Tax Tips from Marietta - Child Care Expenses

Qualify for the Child/Dependent Care Credit and claim summer day camp and childcare expenses.

Need to reduce the amount of tax that you owe? Well … you may be able to claim a credit if you pay someone to care for a dependent under the age of 13, or for your spouse or dependent who is not able to care for himself or herself. The credit can be up to 35 percent of your expenses. To qualify, you must pay these expenses so that you can work or look for work. Here are some things you need to know:  

·         The cost of day camp may count as an expense towards the Child and Dependent Care Credit. Keep in mind that expenses for overnight camps do not qualify.

·         You must have paid the child and dependent care expenses so that you (and your spouse, if filing jointly) could work or look for work. If you do not find a job and have no earned income for the year, you cannot take this credit.

·         You must make payments for child and dependent care to someone you (and your spouse) cannot claim as a dependent. If you make payments to your child, he or she cannot be your dependent and must be aged 19 or older by the end of the year.

·         If you pay someone to come to your home and care for your dependent or spouse, you may be a household employer who has to pay employment taxes. Usually, you are not a household employer if the person who cares for your dependent or spouse does so at his or her home or place of business.

·         If you pay expenses to a sitter at your home or a daycare facility outside the home to provide child care, you may get some tax benefit if you qualify for the credit. You will need the name of the child care provider, the address, the identification number, i.e. Social Security number or Employer Identification Number and the total amount paid.

·         If your employer provides dependent care benefits under a qualified plan, you may be able to exclude these benefits from your income. Your employer will be able to tell you whether your benefit plan qualifies. There are limits to the amount that can be excluded from your income.  

Be sure to take advantage of this credit if you are eligible. _________________________________________________
Here’s a list of helpful IRS forms and publications:

·      Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses

• Form W-10, Dependent Care Provider’s Identification and Certification

Contact me with any questions or for more information.

Marietta Z. Courtney, CPA, MST

http://courtneycpa.com

Redecorating Dining Room - Select Finishes (3)

Submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

This is my third blog about redesigning my dining room.  I initially identified the Wynn Hotel lobby as the inspiration for my room.  Next I made a plan of all the tasks I need to accomplish prior to starting work or making purchases for this redecorating project.  I have determined the scope, budget and date I would like to have the room completed.  Now I am able to do more of the fun and creative parts of decorating, selecting the finishes to be used in the room.

 The walls will be painted and wallpapered in a dark brown tone, similar to some of the Wynn lobby walls.  Since the furniture in the room is also dark I have selected a striped wallpaper with a lighter brown color as well.  The wallpaper will be hung below the chair rail and paint above it.  All the moulding in the room will remain white.  This will help to keep the room from getting too dark.  The fabric choices will also need to be light in color to keep the room lively and inviting.

Wallpaper to be used below chair rail

Four fabrics have been chosen for the room.  The window treatments will be made from a bone colored velvet and rasberry/green tassel trim .  The dining chair seats will use a raised velvet rasberry colored dot pattern along with a green fabric used for piping around the edge.  Finally, the upholstered chair in the corner will use an intricate and colorful floral fabric.  The floral fabric helps to tie all the other fabrics together.  Usually, I will find the fabric with the large print and multiple colors first and select the solid, stripe and/or small patterned fabrics after, but this time the floral was the last fabric selected.

Overview of fabrics and wall coverings

Dining chair seat fabric

Dining chair welt around edge of seat

Upholstered chair fabric

Drapery trim

Now that I have made all of my selections I need to verify everything is available.  Once this is accomplished I will order the fabrics, trim and wallpaper.  I will also start the process of hiring the trades people.

Dotty

Dotty Wyman Designs

www.dottywymandesigns.com/

Tips To Maximize Summer for Entrepreneurs

submitted by Jen Vondenbrink - Life Simplified

The sun is out and the days are warm. I don’t know about you, but I’ll admit it’s hard to stay focused when summer calls. All you may want to do is jump in the pool or head to the beach. Memories of a snowy winter are still fresh and staying inside all day doesn’t seem right.

 

Photo credit: myrtlebeachblog via Flickr under creative commons license

Being an entrepreneur isn’t a jail sentence.  You started your own company to have flexibility to enjoy these moments.  Now that your business is up and running, however, you find it difficult to extract yourself from your office.

Fear not.
 Here are some productivity tips that can help you maximize your summer.

Get up a little earlier. 
There’s something revitalizing about listening to the birds first thing in the morning.  Get up about 30-60 minutes earlier.  Do some stretching.  If it’s nice, get a walk in.  Or if you’re like me head to the office

Schedule a personal day. 
Want to go to the beach?  Plan a “personal day.”  You remember those from your previous life, right?  They’re special days you took off during the work week as mini vacations.  Give yourself so many personal days a year, then plan them into the calendar.  There’s nothing better than looking forward to an impromptu vacation.

Give yourself the night off (or even better, the weekend off!).
 Lots of companies have shorter Friday’s during the summer.  Some even went to 4 day work weeks in the summer.  If your business can afford it, plan some of these.

What’s the benefit of taking these few small steps?
Sanity, creativity and productivity.  You’ll find you’re more invigorated when you are working because you have these treats to look forward to.
 

Jen Vondenbrink
Life Simplified
www.yourlifesimplified.com
Life Enrichment and Leadership Training
781-864-1782

HIPPA laws and your college student

submitted by Karen A. McSherry - Attorney at Law

Graduation season is here.  A joyous time, to be soon followed by a (maybe) heart wrenching time as your “baby” goes off to college to live the life of an adult.  Yes, despite how they appear to us, those 18 year olds are adults, who, with the exception of the right to drink legally, have all the rights and responsibilities of an adult.

So, what does this mean for the nervous parent at home?  Well, despite the fact that Mom and Dad’s names appear on the tuition bill, parents really have no authority to receive grades, talk to the school, or make medical decisions in the case of an emergency.  That is, unless of course, you have had the foresight to have your child execute a power of attorney and health care proxy prior to leaving for college.

A power of attorney can help if you need to straighten out finances either at the school or back home.  Without this document, parents won’t be able to deal with an insurance company for that auto accident or talk to the bank about that overdraft. 

If your child becomes ill while at school, HIPPA laws will prevent the school from releasing information, unless of course, your child has waived those limitations in the health care proxy.

 

Send your child off to school with more than just a laptop and extra long bed sheets for the dorm room.  Send them off with the piece of mind that Mom and Dad can still lend a helping hand.

Until September I will offer all WBN members a discount for children going off to college.  A power of attorney and health care proxy will be $100.00 for both documents.

 

Karen A. McSherry
Attorney at Law
187 Washington St. (Rte. 138)
North Easton, MA 02356
Tel: 508-238-3333
Fax: 508-238-1500
EM: karen@KmcSherryLaw.com
Web: http://www.KmcSherryLaw.com

Redecorating Dining Room - Planning (2)

submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

 

The planning portion of any design project is the most important. Start by identifying the scope of the project and your budget. These two steps are critical whether you use an interior designer or do the project yourself. The scope of my design project includes painting and papering the walls, replacing the window treatments and reupholstering the chairs. Things I also am considering to replace are the base moulding and adding recessed lighting. My budget is $4,000.

Below I have outlined my project plan. These are all the things I want to have accomplished before I have any tradespeople come to my home or order anything. Remember this is a design plan and may change as the project evolves.

Project Plan for Dining Room

1. Identify scope and budget - above
2. Identify date needed - If you want a project completed prior to a special event try to start it early, 2 to 3 months prior. Design projects always seem to incur delays. Lately, many fabrics are not carried in stock and the waiting time to get them can be 8 weeks. I would like to have my project completed over the summer. I am in no rush, but want to set a deadline for myself.
3. Select finishes - I like to have most or all new finishes and fabrics selected prior to purchasing anything. This allows me to coordinate and see how everything works together. Also, if a finish is no longer available you have the opportunity to change several of your choices if needed. For example, if the paint color is based on the fabric that is now out of stock, you can get a new fabric and adjust the paint color to match. Your choices can't always occur in advance for large projects, but for my dining room project I believe it is the best approach.
4. Hire trades people for each job - I will need to hire a carpenter/painter, electrician (if needed) and an upholsterer. I am hoping the same person can do the painting, wallpapering and moulding replacement, since it is a smaller job. I will use the same upholsterer and electrician I have used in the past. As a designer, I have contact with trades people that I trust and have seen their work. Make sure you hire reliable people with references. I will make the window treatments myself, but have factored their cost into the estimated budget.
5. Timeline for project task completion - Most design projects need tasks to occur in some type of order, because they are contingent on the prior task. The painter/carpenter need to come first, then I can install the window treatments. The upholstery can be done any time (no contingency). If I decide to add recessed lighting, the electrician will need to come first. They will make the biggest mess and the painter can repair any damage.
6. Execute the plan - Purchase fabrics, paint, wallpaper. Have your room ready for the trades people to do their work. Communicate with tradespeople what you want. It's hard to fix something that is already completed.

I am starting to get a good sense of where my interior design project is going. I now have my inspiration, my project scope and the design plan in place to get started. My next step is to start moving on the to do's created in my design plan. I look forward to sharing my fabric, paint and wallpapber choices.

 

Dotty Wyman

Dotty Wyman Designs

www.DottyWymanDesigns.com

info@dottywymandesigns.com

Emotional Effects of Colors

Submitted by Marie Hoyt-Pauriry - Pixel Artists Design

 

We have been getting more requests for logo design. And this article about the emotional effects of color can help you choose what color(s) you want for your logo. Or at the very least, explain the meaning of the colors you have already chosen…

Colors have different psychological effects, positive as well as negative. This point must be kept in mind while choosing colors in your design since various colors convey varied meanings

Red

Red is the color of energy, it’s bold, it’s powerful, it’s vibrant. It has the longest wavelength (the distance over which the wave’s shape repeats). It’s the color of effectiveness, excitement and liveliness. All over the world we follow red traffic light to stop, its visibility is the strongest amongst all other colors because of its highest wavelength. On the other hand its negative impacts can be aggression, visual disturbance and strain. You live in a red room for a day and you will go crazy, it has to be complimented with other colors to make it subtle.

Yellow

Yellow is a very emotional color, it is the color of self esteem, confidence and optimism. After red yellow has the longest wave length, appearing to be strong from a distance. World over yellow cabs can easily be seen, sunflowers, daffodils appear to be friendly. Contrary to this it also communicates few negative values like depression, hatred and anxiety.

Blue

Blue is the color of intelligence, vastness, royalty, serenity, coolness and tranquility. Sky appears blue and gives calm effect, water appears blue and gives peace of mind. Blue appears to be the favorite color of most of the people but on the other hand it is also a color of coldness, unfriendliness and unemotional.

Green

Green is the most refreshing and cool color. Green is the color of life, fertility, reassurance, peace, harmony, balance. Nature is green and how soothing it is to our eyes. Not a single tree in this world is of the same green tint or shade, yet it appears to be so full of life and create environmental beauty.  As for its negative traits it is the color of Boredom, stagnation, blandness and enervation.

Violet

Violet is color of truth, luxury and spiritual awareness. It has the shortest wavelength therefore it is considered to be weak also. A color of introversion and suppression. It is associated with deep contemplation and royalty, meditation and quality.

Orange

Orange gives warmth, comfort, security, passion, fun and frolic. Due to the mixture of red and yellow it gives stimulation and sensuality. Use of too much orange gives a feeling of no serious attitude and gives a feeling of deprivation if used with black.

Pink

Pink is a cute color, very feminine, love and tranquility. Though pink is a tint of red but it soothes rather than stimulates. It gives comfort and suggests grace and elegance. Sometimes too much pink looks physically weak and appears full of flaws. It creates impact of inhibition.

Grey

Grey is a neutral color, not giving a direct psychological effect. It may represent emptiness and dullness. It gives impression of dampness and right tone of gray must be used otherwise it may make your composition depressive.

Black

All colors are absorbed in black. Black is glamorous, graceful, efficient and security. Women wear black to attract, they look sophisticated. Black creates hindrance since there’s no light no reflection. It works perfectly with white thus the co relation is either alternation or repetition. Black is the color of mourning also. Too much black creates heaviness and scary look.

White

White is pure, clean, hygienic, innocent and simple. White is total reflection. It gives perception of space, too much clutter in a design can be overcome by using spaces of white. The negative effect of white is that it makes other colors used with it cold and unfriendly. Can create a diminishing effect.

Brown

Brown is the color of earth, rugged, serious, old, and ancient. Rustic look can very well be created with this color. Since brown is the combination of red and yellow with much larger percentage of black, it also gives the same seriousness as black but in a warmer way. It is natural and supportive but at the same time it is too non humorous and appears heavy.

http://pelfusion.com/design/color-wheel-classifications-emotional-effects-and-color-theory/

marie hoyt-pariury
designer ~ sales ~ social media
mpariury@pixelartists.com
p 781-355-2160
www.pixelartists.com/marie

Daily Exercise…Yes…No…Maybe

Submited by Sara-Lynn Reynolds, Home Instead Senior Healthcare

What is exercise…Why is it so important?

Would you exercise daily if someone told you it would help you live longer?

Maybe yes…maybe no…maybe maybe. Would I live healthier and longer or just longer? What is exercise? Why is it so important?

Well first let me state that living longer hinges on many things… including diet and lifestyle. Exercise is just a one part of the BIGGER picture.

It doesn't matter if you eat well, but then remain a couch potato (lifestyle here)!

Look, I'm a HUGE advocate for being active, however, I think you need to find what works for you. Take for instance, the title "BOOT CAMP" …it can either inspire or have you running for shelter! STRETCHING is also a form of exercise…have you ever watched a cat and felt envious?

As I age I’ve turned my own ‘exercise emphasis’ to music and stretching…sometimes just for ONE song...and sometimes it ends up I have time for a half hour of songs. Come on, EVERYONE can stretch for one 3-minute song.

This much I know…we can’t change everything about ourselves overnight (we may not even want to) but we can (if we want to prod ourselves) change direction, attitude and way of thinking.

So often I hear people talk about aerobic activity like it is the only form of activity that is important. It isn’t…first and foremost it is important to find and work with a balanced fitness program - a program that includes some aerobic, some strength and some flexibility exercise. DUMP the word training and/or exercise and change it up.

Use a word (or words) that make it seem more like something you just might want to participate in. ‘Fit and fun program’? Sure sounds less tiresome than work-out or training. It’s all in the way you frame your health adventure that makes YOU decide to follow through on it. Nearing 60, I prefer to frame it in terms of play, as opposed to work!

As we talk about increasing our activity levels, the emphasis on a flexibility program becomes increasingly important if you are overweight, sedentary or ‘older and oldest’. Having good flexibility helps maintain good posture and gives better stability in balancing soooo - well, you remain upright for longer periods.Additionally and more serious is that muscle strengthening is crucial as both men and women can begin to see mild signs of osteoporosis in their 30's…strengthening helps to counteract that.

With regards to aerobics…you can run, walk, swim, dance, jump rope…whatever, just get out there and move fast enough and long enough to get your heart rate up for at least 15+ minutes a day.

What is surprising today is how many people think living healthy just means eating right. They omit enough sleep, they add anxiety and stress and just all around have unhealthy lifestyles…smoking and drinking in excess - ooops, and they forget movement.

Good health is predicated on daily movement. So, change your direction and way of thinking. Walk every day with a pet or friend, dance until the stars come out, stretch like a cat. What can you lose besides excess weight, poor circulation, poor appetite and isolation?

Movement is key and whatever gets a person moving, both physically and in their spirit is a great start! Too many people insist good health is all about food…but realistically you need to be looking beyond poor eating habits and look also at the amount of time you spend being inactive.

When we were younger we spent most of our days outside, but today what with the internet, Wii and video games…you know the outcome…

OK, so we have established that:

1. ‘Movement’ is one of the keys to longevity and each person needs to choose the ‘movement’ that speaks to them (I am not a runner but I love to dance)
2. Each persons wellness is an ‘individual program’. Wellness goals are personal and as such one needs to do what works for them
3. Do not blindly follow something someone else likes…see if it is a good fit for you.

Live better…and maybe longer…
Everyone knows “without your health, you have nothing”…so we agree wellness is most important, yet most of us virtually ignore it. We take good health and wellness for granted when we have it and then desperately wish for it when we fall into decline.

While I’m pontificating…where’s your attitude stand?

For REAL fitness and good health I advocate a realistic, positive mind, body, soul approach because being successfully healthy requires more than just changing your diet and exercise. It is vitally important to change the way you think… address any negative mental/emotional issues first. Many times, our physical body is just a reflection of our mental, emotional and spiritual state of mind. It is vital to shift your focus to that which is POSITIVE.

Let me draw your attention to three local options I investigated recently…Check ‘em out yourself. Each one has value. Each one is different. Mix ‘em up…use one…or two…or all three…

• The first brings music culture and dance and fun to all ages…ZUMBA…the Zumba fitness craze may even cause a look back to the days of dance halls...Check it out… Zumba Dance Fitness with Karen Emery in Easton
• ‘Smartraining Systems” courtesy of Koko Fit Club, also in Easton. Looking for an affordable ‘private trainer like atmosphere and program’ without the personal trainer…this may be your place. Ask owner Craig McMahon for a free demonstration and trial run…revolutionary and very very cool!
• And for those that are trying to get off the weightloss and lack of fitness merry-go-round…the see-sawing bad habits and/or neurosis that needs to end…Take a look at Kathy Jordan and her well written books and classes on the topic of all around health and fitness…mind, body and soul may be the answer to your prayers.

Finally a ‘shout out’ to all parents…YOU are absolutely critical in the lives and wellness of your children…talk and participate with them in MOVEMENT activities, food selection, strength building and stretching options…life is not forever…so make it well and swell for the time you are here!

Reposted courtesy of Easton Patch

Sara-Lynn Reynolds

Community and Education Liaison
Home Instead Senior Care
555 Pleasant St.,  Unit #104, Attleboro, MA 02703
508-222-0800       774-254-3413

Whya Writer?

submitted by Fran Fahey - Fran's Fine Editing

I had been thinking about starting a post on why business people hafta hire me as a writer. Afta all (sorry about the diction—I’m from Boston), we have all gone too (or is it to?) school and know howta write, right?

Then, before I could even begin scratching my head (yes, studies have shown that head scratching really does help the ideas to flow better), I found some great excuses to put off the task at hand and play with my neglected Twitter account instead. Neglected because I still can’t quite get the advantage of using Twitter (or as I call it, Twitta), and I thought maybe I’d find out if I at least tried to use it.

Lo, I found that some people in my absence had decided to “follow” me! Poor neglected beings. My last Twitta post (OK, OK, it’s a Tweet) was September 23, 2010.

 So I jumped on again and decided to find some people of my own to follow. And then the magic of social media happened. Two hours later, I finally came up for air. I had found tweets by Liz Craig, a fellow writer and friend, and that led me to her fine blog which then led me to her beautifully written post on why people should hire a professional writer! My work’s done, baby!!!

Here’s the link to Liz’s excellent explanation of what a professional writer can do for you (which I could never top if I took a million years to scratch one out—thanks, Liz). And here’s to Twitta, which I guess does play a useful role in getting all of us to hook up with one anotha.

Fran Fahey

Fran’s Fine Editing

413-529-1189

Redecorating Dining Room - Inspiration (1)

 Submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs


I am going to give my dining room a little bit of a face lift and wanted to give you some insight about the process from beginning to end. The plan is to give the dining space a bold new look without replacing everything in the room. The big ticket items such as the dining room set and oriental are staying put. I will work with these pieces, because I like them and they have classic designs. I will accomplish this new look by changing the walls, the fabrics, drapery hardware and a few different accessories.

I have not done anything to the dining room in over ten years and it is due for a change. The draperies have faded, the curtain rods are dated and so are the fabrics. The positives about the room are the hardwood floors, the detailed crown moulding and the 8' ceiling height. The space is good size for a dining room 13.5' x 14.5', so there is plenty of room for the large scale furniture.

My first step is to find an inspiration for the room. This could be anything from a piece of artwork you want to build the room around or a room you saw and want to recreate it in your home. I was inspired by the lobby of the Winn Hotel in Las Vegas for my dining room. The lobby has a sophisticated harlequin theme with dark walls, luxurious fabrics and playful colorful accents sprinkled around. I want to incorporate some of the same rich fabrics, dark walls and colorful accents they used, but tailor it for my home. Included are a few pictures of the Wynn Hotel lobby.

Now that I have my inspiration I can pull together a plan for the redesign of my dining room. I will go over planning in my next blog.

Dotty Wyman
Dotty Wyman Designs
 508.219.4739
http://www.dottywymandesigns.com/