Killian Richard R CPA

Being a CPA in tax season is like playing multiple chess games at once—each return is a different board, and you have to quickly recall the position, the risks, and the next best move. The real skill isn’t just knowing the rules, it’s pattern recognition and the ability to jump back in without starting from scratch. Every decision becomes a balance between accuracy, speed, and managing risk under pressure. You’re constantly shifting between clients, fact patterns, and incomplete information while still keeping everything organized and compliant. When you do it well, you’re not just preparing tax returns—you’re managing a high-level, multi-board strategy in real time.

Well… looks like Mother Nature just handed us **12 inches of snow and zero excuses** ☃️❄️
If you’re bundled up, snowed in, and wondering what to do between shoveling sessions, here’s a thought:

👉 **This is the PERFECT weekend to get your tax information together.**

No flowers blooming.
No grass to cut.
No spring projects calling your name.
Just coffee, warm socks, and paperwork that isn’t getting any easier by waiting.

Trust me — doing this now beats scrambling in April when the weather’s nice, the lawn needs mowing, and you’d rather be anywhere else but looking for receipts.

So stay warm, stay inside, and **don’t waste the snow day**. Your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.

— Rick

⚠️ Tech Tip & Heads-Up for My Clients

Something new (and unexpected) happened to me this week—one of my Windows computers locked me out completely. The usual 4-digit PIN I’ve always used to log in somehow became corrupted. Turns out, Windows uses something called BitLocker to encrypt your hard drive, and when things go wrong, you’ll need a BitLocker Recovery Key to unlock it.

If that ever happens to you, don’t panic—you can usually retrieve your BitLocker recovery key from your Microsoft account online. But it’s definitely a curveball if you’ve never dealt with it before.

Thankfully, I had another computer that worked, which allowed me to log into Microsoft and get the recovery key to unlock the drive. It’s a good reminder to keep backups and a recovery plan handy, because even the best systems can glitch.

And yes—thank you ChatGPT for walking me through this one!

Stay safe (digitally and financially),
Rick Killian, CPA