What Are YOU ‘Full’ of?

Thanksgiving Day is past, and most of us are still full of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pies, and traditional family favorites.

But what are we ‘ful’ of?

If we feel awful or remorseful– the odds are, an over-the-counter antacid won’t make us feel better.

When we feel grateful, thoughtful, joyful, and peaceful…we probably found a way to be helpful, playful, and useful. 

I’m going to practice being mindful, purposeful, and resourceful in a very colorful way.

Remember, it’s natural to feel wonderful, beautiful, and powerful when we’re ‘ful of the right stuff!

2014 – RESOLVE TO EVOLVE

Contrary to wide-spread belief, if you look up ‘EVOLVE’ in the dictionary it will not tell you to, “…see Darwin for details”.

From a verb’s perspective, evolution is usually the result of a personal commitment to emerge, advance, develop, expand, and mature.

Eliminate King-sized New Year’s Resolutions, and focus on intentional shifts in your attitude, behavior, and environment.

Every sailor, scientist, & inventor understands the magnitude of a minor adjustment. Become your own hero and RESOLVE TO EVOLVE today.

FALL IS MORE THAN A SEASON – IT CAN BE A HAPPY VERB

I know fall is a 4-letter word frequently associated with pain, but don’t let that intimidate you.

Perception becomes reality quickly, so consider the power of these simple mind shifts.

We can…fall back into old, self-defeating habits – OR – fall back on experience as it shines its light on a better way.

We don’t need to…fall for anything anyone tells us. Take time to listen to opposing views, ask questions, and decide which makes more sense in the long run. It’s much quicker than making another ‘oops’.

Most of us have…fallen down on the job at work, at home, or both. Welcome to humanity! It’s more fun to kneel down beside someone who’s fallen & help them rise again.

There will come a day when we… fall out of favor with a specific person or group of people we love and depend on. Even though this feels like a really BAD day, it may turn out to be one of our best gifts. This is an incredible opportunity to stop, breathe, & look at what just happened. We may discover we don’t need their approval as much as we thought. Better yet, maybe we just outgrew the relationship, and they did us a favor by letting us go on to bigger & better things.

The glorious colors of autumn create a visual message worth noting.  Each leaf releases itself from the branch that has been its home without a fight, floating gracefully to the earth for its next stage of service. Both tree & leaf understand the bigger picture.

So don’t be afraid…fall into the beauty of an unexplored new path. Fall toward an exciting new future releasing all you loved before with much gratitude. Fall forward with enthusiasm…and be COLORFUL!

CHILL OUT A LITTLE BIT & ENJOY SIZZLING SUMMER SUCCESS

In case you haven’t noticed…people don’t drive slowly when we’re in a hurry, and we’re USUALLY in a hurry for one reason or another. Racing to beat the clock is a way of life for most of us.

In case you haven’t noticed…there are times when a slow driver, or someone having the audacity to actually go the speed limit, messes up our routine, impedes our progress, and somehow appears at the next red light right beside us.  AAARGH!!!

In case you haven’t noticed…when you leave at the last possible moment or heaven-forbid a few minutes late, every idiot, (please forgive me), who ever obtained a driver’s license will be on the road. Odds are good there won’t be a police officer in sight.  The police officer may catch you on radar a few miles later while you’re trying to make up for the time you lost. Most of the traffic lights will be red, too.

In case you haven’t noticed…when you leave a little earlier than normal, the commute seems to flow more smoothly.  You may even experience the luxury of a moment or two to ‘chill out’ after reaching your destination. Ironically, we usually accomplish more the days we aren’t so rushed.

I can’t explain this phenomenon, but I suggest we find a way to take advantage of it.

I intend to conduct a personal experiment.

 Beginning Monday, July 8^th through July 21^st, I will get in my car 10 minutes earlier than usual, pay attention to how the day evolves, and document any changes I experience. Stay tuned…

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There are oodles of reasons to push the ‘pause’ button and enjoy June.

Portland is particularly lucky this year -both the Starlight Parade & the Grand
Floral Rose Parade  experienced dry weather.

Father’s Day arrives on the 3^rd Sunday of the month, allowing several weeks
for Dad to drop hints to the family about what he really wants, instead of what
he usually gets.

 (Here’s a couple of ideas from us)

www.dotgolf.com
www.eastportlandchamberofcommerce.com/golf-signup
www.colwoodgolfclub.com

Summer officially arrives 5 days later, but our yards, gardens, trees, and wildlife already have it figured out.  Their
internal calendar is not dependent on our visual aids.

I challenge you to stop and inhale June with all the beauty it represents in your life.

…and have a JOLLY good time doing it!

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When you receive a letter or e-mail from any Government Agency demanding funds with an ‘OR ELSE’ deadline included – please contact The Bookkeeping Company, LLC immediately before responding! 

Don’t assume it’s legitimate and send money as directed. There’s an increasing number of ‘scammers’ that target hard-working, unsuspecting business owners. They’re counting on convincing you to respond so something bad doesn’t happen to you. 

PLEASE FIGHT BACK! 

Send us a copy of the ‘demand’ letter – we can find out quickly if it’s REAL.
If it is, we’ll explain it to you.
If it’s NOT, we’ll WARN the rest of our clients immediately by e-mail, and post a SCAM ALERT on Facebook. 

 Thanks in advance for being part of the SOLUTION instead of part of the problem! 

FYI: The “Art Tax” for Portland residents is REAL, and is due April 15, 2013. More info: www.artstax.net 

Another FYI: The IRS does not use e-mail to send notices.

If you have not received your W-2’s by February 14^th, here is a course of action:

A)     Contact your employer and let them know.

B)      If you do not receive a response within a reasonable period of time, contact your tax preparer.

C)      You will need a copy of your final 2012 pay stub showing all the Year-To-Date deductions.

For more info…call The Bookkeeping Company (503)252-9197, or visit www.IRS.gov.

BLOG – A WORD WITH A HANDICAP

I wonder…would more people be willing to BLOG, if the word itself sounded lighter & easier?

People like me are susceptible to the nuance of words…and BLOG tends to make me feel ‘bogged down’ and time-starved.

One tiny bit of research says BLOG comes from a shortened form of “web log” – while another interpretation believes its history is tied to the idea of a ‘communication diary’.

“Web log” gets my vote, but doesn’t solve the nuance problem. 

“Communication diary” is by definition confusing to me. “DEAR DIARY” entries are generally a safe place to reveal our most private feelings & revelations – the ones we have no intention of sharing with anyone else!

Here are a few replacement possibilities:    
            Quick-Key, Zip-Up, Log-Light, Easy-Share, Keyed-Up, Speed-Com, and Fast-Talk.

 Unfortunately, I find BLOG better than these new options.

 I thought of one gem, however, I really like.  What do you think of  “WHIZ-ard”?

 Yeah, I know…I have to put this in a BLOG to find out!

Banks and other payment settlement entities must file Form 1099-K.  The 1099-K form has the total gross amount of the year transactions on it. It also includes the name and address of the recipients and the taxpayer’s identification number. 

This form will help the IRS by being able to compare the amounts associated with the credit card holder and their income from the tax return filed, thus “reducing the tax gap” according to the IRS.

The IRS will issue letters to any business person who shows an unusually high portion of receipts from card payments and/or other reportable 1099-K transactions.

There will be five different kind of letters sent out by the IRS.  Depending on the letter, there will be different instructions given.  Follow the instructions and/or talk to your tax advisor.

Taxpayers are warned that “failure to respond may also result in a proposed assessment or further compliance action”.

Keeping good records is very important in the 1099-K compliance process.  Talk to your tax advisor for further information and advice regarding this issue.

The fair-market value of noncash gifts must be included in employee wages subject to federal employment taxes. [1] 

The following gifts are nontaxable fringes if their value is nominal and are not frequently given:
Fruit baskets
Hams
Turkeys
Wine
Flowers
Entertainment tickets (show or sporting event) 

Gift certificates (“cash in kind”) are to be included in employee wages and are subject to employment taxes even if the gift certificate is for a fringe item such as a ham.  A ham is nontaxable, but a gift certificate for a ham is taxable. [2] 

The cost of employee parties and picnics is completely deductible to the business and is nontaxable to the employees as a fringe.  These parties and picnics must be infrequent and given to promote the health, goodwill, contentment, or efficiency of the employees. [3]