tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14977381330950090172024-03-06T12:00:40.199-08:00ROBERT D FLACHROBERT D FLACH - 50 year veteran tax professional writing on tax planning and preparation. I am available to write on taxes for your publication or website.Robert D Flachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034127763662917220noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497738133095009017.post-5870776722286523512012-10-05T07:41:00.130-07:002023-04-14T01:41:14.022-07:00HELLO!<div align="justify">
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">NEW! </span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><i><a href="https://robertdflach.blogspot.com/p/the-joy-of-avoiding-taxes.html" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: #fcff01;">THE JOY OF AVOIDING TAXES</b></a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>MY BOOK ON TAX PLANNING AND PREPARATION ADVICE FOR NEW JERSEY STATE INCOME TAX RETURNS HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR TAX YEAR <span style="color: red;">2021</span>!</i></b></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>"<a href="http://robertdflach.blogspot.com/p/the-joy-of-avoiding-new-jersey-taxes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">THE JOY OF AVOIDING</span></a></i></b></span></span><br />
<span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><a href="http://robertdflach.blogspot.com/p/the-joy-of-avoiding-new-jersey-taxes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">NEW JERSEY TAXES</span></a>"</i></b></span><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i> </i></b></span></span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></em>
<em><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW OF "SO YOU WANT TO BE A TAX PREPARER" - CLICK <span style="color: lime;"><a href="https://prontotaxschool.com/my-review-of-robert-flach-s-new-book-so-you-want-to-be-a-tax-preparer/" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></b> <b> </b></span></em><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My name is Robert
D. (for David) Flach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I was born, in
November of 1953, and raised, and lived most of my life, in metropolitan Jersey
City, New Jersey, across the river from “the big apple”, county seat of Hudson
County, once the “poster child” for political corruption (think Frank Hague and
John V Kenny and the infamous Democratic Party political machine, where it was
almost illegal not to vote Democrat, early and often, every year on Column A of
the election ballot).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also lived for
relatively brief periods in Milburn, Summit, Stirling, and Watchung New
Jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2012 I moved to rural Hawley
in Northeast Pennsylvania, about an hour from Scranton. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I have been preparing income tax returns
for individuals in all walks of life since February of 1972.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">My first encounter with income taxes came
when I was in a freshman at a local Jesuit college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had taken the first half of Accounting 101,
but had not taken any tax classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
no experience with or education in any aspect of income taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never even prepared my own simple
returns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">My uncle’s tax professional, James P. Gill,
hired college students during the tax season as “apprentice” preparers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During his annual visit to have his return
prepared, on February 12th (he would always go on Lincoln’s birthday), my uncle
happened to mention that I had taken my first accounting course and that I was
helping him with the books for the non-profit organization for which he
worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim told my uncle to send me in
to see about a job – and the rest is history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">On my initial visit to Jim’s office just
off Journal Square in Jersey City (where the “Jersey Bounce” started) he took
me to a desk, gave me a copy of a client’s previous year’s tax return and a
briefcase full of papers that constituted the current year’s tax “stuff”, and
told me to “jump in and swim”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">If I had a question, I would ask my JP, who
would take the time to explain the answer or send me to find the answer in his
CCH tax library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I was self-taught
via on-the-job training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned how
to prepare income tax returns in the very best way possible – by preparing
income tax returns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back then there was
no software – so I learned by preparing returns manually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I firmly believe the best way to learn how to
prepare returns is by preparing them manually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">In my 50 years in “the business” I have
never prepared a 1040, or any other tax return, using flawed and expensive
commercial tax preparation software.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When asked what software I use I simply say “my brain”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am truly the last of the dinosaurs, one of
a handful, if not the only, tax professional who still prepares all my 1040s
manually. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The closest I came to using software was
during my brief tenure as a “para-professional” for the then big-eight CPA firm
of Deloitte Haskins + Sells back in the late 1970s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would fill-in an “input sheet” for a Form
1040 which was generated using Computax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My reaction back then was that by the time I finished filling in the
input sheet I could have actually prepared the return manually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">At a CPE session in San Antonio MANY years
ago, conducted by legendary veteran tax pro and former director of the IRS
Office of National Public Liaison (a division of the agency that serves as a
link to tax professionals, business associations, taxpayer assistance groups,
and federal agencies) Beanna Whitlock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She asked the participants if anyone still prepared 1040s manually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, my hand was the only one that went
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beanna said she wanted to shake my
hand - because I was the only one in the room who really knew how to prepare
1040s!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I do use commercial general ledger
software, currently QuickBooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
thing I learned in transitioning from manual accounting to software back in the
90s – when paying bills manually for clients<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I am an “unenrolled” preparer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am neither a CPA nor an EA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never had any desire to audit
financial statements, so I did not become a CPA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have never had any desire to represent
taxpayers before the IRS, so I did not become an EA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have chosen not to enroll in the IRS
voluntary Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I am currently retired from preparing 1040s. This book is not being written as a way to
attract new 1040 preparation business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you need a tax professional please don’t contact me – my answer would
in every case most definitely be “no”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am also a
writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have written extensively about
federal income tax planning and preparation, mostly aimed at the average
middle-class taxpayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I've been
writing the tax blog THE WANDERING TAX PRO (</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://wanderingtaxpro.blogspot.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0000cc; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">http://wanderingtaxpro.blogspot.com</span></b></a></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">) consistently, except for an annual February
through mid-April tax season hiatus, since July of 2001, after learning about
blogging at that year’s annual conference of the National Association of Tax Professionals
(I've been a member for over 30 years). And I also write the blog AMERICANS FOR COMMON SENSE (</span><a href="https://bobflach.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk16550905;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0000cc; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">https://bobflach.blogspot.com</span></b></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk16550905;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">).</span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">. </span><br />
<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I have created the websites FIND A TAX PROFESSIONAL (</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.findataxprofessional.com/"><b><span style="color: #0000cc; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">https://www.findataxprofessional.com</span></b></a></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">) and
A TAX PROFESSIONAL FOR TAX REFORM (</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://taxprosfortaxreform-com.webs.com/"><b><span style="color: #0000cc; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">https://taxprosfortaxreform-com.webs.com</span></b></a></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also written articles and commentaries
for the publications of the National Association of Tax Professionals and the
newsletter of the NJ chapter and for the online portals THE STREET, TAXPRO
TODAY, ACCOUNTING TODAY, and MEDIA FEED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I have written several books, guides and reports on tax planning and
preparation and the tax preparation business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif">I am available to write columns and
articles on federal income tax planning and preparation for your online or
print newsletters, publications or portals.</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">
</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Email me at </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0000cc;"><a href="mailto:rdftaxpro@yahoo.com"><span style="color: #0000cc;">rdftaxpro@yahoo.com</span></a></span></b><span face="verdana, sans-serif">
with “WRITING INQURY” in the subject line.</span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif">After the tax filing season, I enjoy
travel, domestic and international, via all methods (car, bus, train, boat,
airplane), hence my title as the “wandering” tax pro (also because my mind
tends to wander), musical theatre, and watching British, Canadian and
Australian tv mysteries on Acorn.tv.</span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">You can follow me on Twitter at @rdftaxpro
- </span><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0000cc;"><a href="https://twitter.com/rdftaxpro"><span style="color: #0000cc;">https://twitter.com/rdftaxpro</span></a></span></b><span face="verdana, sans-serif">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
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Robert D Flachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034127763662917220noreply@blogger.com2