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To: steve goldman who wrote (3374)	3/12/1998 9:45:00 PM
From: Colin Cody	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 12617

Steve, A CPA's rates could run the gammut from say $250 to $2,500!! . The reason for the wide range that for a TRADER, you are talking a very specialized niche. There are only about 2,000 Stock Trader Sch Cs filed each year (per some guest on CNBC that I saw) and most CPAs haven't a clue what a "trader" is. An H&R Block employee, of course, wouldn't have a clue in any case (g). . A TRADER return, as you stated, all laid out in a spread-sheet file that the CPA might test for accuracy and that is already neatly formatted and printed out in the IRS Sch D format etc etc might go for, as you suggested, a few Hundred bills. . It's the ADDITIONAL STUFF for a Trader that could raise the price well over $1,000. Research, Tax Planning, for example the new mark-to-market Sec 475 rule, can run up the bill. . And that's not to mention defending the position in audit. As you may know the IRS has no specific Code Section rules to define the business of a Trader. And since they put in that 2% limitation on Sch A, the IRS can get some $$$ just by reclassifying from Sch C to Sch A. . If you DO decide to hire a CPA, #1 expect to get an extension at this near-late date and #2 ASK a few questions before retaining him to see if the person KNOWS what a Trader is. . Example of a question to ask, that an accountant should know right off the top of his head, is "How would a Stock Trader deduct the Interest on his Margin Account?" Correct answer is "On Schedule C, no limitation" Typical Incorrect CPA answer is "Oh sure that is deductible on Sch A but it might be limited by form 4952" Typical H&R Block answer is "Yeah, that's an itemized deduction on Schedule A, we charge $45 for that form" (g) . Good Luck! . Colin