In your example of getting a few hundred back vs 5 figures it really makes me question what kind of tricks the accountant is doing to get so much more back. Maybe I'm the sucker for not optimizing my tax return down to the bone but I'm also conservative in that I don't want to get audited for all kinds of questionable deductions that push the boundaries of the tax law. His rate is definitely much higher than I'm spending for tax preparation.
Something Random
- Thread starter ddrueding
- Start date
In your example of getting a few hundred back vs 5 figures it really makes me question what kind of tricks the accountant is doing to get so much more back. Maybe I'm the sucker for not optimizing my tax return down to the bone but I'm also conservative in that I don't want to get audited for all kinds of questionable deductions that push the boundaries of the tax law. His rate is definitely much higher than I'm spending for tax preparation.
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
I was thinking the same thing. I'm pretty good at paying the minimum amount of tax I legally have to pay. I'll grant there are certain gray areas like business expenses where you can fudge stuff to an extent, but getting back 5 figures instead of a few hundred would make me seriously question the legality of the deductions.
On another note, my tax situation may be changing for worse (or better depending upon how you look at it) this year. I started a consulting gig where I may do pretty well. The downside is that instead of owing my usual few hundred dollars on April 15 I might get stuck with a big tax bill. The good news is under tax laws I won't get a penalty or interest paying everything I owe next April 15 because my 2014 estimated tax payments only need to equal my 2013 tax liability (which was zero due to a very bad year).
Why not just withhold more or send in quarterly payments unless if you plan to invest the money up until tax payment time? Congrats on getting a nice consulting gig. I thought there was a penalty for owing over a certain amount but no interest as long as your withholdings exceed your previous year's?
ddrueding
Fixture
He certainly knows what he is doing as far as optimizing for the system. He runs multiple scenarios for different approaches (joint, married filing separately, etc) and has a good feel for a reasonable amount of deductions. Then again, having someone like him on my team makes me less paranoid about a potential audit. I suspect many people leave enough skin on the bone to assure against an audit, where I just want him to leave enough that we could pass one were it to happen.
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
No, no penalties or interest provided the amount you pay during the year is at least 90% of your tax liability or 100% of last year's tax liability: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc306.html
I may or may not invest the money but it's easier for me to just pay in one lump sum next April, even if the amount turns out to be five figures. In 2015 I won't have that luxury but I'll still err on the side of underpaying rather than overpaying for two reasons. One, overpayments amount to an interest-free loan to the government. Two, NYSHESC has a lien on my tax refunds so I have to make sure to avoid being in a refund situation at all costs in the future.
And yes, I'm glad to (hopefully) be finally making decent money for as long as it lasts.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
And yes, I'm glad to (hopefully) be finally making decent money for as long as it lasts.
Congrats!
No, it doesn't matter unless one owes.
What's the verdict? Please don't keep us in suspense.
time
Storage? I am Storage!
So, your catch-cry relates to the time spent waiting for filtration to complete in a Buchner Funnel?
Or maybe something to do with the ludicrous number of famous scientists named Buchner?
Or maybe something to do with the ludicrous number of famous scientists named Buchner?
timwhit
Hairy Aussie
I did not see the film in theatres and then by the time it was on cable I was stationed in Europe.
It's one of the best films ever made. Not in the same class as "The Godfather" or "The Shawshank Redemption", but pretty damn good for a summer comedy type movie.
ddrueding
Fixture
On the tested podcast a few weeks ago Adam Savage said that Ferris Bueller could be seen as Tyler Durden to Cameron Frye's Edward Norton, and that the whole thing happens because Cameron doesn't have the balls to ask Sloane out.
I saw it at some point a few years later, but don't recall that part very well. I thought the film was mediocre at best. I was rather disgusted that the sneaky, smug little sh*t committed a number of unlawful and disrespectful acts with no repurcussions. It's not that there were any extenuating circumstances. I'm sure the film was popular for the youth market.
Stereodude
Not really a
I for one must say I am shocked at this revelation!
Well, it's as important to be critical of mediocre films as to praise the rare excellent ones.
time
Storage? I am Storage!
My excuse is that I haven't yet been indoctrinated into accepting shit as entertainment, thanks to my happening to live outside the official boundaries of the USA.
Unofficially of course, I am a non-voting US citizen. Anyone in doubt should refer to my "nation's" purchase of 72 JSF POS. That's the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to you, you commie critics!
At the risk of offending Snowhiker, there are way, way too many half-decent movies I haven't seen for me to waste two hours of my life with another "summer comedy type movie." Sorry.
Unofficially of course, I am a non-voting US citizen. Anyone in doubt should refer to my "nation's" purchase of 72 JSF POS. That's the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to you, you commie critics!
At the risk of offending Snowhiker, there are way, way too many half-decent movies I haven't seen for me to waste two hours of my life with another "summer comedy type movie." Sorry.
Stereodude
Not really a
This video had me laughing out loud.
ddrueding
Fixture
Has anyone heard from Merc? I'm getting worried at his lack of replies.
Even if it stage 3 diabetes, it's not the end of the world.
Indeed. No posts in 15 days might be a record for him. Death or girlfriend.
Sonic Milkshake review: Yuk
Tonight I went to Sonic, for the first time, and got the worst milkshake I have ever had. Seriously, bad. My favorite portion was the marishinio cherry on top of A lot of fake whipped cream but I can forgive that. My big issue however is that the real ice cream is seriously peculiar. The flavoring added was fine (I got a peanut-caramel milkshake) but the ice cream was whipped to the point of mostly air and they must add some form of thickening agent to keep it thick in spite of that because I couldn't get it through the straw. Even that is dwarfed by its temperature. It wan't nearly as cold as a milkshake should be. The ice cream was slightly cool but the melted portion was outright warm even when at the bottom when in direct contact to the frozen ice cream with an insulated cup. It was not transferring heat like any milkshake I've ever had. I do not know the details of what they are doing but it does not work and is unnatural.
Tonight I went to Sonic, for the first time, and got the worst milkshake I have ever had. Seriously, bad. My favorite portion was the marishinio cherry on top of A lot of fake whipped cream but I can forgive that. My big issue however is that the real ice cream is seriously peculiar. The flavoring added was fine (I got a peanut-caramel milkshake) but the ice cream was whipped to the point of mostly air and they must add some form of thickening agent to keep it thick in spite of that because I couldn't get it through the straw. Even that is dwarfed by its temperature. It wan't nearly as cold as a milkshake should be. The ice cream was slightly cool but the melted portion was outright warm even when at the bottom when in direct contact to the frozen ice cream with an insulated cup. It was not transferring heat like any milkshake I've ever had. I do not know the details of what they are doing but it does not work and is unnatural.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
That's strange. I'm a big fan of their snickers blast, whipped cream and all. Have you had other ice cream based products from them?
Stereodude
Not really a
That probably means the quality is only half there too.
At the risk of offending Snowhiker, there are way, way too many half-decent movies I haven't seen for me to waste two hours of my life with another "summer comedy type movie." Sorry.
No worries. I'm not offended in the least. Different strokes for different folks. You like what you like, etc, etc, etc. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is 28 years old and people still remember it. For any kid that dreamed of being cool in high school, Ferris Bueller was the coolest. Everybody liked him. Loved him. Idolized him. Talked about him. He represented the dream of everything going just the way you want it to. Everything perfect. Everything always coming up roses. And he had the smoking hot girlfriend to share in his adventures.
Maybe you had to be a certain age when the film was out to enjoy it. Other than Star Wars, which I saw with my dad in 1977, I can't think of another film I saw that I remember and think about as a "fond memory."
Now granted the film isn't what's typically a great film, but as I said, for a "summer comedy type movie" it is one of the greatest films ever made.
ddrueding
Fixture
Somehow I purchased another 34TB of hard drives in the last few weeks. It's not really helping me.
Organization must be a pain. It would be crazy not to group those into arrays of some kind?
ddrueding
Fixture
This is going to be a long night. SQL database is refusing to mount after a full dismount and copy. Restoring from another backup is going to take some time. Cracked into the boss' own label (this is an '09 Merlot) to see me through the night.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Good Luck!
ddrueding
Fixture
Thanks. Not too worried about it, but restoring this data set over the fiber from my secondary site is going to take another 3 hours. By then this bottle will be gone and it will be 4:30AM local. Get it mounted, start the application server, verify the client will start, and take a nap under the desk before staff start arriving @ 6AM. At around 7AM enough people will have hit it hard enough that I can be confident the restore was good and I can drive home to sleep til noonish before coming back and finishing the day.
I am getting an assistant, once HR finishes with the contract and safety training. If I can keep them for a year I might have trained them enough on all the systems that I'll be able to take a vacation for the first time in 7 years.
I am getting an assistant, once HR finishes with the contract and safety training. If I can keep them for a year I might have trained them enough on all the systems that I'll be able to take a vacation for the first time in 7 years.
Will Rickards
Storage Is My Life
I'm concerned about Sam/Merc.
Does anybody have contact information for him other than an e-mail address?
Does anybody have contact information for him other than an e-mail address?
ddrueding
Fixture
I only have an e-mail, and I sent him one quite a while ago without response.