Labor Day Means Back to Work
Today is 9-11. And before I go any further with this first post-Labor Day column, I must pay tribute to those who perished on the worst day in our nation’s history and those first responders who voluntarily put themselves in the way of unimaginable harm to try and save them. On behalf of everyone at Marcum, I would like to express our solidarity with the 9-11 families and our thanks to the police officers, fire fighters and volunteers who gave everything to help our country in its greatest moment of need. You are all American heroes in the truest sense of the word, and America will never forget you.
Labor Day has come and gone, and that means it’s back to my weekly connection with all of you. I missed it over the summer, along with the emails and notes I enjoy receiving from many of you. What a great summer this was, especially for those of us who live in the Northeast! The summer of 2015 will most likely go down in the annals as one of the best ever, weather-wise that is. Although June started out pretty wet, it wouldn’t take a whole hand to count the number of rainy days we had for the rest of the summer, and if memory serves me correctly, the few we did have had the good grace not to dampen any weekends.
I hope you all got to relax and enjoy the sun and fun, and that you were able to spend quality time with your families and friends. I’m happy to report that Tracy and I and our children really took advantage of the beautiful weather and all that the East End of Long Island has to offer. But I can’t say that the summer was all fun and games for me. I actually worked pretty hard on some exciting new developments that I hope to be able to share with you in the coming weeks and months.
I have to admit it was nice to take a temporary break from writing a weekly column (this isn’t as easy as it looks!), but there was so much material I could have been working with each week. Who would have thought when I wrote last in June that Donald Trump would become the leading Republican candidate for President? Despite that fact that every time he says something really offensive, predictions to the contrary, he rises in the polls instead of imploding. If nothing else, he’s certainly making this Presidential primary season much more interesting than it otherwise would have been.
In any event, it’s back to reality for those of us who took whatever kind of break we could over the summer. The Weiner’s moved back to NYC from our extended vacation on Long Island. Lily (6) and Kate (4) started school yesterday, and Max (3) starts today. Leo (20) is back at GW for his senior year (anyone looking to hire a finance major from GW this coming spring?), and Isaac (23), who sometimes reminds me that “someone in this family has to work,” has been toiling away in the service department of Major World Chevrolet in Queens since he graduated in January. Tracy is training for her first attempt at the New York Marathon, as she has been all summer, which this year will take place on November 1. She is running and raising money for Team Andi, and so far she’s raised $8,900. That’s without my contribution. For those of you inclined to support the event, you can find more information at www.crowdrise.com/TEAMANDI/fundraiser/tracyweiner.
And for those of you who are fans of the Jason Bourne movies, I’m pleased to say that on Monday we started filming the fifth film in the “Bourne” franchise in the Canary Islands. Production will run until the middle of February, with the film being released on July 29, 2016. Look for more updates in this column over the next several months.
The transition from summer to fall is a great time to spend in NYC. The heat and humidity breaks, although we did have a few 90+ degree days this week, and there’s plenty going on. This week are the final matches of the 2015 US Open Tennis tournament, and New York Fashion Week has started. We have the Pope coming to visit towards the end of the month, as well as the opening of the UN General Assembly’s next regular session. The streets are bustling, restaurants are jam packed (as usual), Central Park on weekends is a marvel, the Mets (yes, Mets) and Yankees are both in tight pennant races, football started yesterday (well, not for Geno Smith), and people are lining up for Broadway tickets. Between now and New Year’s might be the best time of the year to take in NYC.
Meantime, back at the office, Marcum is currently finalizing our annual Year-End Tax Guide, which will be available to all of you in the next few weeks, and meeting with clients to help them plan their tax and business strategies for next year. No one knows who the next President will be or how that will affect decision-making, but our clients are pressing ahead towards 2016, and we are right there with them.
Sunday night is the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. To those of you who observe, a healthy and happy New Year to you and your families.
It’s great to be back in touch with you all. Thanks for reading, and see you next week.
