Category: Values
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Tax preparation fees represent the “wild west” of the financial services industry
We are just three weeks away from the opening of a new tax filing season and so the subject of disclosure of tax preparation fees comes up again. My opinions differ sharply from the mainstream of the tax preparation industry. The tax preparation industry may be the last bastion of “let the buyer beware” free…
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3 Years After Sandy: Where am I Now?
Superstorm Sandy changed my life – that is an understatement. The memories of the tears in the eyes of my tough watermen friends and the sense of panic I felt during the 16 hour work days we put in during the rescue and cleanup period are beginning to fade to the point where they do…
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How do you know who to trust for financial advice?
Tonight I finished a 13 hour continuing professional education course on the topic of ethics in the financial services industry for baby boomer and senior clients. The scope of scams perpetrated on seniors covered in the course leaves me dumbfounded. In each of these many cases, the victim made a critical mistake in trusting the wrong person. …
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10 good reasons why I might choose not to vote
The right to vote in a self-governing society also recognizes that electing not to vote is an option in appropriate circumstances. The election to abstain from voting is arguably the most valuable tool we have to preserve the integrity, value and meaning of the voting process. Here are ten good reasons that I may choose…
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Should a CPA help a delinquent taxpayer? a criminal? a drug dealer?
A CPA posed a question online about whether he should help a person who had not filed income tax returns for years but now wants to come clean and catch up. It was surprising to me that almost all the CPAs who responded said they would not help. Many had strong logical arguments for their…
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My three simple goals for 2015
There seems to be a lot of negative stuff written lately about the process of goal setting and I think that I understand the arguments against this old-fashioned way of thinking. But I’m not buying into it. Goal setting, for me, sets the necessary internal pressure needed to make things happen. My three goals for 2015:…
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Year end reflections on traumatic brain injury
I recently passed the 8th year mark since the head injury that changed everything in my world. My case is primarily a story of recovery far surpassing the expectations of any of my treating physicians. Eventually, very slowly, I returned from a state of being a “madman” to a well-organized thinker and leader. I went…
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A simple response to the North Korea threat
The Wall Street Journal headline today reads “U.S. Struggles for Response to Sony Hack” and talks about how advisers from President Barack Obama ’s intelligence, military and diplomatic teams were having daily meetings about the situation, Meanwhile, Americans everywhere were quick to denounce Sony’s decision to cancel distribution of the movie this week. Some of…