#irs That IRS Letter

I had spent the day playing trucks, trains, and blocks with my toddler grandsons before stopping by Fairway for some birthday-weekend-goodies.  I was planning on spending the waning hours of the evening working on reading responses from my grad students and working on slides for this week's classes. I had every minute scheduled before bed.  I arrived home ready to roll.

Then I put my hand in the mailbox and saw it, a letter from the IRS addressed to me, the estate manager. The lump in my throat grew immediately to a size that allowed me to just barely swallow and  the my blood pressure soared to new heights as I imagined the potential questions, reviews. additional fees, and potential audit inside.  

I put away groceries and made tea and I was actually shaking by the time I opened the big fat letter with certain disastrous news.....and then.....I could hardly believe the words from the IRS....."can you please complete this survey about the time and money estates spend the fulfill their tax obligations."!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS survey I was glad to do...in fact...I abandoned my plans for the evening....drank 2 cups of tea....and was happy to share that I have spent.......countless hours.....managing estates in the last few years,,,,,and the IRS paperwork is INSANE!  I am hoping they sent this survey so that things might change in the future!!!!!!! Perhaps, others have complained or at least noticed?

If I had a chance to redo a chapter of my life, I would manage the estates of my mother and my aunt without a second thought.  Yet, the IRS paperwork is pretty intense as it stands now and without a tax attorney and/or an accountant who understands the difference in tax filings, you can be hit with fees, questions, audits, headaches and high blood pressure!

I'll set the alarm to work on slides for next week and celebrate that the IRS asked me what I think rather than telling I am wrong!!!!!

Moral of the story 1 for adults: NOT all IRS letters are bad news.

Moral of the story 2 for adults and for parents of children: ALL meltdowns are the result of not fully understanding the whole situation.