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LOCAL
OPERATING OFFICES
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EMAIL
KemperCPA@charter.net
WEBSITE
kempercpa.com
ADDRESS
Kemper CPA Group LLP
Administrative Services
521 N. 6th St.
P.O. Box 297
Vincennes, IN 47591
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IRS Continues Increase in Audit Rates
 IRS Commissioner Mark Everson is determined to bridge the $250 billion-a-year gap between what taxpayers owe and what the IRS collects. What that means for you is that the number of audits the IRS conducts is rising as the IRS becomes more determined to oust tax cheats and compel people to comply with tax laws.
In 2003, the IRS audited 849,296 households, or about 0.65 percent. The IRS concentrated on individuals and couples making more than $100,000, with special emphasis on those with incomes of more than $250,000. For those with higher incomes, the audit rate was a little higher—about 1.06 percent, a 24 percent increase from 2002. Still, the overall audit rate remained fairly
low, with about one in every 154 taxpayers being audited, a 14 percent increase from 2002, when one in every 174 taxpayers was audited.
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The number of audits that the IRS performs is expected to continue to rise. |
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To learn more about the IRS's plan to increase the number of audits it performs, click here to read the full content of this article. Dealing with an audit can be complicated and frustrating, but the professionals at
Kemper CPA Group LLP are ready to help you each step of the way and can help you ensure that you're only paying the taxes you owe. Contact us today!
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Feeling Rich: Getting Your Ducks in a Row
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Being rich isn't so much about amassing a large fortune as it is acquiring a sense of financial security. When you know that your finances are in order and that your financial future is secure, you can stop worrying so much about money and can concentrate on other matters. |
In order to find financial security, you'll need to get your ducks in a row.
- Plan for retirement. If you have taken steps to ensure a financially-stable future, you'll feel safer—this means keeping up with your savings and investing plans.
- Acquire adequate insurance policies. Not having the right kinds of insurance can be a major financial disaster in the event of an accident or illness. Reviewing your insurance policies regularly with your agent can help you determine if you need to make changes to your coverage.
- Prepare for your children's education. If you save for your children's education now, you'll be giving them the extra financial security of not having to finance their education.
- Maintain an emergency fund. Save enough money to cover your bills for a minimum of three months in case you lose your job.
- Keep your will up-to-date. In order to ensure that your money goes where you want it to in the event of your death, you'll need to keep your will updated.
If you need help with organizing your business or personal finances or with planning for retirement, give us a call at Kemper CPA Group today! We are equipped with knowledge about 401(k)s, 529 education savings plans, power of attorney issues, and so much more, and we're
ready to help.
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Let It Roll
 If you change jobs, you may need to decide where to transfer your retirement money. Should you roll it over into your new employer's retirement savings plan? Or into an individual retirement account
(IRA)?
Rolling to a New Employer's Plan
If your new employer's plan accepts rollovers, then all your retirement money would be in one place. The advantage of having your money in one place is that it may help you to monitor, diversify, and rebalance your retirement investments. However, make sure that the new plan offers a broad selection of funds with reasonable expense ratios.
Rolling to an IRA
If the new plan doesn't allow rollovers or offer attractive investment options, roll the money into an IRA. Make sure you arrange a "direct rollover"—or trustee-to-trustee transfer—to avoid tax withholding on the distribution.
For additional information regarding managing your finances and investments, click here to view the May/June 2004 issue of Kemper Capital Management's online newsletter "Loose Change"! If
after reading the newsletter you have any questions, contact the friendly professionals at Kemper Capital Management
today to schedule an appointment to discuss your investing needs!
Investment advisory services offered by KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through CapPro Brokerage Services, Inc., member NASD & SIPC. Insurance services offered through KCPAG Insurance Services LLC.
Enjoy a Debt-free Vacation This Year
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The summer vacation season is fast approaching. You probably can't wait to get away and enjoy a break from your busy life. But how do you plan to pay for your getaway? Wouldn't it be great to return with photos, souvenirs, and fond memories—but without mountains of credit card debt? A week or two of fun shouldn't take all year to pay
off. A lot of people rack up big credit card bills by charging vacation expenses. We have a better idea. |
Map Out Your Plans
Planning ahead can help you save money on vacation expenses. You'll have time to find deals on airline tickets and hotel rooms or other accommodations. And you'll have time to figure out how much money you'll need. Don't forget to factor in the cost of souvenirs, equipment rentals, and entertainment—as well as food and lodging—when calculating your expenses.
Once you know approximately how much money you need to save for vacation, you can get started. The easiest way is to put aside part of your paycheck each week in your savings account or arrange for automatic deposit into a special vacation account at your bank. To give your balance a boost, consider having a garage sale and using the proceeds for your vacation.
Pay as You Go
From a convenience standpoint, it's tempting to use credit cards to pay while you're traveling. But charging your expenses makes it easy to indulge, overspend, and go into debt. Instead, consider using a debit card on your next trip. With a debit card, you won't spend what you don't have, and you can enjoy a debt-free vacation.
For more information, click here to view the May/June 2004 issue of Kemper Capital Management's online newsletter "Loose Change"! If you have any questions about your finances or investments, contact
the professionals at Kemper Capital Management today!
Investment advisory services offered by KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through CapPro Brokerage Services, Inc., member NASD & SIPC. Insurance services offered through KCPAG Insurance Services LLC.
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Spam and Spyware: Computer Nuisances
 If you're being stalked by spyware and bombarded with Spam messages in your inbox, you aren't alone. Unwanted e-mail accounts for an estimated 64 percent of all e-mail traffic, and spyware is becoming a more prevalent and dangerous computer threat—hiding in users' computers and secretly monitoring computer activities. It can drastically decrease the speed of your
internet connection, and is famous for the slew of pop-up ads it creates. Some of the more dangerous spyware files record key strokes, logging passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive data, and sending them on to identity thieves.
Spyware and Spam can hold your computer hostage—bogging down your internet connection and your hard drive—if you let them.
Fortunately, recent legislation—the CAN-SPAM Act—has made the penalties for sending out non-solicited marketing and junk e-mail a little stiffer. Recently, a man in Buffalo, New York was sentenced to 3-1/2 to 7 years in prison for sending out millions of Spam e-mail messages. Additionally, large technology companies like Microsoft and Pobox.com are working together to
create standards to make it easier for Internet providers to block unwanted messages.
More recently, proposals to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) call for up to 10 new domain names to be created in order to make it easier for Internet providers to filter out Spam. Among the proposed domain names are .xxx for sexually explicit material, .travel for travel-related content, and .mobi for sites suited for the small screens on
mobile devices. The .mail proposal would allow those who don't send unsolicited junk mail to bypass spam filters.
Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that Spam is a thing of the past, and it remains a very costly problem—wasting bandwidth, system storage, and administrator resources.
Most e-mail providers allow you to choose some degree of message filtering, but, in some cases, Spam manages to get through to your inbox. Kemper Technology Consulting offers an internet-based Spam-filtering service to our clients. This service provides e-mail content filtering and e-mail virus protection for all
e-mail coming into your domain. Suspect mail is captured elsewhere, where you can review these messages individually, forward messages you wish to read, and delete messages you do not want.
To help get rid of spyware, Kemper Technology Consulting recommends using a combination of two spyware removal tools. Lavasoft offers Ad-Aware, a spyware removal program that scans your memory, registry, and hard drive for datamining, advertising, and tracking
components. Spybot Search and Destroy works similarly, using definitions to know what kinds of files to look for. In addition, Yahoo! is working on a feature for its Web browser tool that would allow users to remove spyware files more easily. The feature,
Anti-Spy, is being released as a test version.
If you are struggling to keep your computer free from unwanted Spam and spyware, Kemper Technology Consulting can help. We can guide you through the installation of spyware removal programs and can provide you with an effective internet-based Spam-filtering service.
Let us help you take back your computer!
If you would like more information about maintaining your computer system's security, contact . We can help you detect any vulnerable areas in your network and can provide you with solutions to your network security issues—call us today!
Kemper Technology Consulting |
Robinson, IL |
(618) 546-5633 |
kempertc.com |
Evansville, IN Indianapolis, IN Paducah, KY |
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