Today I worked a lot. Same as yesterday. Lots of organizing papers digitally. People think accounting is math, but really the computer does most of the math. Preparing taxes is mostly -- at my level -- organizing the documents so the boss can easily review what is in the computer. And discuss things at a deeper level with client when need be.
My special skill is organizing things. That is why I am good at the prepping part of tax preparation. And I enjoy it. Most of the time.
Bankers though, man. I don't know what they get paid for. OK, most banks, I say: please send the tax documents for our mutual client. And it's easy breezy. 20 minutes later I get all the documents that I was expecting based on the prior year, and then a few more, because the client has opened new accounts, and the banker sent them unbidden because they know I need ALL THE TAX DOCUMENTS. It is their job to provide all of them to the client's tax preparer.
Recently I shared here a brief amusing story about a banker who does.not.work.like.that. *sigh* Like pulling teeth. I write very specific emails saying exactly what I need for exactly which accounts. and I always say: "plus any new accounts." But it always takes several attempts to get them all.
And things have gotten agonizingly worse and less funny since that short funny story a couple weeks ago.
Like, after two weeks of back and forth emails and incomplete info, today the banker helpfully sent me a list of all the accounts that go with the 4 trusts and one personal return for this one mutual client. I said Thanks! Then I compared it to my list, and wrote back and said, ok, now I need all this stuff you forgot to send me based on your own damned list (paraphrasing naturally). It'd be amusing but we are running up big costs for the client spending inordinate amounts of time getting the documents from a person whose job is TO SEND THEM TO US.
AND THEN... let's just say, late this afternoon, the banker committed a fire-able offense. **blink**blink** I stared at the wrong document that was sent.
I deleted the thing the banker should not have sent me, but that email is still sitting in my in box. I cannot unsend it for them.
We have informed the client that the banker is ... not good at their job. I said earlier this tax season to my boss: I don't want to tell the client the banker sucks because then he might change banks and that is a big hassle paperwork-wise. But at this point... DO IT! FLEE!!!!
Anyway, now I am drinking Limoncello Cream and playing board games online. And I will try to imagine this banker with their gigantic salary is ... not as a happy person.
