A note about what a CPA does from April-January.

Dear reader of this blog post,

Greetings! My name is Timothy Lark. I am a Certified Public Accountant and author of this blog.

I have received numerous notes and comments about this blog. I have compiled a list of a few that display the common ideals behind them:

1. "Get lost"
2. "Get a life"
3. "Really? REALLY?!!!!!"
4. "Dear Timothy Lark, what do you do between April and January?"

Excellent comments and questions. And it seems that I can answer numbers 2-4 all in one fell swoop. And for number one, I haven't yet seen that show but just net flixed it so I should be seeing it soon. I hear its lord of the flies and sci-fi. Exciting.

But to address the more pertinent question, I do have a life between April and January. Yes. Really, I do. When not doing taxes my job consists of the following very useful tasks:

1. File extensions
2. File not for profit returns
3. Deal with government audits
4. Consistently cry
5. Help manage expense reports for select clients.

And I guess that this year I'll be able to add number 6, helping remind all you out there that taxes are always hovering over you.

Sincerely,

Timothy Lark, CPA

A note about love

Dear reader of this blog post,

Greetings! My name is Timothy Lark. I am a Certified Public Accountant and author of this blog.

A quick note about love.

Love does not exist. Only money.

Keep those receipts! :)

Sincerely,

Timothy Lark, CPA

A note on marriages and tax season

Dear reader of this blog post,

Greetings! My name is Timothy Lark. I am a Certified Public Accountant and author of this blog.

I know that in these eight months of down time plenty of people decide that they're going to tie that happy knot and become married in eternal bliss in the eyes of God. I'm here to let you know that if you do that your taxes will become much more difficult, so let's think twice before you betroth yourself to that individual.

But its not all bad! In many cases married couples receive tax benefits after they tie the knot. Essentially, as a couple, you are qualified as a single person in the government's eyes (sorry ladies, but it seems ol' Uncle Sam hasn't recognized your civil rights movement and thinks the man is the only one who should be the bread winner, haha).

However, if you both make a considerable amount of income, or one of you makes far more than the other, its often much better to file "married filing separately" status. And this can be a headache, and really cost you money in the long run. I often recommend to couples who have consistently filed "married filing separately" to get a divorce, as its a much better financial decision. Strangely though, it seems in most cases a marriage/divorce decision isn't settled because of tax matters.

In any case, I'm here to remind you that before you get that knot tied you better think about the consequences. Its not all fun and love, its also a higher tax liability. :)

Sincerely,

Timothy Lark, CPA

Welcome to my blog "Notes from a CPA!"

Dear reader of this blog post,

Greetings! My name is Timothy Lark. I am a Certified Public Accountant and author of this blog.

It is now April 16th and we all know what that means... yep, tax season is over. For most of us this means that the stress has passed and relaxation is on the horizon. For us CPAs the stress has passed as well. But unlike you, rather than experience relaxation we experience crippling depression mixed with poverty and that oh so empty feeling that what we do is entirely meaningless in the world and why oh why didn't we become lawyers like our parents told us to.

But I digress.

I'm starting up this blog to make it very clear to you that we are in fact still relevant. Rather than ball up in a corner for the next eight months I was hoping to help you through these tax free months by always reminding you that every single thing you ever do has consequences down the road when it comes time to file. I'm hear to be that constant reminder to save and file your receipts, or else your 1040 will be ever so hard to defend in case of an audit. And yes I'm hear to remind you that you all have the opportunity to be audited. Think you're out of tax season? Haha. Not yet. There's always a reason to stress about the government.

So, let me help guide you through the next eight months. I, Timothy Lark, promise to be your guiding, and possibly entertaining, light throughout these empty months.

Unless you forgot to file, in which case please send me documents and I will file for an extension on your return and feel I have some sort of purpose.

Sincerely,

Timothy Lark, CPA