Top 10 CD's of 2007

Here's my list:

10. Okkervil River - Stage Names
9. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
8. Battles - Mirrored
7. The National - Boxer
7. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
6. Arcade Fire - Neopn Bible
5. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
4. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Sank
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. The national - Boxer
1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Mike

AMT Patch Explained

The AMT Patch is not as exciting as it looked to be. The "patch" merely raised the exemption for taxpayers by a few dollars. Had no action been taken exemption amounts would have been rolled back to 2005 levels.

So the AMT has not been repealed and most taxpayers who were subject to AMT last year will continue to be subject to this ridiculous law.

AMT Patch Approved

Congress has passed what is being called an AMT "patch" for the 2007 tax year. Unfortunately, they have yet to provide details as to what this patch is, but details should be released in the next few days.

As mentioned in previous posts, AMT is an alternate tax calculation that recomputes the tax liability by using a flat tax rate and eliminating several deductions such as state taxes and exemptions.

The reason Congress is acting is primarily due to the fact that approximately 20,000,000 taxpayers will be ensnared in the system this year and no one wants to confront voters in 2008 if so many people are subject to a tax that makes little sense.

Racine Dental Front Line Staff Complete Circore Customer Service Training

Racine Dental Group took the first step in their commitment to world class customer service by training their front line staff. Fifteen members of the front desk team, patient account representatives and their managers completed Circore's Customer Service training.

"It is a customized program tailored to the needs of each client we serve," says Denise Cawley, a principal at Circore.

Staff were lead by Lynn Moore & Denise Cawley through an intensive four part series focusing on body language, customer service nuances like tone of voice, wording choice, quality programs in customer service, customer service follow up, world class customer service and more. It is a very comprehensive program teaching our clients how to be consistently attentive to their patients.

"With all the competition businesses face, it is important for dental offices to pay more attention to customer service," says Moore.

"There is a big difference in saying: I see you have a $250 Lab fee today – I hope that is OK with you. Otherwise we can bill you… and instead saying: Mr Jones you have a $250 copay today. We accept cash, check, mc or visa" says Cawley.

"We teach clients how to ask for payment, and how to make on-time payments a benefit to the patient," says Moore.

"I felt the most valuable things from the training were labeling desired behavior as “detective” and “tour guide.” Simply putting that descriptive title helped articulate the action required by the employee to deliver good customer service and they get it! Also your identifying that our policies are visible to patients and therefore actually contribute to a reduction in customer service was enlightening. Offering suggestion for ways to measure the service process so we can determine our success as well as give the employee a feeling of accomplishment was great. The positive manner in which you presented information and coached the individuals, identifying their weaknesses and areas where improvement was needed yet keeping it constructive really motivated them to try harder, states Carolynn Chapin, Racine Dental Group.

Holiday Bonus With a Twist at Bridgeview Dental

Oshkosh, WI, Bridgeview Dental

Dr. Jacci Belter surprised her staff on Friday by having a white stretch limousine pull up in front of the office to take them shopping as their holiday bonus. Rather than passing out a Christmas bonus based on length of time with the company or doing away with it completely as many companies have, Dr. Belter chose to make it a team building experience.

“I have a great mix of new and senior staff. I wanted a way to thank them for what they have done and what they will do in the coming year to make Bridgeview Dental the best office in Oshkosh.”

Dr. Belter gave each staff member $200 and required that they spend it on themselves. They drove to Mayfair Mall, in Milwaukee in order to have the treat of shopping somewhere new and giving them more time to celebrate together in the limo.

“It was the best Christmas present ever that a boss could possibly give.” Says Melissa Salm, dental assistant.

Cassie Fry, receptionist says, “I was happily surprised that Dr. Belter took me and the other new staff, on the trip. After all, I have only been with Bridgeview Dental less than two months. It was awesome.”

“It was a great opportunity for all the staff, me included, to get to know one another. We had so much fun. They (the staff) are all begging me to make it an annual tradition” says Dr. Belter.

IRS Placing Emphasis on Charitable Contribution Documentation

One of the main concerns the IRS has grappled with in the past few years is the "tax gap". In short, this is the difference between what income is reported and what the reality actually is. One area that many people have taken liberties with is their reporting of charitable contributions. Based on research conducted by the IRS it is clear that the amounts reported for charity do not reflect the reality.

In an effort to close the tax gap the IRS has come up with a new strategy. The strategy is to essentially subject tax preparers to penalties should teheir clients under report income or over report their deductions.

So how does this affect our clients:

1) We will be reminding everyone that they must have documentation for any charitable deduction they take. Documentation can be in the form of a letter from the charitable organization or a bank record.

2) We will have all clients sign a document that they do in fact have records of these contributions that can be produced in the event of an audit.

In other words, tax preparers should no longer be taking your word for these deductions as we are now on the hook with the taxpayer.

Some Third Ward Things You Should Check Out

We are located in Milwaukee's Third ward which has continued to be a changing area over the last few years. As we complete our first year in the area we wanted to promote a few businesses that we feel are worth the trip:

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET: It appears that they have finally figured out what they want the Market to be and the vendors have stepped up their game.

Ceriello's has opened up a Butcher's shop that is diverse and has some things that you just will not find in other stores, In addition to this upgrade they are also selling many items that you can take home and simply reheat as well as several pastas and olive oils.

The Spice House continues to be a great destination for anyone who takes cooking seriously. They have a great variety of spices that are hard to find elsewhere and we find the quality of the product to be better.

Kehr's Candy brings something unique to the area being a full service candy shop.

Add to all this a great bakery, fish shop and cheese shop and its a destination worth seeing.

COQUETTE CAFE: This restuarant consistantly rated in Dennis Getto's annual Top 30 list and it's easy to see why. The Food and Service are always top notch and the prices are very reasonable. It is an especially good destination for lunch.

THE IRISH PUB: I've been to Ireland and this Pub is a very close approximation to pub over there. They have all the requisite Irish beers and whiskey as well as a menu that is very authentic. County Clare in Milwaukee gets a lot of attention, but this spot is equally as good.

BREW CITY TEA: They have a tremendous assortment of loose teas on hand that rivals Teavana that can be purchased in bulk.