Back in 2002, Steve Epstein, the director of the Pentagon’s Standards of Conduct Office, faced a common dilemma among ethics officials: how to keep his training sessions fresh and relevant? His answer was to avoid discussing dry statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 205, and focus instead on telling stories. “We discovered that the first thing you have to do is you have to entertain folks enough so they will pay attention.”
Epstein found plenty of stories, and assembled them into the Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure, a compelling collection. He organized them into helpful categories like “Bribery,” “Credit Card Abuse,” and those always-entertaining “Time and Attendance Violations.”
Epstein’s list focuses mainly on military personnel. But we were curious to see if anyone at the IRS had wound up in his Hall of Shame. And sure enough, we found a few. Now, the vast majority of IRS employees are honest, hardworking public servants, doing a thankless job in an era of shrinking budgets and rising hostility. But Christmas is approaching, and somebody has to wind up on Santa’s naughty list!
Here’s the good news this holiday season. It really is possible to pay less and make the nice list. You don’t even have to wait for Santa to leave anything under your tree. Just email us for a plan, before the clock strikes midnight on December 31!
Donna Bordeaux, CPA with Calculated Moves
Creativity and CPAs don’t generally go together. Most people think of CPAs as nerdy accountants who can’t talk with people. Well, it’s time to break that stereotype. Lively, friendly, and knowledgeable can be a part of your relationship with your CPA as demonstrated by Donna and Chad Bordeaux. They have over 50 years of combined experience as entrepreneurial CPAs. They’ve owned businesses and helped business owners exceed their wildest dreams. They have been able to help businesses earn many times more profit than the average business in the same industry and are passionate about helping industries that help families build great memories.