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Account-based marketing can help companies rejoice in ROI
When it comes to marketing, business owners and their leadership teams often assume that they should “cast a wide net.” But should you? If your company is looking to drive business-to-business (B2B) sales, a generalized approach to marketing could leave key customers and optimal prospects feeling like they’re receiving vague messages from a provider that…
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Seeing the big picture with an enterprise risk management program
There’s no way around it — owning and operating a business comes with risk. On the one hand, operating under excessive levels of risk will likely impair the value of a business, consume much of its working capital and could even lead to bankruptcy if those risks become all-consuming. But on the other hand, no…
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3 common forms of insurance fraud (and how businesses can fight back)
Businesses of all shapes and sizes are well-advised to buy various forms of insurance to manage operational risks. But insurance itself is far from risk-free. You might overpay for a policy that you don’t really need. Or you could invest in cheap coverage that does you little to no good when you need it. Perhaps the…
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3 types of internal benchmarking reports for businesses
As each year winds to a close, owners of established businesses can count on having plenty of at least one thing: information. That is, they have another full calendar year of financial results to peruse, parse and ponder over. Indeed, you shouldn’t let this valuable data go to waste. Within your company’s financial statements lies a…
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What businesses can expect from a DOL benefits plan audit
All but the smallest businesses today are generally expected to offer employees “big picture” benefits such as health insurance and a retirement plan. Among the risks of doing so is that many popular plan types must comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). That means lots of rules and much documentation. No matter…
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Businesses: Know who your privileged users are … and aren’t
Given the pervasiveness of technology in the business world today, most companies are sitting on treasure troves of sensitive data that could be abducted, exploited, corrupted or destroyed. Of course, there’s the clear and present danger of external parties hacking into your network to do it harm. But there are also internal risks — namely,…
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A refresher on the trust fund recovery penalty for business owners and executives
One might assume the term “trust fund recovery penalty” has something to do with estate planning. It’s important for business owners and executives to know better. In point of fact, the trust fund recovery penalty relates to payroll taxes. The IRS uses it to hold accountable “responsible persons” who willfully withhold income and payroll taxes from…
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Valuations can help business owners plan for the future
If someone was to suggest that you should have your business appraised, you might wonder whether the person was subtly suggesting that you retire and sell the company. Seriously though, a valuation can serve many purposes other than preparing your business for sale so you can head to the beach. Think of it as a checkup…
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What businesses can expect from a DOL benefits plan audit
All but the smallest businesses today are generally expected to offer employees “big picture” benefits such as health insurance and a retirement plan. Among the risks of doing so is that many popular plan types must comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). That means lots of rules and much documentation. No matter…
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Cost containment: An important health care benefits objective for businesses
As the Fed continues to do battle with inflation, and with fears of a recession not quite going away, companies have been keeping a close eye on the costs of their health insurance and pharmacy coverage. If you’re facing higher costs for health care benefits this year, it probably doesn’t come as a big surprise.…
