About

I started working in the tax preparation field in January, 1980. My first job was to type depreciation schedules into a "mag-card" machine at an attorney's office in Shelbyville. There were at least four preparers there at the time. Their experience, knowledge and instruction were invaluable to me. My oldest son was around 4 then, so I also picked up pencil copies of tax returns, took them home and typed them using carbon paper to make three copies. So if I made one mistake, I made three. Our technology has come a long way, baby! Through retirement and various reasons, by 1987, I was the only tax preparer left.

The last year I prepared returns by "hand" was for the 1986 tax year. Then came the arrival of the computer. First I had the black and white monitor and the large 5-inch floppy disks. Each client had their own disk. I remember working an hour and a half on a client's return, and then I lost the whole thing. How frustrating that was. Over the years we have progressed through the 3 " floppies, laser printers, color monitors, dual monitors, and now electronic filing. It is almost a joy to prepare tax returns now.

I opened my own office in May of 2001 at 406 S Harrison Street, which ironically, was where I first started. My sons were both getting their college educations, so I thought I should, too. I went to school online and received my Associate's Degree in Accounting from Ivy Tech in December of 2003. My graduation ceremony was two days before my youngest son graduated from I.U. During that time, I also studied for the Enrolled Agent's exam. I became an Enrolled Agent on June 28, 2003.

I continued to prepare tax returns and my business grew and grew and grew. I cannot thank Sandy Leffler, Brent Thoman, Heather Brant, and the late Rudy Thoman for all their help in making this happen. What a joy they were to work with! But as I and everyone else got older, those stairs became an issue for more and more of my clients. I also missed being able to see outside. With the passing of my mother-in-law, next-door-neighbor, and friend, Evelyn Crim, the opportunity arose to move my office to her residence. With a little remodeling and the purchase of more office furniture, I accomplished this in December of 2013. I love the commute!

Without Sandy's help, I needed an assistant. I hired a good friend of mine, Jane Hawley. She had previously worked as an aide at Morristown Elementary School for over 17 years. She was ready for a change, and I could provide that. I think she likes her new job, but I will ask her again on April 16th.

I am looking forward to this upcoming tax season at the new office. There are only a couple of steps, I have windows, and I get to see my grandsons more often. Can't beat that!