Dear Clients,
If you were expecting a letter from Mike, you should know that he has finally passed his mantle on to me, Leo, and departed in his fiery chariot to the heavenly bliss of retirement (but more on that later).
Welcome to the final year of Michael Di Pietro, CPA, Inc.!
We are not sure exactly what we will be called next year, but there will be a “Kanzelberger” joining “Di Pietro”. Fitting all of that into our letterhead will be interesting.
Mike typically began his client letters by wishing everyone a Happy New Year, but with the recent tragedies some of you have already suffered this year, I do not quite know how to say that.
I will say that our thoughts and prayers go out to all of you who were affected by the wildfires. I have spoken already to several of you who have lost homes or businesses, and our firm will be working closely with you to assist in navigating this terrible situation.
2024 TAX SEASON
Tax Documents
Tax documents may be given to us via our Intuit Link, via email, via drop-off, or via snail mail.
Intuit Link:
A digital procedure where you can directly upload your tax information to our system via an Intuit Link emailed directly to each client. This method of delivering your documents is highly secure – more secure than email.
This Intuit Link requires you to sign in before being able to upload documents and fill out our questionnaire. When you have finished uploading all necessary documents, please email or call to let us know it is complete, and we will begin data entry on our end.
Email:
If you prefer to directly email us your tax documents, please email all documents as PDF files in one single email with your name in the subject line. Please email to receptionist@mdcpainc.com.
Drop-Off:
You are always free to stop by either of our offices to drop off your documents in person. If you choose this option, please stay until we make copies and return your originals.
Snail Mail:
You may send us your documents via snail mail; however, please do not mail us any originals—only copies.
Mail can and will get lost. This happened to a client just last year. We do not want your originals to be lost in transit!
Appointments
Appointments will be offered with Andrea, Liliana, May, and, of course, Leo (me).
This will be our first full tax season without Mike as an active participant. Obviously, I will always look to Mike for advice in times of need. Being his son-in-law has its perks: I know where he lives, and I have a key to his house.
Preparation Options
There are three ways you may choose to have your return prepared and finalized:
1. Contactless (No Appointment)
Many of you have come to prefer submitting your information remotely (via our online submission link or via mail) and then having us prepare and finalize the return for pick-up or delivery (email or mail). No appointment is necessary, and this is typically cheaper.
2. Zoom/Phone Appointment
This is in lieu of a face-to-face appointment and has become an option enjoyed by many of you for its convenience. As with in-person appointments, Zoom/phone appointments are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Therefore, it is imperative for you to contact the office ASAP to set up the appointment.
3. In-Person Appointment
Some of you may wish to meet in-person to discuss your returns. If you desire an in-person appointment, please call our office ASAP and we will accommodate you as best as we can.
If you choose to schedule a tax appointment, your documents must be delivered no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled appointment. If the documents have not been delivered to us two weeks prior to your scheduled appointment, your appointment may be moved (or cancelled if the calendar is full).
This policy will be strictly enforced out of respect for our clients who are dutifully following our procedures.
FIRM NEWS
Our firm continues to grow and to prosper!
Here are some highlights:
Liliana Ramos:
Liliana continues to grow in her expertise, especially in her current area of focus: individual tax! She will be taking on a larger role this tax season, meeting with many of you.
She is very capable, fully bilingual (English/Spanish), and an excellent communicator. I am sure that you will thoroughly enjoy working with her.
Andrew Lujan:
Andrew was hired last May and is assisting in both our payroll and accounting departments.
Andrew is a recent graduate of Biola University (Bachelor of Science in accounting) and is searching for his career path. We hope very much that it is with us
George Kanzelberger:
Clearly no relation. We hired my little brother, George, in January of last year. He is working hard to become a competent accountant, or else!
On a serious note: he is learning in leaps and bounds, and I am a very proud older brother.
Gavin Claypool:
Gavin (the good one) has become our government notice specialist.
He successfully passed his exams to become an IRS Enrolled Agent (EA) this past November, and he continues to assist me in the never-ending fight against bogus and/or incorrect federal and state tax notices (a problem that has exploded since the hiring of those new agents).
I cannot stress how thankless so much of this work is. I thank God for Gavin every day.
FAMILY NEWS
My beautiful wife, Ellie, and I are expecting our second child (a little boy this time) any day now!
Pray for your CPA as he navigates tax season with a hyperactive toddler and now a newborn to boot. And pray for my wife twice!
A MIKE UPDATE
At age 70, Michael wakes up at 10:00 AM every morning.
After enjoying brunch and a mimosa with his lovely wife, Yolanda, Mike strolls over to his beloved St. Philip The Apostle Catholic Church where he enjoys a quiet hour of prayer. He spends the remainder of each day playing with his now 15 grandchildren (two more are on the way!), reading theology, and sitting on his porch.
Just kidding.
In a surprise to no one, Mike continues to fill all his potential leisure time with…work!
Mike continues to serve on various Boards and volunteers his time and expertise to privately assist those in need. He remains deeply involved in the Church and continues to crusade against all the world’s wrongs. Most recently, Mike was elected chairman of the St. Philip’s Wildfire Committee after explicitly promising me that he would not accept the position. He continues to push himself far too hard, much to the consternation of his son-in-law, whose goal in life was to allow Mike the chance to happily retire. I really do not know what to do with him.
Mike does, however, continue to set aside time to meet with me for breakfast every week, allowing me the opportunity to continue to pick his brain, even in retirement. I am immensely grateful for his continued mentorship.
In fairness to Mike, he does spend significantly more time with his grandchildren, and I know how much joy this brings him
CLOSING
On behalf of our firm, I wish to express our gratitude to you, our clients, for your continued business. It has been a pleasure meeting so many of you over the past several years.
You remain constantly in our prayers, and we remain firmly committed to saving you the maximum amount of tax possible, as is your constitutional right!
With a humble heart, I ask that you keep our firm in your prayers, and may Our Lord’s blessings be upon you, your businesses, and your loved ones in 2025.
Kind Regards,
Leo Kanzelberger, CPA