Thank you for stopping by! Whether you need someone to keep your business books in order every month or just want your family's tax return done right and on time, I'd be glad to help. I've been doing this work for over 15 years, and I treat every client's paperwork as carefully as I'd treat my own.

You'll find my office upstairs from the bakery on Main Street in Oakdale. Just follow the smell of cinnamon rolls and take the stairs on the left.

I grew up just outside Oakdale and started keeping books for my father's feed business when I was still in high school. After college I spent several years with an accounting firm in the city, and in 1988 I passed the IRS Special Enrollment Examination to become an Enrolled Agent. That means I'm licensed by the IRS to prepare returns and to represent taxpayers before the IRS, so if you ever get one of those letters, you don't have to face it alone.

In 1991 I came home and opened my own office here in Oakdale. I like knowing my clients by name, and I like that most of them have been with me for years. When I'm not buried in paperwork, you'll find me in my garden, at my sons' ballgames, or at the library book sale.

I'm a member of the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce and I take continuing education courses every year to keep up with the tax law changes (and there are always changes!).

- Carol Anne

For Small Businesses

• Monthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks or Peachtree - or from your shoebox, if that's how you do it
• Bank reconciliations and monthly financial statements
• Payroll, including quarterly Form 941s and state payroll returns
• Sales tax returns
• Year-end W-2s and 1099s
• Small business tax returns: sole proprietors (Schedule C), farms (Schedule F), partnerships and corporations
• QuickBooks setup and help getting started

For Individuals and Families

• Individual income tax returns, federal and state
• IRS e-file - get your refund faster with direct deposit
• Prior year and amended returns
• Help with IRS letters and notices
• Retirement and IRA questions

Every client is a little different, so these are starting prices. I will always tell you the fee before I begin the work.

It's never too early to think about your 1999 taxes. A little planning this fall can save you money and headaches next spring.

1. IRAs. You can put up to $2,000 into an IRA for 1999, and so can your spouse, even if he or she doesn't work outside the home. You have until the filing deadline next April to make a 1999 contribution.
2. Roth IRAs. Roth IRAs have been available since 1998. You don't get a deduction when you put the money in, but if you follow the rules, the money comes out tax-free in retirement. The $2,000 limit is shared between your regular and Roth IRAs. Ask me which one makes sense for you.
3. Child Tax Credit. For 1999 the credit is $500 per child under age 17 (it was $400 last year). That's a credit, not a deduction, so it comes right off your tax.
4. Business mileage. The IRS standard mileage rate is 32.5 cents per mile for business driving through March 31, 1999, and 31 cents per mile from April 1 on. Because the rate changed in the middle of the year, keep a mileage log with dates so we can use the right rate.
5. College costs. Don't forget the HOPE credit (up to $1,500 per student for the first two years of college) and the Lifetime Learning credit (up to $1,000). Interest on student loans is deductible too, up to $1,500 for 1999.
6. Self-employed? For 1999 you can deduct 60% of your health insurance premiums. Small businesses can also expense up to $19,000 of equipment bought this year instead of depreciating it.
7. Keep your receipts! A folder or envelope for each month is fine. Keep your tax records for at least three years, and longer for anything to do with your house or investments.
8. Don't wait until April. The sooner you bring in your paperwork, the sooner you get your refund, and the more time we have to find every deduction you're entitled to.

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