Check out our March newsletter!
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com MARCH 2023 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
SPRINGING AHEAD
What’s New and Improved
Thanks to the ducks who visited our pool, I’m confident spring is just around the corner. My wife recently saw a mallard taking a swim and sent me a photo. He must have enjoyed himself because only a day later, I looked outside to see he was back and had brought a female companion! As you may remember from previous editions, we’ve had all kinds of critters take up residence here, including snakes and turtles. My wife and I like to joke that we only used the pool the first year we owned the house — now, I only clean it! Random wildlife is all that takes a dip, so these two were just our latest guests. We typically associate spring with new beginnings, and we’ve got a lot planned at Norton Accounting Services. We’re in the middle of our busiest time of year — tax season! I feel like I’m running out to sea with my surfboard to catch a tsunami wave. But that’s precisely why we’re hiring more people, all of whom have bookkeeping experience. It’s a change that will improve our customer service going forward. There’s more going on behind the scenes. As you may have noticed, we’ve altered the newsletter format to create more room for me to share personal stories and business updates. Recently, I was honored to be featured in the March edition of “Real Producers Magazine,” a publication I write for from time to time. You may have also seen our new client portal, which is easy to use and highly secure to protect our clients. Another exciting development is the upcoming release of my book, “Tax Savings Secrets for Real Estate Investors: A Simple Guide for Reducing Your Taxes.” The book has been two years in the making, and
I can’t wait for it to finally see the light of day in the next few months. The book features strategies I use with all my clients and will help those new to the industry learn the basic ins and outs and trade secrets. I’ll have more details to share soon, along with more information on how you can get your copy. Once we complete tax season, I’ll have more time to dedicate to a new program called Financial Freedom Inner Circle. Many people have learned they can achieve financial freedom through real estate investments, but they don’t know how to start, and there’s so much conflicting advice available. I want to help people get the correct answers and craft a plan so they can turn their dreams into reality. We plan to roll out the program within the next year, so stay tuned for more information.
We also have a few more tricks up our sleeves, including plans for a YouTube channel. Spring is a challenging season in the tax world, but it
also presents many opportunities for us to improve and start anew. I look forward to sharing what we have in store to serve you better. –Bob Norton
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ARE YOU PREPARED?
Are Your Tools Ready? Utilizing the proper tools will help make your gardening tasks much more manageable. During the final few weeks of winter and the first week of spring, spend some time in your shed or garage to get your tools cleaned up. Use your hose to remove any excess dirt from the previous gardening season and a wire brush to remove rust. You should soak your smaller tools in soapy water, but be sure to rinse and dry them afterward. Coating your wood handles with linseed oil will keep them in better shape for longer. Once your tools are pristine, it’s time to move into your gardening space. Clean Up Your Gardening Space If you’ve gardened in previous years, you probably already have a space for vegetables, flowers, and other plants. You should create a dedicated space for your crops if you don’t. Once you have a space, you need to get it cleaned up. Start by removing any leaves, branches, and other debris that’s fallen into the area. Also, remove any dead plants around the area. Once the area is clear, you should lay down your mulch if it’s needed for any of your plants. This will help regulate moisture and keep your soil at a consistent temperature while fending off pesky weeds. Get Your Seeds and Soil Prepared Now that your tools and space are ready to garden, you can get your seeds and soil ready. Pick out the best soil for the plant you’re growing and your location. Before laying your soil, check the area for weeds, and pull them as soon as you see them. Continue this practice until the weeds have stopped sprouting. Now, you’re ready to start planting. Get your preferred seeds from the store and plant them according to the packet instructions. You can add Miracle-Gro plant food to give your plants the best chance of surviving. When you start your gardening preparations early, you set yourself up for the best chance of successfully growing flowers, vegetables, fruits, and other plants. Good luck with your gardening adventures this spring!
The spring season officially kicks off on March 20. If you’re planning to have a garden this year and haven’t started preparing yet, now is the time to do so. Without proper planning, creating a successful garden can be very difficult. Take the next few weeks to get your ducks in a row, so you can start planting your seeds as soon as possible to grow healthy, beautiful fruits and flowers. If you’re unsure what to do to prepare properly, don’t stress or worry; we’ve got you covered! Below, you’ll find a few tricks to set your garden up for success.
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Schnautzie Saves the Day
Facing a Gas Leak, She Thought Fast
Since cats sometimes do strange (and annoying) things, Trudy didn’t think too much of it — until Schnautzie kept at it. Now, Schnautzie had her attention, especially when Trudy noticed her persistently sniffing the air around her. Once fully awake, Trudy noticed a hissing sound somewhere in the house. Getting up to investigate, she found a broken pipe outside her bathroom, pumping gas into the basement. “The gas was just fuming,” Trudy remembered. “Our house was saturated in a short time.” The Guys quickly vacated the house with Schnautzie in tow and called the fire department. Only upon the rescue workers’ arrival did the Guys realize the extent of the danger they had faced. While the gas alone could have killed them, it was also an unseasonably frigid night in October. Had the
heater or water tank turned on, it would have ignited the fumes and caused an explosion.
Besides a fire, a gas leak is one of the worst things that can happen in the middle of the night. Fortunately for one Montana couple in 2007, Schnautzie the cat was on the case. She woke up her owners to alert them to the danger, preventing a deadly — and explosive — tragedy. People magazine reported that Greg and Trudy Guy adopted Schnautzie from a local pet store in April 2007. They’d gone with hopes of adopting a puppy but instead fell in love with a tiny black kitten. The couple only intended to foster Schnautzie, but she proved herself a hero and became a permanent family member.
Schnautzie was a hero to the Guys, but extra treats and a permanent home were thanks enough for her. Still, she received a bit more than that in 2010. The Great Falls Animal Foundation learned how Schnautzie had saved the day and decided to honor her with the Purple Paw Award. While Schnautzie appreciated the thought, Greg said she didn’t enjoy the reception. “She’s shy around strangers,” he explained. But there’s no doubt that Schnautzie deserved her award. Sally Cerny of the animal foundation told Catster.com that the Purple Paw is given to pets who uniquely demonstrate the bond between animals and humans. And, she concluded, “There’s no more special way to show that than to save your family.”
That October, Schnautzie climbed up on Trudy’s chest at 2 a.m. and started pawing at her nose.
TAKE A BREAK
CLASSIC CABBAGE ROLLS
Ingredients
Directions
• 1 medium head cabbage • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided • 1 tbsp butter • 2 14.5-oz cans Italian stewed tomatoes • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 2 tbsp brown sugar • 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided • 1 cup cooked rice • 1/4 cup ketchup • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • 1/4 tsp pepper • 1 lb lean (90%) ground beef • 1/4 lb Italian sausage
1. In a Dutch oven, cook cabbage in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain. Remove 8 large outer leaves; set aside. 2. In a large saucepan, sauté 1 cup onion in butter. Add tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer sauce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. In a large bowl, combine rice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and remaining onion and salt. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix. 4. Remove thick vein from cabbage leaves for easier rolling. Place 1/2 cup meat mixture on each leaf; fold in sides. Starting at an unfolded edge, roll leaf to completely enclose filling. Place rolls seam side down in a skillet. Top with sauce. 5. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted reads 160 F.
Basketball Books
Guinness Iditarod Leprechaun Popcorn
Rainy Shamrock Suffrage Windy
Daffodil Daylight
Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
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
An Exciting New Season for Norton Accounting Services
2
Tricks to Help You Prepare for Gardening Season
3
How a Cat Saved Her Humans’ Lives
Classic Cabbage Rolls
4
Pro Tips to Organize Your Home This Spring
Add Organization to Your Spring-Cleaning List! 4 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE TIDY
Label messy cords with tape. As working from home and numerous consumer electronics (shut up, Alexa!) become more prevalent in our lives, the cords connecting these devices can become tangled and hard to differentiate. By wrapping a piece of painter’s or washi tape around a cord, you can create a tag to write what that cord is attached to. So, no more guessing which cords you’re unplugging!
It’s March — the month of spring-cleaning! While many often think of scrubbing the windows or washing the floors, spring is the perfect time to reorganize your house into a more efficient space. And no, you don’t need fancy storage furniture or shiny color-coded bins to get your home in order. There are many small things you can do just by using clever tricks and throwaway household items. So, try these organization hacks to tidy your home this month and beyond. Keep your matching bed sets together by using a pillowcase to store them. Organize your linen closet by slipping the flat and fitted sheets into one of their respective matching pillowcases (fold the other pillowcase in there as well!). This way, you’ll never have to hunt for the matching sheets again! Use an old disinfecting wipes container to store your plastic bags. If you like to reuse plastic shopping bags at home, finding a way to store them can be a pain. Next time you run out of Clorox Wipes (or another generic equivalent), rinse the inside of the container with water and store your plastic bags there. Then with the container’s built-in feeding lid, you’ll be able to pull the bags out one by one as you need them.
Add some chalkboard paint to your jars. Sometimes, we have no idea what’s inside the jars in our pantry. Maybe it’s flour, or maybe it’s powdered sugar. Sometimes, it can be neither! To solve this, you can buy a little jar of chalkboard paint at your nearest craft store and paint squares on your jars (or other unlabeled containers around the house) to write with chalk what’s inside! The best part is you can erase these labels and change them based on the jar’s contents.
These hacks will help you give your spring cleaning a major boost by keeping your home neat and tidy for the rest of the year!
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