Author: Tony Novak
-
Redefining my ideal client and target market
Small business advisers suggest that the more specifically we define and distinguish our target market and our ideal client, the greater our chances of business success. To say it another way, few business advisers would recommend that an accountant like me simply offer his services to ‘the world’. Instead, most develop a niche of expertise…
-
A comment about Brave browser
I use Brave as my preferred browser and Duck Duck Go as the internal search engine. I tested it on a part-time basis over a period of about 6 months and finally uninstalled Chrome on all devices last month. All private data including usernames and passwords is kept separately (by Lastpass) and not stored by…
-
Seven observations from COVID tax season
Many of us tax professionals are wrapping up the most challenging tax season of our lives. I’m pretty well on pace to finish early for the deadline on the 15th so I paused to write a few short reflections: At least one client won’t file taxes this year primarily due to depression. A few others…
-
Safety planning for 2021 post-pandemic: a personal choice
By all accounts, we are not yet halfway through the worst of the COVID pandemic as we soon enter the cold weather season. The most basic point of what we now know is that it spreads easily through the air with prolonged contact. Even indoor ventilation systems pose a significant spread risk. We also know…
-
Trump’s three largest tax problems
Donald Trump’s tax problems are obviously of great public interest. This post summarizes the three largest issues as widely reported in popular media1 : 1) IRS audit on partnership losses – The federal government’s tax auditors at the Internal Revenue Service disagree with a tax position taken by Trump that could reportedly increase his income…
-
Paying too much income tax?
Despite the name, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 didn’t really do much to reduce ordinary people’s tax bill. In fact, almost the same number of people saw taxes increase as decrease according to the most recent survey by Kiplinger. Most people, 3 out of 5, reported that their taxes remained about the…
-
Reaching people who do not use social media
My business-building activity primarily relies on old-fashioned personal mentions from well-connected people I already know to higher level people in my target markets, or the government officials that control those markets, who I do not know. My activity simply allows me to get the cell phone number of the person I want to meet and…
-
Low tech approach to avoid computer spying
Last week I made a post of unusual and unexplained personal security issue that seemed to know that an advertiser knew what I was thinking, but had not spoken or written down. An customized advertisement appeared offering to sell me a Bobcat loader (hardly a common consumer advertisement) on the day after I considered buying…
-
Alarming financial reports leaked
Questions about the leaked reports from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit (FinCEN): All parties acknowledge this disclosure places the employees of financial institutions in danger. How badly is this going to deter anyone in the financial industry from complying with the law going forward? If employees in these institutions were following the law in reporting…