How many IRS agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 … and more tax season humor.

Every tax season for the last umpteen years, Robert E. McKenzie, a tax lawyer at  Arnstein & Lehr in Chicago, has made a tradition of sharing his carefully curated collection of tax jokes. Here are a few of his latest. Enjoy!

Q: How many IRS agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the light bulb really gets screwed.
— From Garrison Keillor’s ‘Pretty Good Joke Book’

IRS MOTTO: “We’re not happy until you’re not happy!”

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Can You Hear Me Now?

Eight reasons why accounting firms need to work on internal communications first.

by Bruce W. Marcus
Professional Services Marketing 3.0

A terrific definition of chaos is when a client asks two different people in your firm the same question — and gets two different and conflicting answers.

Bruce W. Marcus
Bruce W. Marcus

More for CPA Trendlines PRO members:   Managing Knowledge as a Growth and Management Tool The Secret Formula for Getting New Clients • What We’ve Learned Since Accounting Marketing Was Legalized  • Do Accounting Firms Really Want an ‘Image’? • What Accounting Firms Need to Learn from Personal Financial Planning Specialists • The Delicate Art of Positioning Your Firm in the Mind of the Prospect

Another form of it is when there’s a crisis, and the press calls and gets somebody on the phone who hasn’t been briefed — but who answers the questions anyway. There’s real horror for you. READ MORE →

New Rules: 13 Items that Should be in Your Managing Partner’s Job Description

And 25 best practices to make a merely good managing partner into a great managing partner.

By Marc Rosenberg, CPA
Author of “CPA Firm Management and Governance.”

An increasing number of firms are asking:  Do we want the firm managed by a leader, which for a CPA firm is the managing partner, or managed by one or more committees of partners? The fact is, most firms are choosing a strong leader – the managing partner.

Marc Rosenberg
Marc Rosenberg

More on CPA firm leadership and management:  What a Managing Partner Is… and Is Not   •  When Is It Time to Shift Your Firm from Partnership-style to Corporate-style Governance?    De-Bunking the Myth about Niche Marketing for Tax and Accounting FirmsPractice Development Is No Longer an Optional Activity10 Good Ways the Achieve Partner AccountabilityPick Your Partners Right to Begin With

But too many firms still lack a clear understanding of what a managing partner is.  Based on years of research, we have compiled a comprehensive managing partner job description. And we’re including the 25 best practices that make today’s best managing partners great.

MANAGING PARTNER JOB DESCRIPTION READ MORE →

Putting the “No Jerks” Rule to Work in Tax Season

And a couple more ideas for high performing firms.

by Ed Mendlowitz
Tax Season Opportunity Guide

Ed Mendlowitz
Ed Mendlowitz

If you have staff, have happy, cheerful, helpful people. Don’t surround yourself with downers and nay-sayers.  Make sure they are team players.

Part of this is your firm’s culture.  It takes work to get people to work together and to focus on doing what it takes to service the client fully, properly and timely.  Everyone working together gets it done.  You need to create that atmosphere.

Here are three things that might help:

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How to Stay Energized, Upbeat, and Thinking Bigger through Busy Season

Five motivation tips from the masters.

By Sandi Smith, CPA
Accountant’s Accelerator

Here are a few of the best lessons I’ve received from the masters. Although tried and true, their stories and hardships keep me energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger.

1. Don’t give up

  • Thomas Edison performed 10,000 experiments before he discovered the light bulb. Friends asked him what he would carry on after getting no results. Edison said, “I got lots of results. I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
Sandi Smith

More for soloists and small firms: Seven Ways to Wow Your Prospect Rev Up Your Revenue with These Two Daily Rituals •  10 Tips for Creating More Energy this Tax Season  • Take a Cue from Venture Capitalists: Your Firm Needs a Brain Trust Trinity    •   Accountants, Do You Know Your Opportunity Number?    •  Five Ideas to Overcome Client Price-Sensitivity   •    5 Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking New Clients  •  3 Steps to Start Running on Millionaire Time   •  The Missing Ingredient in Your Marketing That Will Make All the Difference   •  On the Road to a Stress-Free Life: Identify Your Character Strengths  •

  • Beethoven had his share of critics during his time and was in constant conflict with the royalty that hired him to write his works. His response: “A few fly bites cannot stop a spirited horse.” READ MORE →