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T-A-X: The case for a National Tax Bee

October 2, 2009

Bees_feltfantasia What a fun idea! ESPN should televise a National Tax Bee, a la the annual National Spelling Bee broadcast.

That's the suggestion of Mary O'Keeffe, who blogs at Bed buffaloes in your tax code.

"The popular stereotype of a tax professional paints them as bland and boring, robotic and devoid of personality," writes Mary. "Reading tax pro blogs has certainly convinced me otherwise."

As tax pros worthy of our television attention, Mary proposes a lineup of Robert D Flach, who blogs as The Wandering Tax Pro; Kelly Erb, aka the blogosphere's taxgirl; and The Tax Lawyer's Blog author Peter Pappas.

But there are tons of additional potential Tax Bee contestants.

We must include Joe Kristan from the Tax Updates blog; Monica Lawver, who pens CPA Confessions; William Perez with William's Tax Planning Blog; and Dan Meyer at Tick Marks.

Don't forget about all the Twittering tax types such as @bruce_taxguy and tweeting CPAs @taxman45, @OmahaCPA, @EDavisCPA, @CPA_Trendlines and @numbersnerd.

And definitely making the team are Tax Mama, the TaxProf and, of course, Ms. O'Keeffe herself.

With such a long list of names, I feel like I'm giving an awards ceremony acceptance speech. And you know what that means: I've left out some very important tax folks who should be a part of the tax fun.

So please help ensure that every tax geek is part of the competition, since I'm sure ESPN has heeded Mary's programming note and a National Tax Bee will definitely be on its schedule next April.

Bee image courtesty feltfantasia.com

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Comments
  • I’m thrilled to make the acceptance speech! I’d like to thank all the little people… and the smart people at Google who make Blogger so easy to use…

  • What a great idea, sounds like a ratings booster for sure!
    I think a year ago I might have been offended to be listed as a Twittering tax type or a Tweeting CPA. I think it is amazing how a tool such as twitter can change our vocabulary! Now that instead of being offended I am honored to have those labels! Thanks for the nomination.
    @EDavisCPA

  • A tax bee?

    How do you think a quiz show of tax preparers — a “tax bee” — would go over? Mary O’keeffe…

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