Transitions and New Beginnings
I was jarred awake early one morning a couple months ago by the sound of chainsaws. Not necessarily a unique sound in my neighborhood in the spring as it seems everyone is having work done in or outside his or her home. But these chainsaws were taking down a tree. A very la... Megan Killian
What Is Next?
There is light at the end of the tunnel. But the pandemic will certainly leave its mark and change how we do things in the future. The slow return to some normalcy is coming, and in some cases, is already here. Hopefully, all of you have seen friends and loved ones you have... Megan Killian
Cooperation, Collaboration, and Community
I am writing this at the beginning of my third week as the new executive vice president of NAEA. To say it has been a whirlwind the past few weeks would be an understatement. But with all new roles, there is so much to learn, there are relationships to build, and policies a... Megan Killian
Honing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit
The age old axiom, “The only constant in life is change,” is abundantly true. I have had an opportunity to analyze how much NAEA has changed since the spring of 2015 when I moved to another organization. I barely recognize any of the staff. The Board is comprised of many new faces. T... Michael Nelson
Will You Do Your Part?
In the midst of the pandemic as well as in the crucible of an exceedingly partisan political climate, it is human to want to throw your hands up in the air and feign disinterest. Often it appears as if a single voter or an individual member cannot make a difference. Yet, nothing is fart... Michael Nelson
Building a Cathedral…
During 2020, a year I wouldn’t want to relive professionally or personally for a number of reasons, I kept my foot to the floor by focusing on the two most important issues: 1. Readying NAEA for the next step on its journey. 2. Driving value by nurturing the enrolled agent community.... Robert A. Kerr, EA
Demand Better
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t be dropping on your doorstep (or laptop) with two weeks remaining in the filing season. These are not ordinary times, however, and we’ve been forced as a profession and an organization to adapt, rapidly. I couldn’t be more proud of what I’ve seen on our membe... Robert A. Kerr, EA
It Is Not Because Things Are Difficult…
Whether you put aside EA Journal through the filing season or whether you make time for us along the way, welcome back. On top of the usual tax law changes, security concerns, and software troubles—which were for some significant — the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the ... Robert A. Kerr, EA
There’s No Crying in Tax Prep
Our readers fall into two buckets, those who read the March/April issue when it arrives and those who catch up later in the year. The magazine reflects this reality as well, as does this message. For those of you reading this when it falls on your doorstep (as the son of a postman, I have a rather romantic notion of mail delivery), the message is this: What gift are you going to give your future self? You are learning things during this fi... Robert A. Kerr
Faster Horses
Happy New Year! Typically the greeting—or exhortation— causes people to consider resolutions, which can range from the expected (my annual favorite: lose 15 pounds) to the sublime (change the world). As tax professionals, we ask different questions when we face a new year, and they are mostly centered on preparation for t... Robert A. Kerr, EA
Joy in the Doing
Holiday prep, for tax professionals, is inevitably something approached with mixed emotions. The holidays— whichever ones you celebrate, however ... Robert A. Kerr, EA
Focus + Determination = Success
Shortly after I left IRS, the agency came up with a new slogan: Service + Enforcement = Compliance. Not bad. Not great—not “We love to fly and it shows” but at least not “We love to tax and lien measure our hold time in hours and it shows,” either. Wags with fundamental math ski... Robert A. Kerr, EA
It’s All Greek to Me
Monks in the Middle Ages (rather than middle-aged monks, which would be something else entirely), many of whom served as scribes, would say Graecum est; non legitur (“it is Greek, [therefore] it cannot be read”). Tax professionals, particularly in the wake of the Tax Cuts and Jobs ... Robert A. Kerr, EA
Your Guess Is as Good as Mine
Part one of the filing season is behind us. The extensions we have with us always, to paraphrase The Good Book. If I learned anything this season, I learned EAs are professionals who are paid to know things, not to think or feel things. When our clients come to us for advice and services, we need to resi... Robert A. Kerr
The Cruelest Month
T.S. Eliot once famously wrote April is the cruelest month—one would think him a tax professional and not a poet. In our business, March, though, vies for the title. And this March, as we roll up our sleeves and put last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) continuing education to w... Robert A. Kerr, EA
Making a Difference
NAEA is an organization of like-minded individuals who have come together to build a community and who would like to make a difference in their profession. NAEA makes a difference in a number of ways, both large and small. For instance, this issue includes info... Robert A. Kerr, EA