“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
Deadlines and Mistakes
“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” -Socrates I’m continuing my (well-received — thank you!) series on hidden financial mistakes this week. But first a few reminders for you: 1) “Extension friends” (that means the ones who filed for one in April, or earlier): we’re coming down to the wire … Read More
Northridge Accountant Reports: “Financial Mistakes Hardly Anyone Talks About”
"The men who succeed are the efficient few. They are the few who have the ambition and will power to develop themselves." – Robert Burton In the course of our daily work around here, we not only work with numbers a LOT … but we also get a regular course on how people (our clients, mostly) *think* about those numbers. … 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 Tax Professional’s: “Back-of-the-Napkin Financial Principles Even *I* Use”
"The game of life is not so much in holding a good hand as playing a poor hand well." – H. T. Leslie Meeting with clients this past week (and the week before) has been a blast. No — really! And yes, I know, I should get out more. The reason we enjoy doing this (especially this time of year), … 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
A Story You Should Read
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James This might offend you, though I’m not trying to ruffle feathers — however, I will be a bit bold here: Could you be focusing too much attention on your family? Now, far be it from me to suggest that your family isn’t the BEST possible investment … Read More