The Senate unanimously approved House passed legislation (H.R. 4462) that allows taxpayers to make charitable contributions to Haiti relief programs before March 1, 2010 and claim those contributions on their 2009 income tax return.  It includes a provision that allows phone bills as proof of text-messaged donations. The Senate had introduced a companion bill (S. 2936) but instead approved the House bill by unanimous consent.  The President is expected to sign the bill into law immediately.

We ask that all of our clients provide us with details of these contributions; we will then evaluate during the preparation of their 2009 tax return, whether it is best to include in 2009 or delay to 2010.

The tax organizers are now available and clients should have received an e-mail with login instructions.

If you have not received the e-mail or if you would like to receive a web organizer this year please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The following is a summary of the most important tax developments that have occurred in the past three months that may affect you, your family, your investments, and your livelihood. Please contact us for more information about any of these developments and what steps you should implement to take advantage of favorable developments and to minimize the impact of those that are unfavorable.

There are several items to consider when planning for investments.  A few important items are discussed here.