Latest posts
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How to Use Visual Aids in Financial Reporting
Thanks to the Internet and social media, we’re bombarded daily with all kinds of information. As a result, most people prefer clear, concise snippets of data over lengthy text. Have your financial statements kept up with today’s data-consumption trends? Show and tell Humans are visual learners. In business, the use of so-called “infographics” started with…
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CARES Act Provides Option to Delay CECL Reporting
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27. Among other economic relief measures, the new law allows large public banks to temporarily postpone the controversial current expected credit loss (CECL) standard. Here are the details. Updated accounting rules The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update…
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Do You Run Your Business From Home? You Might be Eligible for Home Office Deductions
If you’re self-employed and work out of an office in your home, you may be entitled to home office deductions. However, you must satisfy strict rules. If you qualify, you can deduct the “direct expenses” of the home office. This includes the costs of painting or repairing the home office and depreciation deductions for furniture…
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Work Opportunity Tax Credit Extended Through 2020
If you’re a business owner, be aware that a recent tax law extended a credit for hiring individuals from one or more targeted groups. Employers can qualify for a valuable tax credit known as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The WOTC was set to expire on December 31, 2019. But a new law passed…
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Improve Your Nonprofit’s Strategic Planning With a “Real-Time” Approach
Real-Time Strategic Planning (RTSP) offers not-for-profits a fluid approach to identifying, understanding and acting on challenges and opportunities to advance their missions. Is this process right for your organization? Let’s take a look. What is it, exactly? RTSP was first introduced by nonprofit consultant David La Piana as “a coordinated set of actions designed to…
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How We are Working Through COVID-19
During these uncertain and complicated times, our focus continues to be on the health and safety of our team, our clients and our community. We understand this may be a critical time for your business and family and we are committed to supporting you. Due to recent developments, including CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, we have…
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Home is Where the Tax Breaks Might Be
If you own a home, the interest you pay on your home mortgage may provide a tax break. However, many people believe that any interest paid on their home mortgage loans and home equity loans is deductible. Unfortunately, that’s not true. First, keep in mind that you must itemize deductions in order to take advantage…
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Matching Gifts Double the Impact of Donors’ Contributions
A majority of large U.S. companies offer matching gift programs to boost the impact of their employees’ charitable gifts. Double the Donation estimates that $2 to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs every year. At the same time, between $4 and $7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed annually. Is your not-for-profit doing everything it can to claim…
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Give Your 401(k) Plan a Checkup at Least Once a Year
In many industries, offering a 401(k) plan is a competitive necessity. If you don’t offer one and a competitor does, it could mean the difference in a job candidate’s decision to accept their offer over yours. It could even send employees heading for the door. Assuming you do offer a 401(k), the challenge then becomes…
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How’s Your Buy-Sell Agreement Doing These Days?
Most companies wouldn’t go into business without some basic types of insurance in place, such as property coverage and a liability policy. For a company with more than one owner, there’s an additional type of risk-management arrangement that needs to be established: a buy-sell agreement. If your business has yet to create one, you should…
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Taxr Cedits May Help With the High Cost of Raising Children
If you’re a parent, or if you’re planning on having children, you know that it’s expensive to pay for their food, clothes, activities and education. Fortunately, there’s a tax credit available for taxpayers with children under the age of 17, as well as a dependent credit for older children. Recent tax law changes Changes made…
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Marketing is a Game of Adjustments
In business, a failure to evolve may lead to failure. One way to keep your company rolling is to regularly adjust how you market products or services to customers and prospects. A marketing strategy shouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction to some enticing rumor or hot trend. Rather, it needs to be a carefully calculated effort…