Welcome to DiVITA Speaks!!

LogMeIn Remote Access

By Chloe DiVita 

In this virtual age many of us are looking for easy remote access to our computers. The issue was a priority at DiVita. One of the “benefits” I give my employees is the option to work from home some of the time, like a certain day each week. I also traveled frequently this past year, but needed to be able to continue working. However, in order to do this efficiently, there had to be access to the work computer. Not just to access necessary software, but also to get email and information.

Originally we used a program that seemed to work. It got the job done, but with a noticeable lag that was sometimes unbearable. Personally, I hate to be slowed down by software.

Then, one of my employees found LogMeIn. There is a free version that simply gives you secure, fast access to the chosen computer. We started with this version, and were so happy with it, we upgraded. Now we have the Pro version, which allows us to print locally, transfer files, invite others to view our computer, and a few other useful things. It’s even reasonably priced! I am currently paying the same price as I was for our other service, but I get more options and instead of having only 2 computers on the account, I have 5.

There are other products offered by LogMeIn, like Remote Backup and a VPN application they call LogMeIn Hamachi. I have no experience with these products, but based on my experience with the company in general, I would be willing to try them.

I’ve run into very little issues with LogMeIn, and when I did need to contact customer support they were very quick to respond. That is always a plus!

If you find yourself unsatisfied with your current solution for remote access, or wondering what route to take, we at DiVita highly recommend LogMeIn!

Comparing Cell Phone Plans

By Chloe DiVita

Recently I’ve had the urge to review my cell phone plan, and compare it to everything else out there. The problem? I didn’t want to take all the necessary time to research each carrier and find out which one would suit me best.

Last night I saw a commercial for a website called LetsTalk.com. It was advertised as having information for all the large carriers in a comparable manner. The commercial was definitely cheesy, overacted, and deserving of its late night time slot, but the information I’ve found on the site is helpful.

Granted, not every cell phone carrier is listed here, and you are not offered information on adding items to your plan like email or text messages. However, for the purposes I was looking I was able to compare similar plans (family plans) for TMobile, Sprint, Cingular, Verizon, and Nextel here. And if you are only looking for an individual plan there are a few other carrier options here.

My point is, if you are looking to get a cell phone, or thinking about changing, LetsTalk.com can be a good starting point. If anyone out there knows of any other similar sites, I’d be very interested to hear about them.

QuickBooks 2005 works with IE7!

By Chloe DiVita

That’s right! QuickBooks has put out an update that will make your 2005 software compatible with Internet Explorer 7. If you have not already installed it from your automatic updates, or if you are not sure your updates are set to automatic, you can find it here.

If you are running an older version of QuickBooks, remember QuickBooks sunset policy will mean that after April 2007 all versions older than 2005 will no longer being supported, with the 2004 version sailing into the sunset officially. The link above will bring you to an area where you can find out a little bit more about QuickBooks 2004, but you should really consider the upgrade.

Enjoy the Season!

By Chloe DiVita

Today is Christmas Eve, as we all know. And whether it's something you celebrate as a holiday or not, it's the spirit of the season that I'd like to pass on today.

Forget about work. Forget about finances. Forget about school, about stress, about your computer, and your obligations. Hug your daughter, your son, your wife, your husband, your mom, your dad, your brother, your sister, your grandma, your grandpa, your pet, and whoever you get the pleasure to be with on this holiday. Tell them you love them, you appreciate them, and say "thank you." It's two small words which hold an immense significance.

Tis the season to appreciate and give, and remember what's really important. Your religious affiliation, or lack there of, is not the most important piece. It's your mentality, your attitude, your compassion, and your ability to shine.


I plan to shine with my family for the next couple days, and appreciate the time to focus on them and the memories we'll create. We have many things to be appreciative for this year, as well as memories to hold onto for those we've lost this past year. We had plans to continue a tradition my brother-in-law had with his wife, Leigh (for those of you who do not know the story of Leigh you can get an overview here). However, due to the lovely "holiday blizzard" we are all recovering from in Colorado, his flight was cancelled. Somehow he'll get here and we'll make that tradition happen, even if it's a few days late.

Wishing everyone the best.

How Much is YOUR Time Worth?

By Chloe DiVita

As a small business owner it’s important to have a price. Whether that price is for a product or a service, there has to be a price. A lot of time can go into coming up with a price. We have to be sure to cover costs, even indirect ones like rent and insurance, and hopefully earn a profit. Strike that. We MUST earn a profit. After all, that is the whole reason for being in business, right?

So, why do so many small business owners feel like they have to justify their price to the point of being worth it? It’s the business owner’s responsibility to be competitive, and justify the cost of services or products to that extent, but to have to prove worth on a continuous basis seems a bit ridiculous.

We are all in business, and our time has value. Let’s not forget that, and respect each others products, services, and prices. If it’s not worth it, we’ll quickly know.

Next time you get a $50 bill from your CPA for a 15 minute phone call, remember that you called him or her for a reason. Being an IRS interpreter should have some worth, and your 15 minute phone call probably isn’t the only one received that day. If he/she did not charge for those minutes the knowledge no longer has worth. And, if you don’t want to pay that $50 – whether it’s to your attorney, your CPA, your doctor, whoever – then see how long it takes you to answer your own question. All of a sudden $50 seems like a great value.

Microsoft Searches For The Next Big Idea

By Chloe DiVita

I wouldn’t call myself a huge Microsoft fan. They seem to have monopolized their industry in more ways than one, but I still use their products making me a part of the problem. However, I’m not sure I can get around that, so in some ways it’s a forced decision.

Right now Microsoft is looking for small businesses to submit their innovative ideas for a challenge. The winner gets $100,000 and a free years rent in an office space in NYC, among other prizes.

Do you have an idea you’ve wanted to invest in, but lack the capital? Here’s your chance. Submit your idea to Microsoft and cross your fingers. Maybe you can get something back for your years of investing in their products.

I learned of this challenge over at the re:invention blog. Kirsten Osolind has the links and info you’ll need to find out more.

Check it out.

Business Tips on Holiday Gift Giving

By Benecia Beyer

Generally, business gifts to clients and customers can be deducted against taxable income. But the IRS sets a limit, $25 per client/customer. There is no limit on the number of gifts you can give, only the value. And that $25 limit is per year. It does not include incidental costs such as packaging, insurance, mailing, etc - the IRS says the cost is incidental as long as it doesn't add substantial value to the gift.

When it comes to employees, the IRS looks closely at any and every form of compensation. Some companies reward workers with year-end or holiday bonuses. While employees might view this as a gift, the extra income is taxable compensation. The employer must withhold payroll taxes and the company is entitled to a deduction for the employee pay.

If, to promote employee goodwill, you distribute turkeys, hams or other merchandise of nominal value to your workforce at the holidays, you can deduct the cost of these items as a non-wage business expense. And your workers do not have to report the value of the gift as income.

The key is that the gift meets the IRS' de minimus standard. This means that its value is so low, taking into account how frequently you provide similar benefits to other workers, that accounting for the gift would be unreasonable or administratively impractical.

Cash, however, regardless of how little, is never considered a de minimus benefit.

You can also treat your workers to a holiday buffet and receive a tax gift for your company. The IRS Says that meals you furnish your employees as part of a "recreational or social activity" such as a company picnic or holiday party, are fully deductible.

And unlike usual business situations that involve food and beverages, neither you nor your workers are required to talk about business before, during or after the event.

H A P P Y   H O L I D A Y S   T O   Y O U !

Chloe's Turn to Meme

By Chloe DiVita

If you still aren’t sure what being memed means, then read the prior post done by Benecia, which explains this. Since my mother memed both Benecia and I, I am passing along a few memes of my own.

To continue the meme path, here are 5 things you probably don’t know about me:

1. I participated in gymnastics competitions with the USGF (United States Gymnastics Federation) from age 9 to 14, and levels 6 to 8. Plus, I can still do back flips and ariels (no handed cartwheels)!
2. I stood in Shaq’s pants. I used to work at Adrian Jules Ltd in Rochester, NY– my hometown. They custom make suits for many different people including Shaquille O’Neal. When I held up a pattern for a suit being made for him I could fit in one of the pant legs. It ended up being a purple suit he wore to the MTV Music Awards many years ago.
3. I help teach dance classes at the Louisville Dance Center three times a week. We just put on a performance of the Nutcracker for our winter recital.
4. I started college at the State University of New York at Albany intending to get a Computer Science degree. Glad it didn’t stick. I couldn’t stand C++!
5. I drove out to Colorado in the summer of 1996 spending most of the time in the back of a 27’ U-Haul. There were six of us and we couldn’t all fit in the cab, so half of us would hang out in the back and play cards. It got really interesting when one of the people in the back had to use the bathroom and had no way to let the cab crew know!

Hope you learned something. Now, you are memed Dick Richards, Bill Brelsford, Scott Wilder, Steve Sherlock , ConnecTips women!

My Turn - My Meme

By Benecia Beyer:

I was "memed" this weekend by Yvonne DiVita (yes, she does have the same last name as my boss - she's her mother and Woman Extraordinare of the BlogWorld!) from Lipsticking and scratchings and sniffings (if you love dogs and cats - you MUST read this blog!)

What in the world is a meme? The newest faze and craze running through the blogworld where you "tag" someone else and they must reveal 5 Things You Don't Know About Me. A meme is like a thought virus or a cultural virus that gets passed on, usually organically.  In this case, the meme is getting passed around strategically by bloggers.  It's a good way to introduce you to other blogger friends and for readers to learn more about me and the others already memed. For a more technical explanation, visit here.

In true meme fashion, here are 5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me:

1. I mud wrestled when I was younger (oh so much younger). I made it through 4 rounds and was wrestling in the final round to determine the champion, when the woman I was wrestling did this fancy move that swiped both of my feet out from underneath me. I fell backwards hitting my head on the "matt" (by this time there was not as much mud in the ring as there was in the beginning). I was out cold -- took an ambulance ride -- in the emergency room for couple of hours which resulted in the mud drying and becoming quite hard.

2. I've enjoyed various occupations in my life -- all starting with the letter "B": bookkeeper, barista, bus-driver, bartender, bank-teller.....in my next life I'm going to move onto another letter, maybe "W" (writer, wrangler, waitress, world-class-traveler.......)

3. I once upon a time picked "dew-worms" or night-crawlers to make money for a bus trip to Colorado.

4. I had my own massage therapy practice. This was when I lived in Minnesota and since that state is about 20 years behind the times -- there were many raised eyebrows over my new occupation.

5. Every year around my birthday - I go to the Caribbean coast of Mexico for a week or more - to rejuvenate my spirit and soul. That incredible aquamarine water and white, white sand beaches -- and the culture, the people are amazing. I long to live there full-time someday - soon.....

Adios - that's it for me.....you're memed: Erica, Karina, Amandakate, Kathyrn, Diana

Was the IRS prepared for disaster?

By Benecia Beyer

In our most recent newsletter (do you receive our newsletter? if not - send us an email at info@divitainc.com and we'll add you to our list!) we had an article "Are You Prepared for Disaster" in which we spoke about the 100 year flood for our area and what impact this would have on your business and how you can be prepared by having a disaster plan in place.

I can't help but wonder (although they probably did just fine as they had just recently participated in the Forward Challenge '06 biennial continuity-of-operations exercise - so they were somewhat prepared) how the IRS faired when torrential rains closed the headquarters beginning June 26 after an estimated 5.5 million gallons of water flooded the basement and sub-basement.  The unprecedented flooding caused extensive damage, destroying or heavily damaging electrical equipment and air handlers. The sub-basement was under 20 feet of water and the basement was under 5 feet of water. More than $25 million was spent repairing the building. While all the electrical and air systems have been repaired, some construction work will continue on areas in the basement until approximately April.

The tax agencies IT systems were not affected by this disaster since they are located chiefly at the IRS suburban headquarters in New Carrolton, MD. So the processing of tax returns have been unaffected.

About 2,000 IRS employees, who have been working at 15 other buildings in the Metro Washington area, will be moving back to headquarters in stages.