Wednesday, January 19, 2011

It's Tax Time!!

Have you decided what you are going to do about getting your tax return done this year? Do taxes confuse you? Make you want to pull your hair out? How much time did you spend last year preparing your tax return just hoping it is right? Or perhaps you took it somewhere and aren't quite sure if you got what you paid for? You can pay up to $150 dollars on tax software and then spend hours trying to figure out if you entered information correctly. Or, some may choose to go to a tax preparer and spend upwards of $300 dollars for even the simplest return.

I would love to help you with your return this year. As a CPA with over 8 years of tax experience and because I work from home, I am able to prepare tax returns with the same expertise as a more expensive CPA / Tax firm and for around half the price. My desire is to not only prepare your tax return but to also provide answers to your questions and help you plan for the future. This kind of of personal, one-to-one experience is something most tax preparation services do not provide and the kind of service that would cost much more at a larger firm. Do you live outside of Greensboro? No problem. We can use video conferencing or your preferred method of communication to go over your return. All you would need to do is either mail or scan and email me the information I need to prepare the return.

I will make sure to ask you the kinds of questions that help provide you with a correct return. For example:

Did you refinance your home? Did you know that some of the expenses associated with the refinance are deductible?

• Did you know that if you itemize your tax return, you can choose between taking a deduction for sales tax and a deduction for state income tax?

• What about school expenses? Do you know what does or does not qualify?

• Do you know what medical expenses you are getting a deduction for? Do you spend a lot of time adding up receipts for medical costs and then not benefiting from a deduction?

Did you adopt a child this year and aren't sure what expenses qualify and how you make the most out of this credit?

How do you know that you are capturing all of your deductions? What if you are missing something and paying a lot more tax than you should be paying?

Do you have any ideas about what you might be able to do this year to lower your tax liability?

I can help with all of these questions along with saving you the grief of spending an entire day in the spring desperately trying to finish your taxes.

My fees for preparing your tax return would be as follows:

Basic Tax Return, no itemized deductions

$100

Basic Tax Return, with itemized deductions

$150

*Additional cost added for rental properties, schedule C businesses, and other more complicated tax issues. Contact me for a more accurate quote.

Thank you,

Sarah Pell, CPA

sarahdpell@gmail.com

Monday, January 10, 2011

"Gotcha Day"


And a year later...........

I know I am biased but he is pretty much the cutest little boy on the face of the earth. Johnny we love you more than you will ever know!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

One Year Ago Today.....

We boarded a plane to bring our son home. I can't believe that it has already been a year and yet in some ways it seems so far away. Here is the post and photo's of us on our way to Ethiopia....


It is so hard for me to put into words what a blessing Johnny has been to our lives this year. He is amazing little boy that lights up our life in ways that we didn't realize were missing. I remember parents of multiple children telling us that your heart just grows to love each of your children as much as your first. When we left Emma behind with her grandparents to go get Johnny I remember thinking.....can we really love another as much as we love her? Is it possible to have enough love to go around? The answer is YES!! (I know all of you with multiple children know this but I think parents with one child just have to learn it for themselves before believing it)

As I reflect back on this past year my heart just swells. I feel so blessed to have been entrusted to raise and love Emma and Johnny. They are both very different yet have the same sweet soul. One of the best things about being a parent is watching your child grow into the person they are going to be. Each year reveals a bit more about who they are and gives glimpses into what they might become. With Johnny, our ability to watch him grow began at six months when we brought him home. We held and comforted him as he transitioned to his new home. We watched as each day he let his guard down a bit more and trusted us with more of who he was. He is now a running, laughing, curious, sweet little boy who loves with no reservation and trusts us fully.

I am so thankful that we made the choice to adopt. The choice that led us to board that plane one year ago and bring home such an amazing child. The choice that has taught us so much about who we are and who we want to be. The choice that gave us a son that has blessed us beyond words.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Years Eve Tradition

We were able to continue our New Years Eve tradition this year with some of our friends from Washington. The Harris family hosted and we had a great time catching up and watching our growing families play.......
We also got to go to a hockey game thanks to Meemaw "connections" and had a great time...

Guess Who is Engaged??


On New Year's Eve Uncle Justi and Carin got engaged. Wow....I can't believe my baby brother is getting married! Carin is awesome and fits into our family so well. We looking forward to watching them walk down the aisle on August 27th. Congratulations you guys!!