Acknowledgments

I l @ ve RuBoard

The authors gratefully acknowledge the unflagging support of their agent, Jay Poynor of The Poynor Group. His enthusiasm for this project never wavered, and his marketing and PR insights were very valuable . On a personal note, he is just a one in a million guy.

From our first conversation with Tim Moore, Vice President of Prentice Hall/Financial Times, we knew we had a home. His support of this project has been terrific , and he has always innately understood that millions and millions of people out there are creating home offices, often to find precious spare moments of family time in this 24/7 climate.

We thank Russ Hall for his work coordinating the technical reviews. While a stickler for details, he did keep us on track. We especially thank Cleo Coy for not only her comments, but her support and positivism . We also thank Toddi Gutner of BusinessWeek for her insights. In addition, we'd like to acknowledge the production staff at Prentice Hall, including Patty Donovan of Pine Tree Composition. Also, Gardi Wilks and Bryan Gambrel for their PR and marketing efforts.

On a personal level, Erica would like to thank Cleo Coy, Nancy Hines, Pam Morrell, and the people who are most impacted by having a home office front and center in the middle of that crazy house of ours: John, Alexa, Nicholas, and Isabella. As I say time and time again in this book, on my worst day ”phone ringing non-stop, dogs barking, children fighting, school calling to say someone forgot her lunch , clients needing me right now, along with a hundred other deadlines ”I only commuted 60 seconds. And the reverse is true. At the end of that day, I have 60 seconds to go to happy hour , and 60 seconds to hugs from the most important little people in the world. And John, there's no better personal assistant anywhere ”plus you make better food than anyone else.

On a personal note, Kathy would like to thank those nearest and dearest ”Marc, Peter, Aimee, and Weezie. Marc, your belief and support in me makes it all possible. For Peter and Aimee ”I love having the time and flexibility in my schedule to be able to see you so often in school. I am proud when I see your craving for books and writing. I don't mind that you hide books under the covers. For my mother, Weezie, whose enthusiasm helped on those crazy days. I probably should thank our giant Tibetan Mastiff, Ming, for not eating my disk when he had the opportunity.

Kathy would like to thank the Buckley Country Day School, particularly Head Master Thomas Reid, Ann Reid, and librarian Patricia Russac for providing that little slice of heaven in the back of the library.

Kathy would also like to thank Joseph Salamo, CPA, for generously sharing his time and expertise during tax season to read and review our tax chapter.

I l @ ve RuBoard