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To Learn More
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To learn more about the tax changes anticipated for 2014, please call us at 630-653-1616. Our partners and staff are ready to help you with your tax planning.
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To Contact Us:
211 S. Wheaton Avenue, Suite 300 Wheaton, IL 60187 630-653-1616
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Guests at our Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce "Networking in the Morning" event included clients, vendors, colleagues and friends... and all walked away with an MMC & Co. coffee mug which included a 1040 Tax Form-wrapped chocolate bar!
Here are just a few photo highlights from the morning... L to R are:
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Betty Fogle, CPA, and Bethany Ester, DuPage County Area Project
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 | | Mary Heitert, the Mystery Shop, and Sean LaFortune, CPA, with Mike Celer, CPA, in the background |
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Ron Austin, CPA, and Will Grosch of Community Bank of Wheaton/Glen Ellyn
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Barb Simkus, A-1 Airport Limousine Service, with Gina Kelly and Gail Mathieson
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Marcia Winegard presides over the MMC & Co. coffee mugs
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 | | Mike Celer and Mary Gammel, Quality Website Testing |
 | | Pam Sharar-Stoppel, Wheaton Bank & Trust, and Dan Tanzer, Custom Group Inc. with Jim Mathieson, CPA, in background |
 | | Luanne Triolo Newman, Carol Stream Chamber, and Mike Moyski, CPA |
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| Welcome to the Texting Revolution |
 Once upon a time, text messaging was strictly for teenagers. But texting among business people ages 40-50 is expected to triple in 2014 according to predictions by CustomerThink, a global online community of business leaders that covers customer relationship management.
Texting has revolutionized the way we communicate but it also means that the rules have changed. We turned to Emily Post, a trusted resource for etiquette answers, for some guidelines on text messaging:
- Never text information that's confidential, private, or potentially embarrassing. Assume someone other than the intended recipient might be able to read it or it may accidentally get sent to the wrong person.
- Identify yourself by name if it's your first text to that person. They may not know who you are based solely on your phone number.
- You wouldn't take a call in the middle of a movie, performance or a meeting--and neither is it a time to send text messages.
Other tips include: don't send texts to communicate sad news, and if someone sends you a text by mistake, just let them know you weren't the intended recipient.
Text messaging provides yet another way to reach out to clients, customers, family and friends. No longer just for teens, texting is a great way to build relationships. And as with any other form of communication, good manners and sound judgment rule the day.
Oh, and one more thing: please don't text and drive.
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Update on Affordable Care Act
 The Affordable Care Act employer mandate (or penalty) originally set to begin in 2014 will now be delayed until 2015 or 2016, depending on the number of employees in the company.
Employers with more than 50 full-time employees are subject to the penalty if any full-time employee is certified to receive a health insurance premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction. The penalty will apply if the employer doesn't offer full-time employees and their dependents an opportunity to enroll in the minimum essential coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored plan or if the coverage offered is unaffordable or doesn't provide minimum value.
Companies with 100 or more employees are required to comply with the employer mandate in 2015. However, employers need only provide coverage to 70 percent of their full-time employees, rather than to 95 percent as originally proposed. They will be immediately subject to the 95-percent coverage rule in 2016.
Those with 50 to 99 employees do not have to comply with the employer mandate until 2016, although employers in this category must report on their workers and coverage for 2015. In 2016, however, they will be immediately subject to the 95-percent coverage rule.
Please note that only about two percent of employers have 100 or more full-time employees, and another two percent have 50-99 employees. This means that 96 percent of all employers are not subject to the employer mandate in 2015 or any other year.
If you have any questions regarding the tax implications of your health insurance plan, please contact us.
[Photo credit: DCR Workforce Blog]
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Benefits of Using Client Portal
by Cindy Gunderson
 There are some great benefits to using your client portal, especially around this time of year at tax season. Instead of using paper, the portal is organized to help you do everything digitally which saves time and travel.
When we upload your client organizer to your portal, you can work on the organizer right at your own computer. You can upload your tax documents after scanning them to your computer. When you finish completing the organizer, click "Send to Preparer" and we will be notified by email that your documentation is ready for us to download to our system.
When your tax returns are completed, we can upload them to your client portal. You will be notified by email that they are available for you to access through our website. The items we will need to complete the electronic filing will be located under the "Action Items" folder, complete with instructions to return the signed forms to us.
Copies of your tax returns are available to you any time by accessing your client portal--no need to call us or hunt for your paper copy. We also put copies of your withholding documents for that year's tax return to your portal in a file called "Source Documents to Portal."
If you have questions or would like us to walk you through the process, please contact either Sean LaFortune or me via e-mail or by calling 630-653-1616. We are happy to help you learn the process which is safe, secure and convenient for you!
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Our People Make a Difference
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Guests gather at our "Networking in the Morning" event on Feb. 4
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This month we had the pleasure of hosting "Networking in the Morning," a business-before-hours event held Feb. 4 in cooperation with the Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce. This was an opportunity for us to learn more about the attendees who participated, to share a little about our firm and to mix and mingle with guests.
Our thanks to Luanne Triolo Newman, executive director of the Carol Stream Chamber, and Nan Gudenkauf, the chamber's office administrator, for their help in organizing the event. We enjoyed being with our guests, all of whom had the opportunity to introduce themselves and share about their businesses. We know for certain that some new connections have already been made!
 And many thanks to those of you who voted (early and often) for Mathieson, Moyski, Celer & Co. as the "Large Business of the Year" in this year's Best of Wheaton Awards program. As a service company, we're proud to have been acknowledged in this category and while we'd rather focus on our clients than ourselves, it's an honor to be nominated. We'll gather with our fellow Wheaton Chamber of Commerce members next week to celebrate the winners, and we're proud to be among those who are in the running. |
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Your Trusted Advisors
 Our Midwestern temperatures continue to challenge us, and everyone we know is "thinking spring." With spring comes growth, renewal and warm weather.
Of course when we think spring, we think of tax season. If you're one of our clients, our accountants and staff are busy working on your behalf. As always, we welcome your referrals and appreciate those of you who have referred your family, friends and business associates to us. Your referrals are the highest compliment we can receive, and we thank you for your trust--and for your business.
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The Team at Mathieson, Moyski, Celer & Co., LLP
Jim Mathieson, CPA, Partner
Mike Moyski, CPA, Partner
Mike Celer, CPA, Partner
Ron Austin, CPA, MST, Partner
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CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE: IRS regulations require us to advise you that, unless otherwise specifically noted, any federal tax advice in this communication (including any attachments, enclosures, or other accompanying materials) was not intended or written to be used, and it cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties; furthermore, this communication was not intended or written to support the promotion or marketing of any of the transactions or matters it addresses.
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