An Organization We Love: NuPath

image courtesy of providers.org

Occasionally we do work for a company called NuPath Inc. Their offices are located in Woburn but they have 11 locations around the greater Boston area. They provide day and residential services "for people living with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and acquired brain injury." NuPath is also an active advocate for people with disabilities. We're proud to work with them and so pleased they choose us to help move them when they need it.

If you're interested, check out their Facebook page. They have a lot of upcoming events, including a walk and a book presentation, among other events, for Autism Awareness Month in April.

Website Upgrade!

We've just completed a major overhaul to our company website. We're really proud of how it turned out. Here are just some of the changes:

- More information about moving van permits and how they work
- An expanded link section with links to businesses we work with and organizations we belong to
- Information about how and what we recycle
- A section about how we participate in our community
- An expanded section on our rates, including rush rates, extra charges, insurance, and disposal

Go take a look and tell us what you think! We'd love to hear from you about ease of use, comprehensiveness of information, etc. We think we've now got best site for a moving company in the Boston area!

Kiva Update and a Local Event

Time for another Kiva update!

Most of our current loans are doing really well, which we love to see! Amor y Paz, a group that runs an upholstery and furniture making shop, is 90% repaid. All of the rest of the loans are between 40% and 62% repaid, which is wonderful. Sadly, one of our loans is delinquent in his repayments, but hopefully he can make his business work despite whatever challenges he's facing.

Since most of our loans are doing so well we've got credit to relend. We chose to lend to Rasheeda, a woman in Pakistan, who is seeking a loan to a buy a young horse for loading and transportation services. A mover in Pakistan, we love it! We also lent to Tony, a school bus driver in Lebanon, so he can make improvements to his bus and Manuela, a furniture maker in Peru, so she can buy supplies.

In more local news, we're a booster for the Friends of Cambridge Athletics race that's coming up on April 1st. Its held at Fresh Pond and raise money for student athletes. There's still time to sign up for either the run or the walk if you're interested.

Moving Expenses and the IRS

image courtesy of forbes.com

Tax season is upon us again!

No one at Intelligent Labor and Moving is a tax professional, but, being movers, we do know that the IRS lets you deduct some moving expenses.

According to the IRS, if you moved this year "due to a change in your job or business location, or because you started a new job or business, you may be able to deduct your reasonable moving expenses but not any expenses for meals." There are two tests you must use to determine if qualify for the deduction:

1. Distance
Is your new job 50 miles or more farther away from your old home than your old job was from your old home? If you've never worked before, is your new job 50 miles or more away from your old home?

2. Time
If you're an employee you must work at least 39 weeks at full-time for the first year following your arrival in the general area of your relocation. If you're self-employed the same applies, as well as needing to work at least 78 during the first 24 months in the general area of your new location.

There are exceptions to each rule. If you're move is due to military service you do not need to meet either requirement. The time requirement can be waived due to death, disability, involuntary separation among other things. If your employer paid for or reimbursed you for your move you do not qualify for this tax deduction.




The IRS provides a more comprehensive guide to moving tax deductions here. Its definitely worth a read if you moved in 2011. And, for a tax guideline its not so bad to read! If you still have questions after reading over the guide it is best to contact a tax professional.

Happy filing!

Moving Company Website Red Flags

image courtesy of thebookdesigner.com

There are a lot of ways to find a moving company. The best way is through a personal referral, but sometimes that's not possible. There's also review sites, but some of those must be taken with a grain of salt. Trade organizations (AMSA, MMA) are also good resources.

Then, there's a good old fashioned internet search. So, you type in your search terms and a whole host of websites pop up in the results. If you go to any of these websites here are some important pieces of information you should be on the look out for .

- Rates
Does the moving company make its rates available on their website? If not, beware. All Massachusetts moving companies need to have a tariff with all of their rates on file with the Department of Public Utilities. If this tariff doesn't appear on the moving company's website you can always check with the DPU, but if they don't bother to post the information themselves, there's a good bet they're not on file or the tariff is out of date.

- Photos
Are there photos of the actual movers and the company's trucks? Or are there stock photos of trucks and warehouses with maybe a Photoshopped logo? A lot of moving companies just starting out can't afford to own their own trucks and that's doesn't mean they are disreputable or unlicensed. However, the company should not set out to deceive you with photos either.

- Licenses, Tariffs, etc.
Check the website to see if the company lists its license number. If the company is Massachusetts based this number will be called a MDTE number. If the company offers interstate moving those license numbers will be called DOT and MC numbers. Both of those numbers can be researched through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (specifically here). It is federally required that all interstate moving companies listed their DOT number on all written/printed material, so this is a very important piece of information

- Trade Organizations
Almost without fail, reputable moving companies belong to their trade organizations. Locally, that's the Massachusetts Movers Association. Nationwide it is the American Moving and Storage Association. There are also more general business organizations like the local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. Just because a moving company does not belong to one or even all of these or similar organizations does not make them bad or disreputable, but it should inspire further research.

- Address
Look up the address the company lists as their place of business. Is it shared by many other moving companies? That could be a sign that the entity operates under several business names or d/b/a's, which could have an effect of the way the business(es) are run. If the listed address is just a residential location, that raises other questions.

- Insurance
Is information about the company's insurance listed somewhere on their website? If not, and you're considering hiring them, double check with the company. A good moving company will have insurance on their trucks and for cargo. Workers compensation insurance is not required, but its always a good idea and is often either provided for the workers by the company or the movers provide their own.

- Name
This is more for craiglists postings. If there's an ad with a phone number but no other identifying information (company name, e-mail address, website, etc.) beware. That almost definitely means an unlicensed, uninsured mover.