[Free Book] “Tax Resolution Secrets” available free until Sunday

A few days ago, I learned that Amazon has a nifty little feature in their Kindle publishing system for authors that lets us offer our books for zero cost during any 5 day period once per quarter.

My book, Tax Resolution Secrets is both the #1 and #2 best-selling tax resolution book on Amazon (#2 is the Kindle ebook edition, #1 is the paperback). In order to celebrate this little achievement, I’d like to do this 5-day free offer that Amazon allows authors to do.

So, running through Sunday, you can download the Kindle edition of Tax Resolution Secrets at absolutely no cost. You don’t even need to own a Kindle device in order to read it — there are Kindle apps for most smartphones, and even a Mac and Windows application as well.

The book is 100% geared towards the lay consumer, not towards licensed professionals. However, if you’re new to the tax resolution side of things, you might actually get quite a bit out of reading the book. It discusses appeals, SFRs, Installment Agreements, penalty abatements, the OIC process, lien releases, and more. The book shows people how to handle these sorts of tasks on their own, so I think it would make a good reference book for tax professionals, also.

The other thing that you’ll see about the book is that I use it as a lead generation tool. By downloading the book for yourself, you’ll actually see HOW I use it to generate leads — it’s pretty obvious what I’m doing with it once you actually see it.

The only thing I ask is that you please write a review of the book for me on Amazon. I’ll be working on the second edition here in a few months, and your feedback can help improve the book for everybody else.

To download the book, as well as submit a review, just visit Amazon’s page for Tax Resolution Secrets Kindle Edition.… Continue reading

Let’s talk credit card debt

I realize that this is a blog about taxes, but if you have tax debt, I assume that you have other debts as well. It has only been within the last few months that the IRS has softened their stance on allowing you to claim your minimum credit card payments as an allowable expense, so it’s a topic worth addressing.

Credit card debt in general is one of the biggest problems in our society. If you rack up a lot of it, and can’t pay it, life starts to suck when the creditors start calling. Five years ago, when I was heading into bankruptcy, one of my favorite days was the day that Qwest cut off my phone service because I couldn’t pay the bill. That was when the credit collection calls finally stopped!

If you’re looking to address your credit card debt, and other consumer debts as well, there is a simple and often repeated formula for paying down and eliminating those debts. You’ve probably heard two variations of this before, but I think they’re worth hearing again now and then.

The process is pretty simple: Make a list of all your debts, and rank them by priority based on either interest rate from highest to lowest, or by debt amount from lowest to highest. Then, take any extra money you have each month and put it towards the first item on the list.

Mathematically speaking, it’s best to rank them by interest rate. Most of the time, if you owe the IRS money, they’re going to be at the very tippy top because the combined interest and penalty rate can exceed 60% APR. However, many personal finance experts suggest doing it a little different, and paying off your smallest balances first. The rationale behind this is largely psychological, because paying off a smaller debt and being able to say, “It’s paid off!” gives a mental boost to the whole process.

After debt #1 is paid off, the money that was going towards it every month is now applied to debt #2. This accelerates payoff of that debt. Once debt #2 is paid off, the entire monthly amount from that goes to debt #3 until it’s paid off, etc. Eventually, everything is paid off.

While you’re making this debt paydown process, you’re generally making your minimum payments on your other credit cards. If you’re in a situation where money is extremely tight and you’re … Continue reading

“Done For You” Client Newsletter available in download area

The September 2012 “Done For You” client newsletter is now available in the download area on taxcrm.net for Gold, Platinum, and VIP Mastermind Group members.

This simple, 2-page newsletter will take about 10 minutes for you to customize. This newsletter is meant to be sent to your existing clients as part of your regular touch program with your clients (you DO have a regular touch program with your clients, right???). In addition, this client newsletter can also be used as a monthly direct mail or email touch to your list of ideal prospects.

If you have not already taken advantage of this and other valuable benefits that are available to members, please visit the membership benefits page for full information on available membership plans.

To customize the newsletter, simply open it up in Microsoft Word, and edit the items in curly braces {…} as I indicate. You can also add your own logo, and add a recent client success story of your own.

Newsletter tip: Your clients and prospects LOVE reading about your successes with other clients. Similar to how testimonials work, a client success story demonstrates that you know what you’re doing, and shows the results that can be obtained by working with you. This “social proof” is far more valuable than you saying how awesome you are.

Savings Reminder: If you are a tax resolution practitioner, don’t forget that the Tax Resolution Sales Handbook will be hitting Amazon in a few weeks. However, by ordering the Consultative Selling For Tax Resolution Professionals course before the end of August, you’ll get the book included with the course.

Tomorrow, we pick back up with our discussion regarding web site elements that convert visitors to leads.… Continue reading