Coaching...Not Just for Overpaid Football Players

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard the term "coaching" as applied to a business relationship, I squinted my eyes a little bit and thought "Who would do that?"  I guess that was at the beginning of my career in public accounting, 18 years ago.  Then, I immediately thought, "Even if I wanted to, how could I spare the time?"

Over the years I have worked with some wonderful clients and colleagues who call themselves Business Coaches or Life Coaches, and I was able to see first-hand just how the process worked.  It wasn't all new-age and ambiguous...it worked, it revealed things about a client's business and personality that led to revelations, and it was so worth the time and expense to take part.  People raved about it. They actually scheduled these sessions like meetings, made them a priority, and benefited. But I still hadn't been involved in a coaching session....

Until this past summer.  I joined a coaching course with my "CPA-Brother", Jason Blumer, and I had the opportunity to experience it first hand.  I made the time a priority, completed the coursework, and became very intentional about it. This coaching course was comprised of several CPA's from all over the country, and we participated via the internet and our computers/headsets/microphones....we were able to see each other during the sessions, we shared ideas and goals, and we all uncovered things about our respective careers that led to improvements in our lives.  Not just work, but our personal lives as well.  And I was inspired....

So inspired, that I have prepared an agenda for a coaching course of my own, one that will be offered to my business clients in the coming weeks.  I am VERY excited about the sessions, as I believe they will add value to my clients so they can, in turn, add value to their clients....and so on.  We will cover a broad range of topics, including defining success, determining who you want in your team, how to use technology to make your life easier, how to interpret your numbers and judge performance by tracking key performance indicators...it will be enlightening and thought-provoking, to say the least.  No homework, no accounting-speak, no tax law discussions....just talking among other professionals and learning.

I have come to realize that my profession really is a "pay it forward" proposition.  I genuinely enjoy sharing what I know with my clients, so they can experience a richer quality of life, and then they can pass it on.  Look for the announcement about the sessions, and please contact me if you're interested.  It will be well-worth the time and expense, I promise you. I would love to have you join us!

Our Annual Tax Season Information Letter....

2011/2012 Tax Season Information Letter

Ah, tax season….it’s here again!  We have 105 days to produce a tremendous amount of work and value for all of you, and it’s always exciting to make plans and get started! As most of you already know, we have enacted many wonderful changes this past year, which will hopefully make our lives (yours and ours) easier moving forward.  This is what you can look forward to in the coming days and weeks:

• Our preferred method of contact with our clients is via e-mail, DocuSign and Dropbox (see next paragraph).  If these are not YOUR preferred methods for contact, you need to make that known to us as soon as possible.  That saves us from bothering you with numerous reminder e-mails and removes our frustration when you don’t respond to us.  Please be sure to add our e-mails to your contacts so that our messages to you aren’t placed in your Spam folders.  This is very important!

• We utilize Dropbox, an online file sharing and delivery program, for sending sensitive information such as copies of tax returns, anything containing a social security number or Federal ID number, and of course banking information. EVERYONE now has a Dropbox folder with our firm, and an instructional e-mail will be sent in the coming days regarding access to that folder.  We encourage you to set up your password and ID immediately upon receiving our invitation to join Dropbox, as you will find the following information in your personalized Dropbox folder: A 2012 calendar highlighting important dates, your organizer for gathering 2011 tax return data, a more detailed explanation of your tax return pricing option and other helpful information.  As we place information in the folder, you will be notified via e-mail to check it online.

• PLEASE, please, please make a point of signing the individual tax return engagement letter. In order to comply with my regulatory bodies, I must have a signed engagement letter from each client.  No tax returns will be e-filed until we have a signed copy, either through DocuSign or by hand, in our files for this year.  The engagement letters will be sent out in the coming days via DocuSign and by paper for those who prefer it.

• Due to the increase in tax returns for this filing season, I will be implementing a schedule for returning phone calls and e-mails.  Since this is the first year I have attempted this, I don’t have the exact hours just yet, but I plan to return e-mails and phone calls in the morning and late afternoon, leaving time in the middle of the day to conduct meetings and work at my desk.  More to come on this….

• To remain informed about changes and to stay in contact with us, please make sure to friend us on Facebook, visit our newly re-designed website and check out our blog (the links to all are included in our e-mail signatures).

Jonathan I. Godwin, CPA

Organizers vs. Checklists for 2011 Returns....

2011 INDIVIDUAL TAX RETURNS

ORGANIZERS vs. CHECKLISTS

For the preparation of the 2011 individual tax returns, we searched for a different method of gathering data for the majority of our clients.  Let’s face it, those organizers are huge, full of questions, and the cold, hard truth is that NO ONE USED THEM.  So, in an effort to make your data-gathering easier and waste less time and paper on our side, we have decided to utilize a Client Checklist this year.  The Client Checklist is two or three pages, lists the documents you provided last year, gives a brief explanation of the document and why we need it, and is just easier to follow.

Some of you are still receiving organizers due to information that is on your tax return.  For instance, for those of you who are actively self-employed or own rental properties, the organizer is better because it has schedules where you can input the amounts that we need in order to complete your returns.

THE BEST WAY TO USE THE CHECKLIST

If you aren’t coming in to meet with Meghan or me this season, then simply place your documents behind the checklist pages in the order they’re presented on the checklist.  It’s just that simple.  If you have documents for 2011 but you didn’t have them for 2010, then place them at the back of your information packet and makes notes on them for us.  And by all means, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION (E-MAIL, PHONES, ADDRESSES, ANY WAY WE CAN CONTACT YOU).

If you are coming in to meet with Meghan (which we highly advise if at all possible) then please bring the checklist back along with your documents, and we’ll order them properly as well as scan then before you leave.  The agenda for those client meetings has already been sent to you in various forms over the past weeks.

THE BEST WAY TO USE THE ORGANIZER

No, not to line the birdcage….Please review the pages and PAPER CLIP the documents to the pages where they belong.  Feel free to write in the information on the pages if you wish (for instance, listing interest income or dividend income) but please also attach the original documents for my review if at all possible.  And by all means, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION (E-MAIL, PHONES, ADDRESSES, ANY WAY WE CAN CONTACT YOU).

For those of you returning this information to me digitally through Adobe Pro, it’s great if you can attach sticky notes for questions or information I need to see.  Some of you did this last year, and it was extremely helpful.