As we are deep in the holiday season, I hope you are getting the chance to spend some extra time with friends and family and getting a chance to recharge.  It also means we are approaching the moment when it comes time to declare any New Year’s Resolutions.

Now, not everyone does this, and even those who do are not always successful. I think we all appreciate that on some level, but it may be alarming just how many fail. Now the science behind how to measure this can be tricky (just how much weight does one need to lose before claiming triumph?), but I have seen numbers that go as low as claiming only eight percent of those who make resolutions carry them out to success.

And sure, if you are looking to enter the new year with the typical but admirable goals of either losing weight or quitting smoking, I wish you only the best of luck. That is not where my expertise lies, however. But if you are entering the new year with hopes to be better with money and make better moves to improve your financial situation, it’s possible I could offer help there, and would love to do so.

In the interests of being a generally helpful person, let me also help guide you through the end of this season. For it is not only resolutions that come about with the turning of the calendar. At some point you are also going to hear that standard Auld Lang Syne and everyone is going to sing the first two lines, then mumble their way through the rest.

So here are the real lyrics, tuck them away in your mind (or in your pocket) and impress everyone at your New Year’s Eve gathering. Note, this is the English translation, for no one is in a state to muscle through Robert Burns’ original Scottish by the time the song begins:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you will buy your cup
and surely I’ll buy mine
And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine,
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till night,
But seas between us broad have roared
from auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of thine,
And well take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

But please don’t ask me exactly what the lyrics mean.

Happy New Year!

I understand that this is a week where many people start to check out (at least mentally) from the work world. Although it is clear that I cannot completely lay claim to that as I type out this message, but I am looking forward to that wonderful holiday break, as well.

For those of us in the tax world, however, this time of year symbolizes the rapid advance toward our busy season. And the dates of it are even starting to get concrete.

Earlier this month, the IRS put out a notice to get everyone prepped for tax season. The agency let it be known that its tax season begins on January 23, meaning that is the first day it will begin accepting electronic returns and processing paper returns. That does not mean that you cannot have your work done before that date, but the IRS will not look at it until then.

In the same notice, taxpayers were reminded that anyone claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit could experience a delay on their refunds. Any early returns claiming those will have their refund held until at least February 15. This is because a high number of fraudulent returns try to take advantage of those credits.

Okay, we can all agree that is enough real work now, right?

So to close, I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays for whatever ones you observe, or just a welcome respite from life’s fast pace if you don’t celebrate.

And either way, there is always good holiday entertainment out there, so since we have agreed that we have done enough work, let me provide some:

First, those of us of a certain age remember how we used to only be able to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas once a year, and this opening still makes me feel good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPG3zSgm_Qo

I also tried to make all the classic Rankin & Bass specials appointment viewing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu8UCrqMtwg

If you like to still get some Christmas cheer from regular TV, you won’t miss a scene even if you sporadically take in some of the 24-hour A Christmas Story marathon that TBS/TNT has provided for years, and there are some scenes that still make me giggle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp-BN9skTP0

And finally, Will Ferrell’s Elf has rapidly made its way onto my must-see list this time of year, and it deserves to be seen if you have not yet, and seen again if you have:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jyCfRHumHU

Enjoy!

Many times in this space, I have mentioned how it is important for businesses to remain open to changes to ensure they don’t get left behind as new models and practices emerge. Much of the time this involves being open to embracing the ever-evolving changes of our technological world.

The idea of that world ruled by technology may feel new to those of us who can still remember a time without the internet, but it is still a world that had undergone a lot of change in that relatively short period of time. To showcase just how many huge changes we have already seen, PC Magazine recently ran an article looking at the top websites of the last 20 years.

Like, remember when AOL ruled the world? And know how you already get a feeling of nostalgia when you write to someone who has an @aol.com email address now?

Then there were Geocities, Tripod and Angelfire that were some of the first companies trying to help people have their own websites.

Yahoo! used to rule the world of internet search engines, and made some auxiliary deals to try to drive lots of traffic to its site, but Google emerged as the company that has now become a verb. And remember how you also used to be able to Ask Jeeves questions?

Currently, one cannot deny the ubiquity of YouTube and Facebook. And just how much will mobile technology continue to change the landscape of what places we visit electronically and how often?

The moral of this story is that it is not enough to say “I know technology.” That world has trends that come and go faster than we can appreciate in real time, and this dynamic highlights how important it is to move along with those waves. The businesses that listen to, and heed, the changes will be the ones who don’t disappear when the next sea change comes through.

***

Last week, I wrote about the IRS and its efforts to make taxpayers aware of security concerns. In its continuing efforts to get everyone ready for the upcoming tax season, the agency has also released a notice about keeping tax records.

So since this is a question that comes into our office from time to time, here a couple of paragraphs straight from the IRS:

Generally, the IRS recommends keeping copies of tax returns and supporting documents at least three years. Some documents should be kept up to seven years in case a taxpayer needs to file an amended return or if questions arise. Keep records relating to real estate up to seven years after disposing of the property.

Health care information statements should be kept with other tax records. Taxpayers do not need to send these forms to IRS as proof of health coverage. The records taxpayers should keep include records of any employer-provided coverage, premiums paid, advance payments of the premium tax credit received and type of coverage. Taxpayers should keep these — as they do other tax records — generally for three years after they file their tax returns.

Also in this release, the IRS put out a more urgent call for people to keep their most recent tax returns handy as the agency tries to institute new protocols for authenticating and protecting taxpayers’ identities. So for those of you who never keep anything, the time to change that has arrived, as you may need to know last year’s adjusted gross income to prove you are who you say you are.

I am sure all of you are well aware that stress increases during the holiday season. At the risk of making it feel even more overwhelming than it already does, did you know there is another celebration going on, one you may not know about, but probably should be taking part in?

Alright, It is not really that exciting, but National Tax Security Awareness Week did start on Monday, December 5. In fact, I am not even sure how I feel about the way that the IRS is framing its efforts surrounding the week.

Now, on the whole, the IRS often feels like an antagonistic force, so little that it says ever sounds that fantastic. I do, however, believe that it deserves credit for trying to be proactive about preventing tax fraud and identity theft in many forms. In fact, I even agree with some of their recent rhetoric about how it is a difficult task. No matter what safeguards are put up to keep out cybercriminals, it is difficult to defend against a tactic before it has been used. By its nature, the evolution of that battle is pushed along by criminals figuring things out.

In a recent news release about this celebratory week, the IRS said:

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax community came together in 2015 to combat tax-related identity theft as a coordinated partnership. But they realized one partner was missing:  taxpayers.

That makes it sound like taxpayers are doing something wrong, and one should never blame the victim.

This is really a semantics battle, though, for there are actions that everyone should be taking to try to keep their personal information secure. This may be especially true this time of year when you are likely making more transactions, online and otherwise, than at any other point on the calendar.

So even if I don’t like their wording, the tips given by the IRS are solid ones and deserve to be noted. To that end, here are their recommendations:

• Use security software and make sure it updates automatically; essential tools include:

 • Firewall

 • Virus/malware protection

• File encryption for sensitive data

• Treat your personal information like cash, don’t leave it lying around

• Check out companies to find out who you’re really dealing with

• Give personal information only over encrypted websites – look for “https” addresses.

• Use strong passwords and protect them

• Back up your files

The IRS also took it another step, giving extra ideas about avoiding phishing and malware:

• Avoid phishing emails, texts or calls that appear to be from the IRS and companies you know and trust, go directly to their websites instead

• Don’t open attachments in emails unless you know who sent it and what it is

• Download and install software only from websites you know and trust

• Use a pop-up blocker

• Talk to your family about safe computing

To sum up, although I do not feel taxpayers should feel any personal obligation to help the IRS with its security efforts, there are common-sense measures that we everyone should take in an attempt to keep our personal information safe. Do it for you, so that you can avoid the pain, frustration and time that could come with your information falling into the wrong hands.