"95 percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself." – Brian Tracy You know how Thanksgiving got its start, don’t you? Smack in the middle of horrendous civil war, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving which should take place every year. I believe Lincoln understood a fundamental … Read More
Questions Which Might Affect Your 2011 Tax Bill
“If you treat an individual as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” -Goethe I have a few questions for you, which won’t take very long to answer, but can help US help you keep your taxes down, even for this year. Just email the … Read More
Northridge Accountant Reports On: “Living In a Material World”
“Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.” -Charles Dudley Warner There was a recent “Freakonomics” podcast about the folly of prediction. Fascinating stuff — and (predictably) one of the most valuable conclusions? The experts are usually wrong. When you study how experts make opinions and, more importantly, the characteristics of those who make GOOD predictions, … Read More
Northridge Accountant Asks: “I’m Not Lying–Are You?”
“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” – William Feather Now that “extension season” has all been about wrapped up, we’re able to breathe a little easier around here at Team Paredes. And one of the things we’ll be focusing on, next, is how to maximize YOUR tax savings for 2011. We’re … Read More
Northridge Accountant Defines: “Common Sense Identity Protection”
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me." – Steve Jobs (1955-2011) Enough has been written, by now, of Steve Jobs, that my two cents seems a bit stale. But I would like to say this: Steve Jobs made the … Read More
“A Tax Hike For You?” Northridge Accountant Advises
"Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity." – Goethe Monday morning, we all woke up to a new deficit-reduction plan from the White House: raise taxes. (Story here: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-deficit-20110918,0,2819262.story ) I’m not here to beat anyone’s political head on the wall, so I’ll restrict my comments to a few key points — for YOU: 1) It’s not a … Read More
Northridge Accountant Writes On: “The Fashionable Trend Towards Renting (Not Buying)”
“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” – O.S. Marden Earthquakes, hurricanes, and … homeownership? Well, the first two have left us in a mixture of annoyance, grief (there has been real tragedy in the wake of Irene, I must say), and a growing cynicism over crisis … Read More
Re: Guarding Against Your Own Private Downgrade
"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change." – Barbara de Angelis Last week, we were all reeling a little from the S&P downgrade and all of the other chaos flying around the "body politic" (and economic, to boot). After … Read More
Guarding Against Your Own Private Downgrade
“All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.” -Benjamin Franklin What a messy weekend. Heartbreaking news from Afghanistan, the S&P downgrade — and now all of the resultant (and gruesomely predictable) political posturing. Oh, and as I write this, it’s no surprise that the stock market is “reacting” a … Read More
Washington Really is a Different Kind of Town
"If it’s not something you can decide about, if it’s not something you can avoid, then all you can do is worry. And what’s the point of that?" -Seth Godin There are just some stories where nobody comes out looking good — and this "debt ceiling" debacle is one of them, in my humble opinion. Yes, a deal was struck. … Read More