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Volume 3, Issue 2, May 2005

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We are pleased to announce the completion of a project to redesign the Kemper CPA Group LLP Internet site! Our site, at www.kempercpa.com, has a fresh new look and a wealth of information about our partners, services that we offer, career opportunities, office locations, and much more. Thank you to Buckaroo Technology Group of Fishers, Indiana, for their excellent work on the redesign of our site!

In conjunction with our new site, our e-newsletter has a new format as well; we hope you like our new site and e-newsletter format, and that you stop by and visit us at www.kempercpa.com soon!

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Spring is officially here! And now is the perfect time to clean up your house or business and take advantage of a number of tax deductions and incentives designed to help keep America clean – April is national Keep America Beautiful Month, and April 22 marks Earth Day 2005!

Whether you have obsolete computers cluttering your closets, old vehicles littering your lawn, or have been aiming to reduce energy consumption through the use of solar power, there are a number of tax breaks you can enjoy while doing your part to keep our environment clean.

Human activity is destroying the planet at an alarming rate. By taking advantage of the numerous tax breaks and incentives designed to reward individuals and businesses for helping to keep America beautiful, you can help keep our planet green!

Click here to read this article in its entirety. The friendly professionals at Kemper CPA Group LLP can help you with questions regarding tax incentives for your earth-friendly practices. Click here to contact us today!

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"Where's My Refund?" Service Improvements

The IRS’s popular “Where’s My Refund?” service just got better! New program enhancements allow taxpayers to trace their refund checks and update incorrect mailing addresses if the return has been filed and the check has not been received within 28 days of the mailing date. The new enhancements are a welcome sigh of relief for the nearly 88,000 taxpayers who wind up with undelivered refund checks each year.

To use the “Where’s My Refund?” service, taxpayers securely enter their Social Security number, filing status, and the exact amount of their refund on the IRS’s web site. Users will only be able to access the new features if the 28-day window has expired, and taxpayers who file married, filing joint tax returns must mail a copy of Form 3911 with both taxpayers’ signatures to make the address change and/or receive a new estimated mailing date. If you have questions about your filing status and refund amount, be sure to contact your local Kemper CPA Group professional.

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Older Workers

Recent Supreme Court rulings side in favor of workers over the age of 40 who allege age discrimination, allowing older workers to file disparate impact claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), even when the employer hasn’t intentionally discriminated against them. If a worker is able to prove that a company policy disproportionately hurts older members of the company’s workforce, he or she may take the case to court.

The case in question involved police officers from Jackson, Mississippi, who claimed that the department’s practice of revising its pay scale to give raises to younger employees based upon a higher percentage of their salary than that used for tenured employees was a case of age discrimination. The case was dismissed by a federal judge, who found that the department’s policy was reasonable. The Supreme Court’s ruling presents a compromise between the interests of both the worker and the employer; it permits workers to make the disparate impact claim under the ADEA, but it also allows the employer to cite reasonable factors to validate policies that impact older workers more than younger workers.

Since the United State’s workforce consists of over 70 million workers over the age of 40, similar cases are likely to be brought to the courts, and the impact on small businesses has the potential to be great. The consultants at Kemper CPA Group LLP can help you review your human resources policies for potential violations of the ADEA. Click here to contact us today!

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Beware of Investment Scams

When it comes to investing, the old “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” adage holds true. Increasingly, con artists are targeting investors with a variety of investment scams. Among the most common and serious scams is the Ponzi scheme, a pyramid scam where the promoter promises that money from later investors will be used to pay those who invested earlier.

After the plan’s inevitable collapse, the con artist is the one who makes the money. Investors should also beware of individuals selling securities without a valid securities license, as well as those promoting unregistered investment products.

Investment scams often target the elderly, and increasing oil prices are setting the grounds for more oil and gas venture scams. The professionals at Kemper Capital Management LLC are always on the lookout for new and dangerous scams. We strive to keep you armed with the information necessary to protect yourself from fraud! Contact us today!

Investment advisory services offered by KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through CapPro Brokerage Services, Inc., member NASD & SIPC. Insurance services offered through KCPAG Insurance Services LLC.

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Kemper Technology Consulting Offers Hands-On Software Training

Have you been meaning to brush up on your accounting software skills? Do you think you could be getting more out of Microsoft Office? Well, spring is a good time for a fresh start, and our Evansville, Indiana location has several hands-on software workshops to help you on your way!

Our certified instructors offer one-day workshops featuring QuickBooks Pro and ACCPAC Accounting software. In our “Getting Smart with QuickBooks 2004 for Windows” Seminar, hands-on instruction covers everything from getting started with QuickBooks to setting up inventory, entering and paying bills, paying sales tax, doing payroll, using online banking, and more!

For more advanced users, our “Beyond the Basics and Becoming a Master” Seminar teaches you tips on handling tricky transactions, how to perform month-end and year-end processing, and how to understand the general ledger and important financial reports. Let our professionals help take your QuickBooks accounting to the next level!

Our trained professionals also offer one-day training seminars on a variety of Microsoft Office XP applications, including Excel, Word, and Access, and half-day workshops featuring Publisher, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Click here to view our full 2005 training schedule. Contact Kemper Technology Consulting today for more details.

Kemper Technology Consulting
Robinson, IL
618-546-5633
www.kempertc.com
Evansville, IN  •  Indianapolis, IN  •  Paducah, KY

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