Ansel Adams Lookout

Ansel Adams Lookout

Photo of Lake Tahoe

ANSEL ADAMS – THUNDERCLOUD, LAKE TAHOE, CA, c 1936

In the year 1938, Lake Tahoe was a very different place than what we see today. The forests were recovering from being clear-cut in the late 1800s; the highway was a narrow, winding road; and few people lived year-round in Incline Village.

The first tunnel had been blasted through Cave Rock, improving access, but still, a trip around Lake Tahoe was not a trivial excursion. This didn’t stop a young photographer named Ansel Adams from making the trip. His friend and mentor, Cedric Wright, had been spending time there, though it is unclear whether they traveled together. Adams described Wright as his best friend. They had much in common, including photography and classical music; right was a violinist, and Adams was a pianist.

Adams made a trip to Lake Tahoe in the spring 1938, making a dramatic image of a thunderhead over the Sierra Crest from the Nevada side. It’s possible to assume that it was made sometime in the spring from the amount of snow on the mountains.

 

I became aware of this image when someone pointed out that one of my photos looked like the Ansel Adams image. I looked up the image for comparison, and it was obvious that they were taken at the same place. Stateline Point lined up with Granite Chief at what is now the Squaw Valley Ski Resort. But there was a problem. I did not remember exactly where I had taken my image!

Thus I began a bit of sleuthing and exploration. Lining up the point with the mountain was only part of the job. Then I had to identify the elevation; was it taken along what is now the highway, or down by the lake, or up on Tunnel Creek road, or farther up the mountain? I looked at the spacing of the Stateline Point on the lake and identified that the great photographer had done what millions of others have done since he just pulled off the side of the road at a pullout that is still along State Route 28 at the south end of Incline Village.

I then tried to frame the image to match his composition. This was easy with a telephoto lens, and it provided a bit more information about the image. The Adams shot was vertical and stretched from just past Mt. Watson in the north to a short distance past Twin Peaks in the south. Matching this as well as possible, I found that my zoom was about 45 mm. This is what photographers call a ‘normal’ lens, in that it yields a normal perspective, neither telephoto nor wide angle. Adams was not shooting with a 35mm camera, but a large-format view camera. If he was using a 4×5 camera, he was probably using a 150mm lens or a 6-inch lens as it would have been measured in 1938. If he was using an 8×10 camera, he would have been using a 300mm/12-inch lens.

I now refer to this pullout as the ‘Ansel Adams Lookout,’ and I took this image in honor of Ansel Adams, born on this day, February 20, 1902.

 

Tax Season Guide to Small Business Expense Deductions

Whether you love tax season or hate it, you can’t put off preparing and filing your return. One thing that can make the task more pleasant is maxing out all the various tax deductions your business qualifies for.

Claiming deductions can save your business money at tax time if it reduces your taxable income (and hopefully, your tax bill). But just what can you deduct?

This guide covers everything you need to know about writing off business expenses.

Defining deductible expenses

  • Ordinary expenses are common to your industry or business.
  • Necessary expenses are ones that are helpful to or appropriate for your business.

The IRS doesn’t require an expense to be “indispensable” to meet the necessary standard. Uncle Sam also distinguishes deductible business expenses from these expenses:

  • Expenses used to figure the cost of goods sold – such as raw materials, labor costs, and factory overhead.
  • Capital expenses – including startup costs, business assets and improvements to the business.
  • Personal expenses – meaning living or family expenses.

While you might be able to write any of these off elsewhere on your return, they wouldn’t technically qualify as deductible business expenses.

What’s deductible for businesses this year?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made some changes to business deductions. This table highlights the most significant expenses you can deduct for the 2018 tax year:

Tax season 2019: Main deductible expenses

Deductible expense Qualifying rules How much is deductible?
Business use of your home
  • Must regularly use part of your home for business.
  • Your home must be the principal place of business.
  • Simplified method: $5 per square foot (up to a max of 300 square feet).
  • Regular method: Percentage of the home used for business.
Business use of a vehicle
  • Business owners can claim a standard mileage deduction, OR actual expenses, but not both.
  • Standard mileage deduction applies to business miles only, not commuting miles.
  • Standard mileage: 58 cents per mile.
  • Actual expenses: Determined by the percentage of use, based on miles that the vehicle is used for business.
Depreciation (Section 179 Deduction) Applies to:
  • Assets used in the business or held to produce income.
  • Assets expected to last more than one year.
  • Assets that lose value over time.
  • Up to $ 1,020,000, adjusted for inflation in subsequent tax years.
Employee compensation Applies to:
  • Compensation paid to employees.
  • Fringe benefits, such as health insurance, sick pay, vacation pay.
  • Additional employee benefits, such as group-term life insurance premiums, adoption assistance, employee use of a vehicle and reimbursed employee travel expenses.
  • Amounts that meet the “reasonableness” standard – in other words, the amount of compensation paid to employees must be fair and appropriate for their position and duties.
Bad business debts Debts must meet these three requirements:
  • Someone (i.e., a vendor, client, etc.) is legally obligated to repay it to you.
  • They must be uncollectible – you must be able to prove you attempted to collect.
  • You must have sustained a loss because of the debt.
  • Amounts meeting the standard for a bad business debt.
Business travel and meals Travel and meals are deductible when:
  • Business duties require you to be away from home longer than a typical workday.
  • You need to sleep or rest to keep up with the demands of your work while you’re away.
  • Travel expenses: 100% of the cost of qualified business travel expenses.
  • Meals: 50% of the cost of business meals.
Business interest
  • Applies to interest paid for business debts, such as loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, inventory financing and credit cards.
  • 30% of taxable business income.
Insurance Applies to insurance premiums paid for:
  • Coverage for losses from unpaid debts.
  • Casualty and theft insurance.
  • Professional liability or malpractice insurance.
  • Accident and health insurance.
  • Vehicle insurance for business use.
  • Overhead insurance.
  • 100% of qualified insurance premiums.
Taxes Applies to:
  • Worker employee taxes.
  • Real estate taxes.
  • State and local income tax.
  • State and local property tax.
  • 100% of the qualified tax amount paid, excluding state and local property tax, which is limited to $10,000
Advertising expenses Includes:
  • Online advertising, such as pay-per-click marketing, social media ads, and SEO services.
  • Costs associated with webpage design and online promotional events.
  • Print advertising expenses.
  • Direct marketing expenses.
  • 100% of the qualified advertising expenses.
Charitable donations Applies to:
  • Cash contributions.
  • Gifts of property.
  • Mileage and travel expenses associated with volunteering for a qualified charity.
  • 60% of adjusted gross income.

Other deductible expenses

Other deductible expenses include education expenses, rent, professional dues or subscription fees, office supplies, stamps and postage, professional licenses or regulatory fees and outplacement services for employees who are laid off.

There’s also a deduction for contributions to small business retirement plans, including:

  • Simplified Employee Pension Plans (SEP IRA).
  • Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE IRA).
  • Individual 401(k) plans – these are reserved for sole proprietors or business owners whose only employee is their spouse.
  • Traditional 401(k) plans.

Tax deductions and retirement contributions

One thing to watch out for is how claiming other business deductions affects the amount you can save in a qualified retirement account. Small business retirement plans limit your contributions to a certain amount, based on your income.

“When you have a lower income you typically have lower taxes, but one of the benefits of having a higher income is that you can contribute more to a pension or retirement plan,” says Paul T. Joseph, a certified public accountant and founder of Joseph & Joseph Tax & Payroll in Williamston, Michigan. “Once you lower that income, you also lower the amount you can invest in a retirement plan.”

In other words, claiming more business expense deductions could mean paying less in taxes but it could shrink your retirement contributions. That’s potentially the biggest downside with deducting expenses.

There may be another drawback if you plan to apply for a business loan or a personal loan, such as a mortgage. On paper, deductions can significantly reduce your business income, which might make you appear riskier to lenders.

Business expenses you can’t deduct

While there’s a lot you can deduct for your business, certain expenses are off-limits.

“Entertainment expenses are not deductible anymore,” says Wold, “even if the entertainment involves a relationship between a business and a client.”

If you previously wrote off club dues, sporting event tickets or concert tickets related to client outings, for example, that’s one tax break you won’t be able to claim moving forward.

“Additionally, there’s no longer a deduction for employer-provided transportation fringe benefits provided to employees,” says Wold, such as parking or public transit passes.

To round out the list, you can’t deduct these expenses either:

  • Federal income tax payments.
  • Political campaign contributions or lobbying expenses.
  • Fines or punitive damages associated with a civil or criminal case.

Claiming the 20% pass-through deduction

One important addition to the tax code is the 199A or qualified business income deduction for pass-through entities.

“Generally, the deduction is 20% of qualified business income before limitations,” says Wold. Qualified business income just means net business income after business deductions or losses are taken out. This deduction is available to pass-through entities, including s-corporations and partnerships, but there are two big limitations, says Wold.

“If a business performs services within certain IRS-specified industries, they generally can’t take the deduction,” she says.

If you run a service business in the health, law, accounting, actuarial, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services or brokerage services industries, you wouldn’t make the cut for this deduction. Businesses that do qualify may be limited on what they can deduct.

“The deduction can’t exceed the greater of either 50% of the company’s wages or 25% of those wages, plus 2.5% of the basis in the company’s tangible, depreciable property,” says Wold.

There’s an exception for single filers with taxable business income of $157,500 or less, and married couples with taxable income under $315,000. Those business owners would be able to take the full 20% deduction.

Using a rewards credit card to pay for deductible business spending

A business credit card can offer convenience in paying for business expenses, as well as miles, points or cash back on purchases.

“Paying for business expenses, including the purchase of equipment, inventory, charitable donations, etc. have the same treatment as if the business paid with cash or checks,” says Wold. “You can use a credit card to pay deductible expenses in [2019] to claim the deduction. Even if you don’t pay off that credit balance until [2020], it will still be deductible on the [2019] return.”

If you’re planning business spending for this year, consider these cards for covering deductible expenses:

Best credit cards for deductible expenses

Rewards Card Good for:
Chase Ink Business Preferred Earning cash back on travel, shipping, online advertising, internet, cable and phone services.
Capital One Spark Miles Earning miles on every purchase; transferring miles to selected travel partners.
American Express® Business Gold Card Earning points on airfare purchased directly from airlines, gas, restaurants, shipping, online advertising purchased through select media, computer hardware and software, cloud services.

 

Any interest expense you pay on the card wouldn’t be deductible until it’s added to the balance, says Wold. Just know how much interest you can deduct.

“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did impose some new limits on deducting business interest, primarily related to a new cap on deducting interest of 30% of adjusted gross income,” says Mark Luscombe, federal tax analyst at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. He notes that there’s an exemption from that limit for businesses with average annual gross receipts of $25 million or less.

One rule remains the same: “If it’s a personal purchase, there’s no deduction for the interest charge,” says Luscombe.

That’s important to take heed of if you use your business rewards card for both business and personal spending.

Pay close attention to record keeping

When paying for deductible business expenses, make sure you leave a paper trail.

“Documentation is the key to being able to deduct any expenses in the eyes of the IRS,” says Joseph. “Accordingly, business owners should painstakingly document the deductions they plan on taking on their returns.”

Using a credit card for business spending simplifies the process.

“By using a credit card to pay for these purchases, you have an immediate source of documentation that typically itemizes what each purchase is,” says Joseph. “There are certain credit cards that will combine and compile all the expenses by category on an annual basis and provide that report to you, which you can use to document your expenses.”

That can make deducting business expenses less stressful once tax season gets underway.

 

Source: www.creditcards.com

The Biggest Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2020 and 2021

I think it’s safe to say that if you are about to embark on a new kitchen or bath project there’s never been a better time to get educated on the trends. As a designer I’m not a big fan of following trends, however, I have a trained eye and know how to navigate the challenging waters of a large investment like a remodel or new build. While you should always select things you like, there are some rules you must adhere to in order to ensure your investment takes you the distance; otherwise you end up spending thousands of dollars that could instantly date your space ten years without you even realizing it.

kitchen and bath trends

About a year ago I was contacted by a gal who was building a three million dollar home in Northern California. Her husband was adamant about installing espresso cabinets and stainless steel appliances with travertine. Ummm, where’d you get that idea, 2005? If they had moved forward with their plans they would have dated their brand new kitchen almost twenty years by the time they moved in, not to mention regretted spending $75K on their kitchen design. This is why it’s important to have an understanding of trends. You don’t have to adhere to all of the “it” things, but you do have to play by some of the rules so you don’t blow your money in an uninformed way, and regret it.

Five things to get over right now that are OUT, OUT, OUT!

  • The all-white kitchen and the all-white bathroom are out!
  • Stainless steel appliances are OUT!
  • Spaces devoid of color – Out!
  • Spaces devoid of beautiful details – OUT!
  • Grey is OUT!

I think it’s safe to say that our country has been swept away by the Marie Kondo way of living. Simplify, organize and beautify your life. Built-in organization is making a massive come back. Walk into any home built in the early nineteenth century and built-in cabinets with clever storage were through out the house. While many homes today no longer build cabinets into the wall, that doesn’t mean your cabinets can’t have incredibly clever gadgets to help you stay organized. All in all many of the trends that were peeking out in last years KBIS kitchen and bath show have now made their grand entrance, and they are here to stay! Here are the 5 trends you need to know about as you prepare your new space:

1. Organized Cabinets

– clever, easy to use storage was everywhere. Have a cabinet that’s too high? No problem! Corner cabinet with dead space? No problem! Junk drawer…no more! Sloppy appliances all over the bathroom counter with messy cords? Not any more! Enter in the new kid to organize, simplify and beautify your inner world.

organized cabinets
Fineline organized cabinets
by Fineline
organized cabinets
organized cabinets
by Rev a Shelf
organized cabinets
by HafeleAmerica

2. Colored Appliances

– I mean, this has been a growing trend for close to three years now so if you’ve been working with an interior designer, they likely steered you away from Stainless. Stainless has been going fifteen years strong so it’s certainly time for a change. The kicker is, when you start to create your dream space the stuff that’s “out” is likely the stuff that’s on sale or super affordable. This can make it a tough choice when you’re working with a budget. And you may say, but Amanda if I choose a pink stove it won’t be nearly as classic as stainless. The good news is, while color is the “IT” choice for appliances, (side note YELLOW is coming in HOT) white and black are making a huge comeback!

Colored Appliances
by MadCap Cottage for Bluestar cooking
Colored Appliances
by Smeg
Colored Appliances
by True
Berenson hardware
photo by Berenson hardware
Dacor colored appliances
by Dacor
Colored Appliances
by True

3. The All-White Kitchen and Bath Are Out!

Wood is making a strong comeback and strong color still rules the trends! So if you’re thinking about doing that trendy all-white kitchen you saw on Pinterest, think again! And FYI – tread lightly on Pinterest. It’s a great source for inspiration but the platform is now 10 years old and so are many of it’s photos. So just because an all-white kitchen is popping up, doesn’t mean it’s a new photo.

All-White Kitchen
photo by NKBA British Columbia
KBIS official custom cabinetry
by KBIS official custom cabinetry
organized cabinets
custom cabinets
custom cabinets
Custom Cabinets
by Christopher Peacock
All-White Bath
Unknown

4. Mosaics Full of Pattern and Design

– Gone are the day of boring shiplap, white walls and zero detail. The mosaic trend is on the rise and pattern and color abounds! As more and more people grab onto the color trend and embrace drama through the details, mosaics are the way to wow factor!

Mosaics patterns and designs
Mosaics patterns and designs
Dazzle
Dodby Brown Wood
by Dazzle Mosaic
Mosaics patterns and designs
by Dazzle Mosaic

5. Details and Drama-

While simplicity still reigns supreme as we learn to get more organized, declutter and downsize our lives, that doesn’t mean we want to be devoid of delightful, dramatic details. Now is the time for the unexpected wow factor! In the early 2000’s the gluttonous mediterranean trend was full of color and detail to the extreme, so it’s vast white, stark counterpart with rustic details mended our cluttered hearts. It was much easier on the eyes until boredom set in. Low and behold those much needed details are peeking back through. Textured hardware, gold hinges, carved corbels, painted sinks, mosaics, and black as the sky’s night d r a m a – these moody, delightful shiny and textured details abound to surprise our senses and extend wow factor beyond the front door.

Rohl Faucets
Rohl Faucets
Christine Kohut Interiors
photo by Christine Kohut Interiors
Dodby Brown Wood
by Dodby Brown Wood
JNJ Homes
Photo by JNJ Homes
Faucets
by Emtek

This year is predicting that our upcoming spaces are going to be far more organized, simplified but full of color and details. Black is the new grey, blue is on it’s way out and green is still a big trend replacing blue. Gold is still the number one finish choice to add that extra elegance to your space. Wood cabinets are on the rise and if you dare invest in an all-white kitchen with stainless steel appliances, your pocket book will regret it!

It’s all about the details so invest in the things that matter, and the things that wow you. I mean seriously, who has a coral refrigerator? When your guests arrive and delight in your details that is the BEST energy you can have to elevate your space – not to mention make that investment stick for the long haul!

 

Source: gatesinteriordesign.com

Nevada Set For Next Housing Price Boom

Nevada Set For Next Housing Price Boom

– Eric Fox – VP of Statistical and Economic Modeling – Veros Real Estate Solutions

In 1929, the Reno City Council decided that, rather than dismantling the steel sign arching over the road into town, they would replace the wording that promoted the 1927 Nevada Transcontinental Highways Exposition with a slogan to promote the town. A contest was launched, and out of 200 entries the $100 prize went to “The Biggest Little City in the World.”

The updated sign did its job. During the past 90 years Reno has become a much bigger little city and today its 1.5% annual population growth, twice the national average, is driving real estate values.

With nearby Sparks, Reno is an anchor city of the Reno-Sparks, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The latest VeroFORECAST from Veros Real Estate Solutions predicts that real estate in the MSA will appreciate over the next year, ranking it sixth out of the 354 MSAs included in the report.

The neighboring Carson City, NV MSA is also projected to see property values which rank it fifth on the list. Their mid-Top Ten slots show an acceleration in rising values, as neither was in the Top Ten for the first quarter 2018 report, released in late March.

In the 2010 U.S. Census, the Reno-Sparks, NV MSA had over 425,000 residents divided between its two counties: 90% in Washoe and the balance in Storey. Carson City MSA, made up of one county – and the state capital – both named Carson City – had a 2010 population of 55,274. By comparison, the last census put the population of the state’s largest MSA, Las Vegas-Paradise, at 2 million.

This puts these two Nevada MSAs in high-flying company. They follow four markets boosted by technology employment: three Washington State MSAs – Seattle at 11.1%, and Olympia and Bremerton-Silverdale, both at 9.8% – and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at 9.5%.

It is solid evidence that Nevada continues to rebound strongly from the financial crisis a decade ago. Nevada’s “Biggest Little City” is now the state’s third largest, behind Las Vegas and Henderson. Sparks and Carson City are fifth and sixth after North Las Vegas.

A TECH BOOST FROM TRIC

In the past five years, the Reno-Sparks MSA has benefited from a successful campaign to attract tech to the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC), which claims to be the largest industrial park in the world. There’s more than 15,000 acres of “pre-zoned, fully entitled, and in active development” land is the site of the Tesla Gigafactory 1, and TRIC sees more to come from Blockchains, GoogleJet.com, and Switch.

Mike Kazmierski, president and CEO of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, said that, while job growth and favorable business and tax conditions had made the entire state attractive to companies and residents, in Northern Nevada, “the arrival of big-name companies such as Apple, Tesla and Google is helping dispel old stereotypes of Reno as a poor man’s Las Vegas. Costs that remain lower compared to next-door neighbor California remain a factor as well.”

The impact can be seen in Reno Metro’s year-over-year job growth, which, according to the June 2018 Nevada Economy in Brief, a monthly review of workforce and economic information, grew 3.7% from June 2017 to June 2018. That compares to Carson City’s 3.3% and 2.7% for both Las Vegas MSA and the state as a whole. The nation’s rate was 1.6%. The Reno-Sparks MSA’s unemployment rate of 3.5% is not only a half-point lower than the national average, but more than a full percentage point lower than the state and the Las Vegas MSA.

What’s more promising, according to a study by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for Regional Studies, is that a healthy percentage of those arrivals are younger people. Nearly 45% of those moving into Washoe County during the first half of this decade were 18 to 34, which is nearly twice that age group’s percentage of the U.S. population.

The 354 MSAs used to generate this data, which projected a national average of 4.4% appreciation, include 1,005 counties and 13,877 zip codes, and account for the residences of 82% of the U.S. population. That is a dozen more MSAs than were used for the first quarter report.

 

If you or someone you know is interested in relocating to the Silver State, contact me and I am happy to help them with their real estate needs.

 

Source: www.housingwire.com

Checklist to prepare your home for winter

Energy saving efforts don’t just make sense, they make dollars and cents. While that’s not exactly a newsflash for most homeowners, it’s high time to get ‘er done with winter fast approaching.

Below are just a few winter energy saving tips that vary in cost and effort from ‘a big fat zero’ to ‘not very much’.

Zero Dollars, Perfect Sense

We love us some free, money-saving energy tips! Here are just a few:

  1. Take advantage of the free smart thermostat, P.G.E and NV Energy offers.
  2. In the meantime, turn your thermostat down 10-15 degrees for eight hours a day when you’re not home or sleeping. This can save 10% on your heating bill annually according to energy.gov.
  3. Close vents in the rooms you seldom use like a guest room. (But be sure to open them before your holiday guests arrive!)
  4. Say yes to the free energy assessment NV Energy offers.
  5. Invite the sunshine in by raising shades and opening curtains. A little solar gain means a little saving on your heating bill.
  6. Spin your fan clockwise. Ceiling fans will force hot air down in the cooler months. (Conversely, counterclockwise rotation in the hotter months will force the warm air up and away from you.)
  7. Keep the damper in your fireplace closed when not in use. Otherwise, the warm air will go right up the chimney. (We’re not heating the whole neighborhood, right Dad?)
  8. Bundle up! Your favorite sweatshirt or a cushy throw blanket could be just what the heat seeker ordered. Add layers before — or instead of —adjusting your thermostat.
  9. Check out our G.E and NV Energy programs designed to reduce energy costs for low-income families if you know someone who might qualify.

Little Cost, Little Effort

Looking for more winter energy saving hacks? We’ve got your back!

  1. Batten down the hatches! From caulking windows to adding door snakes, there are many ways to draft-proof your home.
  2. Make sure your insulation measures up. Not sure what to look for? Read this.
  3. Make your desert home a little less desert-y by adding a humidifier. Moist air feels warmer than dry air and it holds heat better. Oh yeah, and there are other health benefits,
  4. Lights! Action! Any season is the right time to change your incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient bulbs. Because of the initial expense, we recommend changing out a few at a time.
  5. Joy to the electric bill! When you change your holiday lights to LEDs, you can save. They use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional holiday lights (according to S. News & World Report).

One Last Tip & Some Jokes

Want a home of your own to save energy in? Here’s another money-saving tip: Check out our Stanford Mortgages First Time homebuyer program that offers thousands in bonus money to use for a down payment or closing costs. If you’re buying, it’s a no brainer.