Dear Friends,

Can you believe that it’s tax time again? It doesn’t seem possible that a whole year has gone by and it’s time to prepare your 2009 income tax return. The first day to file your 2009 taxes is January 15, 2010.

By the end of January, or during the first week of February, you should receive all your tax information: i.e. W-2(s), 1099(s) and mortgage interest statements. If you are missing any of your tax related information, contact the issuing person or company and request a duplicate right away.

Big Changes For Your Taxes The IRS has made some changes for the 2009 tax year that will affect you. Major changes include:

• Property Tax: If you pay property taxes on your home, there's a new deduction that you are eligible for regardless if you itemize or not
• 1st Time Home Buyer Credit: If you haven't owned a home in the last 3 years or if you are a first time home buyer after April 8, 2008 you may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500.

More details about these and other changes are available on our website at MDIFS.com

Getting Organized for Your 2009 Taxes:
You can see pictures of our staff for 2010 and read their bios. Also available online are printable Recommend-a-Friend certificates, maps to our office, tax articles, and more!

I’ve enclosed a copy of our REVISED “Yellow Organizer” to help you gather your tax information. Please take a moment to fill out this form and include it with your tax information. If you have any new dependents, please be sure to bring in their social security cards so we can verify social security numbers.

We also have a great personalized organizer to help you collect and organize your information for your 2009 taxes. If you would like to receive your personalized organizer, call the office and we will mail or email one to you.

All our specialized organizers (business income, home office, vehicle expense, rentals, schedule A, non-cash contributions, etc.) are available online at Tax Documents or drop by the office.

MDI Financial Services has two Enrolled Agents in our office! Enrolled Agents (EAs) are professional tax practitioners who specialize in taxes and are licensed by the U.S. Department of Treasury to represent taxpayers in all fifty states before the Internal Revenue Service. EAs are required to complete a minimum of 16 continuing education hours per year. Mike and I completed over 60 hours in 2009. So you can rest assured that we are current with all the new tax law changes that affect your tax return.

Identity Theft Protection Arizona is the number one state in the nation for Identity Theft. In 2010, we're continuing to offer the Identity Theft Shield. The Identity Theft Shield monitors your identity and restores it to pre-theft conditions if you become a victim of any of the 5 forms of Identity Theft.

Need a Will prepared? Have a pending legal matter? Be sure to ask us about the Life Events Legal Plan which provides you affordable access, for an unlimited number of legal matters, to a top rated Arizona law firm. As part of the services, you and your spouse also get a Last Will & Testament prepared at no additional cost. A Free Lunch on us! Over the past 16 years, we have found that clients prefer to find out about our services based on the recommendations of their friends and family. If you know someone who would benefit from our tax preparation or other services, and who is not currently a client, please give them a Recommend-a-Friend certificate. If your recommendation of our services results in your friend using our services, we will send you a $15 “thank you” gift certificate that you can redeem at a local restaurant.

Remember: there is no limit on how many gift certificates you can receive! And, if you recommend three people, who then become clients, you'll be automatically invited to our client appreciation function!

Tax Season Hours: Beginning January 11, 2010, we will be open Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. We make every attempt possible to set a convenient appointment for you, but if you need to change your appointment, please call us right away to reschedule.

Do you need an appointment? If your tax situation hasn’t changed significantly from last year, or if you have a basic return, it isn’t necessary to schedule an appointment. You may bring in or mail your information to our office. Please provide us with daytime and evening phone numbers.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Bruce Eldredge
Enrolled Agent

P.S. Just a reminder
Payment for your tax return is due when you pick up your return. As a convenience to our clients we accept cash, local check, VISA, or MasterCard.