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Small Business, Big Ideas
with Jean Willard
05/13/13Retirement: It isn’t just about age anymoreI recently saw an article in The Wall Street Journal about Americans giving up on their retirement plans. The writer commented that two-thirds of Americans aged 45 to 60 say they plan to delay retirement, a steep jump from two years ago when fewer than half of the respondents said they expected to put off retirement. |
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04/08/13You got a letter from the government. Now what?After working in the area of tax preparation for more than 30 years, I have learned that even if you are a good, thoughtful tax preparer, you might still get notices from the IRS and/or Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Notices are delivered in May and June. The following is my guide to common IRS notices and how to react to them. First of all, never, ever ignore a letter from governmental regulatory bodies and always be polite in responding within the time allowed. |
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03/11/13Wisconsin use tax and how it affects youLately we’ve been hearing that Amazon may agree to charge sales tax on items purchased from its website. You might wonder why you should care. After all, those who purchase goods from Amazon are already paying use tax with their income tax returns, aren’t they? Well, if you’re a Wisconsin resident who owes use tax, you shouldn’t forget to include the tax when preparing your Wisconsin individual income tax return. |
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02/04/13Getting ready for tax preparation: Helping your accountant help youNow that 2013 is underway, there is one pressing issue to which we all must pay attention. We need to take care of our taxes. Some people think of tax season as a time to be dreaded each year, but luckily for you, we CPAs love tax season! Here are some pointers to help you get ready for this daunting task. |
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01/14/13New tax law holds up electronic filing, and other notesI was lucky enough to head out to Pasadena at the beginning of the month to enjoy some great weather, fun visits with relatives, and a good Badger game. The only downside was that I found myself glued to every television monitor I saw. My concern, of course, was whether an agreement had been reached to extend some of the tax provisions that had already expired on Jan. 1. |
Jean M. Willard, CPA, is a principal in the Middleton offices of 
