Designed to make the practitioner comfortable with “high traffic” issues, this program enables participants to discuss and handle individual tax essentials. The course examines and explains the practical aspects of return preparation and individual planning, bridging the gap between theory and application. Significant new developments are summarized with emphasis on tax savings ideas. Practical applications and illustrations are used to systematically explore tax deferral, reduction, and elimination opportunities accompanying return preparation. For example, the analysis of gross income is discussed together with income splitting techniques; property transactions are examined alongside like-kind exchanges and involuntary conversions. The result is an extraordinary blend of the latest developments affecting individual returns and their related planning ideas.

Designed to make the practitioner comfortable with “high traffic” issues, this program enables participants to discuss and handle individual tax essentials. The course examines and explains the practical aspects of return preparation and individual planning, bridging the gap between theory and application. Significant new developments are summarized with emphasis on tax savings ideas. Practical applications and illustrations are used to systematically explore tax deferral, reduction, and elimination opportunities accompanying return preparation. For example, the analysis of gross income is discussed together with income splitting techniques; property transactions are examined alongside like-kind exchanges and involuntary conversions. The result is an extraordinary blend of the latest developments affecting individual returns and their related planning ideas.

During 2008, 2009, 2010 and early 2011, Congress produced massive legislation to “jumpstart” the economy. This course presents the main tax provisions of seven Congressional Acts passed and enacted during this critical time. Included in these Acts are provisions for agriculture, conservation, energy, housing, and individual and business tax credits and deductions. These Acts impact taxation of individual taxpayers, farmers, servicemen and women, small business owners, and large corporations. No one is left out of this package!

While tax reform visions have changed the tax on profits realized from the disposition of real estate, investors still seek escape hatches from the capital gain tax. Tax-deferred exchanges permit the disposition of property often with the taxpayer receiving significant cash but without the payment of any tax. Functionally, an exchange is a bridge over the normally taxable event of moving from one property to another. This course alerts the practitioner to the different planning opportunities that surround exchanging. Participants will be able to identify, analyze, and handle effectively the complex tax problems that arise under 1031. This understanding will be directly applied to the structuring and audit survival of multi-party and delayed exchanges.

Just the facts maam; just the estate planning facts. Designed to give a quick overview of estate planning essentials, this course surveys wills, living trusts, gifts, marital property, and probate avoidance with an Internet flair. Will and trust types are examined in the context of general estate and gift taxation. Designed to eliminate estate problems and death taxes, the emphasis is on practical solutions that are cost effective. Talk about having it all in an overview course - there is even a quick review of immediate postmortem death tax planning and filling out the Form 706.

Taxes are not taxes - they are dollars in terms of the net return on investment. All tax professionals need to know the tax-economics of investing for themselves and their clients. This need is accentuated by the rapid rise of the Internet as a broad based and effective investment tool.

The tax professional is in a special position to detect a clients need for financial planning. Preparing returns discloses assets, savings, business entities and family members. Knowledge of the clients assets, activities and the tax characteristics of available entities permits investment matching for maximum after-tax return.

The basic tax characteristics of the primary tax entities are explored and analyzed. Their ability to defer, reduce and eliminate tax is examined. Client goals, purposes and risk tolerances are determined and quanitated using the Sharp ratio. Investments and assets are then evaluated using a variety of tools found on the Internet. Finally, investments and entities are matched to produce the best after-tax return for the client.

This course addresses the practical aspects of §469 and the needed skill to handle pragmatic issues. Fundamentals are reviewed, planning opportunities dentified, creative strategies discussed and evaluated along with re-maining traditional approaches. The goal of this instructive program is to understand and solve problems under §469, with emphasis on tax savings ideas. Readers will overview the proper administration of this complex and often cumbersome provision.

This mini-course examines key individual, business, retirement, and estate tax provisions recently enacted or indexed for inflation in an overview format that is easy to reference. The emphasis is on quick access to major tax changes having special meaning to the tax practitioner and return preparer. The course is a great resource and way for professionals and staff alike to easily get the “big chunks” and bring their professional knowledge up to speed.

Tax resolution means providing solutions to businesses and individuals alike who find themselves in trouble with the IRS. To resolve tax matters with the IRS, the IRS’ Offer in Compromise (OIC) program encourages delinquent taxpayers to settle their back taxes—often for pennies on the dollar. This course covers other options to explore. The areas to be covered are: Offers in Compromise, Wage Garnishments, Bankruptcy, Installment, Delinquent Tax Returns, IRS Bank Levies, Freedom of Information Requests, IRS Payment Plans, Payroll Tax Problems, IRS Audits, Penalty Abatement, Liens, Collection Appeals, IRS Appeals, Innocent Spouse and Expiration of Statutes. The course also contains step-by-step information needed in order to prepare a complete and accurate Offer in Compromise (Form 656) (rev. 2-2007), 433-A (rev. 1-2008), and 433-B (rev. 1-2008). The Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA) is summarized. This course can help hundreds of individuals and business with their IRS collection problems.

During 2008 and at the beginning of 2009, Congress produced massive legislation to “jumpstart” the economy. This course presents the main tax provisions of seven Congressional Acts passed and enacted during this critical time. Included in these Acts are provisions for agriculture, conservation, energy, housing, and individual and business tax credits and deductions. These Acts impact taxation of individual taxpayers, farmers, servicemen and women, small business owners, and large corporations. No one is left out of this package!

This course focuses on key tax provisions enacted under the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by analyzing tax issues affecting individuals and businesses contained in this first installment of President Obama’s massive economic and recovery agenda. Individual provisions include a new "making work pay” tax credit, an AMT patch, a sales tax deduction, tax credits for education and first-time homebuyers and enhanced tax benefits for energy efficient improvements to homes. Business provisions include the treatment of such issues as extended bonus depreciation, a limited five-year net operating loss carryback period, small business expensing and capital gains, estimated tax payments, and COBRA coverage. In addi-tion, the course discusses new energy incentives and changes made to former energy regulations.

This mini-course integrates federal taxation with overall financial planning. The course explores tax strategies relating to the central financial tactics of wealth building, capital preservation, and estate distribution. The result is a unified explanation of tax-economics that will permit the tax professional to locate, analyze, and solve financial concerns. Designed to improve the quality of services to clients and the profitability of engagements, this program projects the accountant into the world of financial planning.

The current litigation explosion has created tremendous interest in asset protection. Not only does this area have financial and estate aspects but it directly impacts tax planning.
This mini-course is designed to survey opportunities for asset protection that can arise during tax planning and to determine how to properly report such transactions.

Today taxpayers must plan for their children's education. Touching on various topics such as qualified tuition programs (QTPs), scholarships and fellowships, this mini-course examines the tax treatment of costs related to education. Practitioners will learn the ins and outs of the tax benefits concerning education and will be able to identify those educational expenses that are deductible. Additionally, financial planning strategies and techniques are outlined to better prepare taxpayers for future educational costs.

Before launching into an estate planning program, it’s important to know who owns what and exactly for whom you are planning. This requires that methods of holding title must be analyzed, considered, and selected. Sole proprietorships, S corporations, C corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies are analyzed as to formation, operation, and ultimate disposition. Since who or what holds title imposes its own unique tax and legal consequences on the estate plan, emphasis is given to the maximization of tax benefits in each business format. While each has its own separate characteristics, several may be used together in more sophisticated planning.

How can you help your clients protect their assets? What is the best way for your client to -go bankrupt-? How can you help your client avoid the tax trap when going through a divorce? This course addresses all of these, and many other, critical legal issues for the tax practitioner in a quick and effective potpourri of legal topics and their tax impact. The emphasis is on the tax consequences of common legal issues in todays litigatious society. From the Americans with Disabilities Act to Social Security taxes, a generous sampling of key areas is examined and explored. Tax practitioners will be quickly surprised to find how often the -tax tail- can wag the legal dog.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Acts of 2010 represent the most sweeping and controversial public health care program since the creation of Medicare. Overhauling a healthcare industry that accounts for over one sixth of the national economy while adding coverage for 32 million Americans, these Acts make extensive use of the Internal Revenue Code to reform health insurance. In fact, they contain more than $400 billion in revenue raisers and new taxes. This course overviews these major tax law changes and their affect on individuals, businesses, and healthcare providers.

Taxes are not taxes - they are dollars in terms of the net return on investment. All tax professionals need to know the tax-economics of investing for themselves and their clients. The tax professional is in a special position to detect a clients need for financial planning. Preparing returns discloses assets, savings, business entities, and family members.

This mini-course explores and analyzes the basic concepts of cash management, budgeting, savings, investment goals and asset selection using a variety of tools found on the Internet. The rapid rise of the Internet as a broad-based and effective investment tool accentuates the practitioners need for Internet familiarity.

ETHICS FOR TAX PROFESSIONALS-ENROLLED AGENTS is a course intended for:

1. Enrolled agents, CPAs, accountants and other professionals who need an understanding of Ethics, as it relates to the IRS. This course may not qualify for the Ethics requirements for CPAs in many States; however, CPAs can get CPE credits for it.
2. Students and others with a basic understanding of business, who want to learn more about the subject.
3. Businesses, tax office staff, and any organizations conducting training programs.

The course is easy to use and should assist the user in gaining a basic understanding of Ethics as it relates to IRS rules. This course is based on Circular No. 230, (Rev. 8-2011) published by the IRS and available for free or for download at www.irs.gov . Since this course is only 2 hours in length, it will concentrate on selected items. Students could get a more in-depth knowledge of the subject by getting the circular and reading it.

As with anything these days, rules change and some of the information contained in this course may become obsolete.

This course will be updated with new information as soon as it becomes available.