with a degree in economics, majoring in accounting and business law.

12. If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax code tomorrow - an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever - what would it be?
Elimination of the preference for capital gains and the limitation on capital losses, thus removing the ordinary - capital distinction and trashing 1/3 of the Code.

13. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
Reruns of Friends, Everyone Loves Raymond, and Seinfeld. Had it been football season, the answer would have been different.

14. What do you think Congress will repeal first: estate tax or AMT?
Neither, but if pressed, the AMT.

15. If Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
Give some to charity, pay off the mortgage, share some with my children, and if there was enough, retire and cruise around the world.

16. Biggest tax newsmaker: KPMG, Jenkens Gilchrist or Richard Hatch?
Richard Hatch

17. And, other than taxgirl, what’s your favorite tax related web site?
I don’t have a favorite because the ones linked on my blog each have a different purpose and focus.

You can check out Jim’s blog, Mauled Again, here. Thanks Jim!

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