Check out our May newsletter!
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com MAY 2023 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™ How to Succeed in the Business of Real Estate INVEST IN YOURSELF
Owning a home is the American dream, but it’s also an incredibly wise investment. May 1 is New Homeowner’s Day, and several staff members at Norton Accounting Services fall under that umbrella. I encourage all of my employees to learn as much as they can about real estate and to consider purchasing investment properties early. Three have bought their first homes since beginning to work with me, and a fourth is looking to make his first investment. As these young people set out to buy their first homes, they’re working with Realtors. This isn’t surprising because Realtors can be very helpful, but I did have to remind my staff members that Realtors generally focus on helping each first-time buyer find their “forever home.” Unfortunately, that’s not the approach one should take if they plan on using real estate to build wealth. While they’ll live in that first home for a few years, they’ll eventually move. They might outgrow the home they buy or need to relocate for work. Either way, it’s the goal! Instead of selling the house when they move, they can rent it to tenants. So, buyers should focus on purchasing a nice home in a good neighborhood with a quality school district that will appeal to renters later. That’s what I did. The first house I owned is now worth three times what I paid for it — and it’s also my most lucrative rental property. First-time homebuyers should view their purchase as an investment, not a place to live for the rest of their lives.
But people with rental properties also need to understand they’re running a business (landlords who don’t usually find themselves complaining about tenants and toilets). Any real estate investor’s biggest decision is whether to manage the property themselves. Most people try self-management at first. Some hate it and leave the real estate game, but wiser people use it as an educational opportunity. By learning what it takes to manage a property, they understand what to look for when they hire a property manager. Of course, property managers cost money, but they’re well worth it and allow you to sit back and collect your checks every month. Almost everyone with a new business starts out doing everything themselves. But if an entrepreneur wants to grow successfully, they must learn about sales, marketing, operations, and administration. The same is true in real estate; you must attract tenants (marketing), filter them successfully (sales), ensure you keep the good ones (operations), and manage your books correctly (administration). Administration is one of the easiest things to outsource in a business, and it can help people avoid paying far more taxes than they should. This is a topic I address in my new book, “Tax Savings Secrets for Real Estate Investors: A Simple Guide for Reducing Your Taxes.” It has already appeared on 14 U.S. and 16 Canadian Amazon bestseller lists! I’m excited and humbled to share the many secrets I’ve learned over my years of real estate investing and practicing as a CPA. Thank you to everyone who has purchased my book so far. If you haven’t yet, I hope
you’ll consider picking up a copy and maybe even leaving a review. Whether you’re a new homeowner or long-term investor, you might be surprised by what you learn.
Bob’s new book, “Tax Savings Secrets for Real Estate Investors: A Simple Guide for Reducing Your Taxes,” is an Amazon bestseller! Learn more and grab your copy today by scanning the QR code.
–Bob Norton
985-640-6072 • 1
For years, most people have written off Bing as a dead search engine. Sure, it existed in the 2010s — but why would you use it when the king of all search engines, Google, was available? Most people didn’t. According to Business Insider, Google has cornered about 93% of the search engine market, while Bing holds a measly 3%. But that may be about to change. If you haven’t heard, Bing is back — apparently better than ever. This winter, Microsoft unveiled a new version of the long-laughed-at search engine powered by its artificial intelligence partner OpenAI. Now, the renovated Bing will face off against Google’s AI chatbot, the newly launched Bard. The Perks of the New Bing Early reviews of Bing’s updates gave several features the thumbs up, including its extra-large query box, which lets you type in an entire paragraph to provide the search engine background THE SHOWDOWN IS ON — AGAIN! Bing vs. Google
3 HOTELS TO VISIT FOR A GREAT NIGHT’S SLEEP THE NEWEST TRAVEL TREND
If you’ve ever planned a vacation, you’ve probably picked a few key places to visit, like a museum, restaurant, or historic site. However, a new vacation trend is becoming increasingly popular: sleep tourism, where a traveler plans their entire vacation to get the best quality sleep during their time away.
Before, common goals for vacations were to eat delicious foods, stay up late to see the sights, and fit in as much activity as possible. However, this left travelers completely exhausted. And as our culture continues to understand how important sleep is to our health, more people are prioritizing rest even while they’re away. But being a sleep tourist is about more than going to bed early and ensuring you get your recommended eight hours of rest. It’s about building your vacation around sleep. Some hotels even offer rooms tailored to sleep tourists, with amenities so popular that their sleep options have become regular offerings.
information on your question. Reviewers also enjoy the detailed, personalized, AI-powered answers alongside Bing’s search results.
With Bing, you can customize the AI
voice that answers your questions — a fun upgrade from generic Google. There are even a few computer
So, if sleep tourism sounds like something you’d be interested in, here are three hotels that help you catch those z’s.
Park Hyatt New York (NYC): This hotel features a “Sleep Suite” designed by Bryte, a company that uses AI to facilitate sleep. The room touts an intuitive “Restorative Bed,” which adjusts to relieve pressure points and controls climate temperature throughout the night, according to each person’s needs. This suite also includes an array of soothing essential oils, a diffuser, and books about sleep. The Cadogan, a Belmond Hotel (London): This hotel offers a “sleep concierge,” which boasts prerecorded sleep meditations and a pillow selection menu for every type of sleeper. Sleepers can even benefit from the hotel’s weighted blankets, scented pillow mist service, and their proprietary sleep tea. Zedwell (London): The first ever “sleep-centric” hotel, Zedwell uses recycled materials to insulate every door, wall, and floor from sound. This hotel also purifies the air within the hotel and fills every space with ambient lighting.
geeks out there (like Mark Hachman of PCWorld) who picked Bing over Google before the update. Hachman cites Bing’s excellent image search filters, lucrative Microsoft Rewards, and the fact that it “delivers slightly more useful information than Google in general search.” As we write this, the new version of Bing hasn’t fully launched, but you may be able to test it by downloading the Bing app and selecting Microsoft as your default browser. Look for the little blue AI pop-up on the right side of the page after you search. Where Google Still Wins Though Bing may have brought its search abilities closer to Google’s, if not matched the tech giant, there’s no question that Google still dominates the marketplace and likely will for years to come — no matter how good Bing gets. Google is tied to millions of advertisers who rely on returns from its service. It’s the default search engine of the popular browser Google Chrome, and it’s even embedded in our vocabulary. Until we all start saying “Bing it,” Google probably isn’t going anywhere.
2 • NortonAccountingServices.com
A Ham-Fisted Attempt at Robbery
Intruders Flee From Ludwig the Pig
On the night of New Year’s Eve in 2014, a group of burglars experienced the fright of a lifetime. Expecting to rob a quiet home in Derby, England, the intruders instead came face to snout with Ludwig, a 240-pound potbellied pig. Abandoning all thoughts of crime once they spotted the pig, the burglars instantly fled the scene and ran for their lives. The “hero ham” had already become a popular figure in his town and was well-loved for his gentle demeanor. In fact, Michael Maughan, Ludwig’s owner, is confident that Ludwig wouldn’t have harmed the intruders, even if he does look quite intimidating. Local officers believe the robbers must have heard Ludwig’s Rottweiler-like “growl” and immediately hit the road, leaving the door wide open behind them. The story of this heroic potbellied pig became a sensation throughout Europe. Countless fans have applauded the Canadian-born hog for his loyalty to his owners. But the owners want to ensure people understand that Ludwig would never hurt anyone. Some fabricated web stories made Ludwig sound more dangerous than he is, so Maughan spoke to the Toronto Star to dispute any defamations against Ludwig’s kindness.
“He’s being painted as a vicious creature when he’s actually quite a sweet animal,” he explained. “He didn’t exactly bare his tusks and charge, I don’t think. I think he got absolutely, ‘Arrgh,’ and they just ran for it.” In fact,
Maughan detailed that after a two- month separation during their move to England, the pig
shed tears during their reunion. Adorable and affectionate, Ludwig would have probably become friends with the intruders in no time.
Even if his “bark” is worse than his bite, Ludwig succeeded in keeping his owners safe while also protecting their home. This 240-pound potbellied pig continues to enjoy his comfortable home in Derby and is considered a town hero. Anyone looking for a guard dog may want to consider a hefty hog instead!
TAKE A BREAK
GINGER PORK STIR-FRY Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp cornstarch • 1 cup orange juice • 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp canola oil • 1 small onion, sliced • 1/4 lb fresh snow peas • 1/2 sweet red pepper, julienned • Cooked rice • Green onion, chopped (optional) • Sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1/4 tsp ground ginger • 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger until smooth; set aside. 2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir-fry pork in oil until lightly browned, about 4–5 minutes. Remove pork and add onion, peas, and red pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, about 3–5 minutes. 3. Stir in orange juice mixture and pork. Bring to a boil, and then cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds if desired.
Blossom Derby Emerald Fertilize
Gemini Horse Lightsaber Mother
Nature Parade
Seedling Veterans
985-640-6072 • 3
THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
Norton Accounting Services, LLC
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com
1527 Gause Blvd. Ste. 132 Slidell, LA 70458
INSIDE 1
Real Estate: Investment, Business, or Both? Want the Best Sleep of Your Life? Have You Tried the New Bing?
2
3
Potbellied Pig Terrifies Burglars Ginger Pork Stir-Fry
4
Host an Unforgettable Murder Mystery Dinner
HOST A MURDER MYSTERY DINNER! The Best Way to Celebrate Mystery Month
Did you know May is Mystery Month? There are dozens of ways to celebrate this enigmatic occasion, from playing Clue to rewatching “Glass Onion” — but why not bring those experiences to life and host your own murder mystery dinner at home? Thanks to a plethora of kits on the market, doing so is easier than ever! What is a murder mystery dinner? A murder mystery dinner is essentially a real-life game of Clue. You invite friends over for dinner and turn your home into the set of “Knives Out” — without the blood, of course. Each of your friends takes on the persona of a character in the story, and when one of them is “murdered,” you compete to uncover who dunnit. Step 1: Pick your kit. Planning a murder mystery dinner from scratch would take the ingenuity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Luckily, you have several ready-made mysteries to choose from! You can find boxes from Masters of Mystery and My Mystery Party at your local board game store, but you can find many options available online, too. Night of Mystery (NightOfMystery.com), for example, sells both in-person and virtual kits with themes ranging from ‘80s prom to Christmas homicide.
If your friends and family don’t like the idea of acting and dressing up, that’s okay — you can still solve a mystery over dinner! Look into kits available through Unsolved Case Files (UnsolvedCaseFiles.com) or Hunt A Killer (Shop.HuntAKiller.com), which involve collaborative mystery-solving without the character work. Step 2: Curate your guest list. Most murder mystery dinners require at least four people, while some include characters for six, eight, or more! Check the number of players on your kit and invite your most creative, analytical, theatrical, and mystery- loving friends. Step 3: Decorate and plan the menu. If you choose a themed murder mystery, level up your event with a matching menu and decor! For games taking place in England, whip up a shepherd’s pie and make a cardboard cutout of Big Ben. For Havana Nights, plan a build-your-own Cubano bar and throw on an Afro-Cuban playlist. You can be as over-the-top as you like. Remember, it’s Mystery Month!
4 • NortonAccountingServices.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4www.nortonaccountingservices.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator