The end of the year is always interesting to tax professionals like me. We get to talk with many people and discuss a variety of tax situations. If the truth be told, however, most taxpayers don’t have to do anything special at the end of the year. For those taxpayers who don’t itemize, the timing [...]

Lame duck session As an income tax professional, I have seen both the federal Congress and the Michigan Legislature make last minute changes to the tax system. In fact they have gotten very adept at making this type of change. Lame duck changes come after the November election and before those elected take their newly-won [...]

Recently, I was asked to participate in a new program at Rockford High School coordinated by Sarah Young, one of the school’s counselors. The ACT Prep program involved a variety of area people, sixteen in total, sitting on panels each talking to juniors about his/her life and professional experiences. The panels were grouped by separate [...]

The sermon this past Sunday by my pastor, Rick Tigchon, was based on Revelations 3, the letter to Philadelphia, the original City of Brotherly Love. The theme of his sermon was Open Doors. The Christians in Philadelphia evidently were aware of what was going on and as things happened in Philadelphia, they adjusted on the [...]

As many of you know, I have been a member of the Rockford City Council for the past two years. Getting to know and work with the other Council Members, City Manager Michael Young, the City staff, and other residents and business people has been enjoyable. A lot has happened in the past two years. [...]