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Trust in a trust to keep assets secure
Whether the economic climate is stable or volatile, one thing never changes: the need to protect your assets from risk. Hazards may occur as a result of factors entirely outside of your control, such as the stock market or the economy. It’s even possible that dangers lie closer to home, including the behavior of your…
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Life insurance still plays an important role in estate planning
Because the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount currently is $12.06 million, fewer people need life insurance to provide their families with the liquidity to pay estate taxes. But life insurance can still play an important part in your estate plan, particularly in conjunction with charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) and other charitable giving strategies.…
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Drafting your estate plan isn’t a do-it-yourself project
There’s no shortage of online do-it-yourself (DIY) tools that promise to help you create an “estate plan.” But while these tools can generate wills, trusts and other documents relatively cheaply, they can be risky except in the simplest cases. If your estate is modest in size, your assets are in your name alone, and you…
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The FLSA asks your nonprofit to accurately classify staffers
Are your not-for-profit’s staffers employees or independent contractors? It’s an important question because under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), misclassifying workers can lead to penalties and other costs. If you haven’t reviewed your staffers’ status since the start of the pandemic, now may be a good time — particularly if you’ve recently experienced staff…
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Shine a light on sales prospects to brighten the days ahead
When it comes to sales, most businesses labor under two major mandates: 1) Keep selling to existing customers, and 2) Find new ones. To accomplish the former, your sales staff probably gets some help from the marketing and customer service departments. Succeeding at the latter may be more difficult. Yet perhaps the most discernible way a sales…
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M&A on the way? Consider a QOE report
Whether you’re considering selling your business or acquiring another one, due diligence is a must. In many mergers and acquisitions (M&A), prospective buyers obtain a quality of earnings (QOE) report to evaluate the accuracy and sustainability of the seller’s reported earnings. Sometimes sellers get their own QOE reports to spot potential problems that might derail…
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Keep your religious congregation on the financial straight and narrow
Religious congregations usually enjoy greater protection from federal government oversight than other not-for-profit organizations. For example, the IRS can’t conduct a “church tax inquiry” unless a high-level Treasury Department official has written evidence that a religious organization has violated tax-exempt rules. However, you’d do your faith group a great disservice it you failed to observe IRS…
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Manageable growth should be a strategic planning focus
When a company’s leadership engages in strategic planning, growing the business is typically at the top of the agenda. This is as it should be — ambition is part and parcel of being a successful business owner. What’s more, in many industries, failing to grow could leave the company at the mercy of competitors. However,…
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Clean Vehicle Credit comes with caveats
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes a wide range of tax incentives aimed at combating the dire effects of climate change. One of the provisions receiving considerable attention from consumers is the expansion of the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC Section 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit. While the expanded credit seems…
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SEC Chair Gensler warns about conflicts of interest
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler spoke during a recent webcast to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Gensler recommended that the SEC take a “fresh look” at its rules on the issue of auditor conflicts of interest. He also asked the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to add auditor…
