|
In This Issue...
- From the President
- CSTC Academy
- Can I Hear That Again?
- August Events
- Welcome New CSTC Members
- Legislative Advocacy
- News from the IRS
- Join CSTC!
CSTC Member Benefits
CSTC members have access to benefits such as free payroll processing services for your tax practice, and the opportunity to earn new revenue through their flexible partnership options.
CSTC is pleased to include the VeriFyle ProTM premium secure online document and message sharing service at no cost to CSTC members!
Wolters Kluwer: Discounts on Tax, Accounting & Audit Resources, Software, Information & Services.
CSTC members receive the TaxBook WebLibrary at a special price
Other Member Benefits Include:
$ Savings on all Society Educational Events
$ Savings on Contact, Correspondence & Self Study Education
$ Savings with member specialty CSTC Connects (previouslyYellow Pages) list
$ Savings with E & O Insurance, plus specialty coverage relevant to your profession
$ Online CSTC Find-a-Tax Consultant search to help promote your business!
$ CSTC Member Listserv
Office Depot has partnered with us to provide exclusive savings in-store and online, plus fantastic additional benefits. This program is all about providing preferred pricing to our clubs, and the savings extend to almost every item.
Savings include 20% to 55% off item office supply core list, 20% to 55% off retail on cleaning & break room items, 10% off branded; 20% off private brand ink & toner core list, Average 10% off retail on 200 technology core items, Free next-day shipping on orders of $50 or more, and SIGNIFICANT savings on copy & print. Become a CSTC member to sign up for our Office Depot Small Business Savings Program, administered by Excelerate America.
We are a professional full-service tax advisory firm in San Diego. Our goal is to provide a level of service for our clients that will exceed expectations in every possible way. We strive to offer a diverse level of services to meet the needs of the diverse community we have been working in for more than 30 years.
TaxMama's® EA Exam Course prepares tax professionals to do so much more than just pass the IRS' Special Enrollment Examination. This is an in-depth course that teaches tax law from the ground up. It explains how tax returns work, with examples of basic 1040s, Schedule Cs, 1065s, 1120s, and 1120Ss; you learn tax law, tax research, client representation for audits, appeals and collections.
If you are interested in buying or selling a practice, contact us today! ATB is operated by Enrolled Agents ensuring a complete understanding of our profession. Please give us a call at (855) 428-2225 or visit us online at www.ATBCAL.com for more information and to view our current listings.
CA DRE 02002824
CSTC Mission
CSTC advances professionalism within the tax industry by:
- Providing quality education
- Creating networking opportunities
- Advocating professional standards
|
From the President
OH, NOW I SEE!
Seth's New Gloves Follow-Up
Last month, I wrote about my grandson Seth getting a pair of new mountain bike gloves to protect his little hands in the event of a fall. Before he got his gloves, neither Seth nor his parents thought he needed gloves to stay safe. Of course, at 2 years old, safety is not really on his mind. His parents knew that a helmet was essential for protection, but the gloves were a new idea. Since that writing, Seth has used his gloves many times. My wife Cheryl, who is currently visiting Seth and his family in Arkansas, told me that while she has been there, they have hit the mountain bike trails several times. As expected when riding trails, Cheryl has witnessed several of Seth’s little wipe-outs. She noticed that after each fall he would look at his hands, probably because they took the impact of the fall. Cheryl quickly noticed that the gloves were protecting him from hand injuries. They were doing what they were designed to do.
While I was discussing the riding experience with Seth’s dad, Ryan, he mentioned that when he started riding mountain bikes, he didn't wear gloves until he fell on his hands about 3 times and got tired of having dirt and gravel dug into palms. Now he sees the benefits of gloves and always wears them.
Seth and his parents figured out very quickly that this new "tool" that Seth got last month has become an invaluable part of his riding experience.
You are probably thinking “how on earth is he going to tie this story to CSTC.” No problem.
Our new “tool”, online meetings through the Zoom platform, is not something that we originally thought of using for meetings, but because our meetings were cancelled due to the Pandemic and because Zoom was available, we learned to use the tool. Since March, we have been getting better and better every time we use it. The CSTC Academy has held dozens of Webinars for dozens hours on Zoom with fantastic success. Many chapters around the state have used the Zoom platform with and without the assistance of the Society office to have wonderfully successful education meetings.
Like Seth’s seeing the benefits of his new gloves, we can see the benefit of having meetings online. As Seth becomes a better rider, he won't have to rely on his gloves so much to protect his hands, but will continue to use them for other reasons like comfort, style, and warmth. As things settle down with the pandemic, we won’t have to rely on Zoom for all our meetings, but we will see other benefits of having learned the program.
I have found the more I use Zoom and other online meeting technologies, the more I appreciate their benefits and convenience. Many CSTC members and friends have told me the same thing. Since we cannot be closer than 6 feet in any gathering and have to wear a face covering, if we do have a live meeting, we are not really “together". Let’s all learn how to hold and attend online meetings. We will be able to have regular “get together” meetings eventually but for now, let's learn to appreciate what the technology can do for us.
I am happy to believe that our current situation will not last forever. I am happy to believe that eventually, we will be able to hold regular in-person dinner meetings as we have in the past. I am convinced, however, that our learning experience now in holding and participating in virtual meetings is essential to the future success, and perhaps the very existence of our organization. While we have this opportunity, why not take advantage of it and learn all we can about online meetings? Rather than having an unsatisfying imitation of what used to be, let’s take advantage of what we actually have and make the best of it. Then, when things return to some semblance of normal we can get back together in our regular dinner meetings and we will all know how to enjoy meetings online as well.
Let’s all keep working hard to make the very best of what has been put before us and say “Oh, now I see”!
CSTC ACADEMY
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to Rod, Linda, Jen, and everyone who has worked so hard to make the CSTC Academy a tremendous success. The amount of learning and implementation to change from a Reno Nevada Symposium to an online CSTC Academy is incredible. I am in awe of the efforts of all of you and so appreciate what you have done for CSTC!
CHAPTER MEETINGS
Thank you to all the chapter leadership who have gone way outside of their comfort zone and arranged for and even hosted Zoom meetings in place of regular in-person dinner meetings. Bravo! Way to go!
Our management company has made doing Zoom dinner meetings easy and very beneficial for our chapters. You’ve got to try it. I promise you’ll see the benefits. Please keep in mind that once the CSTC Academy 2020 is completed, the remaining education will largely be provided by our chapters. It is so important right now for chapters to learn how to provide online education to their members. If you need help, please ask Jenn Baker, me, or another chapter who has done it.
VIRTUAL THROUGH 2020, PLEASE!
My board of directors and I want to encourage all chapters wherever and whenever possible to hold chapter meetings virtually through the remainder of 2020. We understand that there may be some contractual issues to deal with, however, with the ever-changing uncertainty of the pandemic and the increased risk of meeting in person, we want to encourage all chapters to learn how to provide education virtually. We can help you do it!
Let's face it, now is a great time to learn this new way of doing meetings. We need to get good at online education. This pandemic won't last forever, but we've got to get through it before we relax our caution.
THANK YOU for every hour, every thought, and every effort you put into helping CSTC thrive. Together we have something really special to help improve the tax industry one professional at a time!
Your friend,
Gary Quackenbush, CSTC President
CSTC Academy
Welcome to the CSTC Academy. The Academy offers 80 hours of CE through 31 online courses beginning June 9, 2020. All sessions satisfy the continuing education requirements for EAs, OTRPs, CTECs, CPAs, and attorneys. Sessions are offered every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am Pacific Time.
The CSTC Academy is offering the 2020 Symposium Package in addition to individual sessions. The 2020 Symposium package allows you to register for ALL sessions at under $7 per CE hour. We hope you agree that this is a deal too good to pass up!
We will begin the sessions with a deep dive on COVID-19 tax relief, followed by sessions on net operating losses, representation, QBI, business entities, AB-5, trusts, California tax, SECURE Act, practice management and more!
We encourage you to explore our exceptional lineup of topics and speakers and give CSTC priority access to meeting your continuing education needs for 2020.
Click here to learn more!
| |
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
|
| 8:30 AM to 10:10 AM |
Topic: Intellectual Property
Speaker: Curt Harrington, Attorney at Law
Hours: 2 Federal Tax Law Hours |
| 10:30 AM to 12:10 AM |
Topic: Understanding Criminal Prosecution of Tax Crimes
Speaker: Michael Blue, Attorney at Law
Hours: 1 Federal Tax Law Hour, 1 Ethics Hour |
| |
Thursday, August 6, 2020
|
| 8:30 AM to 10:10 AM |
Topic: Reading Between the Lines - How to Identify What Your Client Hasn't Told You
Speaker: Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA
Hours: 2 Federal Tax Law Hours |
| 10:30 AM to 12:10 AM |
Topic: Tax Professional Issues - ETHICS
Speaker: Gary Quackenbush, Esq
Hours: 2 Ethics Hours |
| |
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
|
| 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM |
Topic: Dear Younger Me - (Series - Sch A, Sch C, Sch E)
Speaker: Claudia Stanley, CPA, EA
Hours: 4 Federal Tax Law Hours |
| |
Thursday, August 13, 2020
|
| 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM |
Topic: Discovering the Life Cycle of a Non-profit Organization
Speaker: David Eastis, CRTP
Hours: 2 Federal Tax Law Hours, 2 California Hours |
| |
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
|
| 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM |
Topic: Business Entity Balance Sheets & Basis
Speaker: Jane Ryder, EA, CPA
Hours: 4 Federal Tax Law Hours |
Click here to learn more and register!
Can I Hear That Again?
The CSTC premier in-person event, Summer Symposium, was sadly canceled and moved online as the new CSTC Academy. Two- and four-hour classes are being held every Tuesday and Thursday morning between 8:30 and 12:10. The Academy will run through Tuesday, August 18. These webinars are offered individually, or you may purchase all in a ‘package’ price.
We’ve had fabulous attendance at our Zoom webinars so far! I love the new Academy! I purchased the all-inclusive package, and have incorporated CSTC into my workweek calendar as professional development twice a week. I’ve missed a few sessions, but overall I feel I’ve hit the jackpot!
This morning I enjoyed listening to our very own Shannon Hall speak on several of the ‘Curiosities’ in the tax realm – actors, AB&B, virtual currency, and the taxation of trafficking in controlled substances to name a few. It was beyond education… it was entertaining, too! Shannon gave a captivating presentation!
It can’t even put into words how wonderful it is to enjoy this education while never leaving my office. Some of the advantages:
- I don’t need to travel 60+ miles – one-way – to attend an in-person event (yes, I live on top of a very high mountain!)
- I’m able to SEE the powerpoint presentation on my computer screen – not always true when sitting in the back row of an in-person presentation.
- There’s no ‘psss pss psst ssch’ at the table behind me from the chatty gal
- There’s unlimited coffee and tea! And I never run out of my favorite creamer!
- Most importantly, ALL the food on hand is on my meal plan! Vegans & Keto-ers, take note!
In my opinion, one of the most important advantages to attending the CSTC Academy is that as part of my purchase I receive a recording of each session I attend. These recordings are MP4’s and can be played back when you want to ‘refresh’ your memory, perhaps as you’re preparing a return. OR – if you’re like me – you might choose to play these recordings when out driving. I like listening to mindless music, like anyone else; but sometimes it’s refreshing to actually ‘learn’ something while I’m on a long drive.
If you haven’t attended a CSTC Academy class yet… think about it. The Education Committee, headed by CSTC Member of the Year, Linda Dong, has done an outstanding job putting this together.
I believe if you attend the CSTC Academy you’re going to love it every bit as much as I do. Don’t wait, check it out today!
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Horton, Society 2nd VP
August Virtual Chapter Events
August 5, 2020
Topic: IRA Tune Up / California Differences Getting Ready for the Game
Temecula Valley Chapter Virtual Meeting
2 Federal Tax Law Hours (Topics covering existing tax law)
Topic: The Advanced 1031 Exchanges
San Francisco Bay Chapter Virtual Meeting
2 Federal Tax Law Hours (Topics covering existing tax law)
August 19, 2020
Topic: Bankruptcy Secrets!
Inland Empire Chapter Virtual Meeting
2 Federal Tax Law Hours (Topics covering existing tax law)
August 20, 2020
Topic: Overview Of Partnerships and LLCs
San Diego Chapter Virtual Meeting
2 Federal Tax Law Hours (Topics covering existing tax law)
August 25, 2020
Topic: TBA
Central Valley Chapter Virtual Meeting
Hours TBA
August 26, 2020
Topic: Trusts and Estates - Form 1041
Greater Long Beach Chapter Meeting
Hours TBA
Click here to view the CSTC calendar.
Welcome New CSTC Members!
Please help us in joining our newest CSTC Members!
Kaiden Degas
San Jose Chapter
Flora Espino
San Diego Chapter
Charles Leitz
Wine Country Chapter
Richard Mathurin
San Diego Chapter
Tanisha Moore
San Diego Chapter
Richard Morales
San Diego Chapter
Rochelle Roach
Inland Empire Chapter
Nikki Veneracion
Los Angeles Chapter
Legislative Advocacy
CSTC has been the leading Association in supporting legislation to provide protection for our profession, to support our profession, and to enhance our profession. CSTC continuously leads our industry through legislative advocacy, educational opportunities, and professional inclusion.
CSTC works closely with a Legislative Consultant to keep an eye on important bills that would affect taxpayers and small business owners.
Please click here to view the bills that CSTC is currently monitoring.
Join the California Society of Tax Consultants!
Click here to fill out an online application.
CSTC advances professionalism within the tax industry by:
- Providing quality education
- Creating networking opportunities
- Advocating professional standards
|
