First off, here is a wish that this time between Christmas and New Year’s finds you having a little more downtime than usual. And may however you choose to use it be treating you very well.

This is an odd time where the urges to look forward and look back both feel strong. And maybe there is something about taking stock of what has happened that naturally leads to turning and wondering what’s to come. And even if there is no real special quality to this moment that makes it happen but that the calendar deems it collectively so, that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for good.

So if there is something you are looking to do in the new year, why not just start now? Yeah, it’s a few days early, but if you have the downtime to think about it, then you also have the downtime to start it.

For we definitely wish you nothing but the best when it comes to achieving your goals … no matter where on the calendar it falls.

Keep Striving!

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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Does it feel like you made it again?

We are in that final stretch before Christmas next week and then the new year shortly after.  Hopefully it is coming with some sense of accomplishment for all you battled through, because it would have to be a special time if a year felt like it contained no trials.

We deserve to give ourselves some grace when time allows for it, and hopefully things are winding down enough for you that time is allowing it. So don’t feel shy about giving yourself credit for having made it and accomplishing all you have this year. Let that come with a deep breath (and ideally many of them) that can help cleanse some of those previous battles away.

We all celebrate this time of year in many different ways, but most celebrate in some way, which in itself deserves to be celebrated. So here is a toast to you enjoying this time in whatever way makes you happy and may that happiness stick.

Happy Holidays!

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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Sometimes one is forced to take a step back to realize just how big the idea of federal taxes really is. This happened to me last week when I read about the IRS spotting $37.1 billion in crimes over one year.
You know, just a shade over $3 billion a month or so, no big deal.

So often we think about what the agency does in relation to our personal situation without realizing they are dealing with many millions of personal situations and when you add them all up, things pile up into giant numbers.

And also, it is only fair to give the IRS some credit when it comes to doing something about this.  I am certainly no justice expect, but the agency reported an 88.4% conviction rate over the same period. When you take into account that some of these cases may have involved people eventually deemed innocent of the crimes, then it looks like a great percentage of those spotted who are guilty are having to face up to what they did.

However, numbers again come into play then when the story goes on to say that the IRS seized $271 million in assets over that same year. Now on its own, this is not a negligible number, but it is a precipitous fall from the $37.1 billion it started with. Now of course, a lot of that original large number involves people not paying what they owe and also not having the ability to pay it, so the agency can only do so much. But it just again goes to show how big some of these things we are discussing really are.

​Finally, just how much the IRS has to deal with outside of worrying about these crimes was also brought up during the press conference discussing these issues. As Criminal Investigations chief Jim Lee said, “We are still dealing occasionally with the wildly inappropriate misinformation that’s out there regarding IRS agents being armed, which is quite frankly inappropriate and incredibly dangerous.” So let this also speak to another large idea of how we need to be careful concerning where we get information. I certainly do not want to preach blind obedience to the government, and thinking it only preaches wisdom from on high, but we should also remember it is not just a large entity but is made up of actual people who can have their livelihood and life affected by misinformation. 

​Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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Even now when it feels like we are in a normal holiday season, things may still not be completely understandable and the world remains difficult to completely figure out. In this year when the financial world feels a little unsettled, Black Friday and Cyber Monday still did pretty well for business on the whole. Giving Tuesday, however, did not fare so well.

I came across this information in a CNN article, where the first number given is that $3.1 billion was donated on Giving Tuesday, a 0.6% gain over 2022, which seemed okay by me. There was a 10% decline in the number of Americans who participated, though, and that was more concerning.

And that feeling only continued throughout the article as it mentioned a report from Giving USA released this past June that reported Americans are giving the lowest percentage of their disposable income since 1995.

I think it is easy to explain some of this from a year-to-year perspective as inflation certainly must have had an impact on this number over the past few years – and it is easy to see it taking another year or two for that to catch up to itself. And then through the pandemic, even if there were some obvious places where money could be given to help the many in need, there were enough people struggling financially that overall numbers could be affected.

But to have a low point since 1995? I mean, that’s even before people could read blogs like this. Heck, it was before the word blog existed.

This oh-so-modern blog entry is now a small plea to help offset this if you can. I am fully aware that not everyone has the means to give, and when that is the case, it is much more important to take care of yourself first.  And giving doesn’t have to mean an all-out George Costanza Human Fund level of donations in lieu of Christmas presents. (a reference that may feel incredibly dated but is from a TV episode that also did not exist as of 1995). So, if you have the ability to do something, even a small thing, it will not only do good but it will feel good.

​Too often in our work world here, donations are only discussed as tax deductions. This is a good time of year, however, to realize they are so much more. In a world that can often feel very confusing, let’s be good to each other when we can.

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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