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Is now the time for your small business to launch a retirement plan?
Many small businesses start out as “lean enterprises,” with costs kept to a minimum to lower risks and maximize cash flow. But there comes a point in the evolution of many companies — particularly in a tight job market — when investing money in employee benefits becomes advisable, if not downright mandatory. Is now the…
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New report shows a decrease in CAMs in 2022
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) recently published its second post-implementation review on critical audit matters (CAMs). The report found that, while the proportion of auditor’s reports that have a single CAM has increased, the average number of CAMs has declined over time. Here’s what you should know. Defining CAMs Auditors of public companies…
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Complete your estate plan by adding powers of attorney
As you create your estate plan, your main objectives likely revolve around your family, both current and future generations. Your goals may include reducing estate tax liability so that you can pass as much wealth as possible to your loved ones. But it’s also critical to think about yourself. What if you’re unable to make…
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Avoid these 4 estate planning pitfalls
No one likes to contemplate his or her own mortality. But ignoring the need for an estate plan or procrastinating in the creation of one is asking for trouble. If you haven’t started the process, don’t delay any longer. For your estate plan to achieve your goals, avoid these four pitfalls: Pitfall #1: Failing to…
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Annual gift tax exclusion amount increases for 2023
Did you know that one of the most effective estate-tax-saving techniques is also one of the simplest and most convenient? By making maximum use of the annual gift tax exclusion, you can pass substantial amounts of assets to loved ones during your lifetime without any gift tax. For 2022, the amount is $16,000 per recipient.…
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2 estate planning options for families with disabled loved ones
If you have a family member who’s disabled, financial and estate planning can be tricky. You don’t want to jeopardize his or her eligibility for means-tested government benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). A special needs trust (SNT) is one option to consider. Another is to open a Section 529A account, also…
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Does your family business’s succession plan include estate planning strategies?
Family-owned businesses face distinctive challenges when it comes to succession planning. For example, it’s important to address the distinction between ownership succession and management succession. When a nonfamily business is sold to a third party, ownership and management succession typically happen simultaneously. However, in the context of a family business, there may be reasons to…
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Formalizing your business’s BYOD policy
When the pandemic hit about two and a half years ago, thousands of employees suddenly found themselves working from home. In many cases, this meant turning to personal devices to access their work email, handle documents and perform other tasks. Even before COVID, more and more businesses were allowing employees to use their own phones,…
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Does your family business’s succession plan include estate planning strategies?
Family-owned businesses face distinctive challenges when it comes to succession planning. For example, it’s important to address the distinction between ownership succession and management succession. When a nonfamily business is sold to a third party, ownership and management succession typically happen simultaneously. However, in the context of a family business, there may be reasons to…
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Choosing a retirement plan for your small business
Most growing small businesses reach a point where the owner looks around at the leadership team and says, “It’s time. We need to offer employees a retirement plan.” Often, this happens when the company is financially stable enough to administer a retirement plan and make substantive contributions. Other times it occurs when the business grows weary…
