More than 150 National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) members and guests braved the Las Vegas heat in July to attend the Special Topics Workshop, our first live event in 19 months. Some came for the content, some came for the location, but almost everyone came for th... Megan Killian
With apologies to Fleetwood Mac, “Don’t stop, it will soon be here. It’ll be better than before.” Throughout these columns I have emphasized change: Change that is here and change that is coming. This is my last chance to address you and I want to focus on where NAEA i... Donald Rosenberg, EA
Yes, it is that time of the year again. Election time! (And yes, Thanksgiving is in the air, too, along with all the wonderful holidays in December). This is truly a favorite time for me because I do cherish the right to choose. This has been a challenging time for the... Donald Rosenberg, EA
For enrolled agents,i it will be a year remembered as one of the most consequential and challenging tax filing seasons in recent memory, or, perhaps ever. That’s why I am happier than ever to be a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA),ii becaus... Lynn Jacobs, EA, USTCP
After college in 1989, I had to move back in with my parents because, let's face it, who is going to hire a 21 year-old with no experience being part of a team? And my degree was in communication, a double-whammy when it came to corporate governance in the 90s. I was feeling sorry for myself, ... Cheryl Williams, EA
My tax journey started in 2008. I was 29 years old, and living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near my hometown of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, working in student services at the University of Pennsylvania. I was a student leader in college, both during undergraduate and graduate studies at the Un... Thomas A. Gorczynski, EA, USTCP
When I was young—18—and attending my local community and state college, I also had a part-time job typing financial records for Stanford University. These documents listed every location on the university’s campus with corresponding columns of numbers and totals. Accuracy was paramount. T... Jean Nelsen, EA
Studying for the Special Enrollment Exam (SEE) can be an extensive process that, for many aspiring enrolled agents (EAs), can take hundreds of hours. Why should you take the exam? Because earning the enrolled agent credential grants you the privilege of representing ta... Lauren Nilssen
As an enrolled agent of some years, I began practicing when all you needed was your certification, a calculator, green columnar paper, blank tax forms – and clients. But the practice of tax professionals has altered so dramatically that we simply cannot ... Vicki Ferrantello, EA, NTPI Fellow®
Our meeting with the Internal Revenue Service agent was wrapping up. Sitting in the chair next to my husband, our two-year-old on my lap, I felt helpless. I knew it would take us years to pay the balance, especially with penalties and interest. All of the horror stories I had heard about ... Kesha M. Dawson Harris, EA, NTPIF, Mrs. Harris
BECOME AMERICA’S ADVANCED TAX EXPERT BY Mary Sunderland, EA, USTCP & Bill Nemeth, EA Do you want to stand out as a tax practitioner? Are you confident that you offer the latest and best tax advice to your clients? Do you want to grow your business by taking on more complicated tax returns and representation clients? Do you want to know the tax experts in these areas? ... Mary Sunderland, EA, USTCP
When I was in high school, my 11th-grade English teacher noticed that I wrote really well and loved to read, but I was getting a D in her class. She determined that I was bored and wasn’t being challenged. So, I was moved to Honors English. My first day in Honors English we were given the assignment to write a short story. At the time, I was reading a lot of Clive Barker novels, and I wrote a 25-page story called “Meat Loc... Craig W. Smalley, EA
As with most great ideas, the idea to promote the enrolled agent (EA) license to students and administrators at two and four-year colleges did not begin with one person. When several NAEA leaders independently recognized the high demand for licensed tax professionals, they also recognized that this required additional education for current college accounting majors to ensure that they could fill this demand. This created the perfect opportuni... Andrew “Andy” Stadler, EA
Education is perhaps the single best investment that a person can make during his or her life. According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bachelor degree holders earn $1 million more over t heir lifetimes t han high school graduates. The Internal Revenue Service allows several tax benefits that help to defray the cost of education. These benefits are not just for the taxpayer, but they are also for the spouse and/o... Anthony Santullo, EA
AN INTERACTIVE ORIENTATION AND PROJECT OF THE SCHULDINER/SMOLLAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY By Raven Deerwater, EA, Ph.D The Schuldiner/Smollan Leadership Academy (SSLA) was designed to train volunteers for success as leaders of NAEA at the local chapter, state affiliate, or national level. At each training, participants are asked to create a project for themselves to take back and develop at the affiliate level. ... Raven Deerwater, EA, Ph.D