Published: Feb. 01, 2013
Words: 32,764 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780988921108

Short description

This book provides super-practical advice to all self-employed taxpayers, based upon my 30 years of hands-on tax preparation work, common sense, logic, and streetwise attitude. Being a musician since age 13 shapes the perspective as well. As Jimi said “are you experienced?” Welcome to the world of calm, cool, and confident! That is, after you digest the information contained within this book.

Extended description

This book has a modest goal. It is not meant to be the be all end all, all-encompassing tax code review. My intention is to provide super-practical advice to self-employed artists - and anyone else who is self-employed.
It’s about demystifying the process of preparing your taxes, to dial down the intimidation and fear of interacting with the government, about empowering you to make wise tax planning decisions, to let you know what you have to do tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.
What makes me qualified to write such a book? Thirty plus years in the trenches, knowledge learned on the job, much more so than in school. There is no substitute for experience in this field. What I have to offer is a very good technical skill set of tax code combined with a lot of common sense and logic, years of hands-on tax preparation experience, and a healthy dose of streetwise attitude. Being a musician since age 13 serves me as well because I have experienced the other side, of being .. (Read more) This book has a modest goal. It is not meant to be the be all end all, all-encompassing tax code review. My intention is to provide super-practical advice to self-employed artists - and anyone else who is self-employed.
It’s about demystifying the process of preparing your taxes, to dial down the intimidation and fear of interacting with the government, about empowering you to make wise tax planning decisions, to let you know what you have to do tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.
What makes me qualified to write such a book? Thirty plus years in the trenches, knowledge learned on the job, much more so than in school. There is no substitute for experience in this field. What I have to offer is a very good technical skill set of tax code combined with a lot of common sense and logic, years of hands-on tax preparation experience, and a healthy dose of streetwise attitude. Being a musician since age 13 serves me as well because I have experienced the other side, of being self-employed as an artist. As the great Jimi said, “are you experienced?”
I have run my own tax preparation business for 30 plus years. I have prepared tax returns for artists and other self-employed individuals tens of thousands of times. I understand what it means to be self-employed. You are risk takers, free thinkers, seeking alternative ways to live your life (suit and tie optional). You created your own business vision because your passion led you there.
Along with your creative success comes the burden of handling your business, and that means taxes. I have seen clients leave their confidence, their common sense, and their logic at the doorway into the world of taxes. Those traits are replaced with panic, procrastination, sleepless nights – all as a result of feeling that taxes are beyond your control, that you don’t understand them and never will be able to.
Bottom line, taxes cannot be ignored. We all have to prepare and file tax returns and pay taxes every single year. The choice is clear - continue down the path of self-torture, or change your perspective.
So let me welcome you now into the world of calm, cool, and confident! That is how you will feel after you digest the information contained within these pages.
Here are a few reviews ...
• Andrew Stern has made a terrible mistake. The beloved Bay Area tax guru has written a book so clear, well-written, and witty that his clients, even ding-dong finance-phobes like me, can now sit down and do their taxes without him. Please help him. Buy this book. (P.S.: It's deductible!)
-Mary Roach, author (Stiff, Packing for Mars)
• Andrew Stern, aka Ztaxman, has been making brilliant cut-to-the-chase sense out of the fog of nonsense that is the tax code for me and other lucky citizens for decades now. The wonder of his book is that he spares the spin, spares the brag, spares the angst, and simply unlocks and opens the palace of wisdom in as direct a manner as possible. If he were a filmmaker, he'd be Ozu. If he were a songwriter, Willie Nelson.
-Jonathan Lethem, author (The Fortress of Solitude, Chronic City)
• Every year, the dreaded day comes. April 15th! Taxes are due. Panic sets in! Not anymore! After reading "Z Art of Taxes, The Streetwise Guide for the Self-Employed Artist, and Every Other Self-Employed Taxpayer” by Andrew Stern. All my worries are gone. The book explains everything I need to know about keeping track of my expenses. I highly recommend this book to all my friends.
-Dave Shul, guitarist for Spearhead
(Less)

Tags

taxes, income tax, tax help, tax deductions, how to do taxes, business expensed, selfemployed taxes, small business tax, tax book, tax rules

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 20%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

Review by: Katie Guthorn on March 08, 2013 :
In "Z Art of Taxes", Andrew Stern provides the self-employed with a practical, down-to-earth guide to keeping our income tax worlds in order. He explains seemingly complicated topics, like whom you need to send 1099 Forms to (in Chapter 7), and what constitutes Business Expenses (in Chapter 4, defined briefly as "ordinary and necessary", and then further explained.) I read this delightful book in a few hours, and think it really helped me clarify the information I was putting together for my accountant, and know that it will guide me to keep better track of such information in the future. The book is very nicely written, with touches of wry humor adding to the charm.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Patricia McShane on March 05, 2013 :
This is an excellent reference book for self-employed individuals to have on hand. It is well organized into chapters that include advice on all types of tax issues, ranging from common questions to the more complicated and intricate details that can help an individual or small business be better prepared at tax time.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: