Tax Update with Ron Cohen

Tax Update with Ron Cohen

By Ron CohenBusiness
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Tax Update with Ron Cohen episodes

  • Episode 32: Year End Tax Planning
    Today we discuss:
    -A review of year end tax planning issues and strategies
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self-indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance on anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or my firm you have to sign an engagement letter and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in the tax rules is from the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, court cases, and various internal memorandums by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. They are trying to show how smart they are to the public so everyone copies from everyone else, and I certainly want to give them credit. We're not writing any novels, nor creating deep or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day-to-day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System:
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and it's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic Administrative State that has built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ (not an A-, or a B, or a C) in our work and make sure it is accurate. Well prepared tax returns rarely get audited, and the best tax audit, is the one that never comes!
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    Show Notes:
    Year-end Tax Planning: https://www.cchwebsites.com/content/pdf/tax_brief/us/2022_Year_End_Tax_Planning_Briefing.pdf
    Roth Conversions – and back-door Roth IRAs.
    https://www.investopedia.com/roth-ira-conversion-rules-4770480
    https://www.wealthyaccountant.com/2022/04/11/roth-conversion/
    Health Savings Account (HSA)
    https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/health-savings-account-hsa/
    1 hr 2 min
  • Episode 31: IRS inflation related adjustments to tax rates
    Today we discuss:
    -IRS inflation related adjustments to tax rates
    -Social Security inflation adjustments
    -The status of tax law legislation post mid-term elections
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self-indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance on anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or my firm you have to sign an engagement letter and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in the tax rules is from the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, court cases, and various internal memorandums by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. They are trying to show how smart they are to the public so everyone copies from everyone else, and I certainly want to give them credit. We're not writing any novels, nor creating deep or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day-to-day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System:
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and it's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic Administrative State that has built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ (not an A-, or a B, or a C) in our work and make sure it is accurate. Well prepared tax returns rarely get audited, and the best tax audit, is the one that never comes!
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    Show Notes:
    A Greener Home Can Save You Green Under the Inflation Reduction Act
    https://www.aslcpa.com/newsletters/clean-energy-credits/#more-3347
    IRS provides tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2023
    https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-provides-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2023
    Leadership changes—and challenges—dominate as lawmakers return for lame duck session
    https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/Tax/us-tax-taxnewsandviews-221118.pdf
    1 hr 4 min
  • Episode 30: IRS Comments on Inflation Reduction Act, Take Caution with VITA & New EV Credit Details
    00:00 Intro
    01:47 Caveats
    04:00 The IRS comments on the passage of funding under the Inflation Reduction Act
    11:11 A Reminder about Unclaimed Property Report and the new tax return questions about them
    12:11 AICPA issues a letter to the IRS asking for help on new forms K-2 & K-3….road map for auditors.
    14:52 Be Very Careful having your tax return done by a VITA volunteer. Long history of errors.
    19:32 Ed Zollars CPA very detailed analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act
    20:19 Cars must have 80% US assembly to qualify for EV credit.
    Links:
    IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig:
    https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-statement-by-irs-commissioner-chuck-rettig-on-the-inflation-reduction-act
    Escheatment: https://sco.ca.gov/upd_msg.html
    AICPA Urges IRS to Provide Additional Guidance on Schedule K-2 and K-3 Reporting:
    https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/news/successstories-tas-assists-victims-of-vita-site-preparer-fraud/
    Ed Zollars Podcast on the Inflation Reduction Act:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2022-08-14-highlights-of-the-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022/id1114311870?i=1000576058930
    EV Vehicle Credits:
    https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/02/a-complete-guide-to-the-new-ev-tax-credit/
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self-indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance on anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or my firm you have to sign an engagement letter and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in the tax rules is from the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, court cases, and various internal memorandums by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. They are trying to show how smart they are to the public so everyone copies from everyone else, and I certainly want to give them credit. We're not writing any novels, nor creating deep or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day-to-day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System:
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and it's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic Administrative State that has built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ (not an A-, or a B, or a C) in our work and make sure it is accurate. Well prepared tax returns rarely get audited, and the best tax audit, is the one that never comes!
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    29 min
  • Episode 29: The IRS is Waiving Penalties For Not Filing During Covid, If....
    If you didn't file your tax return during covid, the IRS is giving you a break from failure to file penalties. You may be able to take action by September 30, 2022, for certain international forms. All the domestic forms needed to be already filed in August of the following year, but you may be able to get previously assessed penalties reversed or fight back a tax notice that arrives that fits into the time periods addressed in the Notice.
    Ever wonder what the IRS's cafeteria looks like? Currently it's full of paperwork they still need to process. Whether this was released to justify their new budget increase or not, its still a major improvement over the semi trailers full of unopened mail parked out back that we talked about last year.
    IRS Cafeteria: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2022/irs-pipeline-tax-return-delays/?utm_source=morning-10&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220809&utm_content=article10-readmore
    Widespread Penalty Waivers: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-22-36.pdf
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self-indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance on anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or my firm you have to sign an engagement letter and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in the tax rules is from the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, court cases, and various internal memorandums by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. They are trying to show how smart they are to the public so everyone copies from everyone else, and I certainly want to give them credit. We're not writing any novels, nor creating deep or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day-to-day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System:
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and it's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic Administrative State that has built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ (not an A-, or a B, or a C) in our work and make sure it is accurate. Well prepared tax returns rarely get audited, and the best tax audit, is the one that never comes!
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    13 min
  • Episode 28: CA Middle Class Tax Refund & Is Biden's Student Loans Forgiveness Taxable?
    If you’ve had any student loan debt cancelled as a result of President Biden’s New Executive Order on Student Loan Forgiveness, be prepared when it comes time to file your tax return. That $10,000 of debt cancellation may be considered taxable income.
    Also the middle class in California is receiving a nice surprise… the state is calling it a tax refund? Whether you call this coming check an inflation stimulus a tax refund or simply the redistribution of wealth, California brought in more money than they expected and surprisingly they’re giving it back.
    Forgiven Student Loans partially taxable?
    https://justthenews.com/government/state-houses/thirteen-states-may-tax-canceled-student-loans
    California middle class tax refund.
    https://www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/newsroom/middle-class-tax-refund/index.html?WT.ac=Global_banner_MCTR
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance and anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or me firm you have to sign an engagement and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in tax rule is laws are from the internal revenue codes, regulations, arrays, court cases, various internal memorandum by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. And just trying to show how smart they are the public so everyone copies from everyone else and I certainly want to give credit. We're not writing any novels or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our my firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day to day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and It's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic administrative state that is built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ on our work and make sure it is accurate.
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    10 min
  • Episode 27: Criminal Investigations Division at the IRS
    They will show you their badge, and they often carry firearms. The IRS has its own police force because your local police and the FBI and other Federal law enforcement DO NOTE LIKE TO GET INVOLVED with taxes.
    Note, not filing or paying DOES qualify as something very wrong, for large amounts or a long time. Strictly, any non-filing or non-paying is a felony, not a misdemeanor or like a traffic ticket. But even that won’t get you in big trouble as long as you quickly resolve it. Always consider entering into an IRS Installment payment agreement if you get behind.
    So, just like dealing with a Police Officer, be very respectful, and tell them you need to get an attorney involved if it is anything more than a casual matter. …and with these fine folks, almost nothing is a casual matter.
    IRS CID Link: CID: https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation
    About The Show:
    Hello and welcome. This is Ron Cohen. I’m a tax partner with the firm of Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP and we’re located in beautiful downtown Fremont, California. I appreciate you signing in to listen to my self-indulgent, and sometimes narcissistic comments about the tax system.
    No Reliance:
    Take no reliance on anything you hear on this podcast. This is mostly for entertainment and education. In order to get an opinion from me or my firm you have to sign an engagement letter and give us all of the facts. After we do some research about your situation we’ll come back and formally give you an opinion. And only then can you use that advice for purposes of entering into any transaction or filing a tax return.
    Plagiarism is Okay!
    Everything in the tax rules is from the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, court cases, and various internal memorandums by the Internal Revenue Service. Lots of lawyers and CPAs write very good articles that we will often attach in the show notes. They are trying to show how smart they are to the public so everyone copies from everyone else, and I certainly want to give them credit. We're not writing any novels, nor creating deep or original thoughts here.
    No Politics
    We try to stay out of general politics, however tax law is developed through legislation in Congress and anything that's legislative has its own political ups and downs. And I feel free to comment on that.
    How I Help:
    Our firm does around 1400 tax returns for various people. The demographics range from little grandmothers all the way up to high tech executives and multinational corporations. We also specialize in family office services for wealthy groups with far flung entities and we also help those groups with things such as bill paying and taking care of their day-to-day financial operations
    No Cheerleader for the Tax System:
    Our tax system is intrusive, an invasion of privacy and it's tedious. You need to look at a 12 step flowchart to figure out in some cases whether you can take your mortgage interest deduction. It is part of the technocratic Administrative State that has built up in this country since World War Two, and I don't like it. Other countries have simplified the tax system in many ways, despite this we always try to get an A+ (not an A-, or a B, or a C) in our work and make sure it is accurate. Well prepared tax returns rarely get audited, and the best tax audit, is the one that never comes!
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    23 min
  • Episode 26: How Income Taxes Became Part of The Constitution
    8/23/2022
    This week we talk about:
    What you need to do when you close your business. (Do It right or you will receive surprise tax bill with penalties)
    Deolitte on various areas of the new Inflation Reduction Act
    The Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and how it impacts you every minute of every day!
    https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/what-business-owners-need-to-do-when-closing-their-doors-for-good
    Deloitte:
    https://dhub.blob.core.windows.net/dhub/Newsletters/Tax/2022/TNV/220816_1.html?elqTrackId=5084e0514b8d42c9bf737d3b3d14179c&elq=e4e5be066b7749d6b921281778051bb2&elqaid=98458&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=18145
    Detailed discussions of the following issues related to the new law are also available from Deloitte Tax LLP:
    • Book-minimum tax;
    • Stock buyback excise tax;
    • Clean-energy tax provisions; and
    • Financial reporting considerations.
    We’ll provide links to additional resources as they become available.
    https://www.irs.gov/irs-history-timeline
    https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/irs-history-timeline_march-2019.pdf
    https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/16th-amendment
    Then, after WWII, with the Cold War and massive expansion of the federal government, the tax system exploded for everyone. See the attached for the history of U.S. tax rates: https://bradfordtaxinstitute.com/Free_Resources/Federal-Income-Tax-Rates.aspx
    American Dreams Podcast:
    www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gL-bLP0-ZI2cDfuGWbWmA
    My Website:
    groco.com
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510.797.8661
    56 min
  • Episode 25: The Inflation Reduction Act Passed the House and Senate!
    8/15/2022
    This week we talk about: The Inflation Reduction Act Passed the House and Senate…POTUS to sign, soon, Excise tax on Stock buy-backs
    Senate: 51 to 50 with VP breaking tie
    House: The chamber approved the more than $430 billion package by a 220-207 margin, as all Democrats backed it and all Republicans opposed it. Seven votes out of 435 as a few seats are vacant.
    Inflation Reduction Act – Draft Bill Summary
    https://dhub.blob.core.windows.net/dhub/Newsletters/Tax/2022/TNV/220807_1.html?elqTrackId=88c70ff98972442ba266c7651fcf41f9&elq=12261bba629b44178c6fbcacad06eeac&elqaid=98265&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=18112
    Text of Bill:
    https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22inflation+reduction+act%22%2C%22inflation%22%2C%22reduction%22%2C%22act%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=1
    Summary from the Tax Foundation:
    https://taxfoundation.org/inflation-reduction-act/
    American Dreams Podcast:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gL-bLP0-ZI2cDfuGWbWmA
    My Website:
    groco.com
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510-797-8661
    1 hr 7 min
  • Episode 24 The Proposed Inflation Reduction Act
    This week we talk about: The proposed Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Sinema & the Manchin/Schumer Build Back Better Bill & The problem with multi-variable computations!
    Follow up on last week's podcast:
    1) I may have been wrong! Corporate Welfare? The Student teaches the teacher!
    2) Taiwan is 80 miles from the China coast…not 10 as I said.
    Show Notes:
    Inflation Reduction Act – Draft Bill
    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22122279-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022
    Senate Finance Committee Report saying it raises taxes at low income levels:
    https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/jct_distributional_effects_inflation_reduction_act.pdf
    Deloitte Report:
    https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/Tax/us-tax-taxnewsandviews-220729.pdf
    Sen. Sinema may be on the fence?
    https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23282983/inflation-reduction-act-kyrsten-sinema-josh-gottheimer
    Sen. Manchin does not answer the question:
    https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/01/politics/kyrsten-sinema-democrats-big-week-for-biden-presidency/index.html
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510-797-8661
    48 min
  • Episode 23 The Chips Bill is Set To Clear
    This week we discuss how Senate Democrats are pursuing a narrower “BBB” without a significant tax title, how the Senate is set to clear pared-down CHIPS bill with tax break for US semiconductor makers and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a refundable tax credit for businesses that retained their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally we look at how the IRS is finally going after the OIC mills that are dishonest and take advantage of taxpayers' lack of knowledge to make a quick buck.
    Show Notes:
    Here's what taxpayers considering an OIC should know:
    Individual taxpayers can use the IRS's Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier tool to see if they're eligible.
    When a taxpayer is ready to apply, they can watch an OIC video playlist that will lead them through the steps and forms to calculate an appropriate offer based on their assets, income, expenses and future earning potential.
    Taxpayers must make an offer based on their true ability to pay.
    Applying does not guarantee that the IRS will accept the taxpayer's offer.
    https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/tax/articles/tax-news-and-views-newsletter.html
    https://groco.com/american-dreams/
    Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about in future episodes.
    Ron Cohen, CPA
    Partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP
    510-797-8661
    48 min

About Tax Update with Ron Cohen

From the publisher's feed

Ron Cohen has more than 33 years experience in public accounting and related industry work. He earned an undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and then a Masters in Taxation from Golden Gate University. Ron has extensive knowledge in International Tax and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia handling tax issues. He has also served as a tax director for a company with sales in excess of $2 billion. Ron has taught courses in taxation and financial accounting at Ohlone Community College. Ron lives in Fremont with his wife, who teaches English at Mission San Jose High School, and has two sons. Prior to his life as a CPA advisors, Ron did some stand-up comedy in Chicago and received advice from several comedians with national T.V. shows. However, after observing that the vast majority of comedians have a very low taxable income, Ron decided to follow his father’s example and become a CPA.