A minor tax tweak in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ may have nonprofits rethinking how they fundraise, operate, and define their value. While headlines spotlight corporate cuts and individual brackets, the nonprofit sector may face ripple effects that will force schools and charities to reevaluate their revenue streams and fundraising strategies.

The proposed legislation addresses three critical areas: education funding systems, charitable tax deductions, and compliance requirements for tax-exempt organizations.

Who will be the winners — or losers — when these tax changes become law? Some nonprofits will likely see funding boosts through new tax credits, while others may suffer reduced corporate donations and higher compliance costs.

Here’s a summary of the most relevant provisions impacting the nonprofit and charitable sectors and our read on how they may play out:

Education and Scholarship Programs

Tax Credit for Contributions to Scholarship Organizations

The bill offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to individuals who donate to eligible Scholarship Organizations. The credit is limited to the greater of 10% of the donor’s adjusted gross income (AGI) or $5,000. To qualify, these organizations must be registered 501(c)(3)s and meet strict regulatory standards.

Winners: Individual donors will benefit from a direct dollar-for-dollar reduction in their tax bill for every dollar they donate, up to the prescribed credit limit. At the same time, education nonprofits that qualify as Scholarship Organizations will benefit from increased donations.

Losers: Non-education nonprofits may lose out if stiffer competition evolves and more giving shifts toward tax-advantaged educational causes.

Expansion of 529 College Savings Account

The bill expands the use of 529 savings plans beyond college expenses to include K–12 education costs, such as private and religious school tuition. It also allows funds to be used for certain credentialing and professional certification programs.

Like an IRA, a 529 plan grows tax-free, so by the time account holders need to use it for education expenses, the funds have had time to grow—and withdrawals remain tax-free when used for qualified purposes.

This change means 529 plans are no longer limited to just college expenses—they now offer broader support for educational and career development at multiple stages.

Winners: Private and religious schools may benefit indirectly as schools become more accessible to families through the expanded use of 529 accounts, which can now be applied to K–12 tuition.

Losers: Public schools may bear some negative effects as private alternatives become more financially attractive and students and support are drawn away from the public system. Colleges may also lose out, as families redirect their 529 savings toward K–12 education or certification programs instead of traditional higher education degrees.

Individual Charitable Deductions

Charitable Deduction for Non-Itemizers

For a limited period—between 2025 and 2029—taxpayers who do not itemize deductions will be able to claim a modest charitable deduction ($150 for individuals and $300 for joint filers).

Winners include charities, which will enjoy a broader donor base, and smaller nonprofits that rely on modest individual donations, as they too may see a boost in contributions.

Losers: The temporary nature of the deduction may create uncertainty and affect organizations’ long-term fundraising strategies. Additionally, charities could potentially see donations drop off after 2029, when the deduction expires.

Overall, because the amounts are very modest, we don’t believe this provision will have a significant impact.

New Compliance Requirements for Nonprofits

Changes to Unrelated Business Taxable Income (UBTI) Rules:

Qualified Transportation and Parking Fringe Benefits and Name and Likeness Royalties Now Subject to UBTI

Unrelated Business Taxable Income, or UBTI, is income derived from non-exempt organization activities. For example, the income a nonprofit hospital derives from a gift shop it operates for the public would be UBTI. The proceeds it earns from its shop are derived from a commercial activity not substantially related to its charitable purpose and is taxable.

Under the new provisions, certain payments made by non-religious nonprofits for qualified transportation and parking fringe benefits will now be taxable as UBTI.

Also, starting in 2026, Royalties Derived from Publicity Rights (monies that nonprofits earn when others use their name, image, or reputation) will no longer qualify for the traditional UBTI royalty exception and will be taxable as UBTI.

Losers: Universities, media organizations, and branded nonprofits that rely on name and likeness royalties, will be taxed on this income—potentially reducing their net revenue. To learn more about UBTI, see our article here.

Nonprofits that don’t earn income from name and likeness royalties will see no impact.

Corporate Charitable Giving Changes

New Floor for Corporate Charitable Deductions

Corporations can currently deduct charitable contributions of up to 10% of their taxable income. Under the proposed bill, companies that give less than 1% of their taxable income in a year would lose access to the charitable deduction entirely.

Winners: Nonprofits with strong corporate partnerships will benefit from this provision, as companies may increase donations to meet the 1% threshold, and larger charities, which are more likely to receive increased corporate giving as businesses increase their giving to reach the threshold.

Losers: Corporations that give less than 1% in donations will miss out on their deduction for the year, though they are allowed to carry the donation forward to the next year when they do meet the minimum threshold.

Overall Impact

Bottom Line for Nonprofits

We don’t expect the provisions of Trump’s new “Big Beautiful Bill” to impose a significant tax burden on nonprofits. New donor incentives—like the scholarship credit and corporate deduction floor—could boost fundraising, but the added tax burdens relating to fringe benefits and royalty proceeds could reduce revenues. Educational organizations will benefit from the scholarship tax credit provision as a new source of funds.

For our clients and community, the expansion of the 529 College Savings Account is the legislation’s biggest win, enabling families and breadwinners to set aside tax-free funds for schooling for a broader range of students.

As always, nonprofits should be aware and informed of their exposures and vulnerabilities and stay adaptable as tax laws continue to shift and evolve.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied upon for legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.

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Best Hiring Practices for Accountants: What Firms Should Look for in a New Hire

After years of hiring for both my own team and others, trial and error has taught me that resumes are not the best barometer of a candidate’s potential success. I’ve watched this problem worsen as more accounting firms turn to AI for initial candidate screening. The fundamental issue is that resumes focus heavily on technical skills, which tells only part of the story.

The Skills That Matter Most Can’t Be Taught

Many skills that candidates highlight on their resumes can be taught, which can be categorized as technical or hard skills. Every industry has its core technical requirements.

For accountants, technical requirements typically include GAAP knowledge, financial statement preparation, tax compliance, audit procedures, Excel proficiency, and familiarity with accounting software like QuickBooks, SAP, or Oracle. CPA certification, experience with SOX compliance, and knowledge of industry-specific regulations (such as FASB standards) are equally valuable.

While this knowledge is an essential baseline requirement in most accounting firms, most motivated accounting professionals can develop and expand these technical competencies through training and experience. The key question every hiring manager should consider is, which of these skills does the candidate already possess, and if not, how quickly and effectively can they learn it?

Between the Lines

Technical skills are essential, but for long-term success, soft skills are equally critical. Traits such as patience, confidence, empathy, resilience, and emotional intelligence rarely show up on a résumé.

In accounting roles, these soft skills translate as the patience to work through complex reconciliations, the confidence to question discrepancies and communicate findings to senior management, the ability to work effectively with difficult clients, and the resilience to maintain accuracy despite deadlines. Emotional intelligence is particularly valuable when accountants have unfavorable financial news to convey or sensitive audit findings to share.

Personality assessments have their place in the hiring process, but they should support—not replace—personal interactions. And it is obvious that evaluating a potential candidate’s soft skills does not eliminate the need to verify their technical abilities. The most effective hiring process gives equal weight to both.

Poor hiring decisions are rarely the result of deficiencies in skill. Most often, tension is created within teams or organizations due to interpersonal challenges, such as lack of teamwork, commitment, or empathy. Problematic relationships create far more disruption than gaps in expertise or technical knowledge.

So how can we discover and assess a candidate’s interpersonal abilities and character? Discuss specific situations candidates might encounter to gauge how they would handle real-world workplace situations. “How would you approach a situation where you discover a significant error in last quarter’s financial statements that have already been filed?” or “Describe how you would respond to pressure from a supervisor to make an aggressive accounting estimate that makes you uncomfortable?” These questions reveal both technical understanding and ethical judgment.

When Technical Skills Aren’t Enough

The collapse of Arthur Andersen in 2002 is a powerful reminder that character and ethical judgment are as important as technical expertise. At its peak, Arthur Andersen was one of the “Big Five” accounting firms, employing over 85,000 people in more than eighty countries, and generating revenues exceeding $9 billion annually. Its collapse after the Enron scandal, which employed fraudulent accounting practices to hide debt and inflate profits, became one of the most infamous corporate downfalls in history. Many of the accountants involved in the Enron scandal were highly skilled—they understood complex accounting rules and held strong credentials. But the firm’s culture prioritized revenue above ethics, and too few employees had the moral courage to push back.

The takeaway for today’s accounting firms is clear: hiring based only on technical skills—without evaluating ethical judgment, integrity, and courage—can lead to profound consequences. A staff accountant who flags suspicious entries or potential compliance issues is far more valuable than a technically skilled candidate who follows instructions without question.

Transforming Your Hiring Today

To improve your hiring outcomes, consider implementing these strategies:

Treat resumes as conversation starters rather than decision-making tools

Schedule longer interviews steered towards meaningful dialogue

Create scenarios that reveal how candidates manage real workplace situations.

While assessing technical capabilities, trust your instincts when it comes to overall social and cultural compatibility.

The accounting profession demands technical precision, strong ethical standards, and strong interpersonal skills. Balancing these factors in the hiring process enables a company to build teams that not only perform well operationally but also uphold the integrity that defines the accounting profession and the firm’s culture.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide or be relied upon for legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.

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The following narrative is based on conversations with Roth&Co clients and colleagues. Names and identifying details have been changed to maintain confidentiality.

On a Monday morning in early March, the loading docks at Lumina Electronics’ sprawling Ohio warehouse are quieter than usual. Pallets of smartphone components sit deliberately motionless. “We’re rethinking every box that comes in,” says CFO Maria Ortiz, gazing at rows of unopened crates. Just the week before, Lumina had been paying a 10% duty on circuit boards from Vietnam; now, with the administration’s tariff hikes and the removal of longstanding exemptions, that duty had ballooned to 25%. “Our margins are getting squeezed from every angle,” she explained. “We’re being forced to rearrange our entire supply chain.”

The Tariff Shock and the Vanishing De Minimis Exemption

In 2017, the Trump administration raised tariffs on hundreds of imported goods entering the United States. But the administration’s more recent elimination of key exemptions was a bigger blow—especially the “de minimis” rule, which had allowed duty-free entry for packages under $800. That provision quietly supported billions in small-package shipments and was vital to the cost structure of many mid-sized and large e-commerce sellers. After the rollback, those same shipments were hit with import duties of 10–25%, depending on their country of origin.

“You wake up one day and discover your cost of goods sold has jumped by 15% overnight,” said Ortiz. Companies across many sectors—consumer electronics, apparel, automotive parts—are scrambling to mitigate this new cost.

Many companies have responded directly by shifting manufacturing away from high-tariff regions. Products made in China, for instance, are often charged a 25% tariff under the latest Section 301 actions. But if those same products are made in Vietnam, the duty drops to around 10%. This shift may appear straightforward in theory, but transitioning away from established, trusted suppliers and identifying alternative sources that align with a business’s pricing, quality standards, and minimum order requirements is often complex and challenging.

The Transfer-Pricing Maneuver: A Tax and Tariff Tightrope

While some companies pursue alternative manufacturing sites, others are restructuring their global distribution networks, and using a revised transfer pricing model, to reduce their tariff costs.

When the U.S. imposed steep tariffs on imported apparel, Wexford Tailoring—a London-based maker of high-end men’s suits—found itself in a financial bind. “We were staring at a 20% tariff that would wipe out our U.S. profit margins,” said Jonathan Davies, the company’s CFO. “Shifting production wasn’t realistic in the short term, so we needed a smarter solution.”

Instead of moving factories, Wexford established a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary. By shifting key distribution and marketing functions to the new American entity—and adjusting intercompany pricing accordingly—Wexford was able to allocate more profit to the U.S. arm and lower the customs value of its imports.

“It wasn’t about dodging rules; it was about making sure our profits matched where real business activity was happening,” Davies explained. Wexford’s transfer pricing strategy helped it reduce its tariff exposure while keeping its supply chain intact.

Wexford’s case is a case study of transfer pricing done right. They weren’t artificially shifting profits to the U.S. just to lower tariffs—they were restructuring their business, so the U.S. arm was doing more, and then pricing intercompany transactions to reflect that reality. This approach is both strategic and compliant with international tax and trade rules.

“It wasn’t easy—we had to invest heavily in legal, tax, and compliance work to get the transfer pricing right,” Davies said. “But for us, it was worth it. We protected our U.S. market, stayed compliant, and built a structure that’s more resilient for the future.

The Numbers at Work

Here’s a simplified illustration of the mathematics of transfer pricing:

PowerCore Manufacturing is a Chinese company that exports portable generators. Originally, PowerCore sold its generators directly to U.S. retailers at $200 per unit, and with a 10% tariff, it paid $20 in duties per unit. But when tariffs rose to 25%, the duty per unit jumped to $50, seriously eating into their profit margins.

To adapt, PowerCore set up a U.S. subsidiary called PowerCore USA, and restructured its pricing strategy. Instead of selling directly to retailers, PowerCore Manufacturing now sells the generators to its U.S. subsidiary at a transfer price of $80 per unit—well below the $200 final sale price.

U.S. customs applies the 25% duty on the $80 transfer price, resulting in only $20 in duties per unit.

PowerCore USA then sells the generators to retailers at the usual $200, completing the transaction. This shift effectively saves $30 in tariffs per unit ($50 original duty minus $20 new duty). Across 50,000 units per quarter, that translates to $1.5 million in savings every three months.

Bifurcating Costs Adjusts Real Value

Some companies that already use a U.S. subsidiary for distribution are reevaluating their transfer pricing arrangements to determine whether those structures truly reflect the arm’s length nature of their transactions. In many cases, they’re analyzing whether multiple distinct activities—such as services, support, or intangible contributions—have been bundled into a single transfer price that only reflects the cost of the tangible goods being imported.

Many discover that some of what they were treating as product cost actually represents support services and other related operations. These service-related costs are embedded in the overall transfer price and can be separated from the tangible goods cost for proper tariff and tax treatment.

Bifurcating costs involves disaggregating the total cost into its component parts: the cost of the physical product and the cost of associated services. Since service fees aren’t subject to tariffs, this separation can yield significant savings.

Let’s revisit our fictitious exporter, PowerCore, which sells a product originally valued at $200 per unit. We’ll revise the script and say that they conducted a comprehensive transfer pricing analysis to properly valuate their product costs. The analysis revealed that, based on arm’s length standards, the actual cost of the product should be $80. The remaining $120 can more accurately characterized as management and service fees attributed to product support.

By implementing proper transfer pricing rates—and bifurcating their costs— the company legitimately brings down the value of their product and gains significant tariff savings. This restructuring does not require any changes to the company’s organizational structure or product distribution.

Both Customs and the IRS can and likely will question declared values and transfer pricing rates used to compute income tax. Therefore, the values used for these purposes should be supported by transfer pricing documentation. In the absence of a documented valid analysis, both Customs and the IRS can reassess the values, resulting in potentially higher tariffs and/or income tax.

A Range of Reactions

Some importers are chasing new manufacturing sources and seeking to diversify their suppliers, some have turned to transfer pricing, and others have tried a hybrid approach. They split their procurement into two separate tracks where some manufacturing is relocated to low-tariff countries while other products are imported at a lower value due to restructuring or re-evaluating the true transaction for transfer pricing purposes.

This layered strategy highlights the complexity of today’s global supply chains and the need for thoughtful planning that considers both business operations and financial impacts in a shifting trade landscape.

Riding the Regulatory Roller Coaster

Since 2017, tariffs have inadvertently transformed businesses into trade experts, forcing them to master complex rules and overhaul supply chains. Companies have consolidated suppliers, reworked logistics, and built advanced transfer-pricing strategies that seemed impossible only a short time ago.

This complexity brings audit risks and operational strain, but it also opens the door to more resilient business models. Many executives now see tariffs not as a challenge, but as strategic tools that strengthen their competitive position. Those who adapt are now treating trade policy as a central part of their sourcing strategy rather than a passing obstacle.

“What started as a crisis forced us to completely rethink our business model,” says Wexford’s Jonathan Davies. “We’ve built something that goes beyond just tariff protection—we’re smarter, more agile, and honestly, more competitive today than we were a year ago.”

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When Your Brand IS You: The Double-Edged Sword of Personal Empire Building

There’s something undeniably compelling about entrepreneurs who build entire empires around their own personas. The outcomes tend to be spectacular—or precarious. Trump’s gold-plated towers scream his name, Elon’s late-night tweets whiplash Tesla’s valuation, and Bezos turned retail domination into rocket fuel for his space dreams. These leaders didn’t simply build companies; they crafted business systems where corporate strategy and personal identity became irreversibly fused. Every major decision reflects market analysis, filtered through their individual vision and unique brand of chaos.

What are the implications when multi-billion-dollar enterprises become extensions of a single personality? And more critically, what happens to shareholder value and market stability when that personality becomes a liability?

The Personality Premium—And Its Volatile Price

Building a business around your personality creates a unique form of market currency—one that trades not just on quarterly earnings but on your morning mood, your political opinions, and your midnight social media confessions.

Take Elon Musk as the perfect example. Tesla’s stock doesn’t just respond to production numbers; it dances to Elon Musk’s social media theatrics, swinging billions in market cap based on his latest cryptocurrency endorsement or SEC confrontation.

When Musk announced his Twitter acquisition, Tesla shareholders watched their investments hemorrhage value as markets questioned whether their CEO was losing focus on electric vehicles to chase social media fantasies.

The personality premium works both ways. Steve Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997 didn’t just bring back a CEO—it resurrected a brand identity that had been dying a slow death. His keynote presentations became cultural events, his design philosophy became the corporate bible, and his personal brand of perfectionist innovation became Apple’s competitive edge.

But this intimate relationship between founder and company creates a dependency that traditional businesses don’t face. When your brand promise is essentially “trust me,” every personal misstep becomes a potential business calamity.

This vulnerability becomes even more pronounced when personal controversies explode into public view. Trump’s empire provides a case study in this dual-edged reality. Back in the day, when his political controversies dominated headlines, the business consequences were swift and brutal: banks distanced themselves, partnerships dissolved overnight, and the Trump brand—once the gold standard of luxury and success—became toxic in certain markets.

His golf courses lost members, his hotels saw boycotts, and major retailers pulled Trump-branded merchandise from their shelves. Yet simultaneously, his political rise energized a completely different customer base. A dual market was born where his brand became simultaneously more or less valuable depending on your zip code and voting record.

This is the ultimate expression of what economists call “reputation risk concentration”—where your entire business empire rises and falls not on earnings or market conditions, but on the daily whims and public perception of one unpredictable human being.

The Art of Strategic Separation

The smartest founders recognize the warning signs: when your personal drama starts dominating business headlines, or when your presence becomes a bigger story than your company’s actual work. The most successful separations happen gradually and strategically.

Jeff Bezos understood this calculation perfectly. He didn’t just quit Amazon one day—he spent years building operational systems, developing other leaders, and transitioning from day-to-day management to strategic oversight before finally stepping down as CEO. He maintained his connection to the company’s vision while freeing it from the constraints of his personal bandwidth and the risks of his other ventures. The transition preserved his founder premium while reducing the company’s dependency on his personal brand.

Smart founders also recognize that separation doesn’t mean disappearance. They evolve from being the brand to being the brand’s creator—a subtle but crucial distinction.

Consider how Walt Disney’s empire met this challenge. His death didn’t destroy Disney because he had already institutionalized his creative vision into processes, principles, and people who could carry forward his legacy. The brand became bigger than the man because the man was wise enough to prepare it to grow without him.

The Final Reckoning

In the end, every founder who builds a company around their own personality must answer the same fundamental question: Is their company a shrine to themselves or a machine that can outlast them?

The patterns we’ve seen—from Musk’s market-moving tweets to Trump’s brand polarization, from Jobs’ resurrection of Apple to Bezos’ strategic transition—all point to the same truth.

The greatest entrepreneurs understand that real empire building isn’t about creating a cult of personality. It’s about creating something so valuable, so systematically sound, and so culturally embedded that it can survive the human frailties of its creator.

Because in the cold math of business, even the most magnetic personality is ultimately just another asset to be managed, leveraged, or—if necessary—divested. The question isn’t whether a branded mogul will eventually need to step back from his brand. The question is whether he’ll be wise enough to do it before his brand steps back from him.

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In a bold legislative move fulfilling one of his core campaign promises, President Trump has unveiled his ambitious “One Big Beautiful Bill” — a sweeping piece of legislation packed with tax cuts, credits, deduction adjustments, and policy extensions. Despite Republican leadership’s determined efforts to advance the bill through Congress, it is encountering substantial opposition from Democrats and even some resistance from within Republican conservative ranks. Nevertheless, we expect that a significant portion of the bill will ultimately become law and will have a substantial impact on our tax landscape.

The proposed legislation’s remarkably broad scope addresses an eclectic range of groups, including taxpayers, businesses, immigrants, seniors, students, and aliens in both rural and urban America. Its provisions touch on fuel and energy, schools and foundations, healthcare, childcare, Medicare, and Social Security. Additional areas covered include artificial intelligence, adoptees, tribal governments, and national security concerns.

We’ve reviewed the bill, and here are our highlights: the key points that matter most to us and our clients.

Make American Families and Workers Thrive Again

The bill includes an increase to the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction from the current 20% to 23%. This change to the QBI deduction will be significant and will provide more favorable tax treatment for pass-through businesses.

Itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers would be capped at a 35% marginal tax rate for taxpayers in the top income bracket.

Make America Win Again

The new bill proposes a substantial increase to the estate and gift tax exemption to $15 million per individual, starting in 2026. The doubling of the exemption amount will significantly reduce the number of estates subject to federal estate taxes and will allow more wealth to be passed on to heirs without incurring steep tax liabilities.

Make Rural America and Main Street Grow Again

The bill reinstates immediate expensing for domestic R&D costs (2024–2029), including software development. Foreign R&D costs require 15-year amortization. Companies can choose 60-month amortization, benefiting U.S. firms but impacting multinational strategies.

The proposed tax bill extends 100% bonus depreciation for qualified property acquired after January 19, 2025, and placed in service before January 1, 2030. This will allow a full-cost deduction in the year of purchase.

Additional Tax Relief for American Families and Workers

The bill introduces a tax credit capped at 10% of a taxpayer’s income for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations, effectively enabling taxpayers to allocate a portion of their Federal tax liability toward K-12 education costs, including private schools, religious institutions, homeschooling, and public school expenses.

A proposed extension of Opportunity Zone (OZ) Provisions through 2033. The extension aims to reinstate step-up in basis benefits for long-term investments and implement stronger reporting requirements to enhance transparency.

Other notable provisions of the proposed bill include:

Tax Rates & Credits

Reduced Tax Rates - Caps maximum at 37%.

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) - Extends higher thresholds and exemptions permanently.

Child Tax Credit - Increases to $2,500 per child from 2025 through 2028, then reverts to $2,000.

Green Energy - changes and limitations to several green energy-related tax credits.

Deductions

Standard Deduction - Permanently increases after 2025 personal exemptions repeal.

Eliminated Deductions - Ends miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Tip Income - Adds special deduction for tip earnings if the gross receipts from the business exceed the cost of goods sold and other deductible expenses.

“Pease Limits” - Repeals these limits while capping itemized deductions at 35% for the highest bracket.

SALT Deduction – Increases to $40,000 cap for individuals earning up to $500,000, with a phase-out for higher incomes.

Property & Interest

Car Loan Interest - Creates above-line deduction (2025-2028) capped at $10,000 per taxable year.

Mortgage Interest - Limits deduction to first $750,000 of acquisition debt.

Casualty Losses - Restricts losses to federally declared disaster areas only.

Business & Reporting

Bonus Depreciation - Raises thresholds to $2.5M/$4M in 2025 with inflation adjustments.

1099 Reporting - Raises minimum threshold to $2,000.

As the new legislation moves through Congress, individuals and businesses should consult with their financial advisors to assess how its potential changes may impact their specific circumstances. Although the bill includes many promising provisions, the timeline and details of their implementation remain uncertain. Maximizing the potential benefits of the bill while managing associated risks will require skill and adaptability, no matter if, when, and in what form the legislation ultimately passes.

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Written by Shulem Rosenbaum and the Roth&Co Editorial Team

Late in the afternoon at an unassuming facility in Nevada, Neal Friedman scans a new batch of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) slated for sterile compounding. As Chief Operating Officer at Indigo Health Innovations, a 503B outsourcing facility, he’s part of a small but critical segment of the U.S. pharmaceutical world — one responsible for supplying customized meds that big manufacturers often overlook.

The pallets before him have been steadily rising in price. “API prices from India and China have increased with the new tariffs,” Friedman says, “and we can’t just swap in a new supplier. Our entire production line would need fresh FDA validation. That’s a process measured in months, if not a year.”

It’s an exasperating logistical maze, but Friedman also sees a silver lining. “Yes, tariffs raise costs in the short run,” he concedes, “but if it actually brings more manufacturing stateside, that’s good for everybody. This is national security. Look at what happened during COVID — one disruption overseas, and we were scrounging for basic IV solutions.”

The President agrees. A May 5, 2025, Fact Sheet issued by the White House quotes President Trump’s pithy assessment of America’s global position in the pharmaceutical space. “We don’t want to be buying our pharmaceuticals from other countries because if we’re in a war, we’re in a problem, we want to be able to make our own.”

Tariffs Bite, But Push for Domestic Supply Gains Momentum

Friedman’s story is one of many playing out nationwide as compounding pharmacies grapple with new U.S. trade policies. In early 2025, President Donald Trump announced his intentions to impose sweeping tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to pressure drugmakers into moving production stateside. That threat quickly got the attention of Big Pharma. By March, Merck had opened a $1 billion vaccine plant in North Carolina. Eli Lilly announced plans to invest at least $27 billion to build four new U.S. manufacturing plants, and Pfizer said it might shift overseas production into its American factories. Merck committed to spending $8 billion domestically by 2028.

For compounders on the ground, these investments offer a glimmer of future relief. Over 80% of APIs used in U.S. drugs currently come from facilities in China and India, a reliance that leaves compounders vulnerable. “We’ve been uncomfortably dependent on overseas suppliers for years – COVID-19 made that clear,” Friedman says. Industry groups like the American Hospital Association have warned that blanket tariffs could inadvertently “jeopardize the availability of vital medications” if not carefully calibrated.

Friedman acknowledges the short-term pain: “When shipping and ingredient costs spike, we can’t immediately pass that on to patients or hospitals.” Long-term, though, he sees potential gain. The tariff-induced urgency is reinforcing calls to diversify and domesticate the drug supply chain. In Congressional hearings on chronic drug shortages this year, hospital leaders urged lawmakers to “identify essential drugs needing more domestic manufacturing capacity.”

For compounders like Indigo Health, such moves could be game changers. “If Pfizer starts making key ingredients here, we’d gladly buy American,” Friedman says. The caveat: it will take time for those new facilities to come online. In the interim, outsourcing facilities must navigate a tightrope, balancing higher import costs against fixed healthcare reimbursement rates.

A Regulatory Labyrinth — and Hopes for Reform in Washington

On a busy morning in Queens, New York, Samantha Koegel fields phone calls at ARX Specialty Pharmacy, a 503A facility she helps run as COO. ARX serves patients, compounding everything from custom hormone therapies to preservative-free topicals.

Koegel has witnessed regulations steadily mounting barriers for compounders. “Every time we turn around, there’s a new requirement,” she sighs. A prime example: The FDA recently ended its “interim” category for new bulk substances, preventing 503A pharmacies from using ingredients not yet formally approved. “If a patient needs something not on the FDA’s shortlist, our hands are tied for years.”

Now, however, she sees opportunity. With Trump’s administration prioritizing deregulation and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leading HHS, Koegel feels unexpectedly optimistic. “I never thought I’d be cheering for an FDA shake-up like this,” she laughs. Her optimism is well-founded. Only days after our conversation, President Trump signed an Executive Order to reduce approval times for U.S. drug manufacturing plants by cutting “duplicative and unnecessary” requirements, streamlining reviews, and providing early support to manufacturers.

“Imagine if the FDA worked with us to fill drug gaps instead of boxing us out,” Koegel says, pointing to the current record of 323 active shortages. She recalls how, during COVID-19, the FDA temporarily allowed compounders to supply critical medications to hospitals. “Why not create an Emergency Authorization pathway for compounded drugs during shortages? With faster approvals or equipment funding, we could triple our output – that’s huge for supply resilience.”

The PBM Squeeze: Long-Term Care’s Unseen Cost Crisis

Even as tariffs and regulations dominate headlines, many pharmacists insist another force has a bigger impact: pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs — the powerful middlemen who negotiate drug prices and reimbursements. “To be blunt, PBMs are the primary cost drivers in our world, not tariffs,” says John Maguire (a pseudonym), CEO of a large LTC pharmacy in the Midwest who requested anonymity.

Maguire’s critique comes down to basic math. An average long-term care pharmacy spends over $15 in labor and specialized packaging per prescription, but Medicare Part D plans — managed by PBMs — often pay only very low dispensing fees. “We lose money on most generics we dispense because the PBMs price generics too low,” he notes. According to the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition, the Part D payment model is “broken,” forcing LTC pharmacies to fill prescriptions below cost while allowing PBMs to reap profits.

From his vantage point, tariffs on foreign APIs are a minor factor. The larger problem, Maguire argues, is that a handful of PBMs dominate the market, dictating terms to manufacturers, pharmacies, and payers alike. A recent Federal Trade Commission report highlighted that the six largest PBMs control nearly 95% of all U.S. prescriptions. “That’s basically oligopoly power,” Maguire says. “They decide how much we get paid for a medication, and we have zero say.”

Maguire welcomes Washington’s increasing scrutiny of PBMs, with lawmakers targeting practices like spread pricing and hidden rebate schemes. “It’s heartening to see Congress and the FTC finally shine a light on this,” he says, ranking PBM reform above even tariff relief in importance.

Despite his PBM concerns, Maguire finds hope elsewhere. “I’ll give credit where it’s due — companies like Lilly, Pfizer, and Merck pumping billions into U.S. facilities is a smart move,” he says. He believes domestic production will reduce supply disruptions that lead to price spikes. “When Big Pharma actually does something right — like bringing manufacturing back home — it deserves praise. But we need a system that passes those benefits along.”

Toward a Resilient Future

As America’s compounding pharmacies navigate these converging pressures, three solutions emerge from industry leaders: domestic manufacturing incentives to strengthen supply chains, streamlined regulatory frameworks that maintain safety while enabling swift responses to shortages, and meaningful PBM reforms to ensure sustainable economics.

The cautious optimism of these professionals stems from seeing their concerns finally acknowledged at the highest levels. With a president pushing for American pharmaceutical production, an HHS secretary challenging industry influence, and a Congress attentive to both patient costs and pharmacy viability, the pieces for meaningful reform appear to be aligning.

The narrative of America’s compounders in 2025 is one of friction yielding to hope. As Samantha Koegel aptly puts it: “The system is finally acknowledging what’s broken. Now we have a chance to fix it — to create a pharmacy supply chain that’s more local, a regulatory system that’s more agile, and a market that’s actually fair.” The road ahead remains uncertain, with tariffs, regulatory promises, and PBM oversight hanging in the balance. Yet for the first time in years, these specialized pharmacies can envision a path forward — one where resilience and innovation outweigh the longstanding burdens of foreign dependence, regulatory rigidity, and middleman economics.

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For years, economic theories have lingered safely in the pages of textbooks and the echo chambers of academia. Some are brilliant, others half-baked, and many haven’t faced the reality of real-world implementation. That’s changing. And in some sectors, fast.

Take Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), for instance. It argued that governments that issue their own currency could spend freely to stimulate the economy without triggering inflation. In 2020, that theory got its trial by fire. Massive pandemic-era spending flooded the economy with cash. What followed wasn’t the utopia MMT proponents promised—it was inflation. Relentless, persistent inflation. By 2022, inflation had spiked to 40-year highs, real wages were squeezed, and central banks scrambled to slam the brakes. MMT? It disappeared from serious policy discourse almost overnight.

Now, another textbook idea is stepping into the ring: tariffs.

Standard economic theory asserts that tariffs on imported goods raise prices for consumers, slow growth, and hurt international trade— a classic inefficient and inflationary policy. However, proponents of tariffs point to other factors at play when tariffs are applied to imported goods. For example, higher prices can be deflationary because less money would be left over to buy other goods and services, resulting in less demand. As the old saying goes, “The remedy for higher prices is higher prices.” On the other hand, tariffs can encourage onshore manufacturing and result in more U.S. jobs and lower unemployment, which is inflationary. And so, the debate goes round and round.

Recently, in his April 2nd speech in honor of Liberation Day, President Trump levied sweeping tariffs on friend and foe countries.

The rationale? Tariffs would protect U.S. industry, create domestic jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, particularly in strategic sectors like semiconductors and medicine.

Will this cause inflation, as many economists predict? That’s yet unknown. The stock market has definitely taken it personally, reacting with a ~19% correction in the U.S. large-cap S&P 500 at its lowest point.

Early signs point to significant disruptions in trade activity. The most recent GDP report released on April 30th showed that imports surged by 41.3%, led by a 50.9% increase in goods. This spike was largely attributed to importers rushing to bring in goods ahead of the newly announced tariffs — essentially front-running the policy shift.

At the same time, we’re hearing increasing reports that many importers have since canceled upcoming orders, hoping that the tariffs will eventually be reduced and aiming, in the interim, to avoid the added costs.

While these developments caused immediate distortions in trade flows, the long-term impact remains to be seen. Much will depend on how businesses adapt and how tariff policies evolve in the coming months.

Meanwhile, broader economic ideas are also being tested in real time. Will government spending keep GDP buoyant, or will looming debt and deficit concerns start dragging down growth? Are proposed budget cuts a prudent move or a politically motivated gambit triggering economic fallout?

Some analysts even argue that Trump-aligned policymakers are intentionally trying to induce a mild recession, betting that it would force the Fed to cut rates and relieve pressure on government interest payments. That might sound clever in theory, but recessions don’t come with warning labels—and they don’t stay mild for long. Lower tax revenue, job losses, and confidence shock could make that strategy backfire badly.

This is no longer an academic exercise. The ideas scribbled on whiteboards in Economics 101 are being tested in real time, on real people, with real consequences. We’re no longer in the classroom. We’re in the lab, and the machines are set to high.

Let’s just hope someone’s watching the temperature.

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Tax-exempt and non-profit entities represent a significant source of capital in private equity investments. In November 2024, the NYS Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) committed nearly $3 billion to private equity investments and, as of June 2024, Yale allocated an estimated $18.6 billion of its $41.4 billion endowment to private equity and venture capital. Private equity investments can be beneficial for nonprofits, but they come with specific concerns and risks, one of which is that they can inadvertently generate Unrelated Business Taxable Income (UBTI).

A commonly used approach that often triggers UBTI exposure is the use of ‘management fee offset structures,’ a mechanism used to reduce investor fees. If not designed carefully, fee offset arrangements can result in substantial tax liabilities.

Despite this challenge, with strategic planning and precise structuring, fund managers can implement fee offset mechanisms and still mitigate the tax burden for their exempt investors.

UBTI in Private Equity

The IRS grants tax exemption to a variety of organizations, including charities and foundations, private pension funds, college and university endowments, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and state and municipal institutions. However, these organizations remain liable for taxes on UBTI.

UBTI is defined as any gross income derived by a tax-exempt entity “from an unrelated trade or business that it regularly carries on,” less the deductions directly connected with that trade or business. Essentially, it is income that does not align with an organization’s tax-exempt purpose. Only passive income, including dividends, interest, capital gains, and certain real property rents are excluded and generally not defined as UBTI.

A real-world example of UBTI would be a tax-exempt hospital that runs a gift shop open to the public. The income derived from sales would likely be considered UBTI because selling gifts is not related to patient healthcare. By contrast, if a university owns stock in a manufacturing company and earns dividends, that income is not UBTI. It is deemed passive investment income; it is not sourced from active income that is unrelated to the university’s mission. The proceeds would be exempt from taxes.

Private equity and UBTI risk factors

Several common private equity activities can create UBTI for non-profit organizations. These include using leverage to make investments, investing in operating businesses structured as partnerships or LLCs, and implementing certain fee offset arrangements.

UBTI offsets work by finding permissible deductions or losses that can be applied against this taxable income.

Private equity firms typically charge investors two main fees:

Monitoring fees are charged to portfolio companies for oversight.

Management fees are charged to investors for fund management.

To avoid “double-dipping,” many private equity firms offer management fee offsets. They reduce management fees charged to investors based on a percentage of the monitoring fees collected from portfolio companies. Fee offsets appear deceptively simple, but in fact, require careful structuring to avoid UBTI implications.

UBTI is largely determined by how income is characterized. If monitoring fees are recognized as compensation for services rendered and they flow back to tax-exempt investors through offsets, they might be reclassified as UBTI.

Structuring solutions

Tax-exempt investors are well advised to work with fund managers to structure offset arrangements that avoid UBTI implications. The following strategies can achieve this:

Ensure that offsets are characterized as adjustments to management fees rather than distributions of monitoring fee income.

Use “blocker” entities: specialized legal structures that shield problematic income and the tax-exempt organization to absorb monitoring fees before they reach tax-exempt investors.

Carefully word partnership agreements to clarify that tax-exempt investors are not participating in service businesses.

Use completely different fee structures, like reduced management fees, from the start of the business relationship.

The Bottom line

UBTI for tax-exempt organizations is generally taxed at the corporate income tax rate (presently 21%), so the stakes can be high. Based on our experience with a wide range of tax-exempt clients, we’ve learned that, with careful structuring, it is possible to avoid initiating UBTI.

A tiered partnership structure that clearly separates income streams offers an elegant and effective solution to UBTI challenges. When the management company receives monitoring fees directly and the fund applies corresponding reductions to its management fees, services and proceeds remain separate and defined. In this way, tax-exempt investors enjoy fee reductions without directly participating in or receiving income from service activities that would trigger tax liability.

Maintaining this crucial distinction between service income and investment activity allows nonprofits a dual benefit: participation in private equity investment and protection from tax exposure.

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“We’re making $3 billion a day.”

– President Trump, about his new tariffs plan.

The Trump administration would have you believe that the tariffs will be a massive moneymaker for the US government. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro claims that the U.S. will raise about $600 to $700 billion a year from tariffs, or $6-7 trillion over a decade. Add the proposed auto tariffs to that and he projects another $100 billion annually. Trump took an even stronger stance, claiming that tariffs have brought in $3 billion a day since he took office.

The administration may be relying on numbers issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency which, on April 8, stated that it has collected over $200 million per day in “additional associated revenue” from 13 of Trump’s tariff-related executive actions that have been recently implemented under the new administration. According to a Treasury Department daily financial statement, as of April 15, the U.S. had received more than $2.3 billion in customs duties and excise taxes for the month.

These aggressive numbers cited by the administration have elicited considerable skepticism among economists. Some believe the estimates are overly optimistic, while most call “optimistic” a generous overstatement and instead describe the numbers as completely nonsensical. Navarro’s math translates into a little over $1.6 billion a day, with Trump’s $3 billion claim almost double that.

What is the methodology behind these calculations? Scrutinizing these projections through the lens of financial accounting and valuation principles gives us some surprising answers – some of which clash with the administration’s confident narrative.

A deeper dive into revenue

Tariffs are a big part of an even bigger picture. The Unites States economy is a complicated ecosystem of global trade, and tariff wars can trigger complex ripple effects such as reduced trade, international retaliation, and supply chain disruptions – all of which will compound already existing volatility.

Let’s take all those factors and break them down to their most simplistic components, treating them like asset and liability line items on a balance sheet.

First, let’s define how to categorize potential revenue and cost.

Assets (Potential Revenue):

Direct tariff collection from imported goods

Potential growth in domestic manufacturing tax base

Possible increased employment tax revenue

Liabilities (Costs):

Retaliatory tariffs reducing export markets

Supply chain disruptions increasing costs for U.S. businesses

Consumer price inflation depressing spending

Decreased import volume reducing tariff collection

Valuation Analysis: What will the tariff policy really cost?

Valuation concepts are used in financial analysis and capital budgeting to estimate the worth and pricing of businesses, assets, investments, securities, and intellectual property. They can help determine what creates or damages value. We can use valuation frameworks to weigh the tangible costs of tariff policies, such as increased import prices and retaliatory tariffs, against any anticipated economic gains.

We can look at opportunity costs, long-term return on investment, and how risk-adjusted cash flows may shift as the policies evolve. Essentially, we are analyzing tariffs as we would a major capital expenditure and scrutinizing, not only what it costs today, but what might be tomorrow’s added value.

We can apply valuation concepts to assess the tariff policy’s effectiveness:

Return on Investment Analysis

If we consider a $10 trillion market capitalization loss triggered by tariff implementation as the “investment cost,” the financial metrics can be surprising:

Payback Period: At $600 billion in annual revenue, it would take over 16 years to recover a $10 trillion market loss.

Internal Rate of Return (IRR): If we treat the $10 trillion loss as an investment to generate $600 billion in annual returns, the implied IRR is around 6% – well below the risk-adjusted return threshold for most ventures.

Comparison to Market Averages: Historically, the S&P 500 has averaged about 8% annual returns since 1928. By this standard, the tariff policy’s return, at 6%, underperforms the broader market.

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF): Using an 8% discount rate (reflecting market opportunity cost) the calculation looks like this:

$10 trillion (market loss) – $7.4 trillion (DCF value) = $2.6 trillion (value loss)

Based on discounted future tariff revenues, the market “overpaid” by $2.6 trillion compared to what those cash flows are worth today. According to standard capital budgeting principles, the tariff policy would destroy economic value rather than create it.

If we strip away the political oratory, focus strictly on the numbers, and apply standard financial analysis techniques used to evaluate corporate investments, Trump’s tariff initiatives do not add up as a strong financial strategy. The revenues generated by tariffs could easily be offset by broader economic losses, especially when benchmarked against long-term market performance. President Trump, as a successful businessman, surely understands this. We can speculate that the goal of his tariff strategy is to negotiate better terms and lessen America’s dependence on foreign nations, but the market has yet to reflect those potential benefits.

That said, many supporters argue that the value of tariff policy can’t be expressed solely as a profit and loss statement. The strategic goals that Trump hopes to address—securing stronger trade agreements, reinforcing national security, and rebalancing global alliances—are outside the scope of traditional valuation calculations. These goals have intangible benefits that cannot be easily quantified. The benefits of Trump’s strident tariff policies may not be visible in short-term stock prices or economic indicators, but they could lead to stronger strategic positioning further down the road.

Ultimately, the combination of rhetoric and hard numbers leaves investors, businesses, and taxpayers questioning whether tariffs are a sound financial strategy or a costly economic experiment – an answer that will only become clear with time.

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CMS’s unrealistic and contentious ‘Final Mandate’ governing nursing home staffing policies has been vacated by a US District Court judge.

A year ago, with the blessings of the Biden administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a staffing mandate that threw healthcare entities and nursing home owners into a frenzy. Fast forward to April 7, 2025, and a US District Court vacated the onerous federal mandate that held nursing home and healthcare facilities in a chokehold. The ruling concluded that CMS had exceeded its statutory authority by imposing federal staffing minimums at nursing homes—an important win for regulatory balance.

The mandate called for a minimum of 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of total staffing, allocating specific hourly requirements for registered nurses (RN) and nurse aides. It would have been phased in over three years, with rural communities getting an additional two-year grace period. But even with this phased-in approach, many in the industry argued that the requirements were logistically and financially impossible to meet.

Industry leaders fought the mandate tooth and nail. They maintained that they hadn’t yet recovered from the trials of COVID and were already burdened with severe, country-wide staffing shortages, specifically for nurses and support staff. They argued that the mandate’s staffing standards were unfeasible and threatened to shut down nursing homes and displace hundreds of thousands of residents in the process.

The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, an industry group, released an analysis citing the potential need to hire an estimated 102,000 nurses and nursing aides across the industry should they be forced to comply with the staffing regulations. To add insult to injury, the mandate did not provide financial support for recruitment or training for any of this potential additional staff—essentially mandating the impossible without offering a single tool to get it done.

“This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nursing homes and displace vulnerable seniors.”

Clif Porter, CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living

US District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, stated in his ruling that, while the policy was “rooted in laudable goals, the Final Rule still must be consistent with Congress’s statutes.” This was a charitable statement as the staffing mandate was never broadly supported—even among healthcare advocates or lawmakers on either side of the aisle.

It faced bipartisan opposition in Congress back in 2023, with bills in both chambers trying to block the rule. Nearly 100 House members wrote to then-Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging him to reconsider the proposed rule. Lawmakers from rural states were especially opposed, as meeting the mandate’s minimum staffing requirements would have been particularly challenging, if not impossible, in underserved areas.

“It’s a major victory for seniors, their families, and certainly for us in rural America. I think this decision safeguards access to care. I also think it paves the way for a more thoughtful approach, one that enhances quality, supports caregivers and ensures the sustainability of rural providers.”

Good Samaritan Society, President and CEO Nate Schema

With a Republican majority in both chambers of Congress and some rural Democrats’ disagreement with the rule, it is unlikely that the staffing mandate will be reinstated through legislation anytime soon. But, in today’s highly litigious environment, there are proponents of the staffing rule—including unions, consumer groups, and some prominent Democrats in Congress—that may urge the Health and Human Services (HHS) to appeal the court’s decision or explore alternative regulatory approaches.

For now though, many in the healthcare industry are relieved. The termination of the staffing mandate acknowledges their realities on the ground and validates the issues they are struggling with. Providers are already under immense pressure, balancing the rising costs of care, workforce shortages, and the expectation of delivering high-quality services. This ruling brings some breathing room to healthcare entities that have been doing their best to stay viable while maintaining integrity and quality standards of care.

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Most of us are scared silly to talk about death and prefer to avoid estate planning. Others mistakenly think that estate planning only applies to the ultra-wealthy who want to minimize estate tax burdens. In reality, estate planning is a necessity for people of all economic levels; it is a comprehensive strategy that defines how assets and responsibilities will be handled if one is incapacitated or passes away.

Estate planning includes the creation of a will or testamentary trust, the appointment of guardians for dependents, and succession planning. Succession planning, more specifically, is crucial for business owners who want to ensure a seamless continuation of their business after their departure. Regardless of one’s age, succession isn’t optional. It’s your legacy’s insurance policy, and like any other insurance policy, you need it to protect against unexpected circumstances — even if it means facing the uncomfortable idea of your mortality.

A well-structured succession plan prepares a business for all contingencies to ensure operational stability. Often, a founder of a family business will dedicate years of hard work to build a thriving enterprise, yet no succession planning—or poor succession planning—can dismantle this legacy in mere hours due to sibling rivalry, internal disputes, or confusion following the founder’s departure. A study by the Family Business Institute found that only 30% of family-owned businesses survive into the second generation, while a mere 3% persist into the fourth generation. While founders may hope for harmony among heirs, wishful thinking alone cannot replace a well-structured succession process.

A recent study conducted by Ameriprise Financial found that 70% of sibling disputes and financial quarrels stem from inheritance issues and parental finances. Even if a business owner devises a seemingly straightforward succession plan, such as transferring the entire company to designated heirs, several complications may arise. First, the transfer of business interests may impact the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption, potentially affecting the inheritance of other siblings. Second, the timing of the transfer must be strategically planned. Lastly, a clear plan must delineate the specific beneficial owners of the business and their respective ownership stakes.

A proper succession plan requires meticulous development and consultation with estate law professionals. It must outline the transition process, define the sequence of control, select a successor or successors, establish a management plan post-owner departure, and determine the valuation method for shares or ownership interests. The sequence of control is particularly vital for closely held family businesses, ensuring clarity on decision-making processes in the event of the owner’s incapacitation or death.

We’ve all heard the horror stories of individuals experiencing memory loss being influenced and exploited to make unauthorized and unsavory business decisions. A well-drafted succession plan must explicitly define “capacity” and specify the individual or entity responsible for making this determination, whether a physician, a legal professional, or a member of the clergy.

An effective succession plan must also consider the delegation of authority within the business. While it may seem logical to grant control to all the children who work in the company, involving uninvolved family members in decision-making could lead to inefficiencies and conflicts. A business administrator tasked with obtaining approvals for routine operational decisions may struggle to perform essential duties, particularly if they require consent from parties with competing interests. However, it may be prudent to require a collective vote from all stakeholders for significant business decisions or structural changes.

Estate and succession planning are fundamental components of securing a legacy. A well-crafted succession plan protects the business and the family from uncertainty, ensuring that the founder’s lifetime of hard work doesn’t fall apart overnight and endures for future generations. With strategic planning and expert guidance, business owners can avoid disaster, preserve family harmony, and secure the future for generations to come.

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Regulations around COVID-era tax programs were rolled out so fast and furious that accountants had to be on constant alert for updates and changes. So, it didn’t surprise us that the IRS has changed its mind regarding the proper reporting of the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). What is surprising, however, is how unceremoniously the IRS made an about-face on such a significant tax issue, acting as if that was its position all along. It all comes down to how to handle previously filed income tax returns for the periods when an ERC claim was submitted.

Many taxpayers previously struggled with the IRS policy that they must file an amended income tax return to correct their overreported wage expenses, even if the taxpayers haven’t received their money yet (see Notice 2021-20, Q&A 60, and Notice 2021-49, §IV(C) for example). The unwavering position of the IRS was that taxpayers were required to amend the return for the year in which the wage expense occurred, not the year the credit was received. Some taxpayers listened to the IRS and amended their income tax returns; some didn’t. Many tax practitioners struggled with their professional responsibilities advising clients regarding amending income tax returns.

In the event of an ERC audit, one of the first questions an auditor may ask is, “Did you file an amended return to reduce your wage deduction?” Some auditors felt that filing an amended income tax return was a condition precedent to making a proper ERC claim.

On March 20, 2025, the IRS revised its Employee Retention Credit (ERC) FAQs and issued new and surprising guidance on ERC-related reporting. In the “Income Tax and ERC” section of the IRS’s updated ERC website, the IRS explicitly instructs that to address overstated wages,

“… you’re not required to file an amended return or, if applicable, an administrative adjustment request (AAR) to address the overstated wage expenses. Instead, you can include the overstated wage expense amount as gross income on your income tax return for the tax year you received the ERC.

Example: 

Business A claimed an ERC of $700 based on $1,000 of qualified wages paid for tax year 2021 but did not reduce its wage expense on its income tax return for 2021.

The IRS paid the claim to Business A in 2024, so Business A received the benefit of the ERC but hasn’t resolved its overstated wage expense on its income tax return.

Business A does not need to amend its income tax return for tax year 2021. Instead, Business A should account for the overstated deduction by including the $700 in gross income on its 2024 income tax return.”

But what if the taxpayer did reduce his wage expense but his claim was later denied?

The IRS now instructs the taxpayer,

“…in the year their claim disallowance is final, increase their wage expense on their income tax return by the same amount that it was reduced.”

This provision is especially relevant because some “ERC years” are approaching the three-year statute of limitations for amendment. Until now, if the statute of limitations to file an amended return for the year the wages were originally paid had expired, the taxpayer had no practical way to account for this. In fact, many taxpayers who had filed amended returns and added back their overstated wages even received rejections from the IRS, who would not process their returns (and checks!) based on the expired statute of limitations. Now, the IRS permits and even instructs the taxpayer to make corrections in a later tax year.

The IRS’s reasoning for now having the income reported in the year of receipt is the “tax benefit rule,” which states that if a taxpayer takes a deduction based on specific facts but later the circumstances change and contradict those facts, he may need to “undo” part of that deduction by reporting it as income.

Instead of going back and amending the tax return from the year the claim was made, the IRS now allows you to correct the issue in the year you received the ERC by adding the overstated wage amount to the income for that year.

This new practical guidance is welcome for many tax practitioners and their clients. It eliminates the question of whether to file amended returns, allowing taxpayers to legitimately receive the full benefits of the ERC and remain in compliance with the IRS. It also provides an answer for those asked by the IRS why they haven’t yet filed an amended income tax return.

Others who have recently filed amended returns based on prior IRS guidance are wondering whether their returns will even be processed, and now they are in limbo as to whether to account for the ERC in the year of receipt. Never a dull moment for today’s tax practitioners!

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Private equity firms have long been central players in the U.S. economy, driving investments in businesses, creating jobs, and stimulating the economy. Last month, lawmakers issued a renewed call to eliminate the capital gains tax treatment on carried interest, a crucial component of private equity, venture capital, and hedge-fund compensation. Private equity firms have responded by pushing back against this potential reform, lobbying to keep the current tax policy in place to preserve economic growth.

Explaining Carried Interest

Carried interest is a share of the profits that investment managers receive as additional compensation for successfully managing high-risk investments. Typically, carried interest constitutes about 20% of the profits generated by the fund, although the percentage can vary depending on the specific arrangement. This compensation is not a salary or fee for services rendered but a share in the profits of the fund, paid only after investors have received their initial capital back, along with a minimum required return, often referred to as the “hurdle rate.”

The core controversy with carried interest lies in its tax treatment. Under the current U.S. tax system, carried interest is classified as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income. The IRS treats it as a capital gain because the manager is perceived to be making an investment in the fund. As a result, the income derived from carried interest is taxed at the capital gains tax rate, which is generally 20% for long-term holdings compared to the ordinary income rate of 37%.

For carried interest to qualify as long-term capital gain, the underlying investments held by the fund must be held for more than a year. Prior to the 2017 tax reform, the requirement for carried interest to be taxed as long-term capital gains was not explicitly restricted, so fund managers could claim long-term capital gain treatment even if the assets were held for a shorter period.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) introduced Section 1061, which extended the holding period for investments to qualify for the lower capital-gains rate from one year to three years. This provision was designed to close a perceived loophole where fund managers could enjoy long-term gains as long as the investment was held for more than a year but still enjoy the lower long-term capital gains tax rate.

Trump’s Proposal and Its Impact

Section 1061 highlighted the growing political pressure to reform carried interest taxation. While the three-year holding period rule tightened the previous tax benefits, this proposal could subject fund managers to ordinary income tax rates on carried interest in entirety.

Trump’s push for higher tax on carried interest is part of his broader tax reform strategy. The proposal is aimed at generating additional tax revenue, which could offset tax cuts for corporations or contribute to reducing the federal deficit. According to a December 2024 estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, taxing carried interest as ordinary income could decrease the federal budget deficit by $14 billion over 10 years.

This could have profound implications for the private equity industry. Fund managers would see a higher tax burden, which could reduce the after-tax return on investments, ultimately impacting the overall attractiveness of private equity as an investment vehicle. Higher taxes could discourage fund managers from pursuing certain types of investments, particularly riskier long-term projects, which require substantial upfront capital. As a result, some private equity firms might seek to restructure their compensation arrangements or adjust their investment strategies to mitigate the impact of these tax changes.

For investors, the shift in tax treatment could result in lower returns on their investments, particularly as the structure of the private equity industry evolves in response to these reforms. We could potentially see a reduction in new funds, with the biggest impact felt at the smaller fund level. Changes in carried interest tax rules may increase structure complexity and compliance costs for private equity firms. Clients may be forced to restructure fund agreements to avoid the proposed tax consequences. However, the full extent of these effects remains uncertain, and private equity advocates argue that the proposals could ultimately reduce overall economic growth.

Pushing Back

Private equity firms have been vocal in their opposition to any proposed changes to the tax treatment of carried interest. One of their key arguments is that the current system helps to attract and retain investment in long-term growth opportunities. Private equity firms argue that by taxing carried interest at the capital gains rate, fund managers are incentivized to focus on creating lasting value rather than making short-term, quick-profit investments.

Industry advocates assert that the capital gains treatment encourages fund managers to take calculated risks on businesses that need capital to scale, innovate, and grow. These investments, in turn, lead to job creation, higher wages, and an increased tax base. Groups like the American Investment Council have published reports showing that private equity-backed businesses are major contributors to job creation, with private equity firms generating more than 10 million jobs across the United States.

Private equity groups have pushed back with significant lobbying efforts. They argue that the new tax structure could harm the economy by discouraging investment in high-risk businesses, particularly those in underserved sectors. They point to studies suggesting that private equity plays a critical role in improving the productivity of U.S. businesses and enhancing global competitiveness.

Moreover, private equity firms have argued that the industry already faces significant regulatory scrutiny and that additional taxes would place an undue burden on private equity funds. Firms that specialize in venture capital or other high-growth investments may be particularly affected, as they depend on the capital gains treatment to incentivize their partners to take on riskier investments.

Bottom Line

Proposed changes to Section 1061 could affect how carried interest is taxed and may impact the financial industry—beginning with high-level fund managers and executives, then extending to broader investment structures, compensation models, and investor returns. We advise clients to avoid surprises and model various exit scenarios, especially for assets close to the new holding period thresholds.

As President Trump and other lawmakers propose various reforms, the private equity industry stands firm in defending its tax structure. While reform advocates argue for a more equitable system, private equity firms emphasize the crucial role that carried interest plays in driving innovation, job creation, and economic growth. The outcome of this debate will have significant implications for both the private equity industry and the broader U.S. economy, making the conversation over tax reform a topic worth watching.

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An inheritor’s trust is not just another estate planning tool—it’s your secret weapon for keeping wealth protected and under control. This trust is designed to protect and manage the assets you pass to a beneficiary. An inheritor’s trust allows your beneficiary to receive his or her inheritance in trust rather than as an outright gift or bequest. It locks down the assets and shields the beneficiary from taxes, creditors, and bad decisions. The beneficiary gets his share, but the assets are kept out of his or her own taxable estate.

Having assets pass directly to a trust not only protects the assets from being included in the beneficiary’s taxable estate but also shields them from other creditor claims, such as those arising from a lawsuit or a divorce. The inheritance is protected because the trust, rather than your beneficiary, legally owns the inheritance and because the beneficiary doesn’t fund the trust.

To ensure complete asset protection, the beneficiary must establish an inheritor’s trust before receiving the inheritance. The trust is drafted so that your beneficiary is the investment trustee, giving him or her power over the trust’s investments.

Your beneficiary then selects an unrelated person — someone he or she knows well and trusts — as the distribution trustee. The distribution trustee will have complete discretion over the distribution of principal and income, which ensures that the trust provides creditor protection.

The trust should be designed with the flexibility to remove and change the distribution trustee at any time and make other modifications when necessary, such as when tax laws change. Bear in mind that the unfettered power to remove and replace trustees may jeopardize the creditor protection aspect of the trust, which could result in the inclusion of the trust property in the beneficiary’s taxable estate.

Because it’s your beneficiary, and not you, who sets up the trust, he or she will incur the bulk of the fees, which will vary depending on the trust. In addition, he or she may have to pay annual trustee fees. Your cost, however, should be minimal — only the legal fees to amend your will or living trust to redirect your bequest to the inheritor’s trust.

Wealth preservation

Another benefit of an inheritor’s trust is that it can help ensure that inherited assets remain within the family lineage. By keeping assets in the trust rather than transferring them outright to beneficiaries, the trust can prevent wealth depletion due to mismanagement, overspending, or other poor financial decisions.

The trust’s grantor can include specific provisions or restrictions. These may include setting limits on distributions or requiring certain milestones (like completing education) before beneficiaries can access funds.

Follow the law

Ensuring an inheritor’s trust is properly drafted isn’t just a legal formality—it’s essential for protecting both the assets and the beneficiaries. Trusts must comply with federal and state laws to avoid potential IRS audits or court challenges. Most importantly, by taking the time to establish the trust correctly, the grantor ensures that his or her beneficiaries receive the full benefits of their inheritance without unnecessary risk.

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Like much else under the new Trump presidency, the country’s tax landscape is shifting and reshaping beneath our feet.

Thousands of federal jobs have been slashed, including a large swath at the IRS. This, coupled with an IRS hiring freeze, will reduce the IRS’s ability to pursue tax debt collection and slow down audits, collections, and legal actions. The Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System will accelerate a swing toward AI-driven fraud detection and enforcement, and could increase scrutiny on delinquent taxpayers and open the door to a wave of litigation in defense of data privacy. Lastly, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which has kept tax rates low, key deductions and credits in place, and favorable tax breaks available, is set to expire by the end of 2025 and may or may not be renewed.

These potential changes have tax professionals worried about taxpayer health and the IRS’s capacity to enforce tax law and resolve tax controversy issues. Will scrutiny on delinquent taxpayers increase or weaken in 2025? Will there be sufficient IRS staff available to address delinquencies for tax debtors who want to resolve their obligations? What is the recalcitrant taxpayer to do in these tumultuous times?

What are taxpayers thinking

Taxpayers who are in arrears may wonder if it is the right time to come clean and resolve their outstanding tax issues, or to continue to cruise, hoping that IRS disarray will stand in their favor.

According to statistics generated by the Professional Managers Association, the IRS workforce stands at more than 100,000 total employees. Approximately 28,000 of those have been onboarded within the past year, and about 30,000 employees have worked there less than three years. The IRS, as of February 19, 2025, reports that it plans to lay off approximately 6,000 first-year probationary employees, despite the hiring freeze recently imposed by President Trump. These layoffs will disproportionately affect IRS employees in enforcement because they represent a large share of new employees.

While it’s true that the disorder in federal functioning may translate into diminished scrutiny, the dearth in staffing means that there won’t be agents and reps available to address taxpayers’ issues when necessary. If a taxpayer is at the “Final Notice” stage, automated notices will continue to be released, and a levy will automatically be imposed. However, there likely won’t be enough IRS agents to review appeals, release levies, arrange payment plans, or offer compromises for petitioners. We recommend that the delinquent taxpayer move to resolve his tax debt before he gets caught up in the IRS’ machinery and finds he has no recourse for his debt.

 What we’ve seen at the IRS

Our tax controversy team communicates with IRS representatives daily and has found that auditors, tax reps and agents share taxpayers’ state of confusion. They are stressed and anxious in the face of DOGE’s aggressive layoffs, wondering if or where the hatchet will fall next. Many are considering retirement to get out of the line of fire. New employee training has been frozen mid-stream, leaving longstanding agents worried about the extra burden they will shoulder to compensate for insufficient staff. Their state of limbo does not enhance operations. As one auditor told us, “Sorry if I sound muddled; it’s because I am.”

What You Should Do

Compliance is always the answer. File your taxes on time to avoid additional penalties. If you are in arrears, consider setting up a payment plan now, before IRS processing delays get worse. Stay abreast of policy changes; if TCJA provisions expire, your tax bill will change. Finally, if you are out of your depth, seek the help of an accounting professional.

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The market has two to three major corrections each decade, and always recovered afterwards to new highs.

Variations of this principle echo through advisory offices across the country during every market downturn. As financial advisors, a fundamental part of our job is talking clients off the proverbial ledge during market corrections and crashes. An equally important challenge, and one that receives far less attention, is pulling clients’ heads out of the clouds.

When markets plummet, clients often seek to abandon their long-term financial and investment plans. Conversely, they are often tempted to derail those same plans when market conditions are excessively favorable. “Maybe we should put just 20% of our money in Nvidia /Bitcoin / leveraged funds/ another ‘YOLO’ or high-risk, high-reward asset.” Every advisor has heard versions of this sentiment during euphoric market phases.

This presents a unique challenge in financial advising. To calm investors during downturns, an arsenal of historical data, charts, and evidence is available to prove that historically, markets have always recovered. This factual approach is effective because the pattern is well-established.

Managing euphoria is different. Booming markets often come with powerful narratives of fundamental change that convince investors that traditional strategies will not suffice, and aggressive positioning is not just desirable, but necessary to keep pace with a new reality. History offers little reassurance here because these moments always feel unprecedented.

In the late 1990s, investors piled into internet stocks, convinced that brick-and-mortar businesses were obsolete. The dot-com bubble promised a new economic paradigm where profits were secondary to “eyeballs” or views, i.e. a massive user base. Growth must be maintained at any cost. It was not just speculation; it was the future. Until, at least from an investing perspective, it wasn’t.

Sir John Templeton famously warned, “The four most dangerous words in investing are ‘this time it’s different.’ “Each era of market euphoria comes with a compelling story about why the old rules no longer apply. But history shows that markets eventually reassert discipline, and fundamentals still matter.

The best defense against both fear and greed is a well-crafted, long-term plan. A structured investment strategy keeps conversations grounded in clear financial goals, helping clients resist the emotional extremes of both downturns and booms. Interrupting a sound, long-term plan—whether due to panic or euphoria—can be costly. As advisors, our job is not only crisis management during bear markets, but also expectation management under all market conditions.

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We’ve all heard it before, “The stock market is too volatile!” Investors, analysts, and your brother-in-law’s best friend, the one who suddenly became a market expert after reading an article, all seem to grumble about the ups and downs of the market. But here’s the question — is this volatility really such a bad thing?

It’s clear that the stock market has been one of the most effective wealth building tools over the past century. The market’s ability to compound wealth over decades has made it a powerful mechanism for long-term growth. What if I were to tell you that market returns are largely attributable to its volatility? Sounds counterintuitive? Let me explain.

In investing, there is a concept called the Efficient Frontier. It’s a curve that shows the best possible return one can achieve for a given level of risk. Usually, risk is plotted on the X-axis and returns on the Y-axis. Higher returns require taking on greater levels of risk.

In reality, the better way to view this concept is to exchange “Risk” for “Reason”. When an investment has a higher expected return, it does not always mean it carries more risk, rather, it means there is a significant reason for its higher expected return.

If we were to plot a standard investment on the chart above, beginning with the bottom left, we would see that the safest asset (for example, U.S. Treasuries) presently shows yields of approximately 4%. Any investment that promises more than that – meaning it has a higher expected return – must be accompanied by a “reason” that will move it out further to the right of the chart.

What could be some reasons for higher expected returns?

Loss Exposure. For example, real estate and private businesses have a higher expected return than treasuries, as there is capital at risk.
If a bank CD is locked in for a long period, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a riskier investment. However, the extra limitation period will create the demand for a higher return.
If an investment is volatile, investors will expect a higher rate of return.

To put it briefly, if there is no reason, there is no extra return.

Let’s focus a little more on the last factor on the list, volatility.

The stock market represents the ultimate in volatility. Some years, it may be up 30%, while other years it may swing 20% downward. If you focus on any one year, the picture is chaotic; but if you consider the market’s long-term average, the picture becomes much clearer. The U.S. stock market has returned approximately 10% annually over the past century. That return isn’t an accident – it is the reward for enduring volatility.

If the stock market were as stable as a savings account, it wouldn’t return 10%; it would return something closer to 4% – like Treasuries. If the market would be as safe as Treasuries, investors would bid up prices where the effective yield would be similar to the risk-free rate. The volatility is what creates the opportunity for higher returns. With no volatility, there would be no reason for stocks to outperform.

Instead of being disturbed about market volatility, why not embrace it?! Volatility is not your enemy; it’s your ticket to higher returns. Volatility is a reason you get paid more. It’s the price you pay for participating in one of the greatest wealth-building mechanisms ever created. Beyond that, volatility offers opportunities to invest at times when investments are at reduced or discounted rates. Sir John Templeton put it best when he said, “For those properly prepared, the bear market is not only a calamity but an opportunity”.

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Americans are on the move. Retirees migrate towards warmer climates, job seekers move to areas with high job availability, cities with growing tech industries draw professionals, and post-pandemic remote employees have relocated from urban to suburban areas. As the demand for living space constantly shifts and readjusts, the real estate industry responds in kind.

Migration drivers

Americans’ migration patterns significantly impact the real estate market by influencing the supply and demand for housing. The continuing trend towards remote work means more people are searching for space in suburbia. Retail businesses are following migrating employees and moving to more suburban areas. There is less need for traditional office spaces – resulting in higher urban vacancy rates and declining rental rates.

Additionally, the growth of e-commerce has boosted the demand for industrial spaces needed for warehouses and distribution centers. Vacant office and retail spaces are being repurposed into residential, healthcare, or mixed-use properties to meet changing market demands.

The US Census Bureau reports that, over the next decade, the U.S. population aged 25–54 will grow by 12 million, while age 70+ population will increase by 15 million. This growing and aging population will expand and influence migration patterns, consumer spending, and health care needs. It will spur increased demand for related local amenities that have their own real estate needs – like retail and service-oriented real estate for restaurants, entertainment, or healthcare. Conversely, commercial real estate in areas experiencing ‘negative migration’ will suffer when a populace declines, experiencing a decline in foot traffic, increased vacancies, lower rent rolls, and lower property values.

Rental stats

The growing demand for affordable housing has intensified, exacerbated by the high cost of homeownership and weak single-family home inventory. The steep rise in the cost of purchasing a home has kept many households renting, by either choice or necessity. “Although it is the epitome of the American dream, it may no longer make sense to own a home,” says Shulem Rosenbaum, CPA/ABV, partner of Advisory Services and a member of Roth&Co’s real estate leadership team. “It is prudent to calculate the cost of owning a home versus renting, especially with the current limitations on the tax deductions on mortgage interest and a higher standard deduction.”

The U.S. Census Bureau calculates that almost half of renter households are considered “cost-burdened,” spending more than 30 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads. A quarter of renters pay at least half of their income on rent. Not only does this high rent burden leave little for other necessities; it effectively locks households into a state of permanent rental because they cannot save for the downpayment and purchase of a home.

Additionally, an enormous number of baby boomers will soon need housing to transition into. The population of individuals ages 20 to 34, the prime renter age, will rise through 2030, then level off. The population in the 65-and-older cohort is also rapidly rising, and this group is increasingly choosing to rent multifamily and single-family units.

Supply growth plays a pivotal role in shaping the multifamily sector’s outlook. More supply tends to drive rents down, while limited supply pushes rents up. We believe that, over the medium term, the anticipated decline in new construction will help stabilize over-supplied markets. The resulting recovery in rent growth will bolster investor confidence and revitalize the sluggish transactions market.

Cap Rates

Capitalization rates in different geographic areas reflect migration patterns and are influenced by demand. Cap rates are lower in healthy, high-demand areas and higher in markets struggling with negative-migration. These fluctuations illustrate how the trends in migration influence investors’ perception of risk.

Areas experiencing growth and increased demand for real estate, such as the southern states of Florida, Texas, and Arizona, are showing lower cap rates. The strong demand and potential for profit offers the investor low risk opportunities. Conversely, areas losing populace, like New York City or San Francisco, show higher cap rates as demand for office, retail, and even some residential spaces decline.

Although many claim that real estate investment is suffering, due to the high interest rates and the changing landscape and migration patterns, there may be opportunities for prudent investors seeking to capitalize on these trends. Specifically, markets with higher cap rates may offer opportunities to acquire undervalued assets, provided investors are equipped to address the risks associated with negative migration.

Risk

Real estate has often been considered a passive investment with less risk than traditional businesses. However, recent trends have demonstrated that real estate must be approached as an active business. The competitive landscape, rapidly shifting dynamics, and the risk of product obsolescence demand a more strategic approach.

Real estate investors should operate their portfolios with the same innovation and agility as traditional businesses. “It’s not enough to rely on past performance or location value,” Rosenbaum notes. “Investors need to focus on calculating ROIs, monitoring market trends, and leveraging traditional business metrics to remain competitive and profitable.”

This business-like approach requires that investors continuously evaluate opportunities for redevelopment, adapt to changing market demands, and proactively manage assets to optimize returns. Whether it’s repurposing a property for new uses, investing in technology to enhance operational efficiency, or diversifying to mitigate risk, treating real estate like a business is essential in today’s market. “The key is to think ahead and be ready to pivot,” says Rosenbaum, “because in real estate, just like in business, staying stagnant is not an option.”

Basic Economics

Our client base and the broader real estate landscape have taught us one thing: Real estate is not immune from the most fundamental principle in economics – it’s always about supply and demand. Increased demand drives up property values and lowers cap rates, while properties that lose residents see less demand and higher cap rates. For investors, staying attuned to migration patterns and ready to capitalize on them is key to making decisive and profitable investment choices.

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Autism rates are skyrocketing across the country, reshaping the healthcare industry’s landscape for families, insurers, and providers. Does this surge in the autistic population make the ABA space a surefire investment opportunity? We believe there is great potential in this space, however, like any industry, a successful ABA agency comes with its own unique challenges and operational demands. To navigate these challenges and ensure long-term success, ABA agencies must focus on key performance indicators that drive both operational efficiency and profitability.

Escalating Demand

Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA has become widely known as the go-to therapy for treating individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Historically, insurers excluded ABA therapies, classifying them as educational rather than as medical services. However, the 2013 release of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) significantly broadened the definition of autism and today, Medicaid and most insurance plans are mandated under the 2014 Affordable Care Act (ACA) and state law to provide coverage for autism treatment, including ABA therapy.

In a study issued in October of 2024, the journal JAMA Network Open reported that data gathered from over 12 million patients enrolled in major U.S. health care systems determined that between 2011 and 2022 the number of people diagnosed with autism climbed to a shocking 175%. Autism rates stand highest among the very young; according to calculations issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 36 children were diagnosed with ASD in 2020.

Do the math – this could translate to an estimated 2.9 million autistic individuals by 2034.

Key performance indicators

Revenue per Client, Therapist Utilization Rate, and Accounts Receivable Turnover are essential key performance indicators. They provide measurable data that enables an agency to monitor cash flow, improve billing efficiency, and maximize revenue. They can help reduce delays in payments, thereby reducing a business’ working capital requirements and enabling appropriate cash flow. These metrics also serve to reflect whether an agency’s performance holds value to a potential investor.

Consider this fictional case scenario:

All-Smiles ABA Center is a friendly place and prides itself on its dedicated and professional staff.

The Accounts Receivables representative is often sick and behind in billing. She manages the agency’s finances by documenting when cash comes in and out, without keeping track of the revenue or expenses for each specific service or the date they are provided.

All-Smiles’ warmhearted therapists will often spend extra time with patients and understand occasional no-shows. The administrative staff is always ready to delay documentation until the client is comfortable with its services.

At the request of its clientele, the agency heavily promotes social skills groups, even though these sessions are reimbursed at much lower rates than direct one-on-one therapy. The majority of the agency’s clients are on Medicaid, which provides lower reimbursement rates, but the agency values its relationships and doesn’t want to make clients feel unwanted by focusing on a more diversified mix.

Accounts Receivable Turnover – All-Smiles billing and receivables processes are underperforming. Agencies must be able to consistently submit accurate and timely claims, in compliance with payor requirements to minimize rejected claims and payment delays. Timely collections are crucial to ensure that funds are available for salaries, and administrative and operational costs. Important metrics for accounts receivables include tracking average days in accounts receivable, collection rates by payor, and percentage of overdue accounts.

Therapist Utilization Rate – Compassionate and dedicated therapists may enhance services – but unbilled time translates directly into lost income. clients whose services earn lower reimbursements, or who take up extra, unbilled, therapy time are bringing in less revenue than it costs to serve them. Tracking an agency’s percentage of billable hours against total hours worked, the average caseload per therapist, and therapists’ cancellation rates maximizes therapist productivity and ensures operational efficiency. All-Smiles would also be wise to assess their client base and focus on clients with more robust coverage that yields reimbursements at higher rates.

Revenue per Client: Understanding how much revenue each client generates is essential in order to evaluate profitability, identify inefficiencies in billing, and ensure the business remains financially sustainable. Tracking revenue by service type helps the company assess which services yield the most profit. All-Smiles accounting and billing processes are so poor that it does not realize that its social skills sessions generate low revenues relative to therapist’s time. As a result, it fails to expand on therapy services or train additional staff and misses opportunities to boost profitability. Because All-Smiles operates on a cash basis and never reviews revenue and direct expenses on a date of service level, they are unable to properly track AR and know its accurate revenue, bad debt, and trends.

By analyzing the information revealed by these KPIs, an agency can track its revenues, scrutinize its performance, and use the data to create its own unique competitive advantage in the industry. It can evaluate profitability and identify opportunities to improve.

Working with our clients in the ABA space has proven that profitability in this industry is less about the volume of clients served and more about operational excellence and strategic management. For existing healthcare entities, the burgeoning autistic population offers promising opportunities to extend services and take advantage of this explosive growth. Established ABA agencies would be wise to analyze these key performance indicators to recognize red flags, maximize their returns, and set a value on their entity to attract potential investors.

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Real Estate Right Now is a video series covering the latest real estate trends and opportunities and how you can make the most of them. In the episode below, we discuss two major tax benefits of adopting energy-efficient practices. Click below to watch.

As a real estate investor, you can take advantage of government rewards by adopting energy-efficient technologies and practices. Two incentives investors should know about are the Section 179D deduction and the 45L Tax Credit. Here’s what you need to know:

Section 179D: The Energy-Efficient Building Deduction

This deduction is for building owners who install energy-efficient systems in their commercial properties. This includes interior lighting, mechanical systems and the building envelope. For government and nonprofit buildings, this deduction extends to designers, architects, and contractors.

For properties placed in service before January 2023: The deduction is up to $1.80 per square foot, indexed for inflation.
For Properties Placed in Service Between January 2023 and December 2032: The deduction is up to $5.00 per square foot -indexed for inflation.

However, projects initiated after January 2023 may require adherence to prevailing wage standards to qualify for the higher deduction amount.

45L Tax Credit

This credit is designed for multifamily developers and homebuilders who construct or reconstruct qualified energy-efficient homes, and then sell or lease them.

To qualify, developers must undergo a pre-certification process and regular building inspections, as well as pay prevailing wages.

This credit can be worth up to $5,000 per dwelling unit, depending on the type of home and energy-efficient measures implemented. For example, a developer with a one-hundred-unit development could receive a credit of 500,000!

If you believe your projects might qualify for these credits and deductions, consult with your financial advisor or tax professional to explore your eligibility and maximize your tax benefits.

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The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the CARES Act in 2020. It is a refundable tax credit with the purpose of incentivizing businesses to keep their employees on payroll during the disruptive pandemic period.

The ERC is calculated per employee and (for 2021) offers a credit of 70% of qualified wages paid to each employee during eligible quarters. Wages are capped at $10,000 per employee per quarter, resulting in a maximum credit allowance of $7,000 per employee per quarter.

Applying for the ERC should have been a fairly straightforward process, but a glitch in the IRS system triggered a spate of erroneous notices of disallowance to many applicants, causing complications, frustration, and losses for taxpayers.

The IRS claimed the disallowances were due to discrepancies in the number of employees reported by applicants. To support this accusation, the IRS points to taxpayers’ filed Form 941, Part 1, Box 1. Taxpayers are asked for the number of employees appearing on the payroll for the quarter. If the IRS finds that the employee count cited on Form 941 is less than the amount of employees claimed for the ERC on the employer’s 941X, it will disallow the credit.

The source of the problem boils down to the language used on the form. Form 941, Part 1, Box 1 of the 941 requests:

“Number of employees who received wages, tips, or other compensation for the pay period including Mar. 12 (Quarter 1), June 12 (Quarter 2), Sept. 12 (Quarter 3), or Dec. 12 (Quarter 4).”

The instructions explicitly request employee counts for a specific ‘snapshot’ of time – the 12th day of the last month of the quarter—rather than for the entire quarter.

In practice, the quarter ends on the last day of the last month of the quarter. Any fluctuation in employee count that an entity experienced between the 12^th and the close of the quarter will not be accounted for in the ‘Box 1 count’. The total number of employees for the entire quarter is not properly reflected in the original 941 filing because the filing requested the employee count only for the pay period including the 12th of the month, not for the whole quarter.

Thus, many discrepancies in taxpayers’ employee counts are not a result of payroll errors or fraudulent reporting, but instead are a reflection of the misguided and ineffective language used by the IRS when requesting taxpayers’ data. Employers are eligible for the ERC on all employees who were paid during the quarter, not only on the ones that were employed during the “snapshot” pay period.

We advise taxpayers who have received this type of disallowance notice to respond to the IRS in writing, with an explanation of their calculations – including the number of employees that may have been onboarded after the 12^thof the month, but within the quarter. If the taxpayer can support the employee count as reported on the Form 941 filing, there is every reason to believe they can reinstate their full legitimate credit, as provided by law. Many of our clients who responded in this manner have already received IRS notices confirming their full credit has been approved.

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What is International Tax?

Any time a business or individual engages in a financial transaction that crosses a border, there are international tax implications, and therefore an international tax advisor should be consulted. Some examples of such transactions are:

investing in non- U.S. investments
selling services or products to customers outside of the U.S.
hiring an employee outside of the U.S.
establishing a foreign subsidiary
collaborating with a business based outside of the U.S. in a joint venture
borrowing money from a non-U.S. lender, or
purchasing real estate in a different country.

What are some International Tax implications?

Any time you do business or make an investment, the country where the transaction took place has the right to tax the income you’ve earned. In our digital world, even if you don’t have any physical presence in a particular country, that country may still leverage a tax on the income generated within it. An international tax advisor can assist you in understanding what are the local country’s tax implications of your activities and what may be your potential tax liability. There will likely be income tax ramifications and a Value Added Tax (VAT), a tax which is common in Canada and many European Countries. Often, these additional taxes can be as high or higher than a country’s corporate income tax.

In addition to the foreign country’s tax implications, there are specific tax rules that address how the IRS taxes transactions outside of the U.S., and there are additional disclosure requirements. These requirements usually take the form of specific filings that report details of the foreign activity. Even when there may not be a significant taxable impact from the cross-border activity, there will be a filing requirement that, if left unmet, could result in heavy penalties starting from $10,000 per form. The costs of missing a filing requirement or planning opportunity in the cross- border context can be very high, more so than in a purely domestic context.

How can one benefit from using an International Tax Advisor?

Anyone dealing in any cross-border transaction could potentially need international tax services. Cross-border tax is fraught with traps for the unaware; it also offers many planning opportunities. Consulting with a knowledgeable international tax specialist can help you avoid unnecessary costs or potential penalties and inform you about opportunities to minimize your effective global tax rate.

Businesses with international connections and multinational corporations require insight into the international marketplace, as well as information regarding the global business arena.

Whether regarding regulations, compliance, or tax advisory, international tax consultants can help you navigate the complex web of the international market and help you achieve your business goals.

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Are you considering hiring a Chief Financial Officer (CFO)?

Congratulations! That means your business is growing, your revenue is rising, and you are evaluating how to best manage your financial reporting. Hiring a CFO is one of several solutions for a business seeking to upgrade its financial management team. Alternative choices that offer opportunities for growth include outsourced CFO services, Fractional CFO, and CAS providers. How can a business assess which option will best fit its needs?

A CFO is employed full-time as a senior executive. They develop financial strategies, manage cash flow, monitor risk factors, and perform financial forecasting. A CFO’s salary will typically account for 1% to 5% of a company’s revenue. If your business is complex, with multiple revenue streams or many affiliated entities, or has experienced significant and rapid growth, it is likely that you need a CFO on your executive team. The CFO assumes high- level financial responsibilities, such as raising capital, engaging in mergers and acquisitions, and managing compliance requirements. They stand at the forefront of the business’s strategic planning team and ensure the preparation of accurate and detailed financial reporting to serve stakeholders, investors, and banks.

What if your business is not yet ready for the expense of a full time CFO, but still needs upgraded financial support? Most small- to medium-sized companies could benefit from a CFO’s expertise, especially if they have defined growth strategies or are in the process of scaling up. But if the business is experiencing uncertainty or is in middle of a transition, it is usually not the ideal time to take on the added cost or commitment of a full time CFO. Outsourced CFO Services or a Fractional CFO may be a better option.

Professionals in these roles supply part-time or project-based high-level, financial expertise. Outsourced or Fractional CFOs work with multiple clients and will allow your business to access expert guidance on a flexible, as-needed basis. The services are tailored to your business, without making a permanent hire and taking on more overhead.

Client Accounting Services (CAS) firms take over day-to-day accounting tasks like bookkeeping, bill paying, and reconciliations. They can assume responsibility for cash flow management to make sure payments go out on time and that there are enough liquid funds to ensure that all business needs are met. They can work along with Fractional CFOs to handle a business’s financial management, and provide comprehensive support without the added expense of hiring multiple full-time employees.

A CAS team will keep your financial records in order to serve your tax preparation, filing, and regulatory needs and safeguard your business in case of audit. They can also assume high-level executive functions such as generating detailed financial reports, analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs), and providing insights into financial trends to help a business make informed decisions.

It may be time for your business to take a good look in the mirror. If it is facing rapid growth, has a complex financial structure, wants to embark on significant fundraising or M&A activity, is subject to serious regulatory requirements, or desperately needs strategic leadership, it’s high time to hire a competent CFO.

However, depending on your business’s long-term goals and budget, the services of a Fractional CFO supported by a CAS provider can enhance your business’s efficiency, streamline financial processes, and deliver the valuable data that management needs for strategic decision-making – all without adding another senior executive into the mix.

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Many businesses measure their success in terms of sales, but a better indicator is profitability. Turning a profit after paying for expenses means that a business is achieving its financial goals. But in order to consistently yield profits, the business needs to have liquidity.

Even if sales are sky-high, the bottom line can’t grow unless there is enough cash to fund and maintain operations to fulfill all those orders. There is, however, a tried and true method to maintaining liquidity while expanding a business: managing working capital knowledgeably and efficiently.

Cautious with cash

Working capital is the amount of accessible cash you need to support short-term business operations. The traditional way to measure liquidity is current assets minus current liabilities equals working capital. Regularly calculating working capital can help a business’s leadership team answer questions such as:

Are there enough assets to cover current obligations?
How fast could those assets be converted to cash if needed?
What short-term assets are available for loan collateral?

Another way to evaluate liquidity is the working capital ratio: current assets divided by current liabilities. A healthy working capital ratio varies from industry to industry, but it’s generally considered to be 1.5 to 2. A ratio below 1.0 typically signals impending liquidity problems.

A third perspective is to compare working capital to total assets and annual revenue. From this angle, working capital becomes a measure of efficiency.

Costs and credit

The amount of working capital a company needs, or its working capital requirement, depends on the costs of its sales cycle, operational expenses and current debt payments. Fundamentally, there must be enough working capital to finance the gap between payments from customers and payments to suppliers, vendors, lenders and others.

High liquidity generally equates with low credit risk. But having too much cash tied up in working capital may detract from important growth initiatives such as:

expanding into new markets,
buying better equipment or technology,
launching new products or services, and
paying down debt.

Failure to pursue capital investment opportunities can also compromise business value in the long run.

Focus on these factors

The right approach to managing working capital will vary between companies depending on factors such as size, industry, mission and market. In general, to optimize a business’s working capital requirement, focus primarily on the following three key areas:

Accounts receivable.The faster you collect from customers, the more readily you can manage debt and capitalize on opportunities. Possible solutions include tighter credit policies, early bird discounts, and collections-based sales compensation. Also, improve your administrative processes to eliminate inefficiencies.
Accounts payable.From a working capital perspective, since liquidity is key, you generally do not want to pay bills earlier than necessary. Except to take advantage of early bird discounts, it’s best to pay bills at or close to their due date. Be careful not to fall into arrears or nonpayment, which could damage your credit rating and reputation.
Maintaining inventory is a challenge of efficiently managing working capital. Excessive inventory levels may dangerously reduce liquidity because of restocking, storage, obsolescence, insurance and security costs. Conversely, insufficient inventory levels can frustrate customers and hurt sales. Be sure to give your inventory proper time and attention, such as regular technology upgrades and strategic consideration of ideal quantities.

The right balance

A successful business strikes the right balance of sustaining enough liquidity to operate smoothly, while also saving funds for capital investments and maintaining an emergency cash reserve. Management must assess precisely the business’s working capital and consistently work to optimize it.

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What Constitutes Self-Dealing?

In our previous article, we discussed excess benefit transactions and how they affect public charities. In these transactions, a nonprofit “insider” receives compensation or benefits that exceed the fair market value. In this article, we’ll focus on the rules that apply to private foundations. While many of the same rules apply to both public charities and private foundations, private foundations face additional restrictions—one of the most significant being the prohibition against self-dealing.

What is Self-Dealing?

The IRS has strict rules about self-dealing transactions in private foundations. Self-dealing occurs when a private foundation engages in a transaction with certain individuals or entities, called “disqualified persons,” that benefits them personally. These transactions can lead to severe financial penalties for the foundation and those involved.

Who is a “Disqualified Person”?

The IRS defines a disqualified person as someone who holds a significant position within the private foundation. Specifically, a disqualified person includes:

Substantial donors to the foundation.
Foundation managers, including officers, directors, and trustees.
Family members of the above individuals.
Individuals or entities who own more than 20% of any business that contributes to or benefits from the foundation.

Additionally, disqualified persons also include:

Corporations or partnerships where any of the above individuals holds more than 35% of the voting power.
Trusts or estates where these individuals hold more than 35% of the beneficial interest.

Disqualified persons also include government officials and others who have significant control over the foundation.

Why Does This Matter?

If a disqualified person owns more than the permitted percentage of a business, they may incur an excise tax on the excess holdings. The private foundation generally has a 90-day period to reduce these excess holdings through divestment, with potential extensions under specific circumstances.

What Transactions are Considered Self-Dealing?

A disqualified person cannot engage in certain transactions with the private foundation as they may be considered acts of self-dealing. These include:

Selling, exchanging, or leasing foundation property.
Lending money or extending credit to or from the foundation.
Furnishing goods, services, or facilities to the foundation, with few exceptions (e.g., interest-free loans).
Paying compensation or covering expenses for disqualified persons.

Additionally, the IRS treats transfers of foundation income or assets for the benefit of disqualified persons as self-dealing. This can even apply to certain government officials or transactions between entities controlled by the private foundation.

What Are the Consequences of Self-Dealing?

The IRS has very strong penalties for engaging in self-dealing. Under Internal Revenue Code Section 4941, a disqualified person involved in self-dealing is subject to a minimum 10% excise tax on the amount involved in the transaction. Foundation managers (such as officers, directors, or trustees) who knowingly participate in self-dealing face a 5% excise tax on the transaction amount.

It’s important to note that participation in self-dealing is not limited to actively engaging in the transaction. Failure to act or speak up when required—such as remaining silent or not intervening when there’s a clear duty to prevent self-dealing—can also result in penalties.

If the violation isn’t corrected, the IRS imposes a 200% excise tax on the amount involved for the disqualified person. Additionally, if foundation managers fail to take corrective action, they face an additional 50% excise tax on the amount involved in the self-dealing transaction.

Are There Exceptions?

There are a few exceptions to these self-dealing rules. For instance, payments made to disqualified persons are not considered self-dealing if they are for reasonable and necessary services that help the foundation carry out its exempt purposes. However, the IRS closely scrutinizes what constitutes “reasonable and necessary,” so it’s essential for foundations to carefully document and justify such payments.

Final Thoughts

When managing a private foundation, it’s crucial to avoid casual transactions and approach relationships with insiders carefully. Engaging in self-dealing or violating IRS rules can result in serious financial penalties and damage to the foundation’s reputation. To ensure compliance with the law, always consult with a tax professional or accountant before engaging in any potentially questionable transactions.

Non-profit organizations are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to raise funds to support their mission. Accepting donations of appreciated stock is a game-changing strategy that deserves a place in every non-profit’s toolbox.

Fundraising managers may wonder, “Stocks? Isn’t that more of an investor thing?”, and they would be correct. However, accepting donations of stock or securities offers much more than an investment opportunity. It’s a tax-saving strategy that results in a win-win-win for the non-profit, its donors, and the causes it supports.

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In partnership with The OJC Fund, Roth&Co hosted a highly informative webinar providing valuable insights on year-end charitable giving and tax-saving strategies. The webinar featured Roth&Co Partner Michael Wegh, CPA, Roth&Co Manager Yisroel Kilstein, CPA, and Aron Pinson, CFA, Chief Investment Officer at Equinum Wealth Management. Click here to watch the recording, or read the recap below.

Charitable giving creates a “win-win” for taxpayers: it supports meaningful causes while offering deductions that reduce taxable income. Taxpayers have two options for claiming deductions on their returns: They can either take the standard deduction, or opt to itemize deductions, which allows them to include all their annual contributions. For those who itemize, tax-deductible donations can be a valuable tool for reducing overall tax liability.

It’s important to note, though, that not every charitable contribution qualifies for a deduction. Donations must be made to an IRS-registered organization or an official House of Prayer. In most cases, tangible property can be deducted unless goods or services are exchanged in return for the donation. For example, if you attend your child’s annual school dinner, you can deduct the entrance fee—minus the fair market value of the meal, as the meal constitutes a tangible benefit.

Intangible religious benefits—such as moral guidance or participation in religious services—are not considered taxable income, and are exempt from IRS reporting requirements. However, tuition payments for religious education are considered tangible benefits and do not qualify as deductible charitable contributions.

To claim a deduction for any given year, the donation must be made before December 31st of that year. Electronic contributions should be withdrawn from a bank account or non-electronic contributions should be postmarked by that date. Additionally, it’s essential to keep documentation in case of an audit. Written records are required for donations under $250, while donations over that amount must be substantiated with a ‘Contemporaneous Written Acknowledgement’ or receipt.

An individual’s charitable contribution deduction is capped based on the classification of the organization or recipient. For cash donations, contributions to public charities are generally limited to 60% of a person’s adjusted gross income (AGI). The percentage limit may differ for non-cash contributions (e.g., securities or property), which are capped at 50% or 30%, depending on different factors. Donations to private foundations are capped at 30% of AGI for most contributions, and 20% for capital gain contributions. Contributions to foreign charities are generally not deductible unless the charity is registered with the IRS. Donating to a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) provides similar benefits as donating to a public charity (with the 60% AGI limit) while offering flexibility, ease of use, and simplified recordkeeping.

Charitable deductions can be strategically applied to maximize tax benefits. For instance, if you experience a high-income year, consider making a significant donation to a DAF before year-end. While you can recommend how the funds are distributed over the next year, your donation will be recognized in the current year, and the deduction can be claimed immediately. Conversely, in a year with lower income, you might consider “bunching” your contributions with the following year’s donations to optimize the tax impact in a year with a higher income.

Charitable giving not only supports causes you care about, but also offers meaningful tax benefits. Speak to your tax advisor to explore how your charitable contributions can be leveraged to enhance your tax strategy and support your overall financial well-being.

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In commercial litigation, it is common for business valuation experts to measure damages based on lost profits, diminished business value, or both. Here’s an introduction to these concepts.

The Basics
Generally, it’s appropriate to estimate lost profits when a plaintiff suffers an economic loss for a discrete period and then returns to normal. On the other hand, diminished business value is typically reserved for businesses that are completely destroyed or suffer a permanent loss, such as the destruction of an entire division or product line.

In rare situations, lost profits may fail to adequately capture a plaintiff’s damages. For example, suppose a defendant’s wrongful conduct damages a plaintiff’s reputation but doesn’t directly affect the plaintiff’s expected profits. Nevertheless, the defendant’s actions have rendered the plaintiff’s business less marketable and, therefore, less valuable. In this situation, diminished business value may be an appropriate measure of damages, even though the plaintiff’s business will survive.

Double Dipping
There are important similarities between how lost profits and diminished business value are measured. Typically, lost profits are a function of lost revenue caused by the defendant’s wrongful conduct and avoided costs that otherwise would have been incurred to generate the revenue. Once lost profits have been estimated, the amount is adjusted to present value.

Alternatively, business value is generally determined using one or more of the following three techniques:

Cost (or asset-based) approach
Market approach
Income approach

Because value is generally a function of a business’s ability to generate future economic benefits, awarding damages based on both lost profits and diminished business value is usually considered double dipping. A possible exception is the “slow death” scenario: A defendant’s wrongful conduct initially causes the plaintiff’s profits to decline, but the plaintiff continues operating. Eventually, however, the plaintiff succumbs to its injuries and goes out of business. In these cases, it may be appropriate for the plaintiff to recover lost profits for the period following the injury along with diminished business value as of the “date of death.”

There’s a Difference
Both lost profits and diminished business value involve calculating the present value of future economic benefits. However, the two approaches have distinct nuances, and the calculations used for each to determine damages will, in most cases, not yield the same result. For example, lost profits are typically measured on a pretax basis, while business value is often determined based on after-tax cash flow.

The fair market value of a business may include adjustments such as discounts for lack of marketability and key person risks, which are often not considered when estimating lost profits. Additionally, business value is based on what is “known or knowable” as of the valuation date, whereas lost profits calculations may sometimes account for developments that have occurred up to the time of trial.

Another differentiating factor lies in each approach’s perspective. Fair market value is generally based on the perspective of a hypothetical buyer, while lost profits consider the specific plaintiff’s perspective.

For example, while lost profits are typically measured on a pre-tax basis, business value is generally determined by after-tax cash flow. Often, a business’s value may include adjustments such as discounts for lack of marketability and key person risks. These may not be considered when estimating lost profits.

Moreover, business value is based on what’s “known or knowable” on the valuation date, but lost profits calculations may sometimes consider developments that have occurred up to the time of trial. Another differentiating factor is each approach’s perspective. Fair market value is generally based on the perspective of a hypothetical buyer, while lost profits can consider the specific plaintiff’s perspective.

Which Way to Go?
Lost profits and diminished business value are closely related, but they’re not identical. Contact us to discuss which measure is appropriate for your situation and how it might affect the outcome.

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On the campaign trail, Trump vocally championed American business interests and vowed to support corporate America and draw business back into the U.S. Now it’s showtime, and one area where we may see Trump’s plans begin to emerge is in changes to business tax law and policy. While no detailed tax plan has been issued yet, Trump has hinted at how tax policy may take shape next year.

Trump has proposed a 1% decrease in the corporate income tax rate, which presently stands at 21%, and he is suggesting a more substantial 15% rate for companies that manufacture in the U.S. This tax cut is relatively modest, but it will increase corporate profits and give businesses more resources to reinvest and grow. Unless the changes also address pass-through tax rates or deductions, there will likely be no significant benefits for small businesses organized as pass-through entities. There is the possibility that the tax cut could improve global competitiveness and tempt international corporations to return or transfer operations to the U.S., potentially stimulating modest economic growth.

Though a 1% decrease seems insignificant, given the scale of U.S. corporate earnings, it could have a noteworthy and negative impact on U.S. tax revenues and may increase the country’s deficit. Much will depend on how businesses use their 1% savings, where they allocate them, and how the broader economic environment reacts to the adjustment.

Trump also proposes to repeal the limitation on excess business losses for non-corporate taxpayers. The limitation, created by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and extended through 2028 by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, prevents non-corporate taxpayers from deducting excess business losses above $578,000 (2023-married filing jointly) or $289,000 (other), with any excess losses treated as net operating loss carryforward (subject to indexed thresholds).

Repealing this limitation would mean more deductions available for non-corporate taxpayers, including S Corps, partnerships, and sole proprietors. It would enable them to offset their business losses against other types of income, like wages or investment income, and overall, it would reduce their tax burden. Critics may claim that this tax cut favors the rich, who have multiple income streams and are more likely to have large business losses and other income to offset.

Besides tax relief, the injection of additional cash into businesses could spur growth and reinvestment. As above, this tax cut would also reduce federal tax revenues and may raise the deficit unless other revenue-generating measures are implemented.

Even with the possibility of a Republican-controlled Congress, it is uncertain whether Trump will be successful in pushing through tax cuts and policy changes. He may face backlash from the public for seemingly favoring the wealthy, or lawmakers may question whether his tax initiatives can benefit the overall economy. The Fed will be cautious of any changes impacting inflation and, by extension, interest rates. With so many economic moving parts, it is hard to predict whether or how Trump’s intentions will be realized.

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As we stepped into 2024, the investment landscape was filled with uncertainty. Several significant challenges loomed, posing threats to financial stability. Some of these challenges included:

Persistently high inflation
Widespread predictions of a recession by economists and strategists
Uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve’s next steps
A rapidly escalating national debt
Historically high interest rates
An imminent housing crash fueled by those high rates

These menacing issues were further intensified by the pending election, with its highly charged public sentiments and the expectation of political unrest and chaos.

Despite these challenges, the stock market has shown remarkable resilience, surging 27.56% year-to-date in 2024. This performance underscores an important lesson: attempting to time the market based on macroeconomic conditions or political developments is a futile exercise.

You might be thinking, “If the market weathered all these storms, doesn’t that mean it never goes down? Maybe investing is smooth sailing.” But that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Historically, the market experiences a 30% correction approximately once every five years, in addition to many smaller intermittent corrections. It’s far from a smooth ride. The takeaway is that predicting when the ups and downs will occur is incredibly difficult—arguably impossible.

Instead of getting caught up in fear or trying to anticipate market movements, a prudent investor focuses on maintaining a diversified portfolio and committing to their long-term financial goals. By tuning out the noise and staying invested, you can position yourself to benefit from the market’s resilience and the power of compounding your investment over time.

2024’s stock market resilience, despite a seemingly endless array of concerns, serves as a powerful reminder that time in the market—not timing the market—is the key to investment success. As we navigate the unpredictable road ahead, remain disciplined, stay invested, and trust in the long-term potential of the U.S. stock market to deliver substantial returns.

his material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide or be relied upon for legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.

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They say a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. For businesses, messy or inaccurate financial records signify more than disorder; they reflect a company in chaos—one that is likely flying blind financially. Outsourcing Client Accounting Services (CAS) is an effective way to turn financial chaos into clarity.

For small businesses with revenues under $10 million, maintaining a full-time CFO can cost anywhere from 2% to 5% of annual revenue. If the expense of a full-time executive is too steep for your business, outsourced CAS services offer essential solutions to help you operate effectively and remain compliant. CAS services typically include accounting operations, strategic financial planning, cash flow management, budgeting, forecasting, and expert financial guidance.

Why Does a Business Need Accurate and Timely Financial Statements?

Financial statements are the building blocks of any well-run company. Accurate and timely financials are essential for:

Tax reporting and compliance
Financial planning and budgeting
Securing financing or attracting investors
Managing operations efficiently

Poorly executed financial reporting can invite tax audits, compromise financing opportunities, and damage a company’s prospects for a potential sale. On a practical level, not knowing the state of your finances leads to losing control over cash flow and expenses. Management cannot set or implement long-term business goals or develop effective strategies. Decision-making becomes impaired.

Bottom line? Bad books mean management will make bad decisions.

What is Financial Reporting?

Financial statements consist of three key components that provide insights into a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity:

Balance Sheet: This snapshot of a company’s financial standing at a specific point in time shows assets, liabilities, and the difference between them—known as shareholders’ equity (also referred to as net worth or owner’s equity).
Income Statement: Also called a profit and loss statement, this document reflects a company’s financial performance over a given period. It identifies revenues, expenses, and the resulting net income or loss.
Cash Flow Statement: This statement tracks the movement of cash in and out of a business during a specific period, showing how well a company generates and uses cash.

How Do Bad Reporting Habits Play Out?

Consider XYZ Corp., a company plagued by constant turnover in its finance department. Its CEO, more focused on improving his golf handicap than reviewing financials, ignored ambiguous and incomplete records.

The consequences were severe. The company couldn’t track cash flow; payments to suppliers were missed; employees’ salaries were issued late; and the company underreported taxable income, inviting an IRS audit.

The CEO was mid-swing on the fourth hole when the office manager called to inform him of the audit. The result? Fines, penalties, and reputational damage. Eventually, when XYZ Corp. tried to sell, buyers were unwilling to move forward because the company could not demonstrate consistent financial health. The company went bankrupt, and the CEO’s golf handicap remained depressingly high.

What Are the Two Most Essential Rewards of Sound Financial Reporting?

Informed Decision-Making
Accurate financial records are vital for making informed decisions. They enable management to assess company goals, forecast future revenues, and allocate resources effectively. Financial data can help identify internal trends: Are costs rising? Are revenues declining?

With this insight, management can make proactive adjustments to “right the ship.” They can prioritize expenditures, focus on strategic investments, and ensure long-term stability.

Improved Cash Flow Management
Cash flow describes the inflow and outflow of funds used for daily operations, such as taxes, payroll, inventory, and other expenses. By analyzing cash flow data, management can anticipate and prepare for periods of low cash flow. They can then prudently decide whether to postpone non-essential expenditures or perhaps secure short-term financing, if needed.

Efficient cash flow management ensures stability, prevents debilitating shortfalls, and gives management the flexibility to focus on growth and success.

Watch Your Bottom Line

Financial statements provide management with a clear view of future investments and expenditures while serving as benchmarks for performance assessment. They can also instill confidence in investors who need assurance before allocating capital.

For organizations that lack the size or capacity to staff in-house personnel for financial reporting, outsourcing CAS services can make a significant difference. Professionally managed back-office accounting operations allow management to focus on operations, strategy, and growth objectives.

Neglecting financial accuracy can result in missed opportunities, poor decision-making, and even legal consequences. Can your business afford the risk?

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With Trump’s recent victory, real estate professionals are counting on seeing significant rate cuts and enjoying potential benefits. These include a more vigorous market, relief for buyers, and more favorable financing conditions, by way of lower interest rates for investors. Bus this rosy forecast may be met with rain clouds.

Trump’s proposed tax cuts are meant to create a more business-friendly economic environment and may mildly stimulate the economy by increasing business investment. However, the Federal Reserve (Fed) exercises a dual mandate: to control employment and keep inflation down. If the economy weakens, the Fed usually responds by stepping in and lowering rates to stimulate growth. Conversely, when the economy heats up, more money is circulating in the system and inflationary conditions can develop. To manage inflation the Fed may raise rates to control and stabilize the economy. When the economy is healthy, the Federal Reserve is less inclined to lower interest rates, to prevent the risk of the economy overheating.

Trump also proposes to impose tariffs on imports; a move that unlikely to prompt the Fed to lower rates and may even have the opposite effect. Tariffs are inherently inflationary, as they raise the cost of imported goods; and that cost ultimately finds its way to the consumer in the form of higher sticker prices. When prices rise, the Fed would be careful to avoid further rate cuts and instead would consider moving rates upward to counter inflationary pressures.

Based on the above, the environment created by Trump’s proposals, while beneficial to businesses and taxpayers, is at odds with conditions that would motivate the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Improving the economy will benefit the country – but are unlikely to warrant a decrease in interest rates.

That said, there’s room for an alternative perspective. A strong economy is a double-edged sword when it comes to interest rates. In a stable and non-volatile economy, Treasury rates fall. Investors are seeking safer assets, the increased demand for Treasury bonds drives their prices higher and yields lower. This decline in Treasury rates creates a ripple effect throughout the financial system, influencing other rates. As Treasury rates decline the global lending environment reacts. International borrowers are drawn to the US’s favorable market rates and increasing demand for US debt drives down lending rates further, including consumer and mortgage rates. Treasury rates, global lending, and consumer rates share a reciprocal relationship. The ‘zero risk rate’ set by the Treasury becomes the baseline for lending, when it is at a low, borrowing becomes cheaper for everyone.

Potential chain reactions from fluctuations in the 10-year Treasury bond market and the Federal Funds Futures remain uncertain and may have broader economic benefits. Lower consumer and mortgage rates spur growth by increasing disposable income. More disposable income translates into more discretionary purchasing – a boost for the retail and service industries. Businesses will take advantage of more affordable lending terms and can invest in big-ticket projects, expansion, and technology – which promotes employment across many sectors.

Additionally, a potential inflation buster that could lead to lower rates is Trump’s proposal to ease drilling restrictions to boost domestic oil and gas production. Energy prices are a significant driver of inflation. Lower energy costs will also result in reduced price increases and more disposable income for taxpayers to spend on consumer goods.

While on the campaign trail, Trump proposed that the president should have influence over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions. In response, Chairman Powell, a Presidential Appointee, made clear that he would continue to run the Fed as an independent entity. Trump may be motivated to dismiss Powell and replace the Fed Board with more dovish appointees who are more sympathetic to lowering rates. However, there is no legal mechanism to remove an appointee, and the President cannot directly discharge the Fed Chair without legal cause. Trump may contend that Powell was appointed by a president and therefore, a president can remove him. Alternately, he may attempt to publicly pressure Powell to resign. I believe that both alternatives would fail and would provoke market instability and public criticism.

What can we conclude from our current combination of economic and political landscape? Optimists can stay hopeful, but even while market predictors prophesize a steady gradual decline in interest rates, I believe it is improbable that the Trump administration will be the catalyst for steeper cuts than those already built into market predictions. My advice to clients is to refrain from making assumptions or business decisions based on the expectations of drastically lower rates. Exercise caution when underwriting or investing in deals that depend heavily on significant rate declines. Instead, investors should focus on making decisions that prioritize long-term growth and remain sustainable across a variety of economic scenarios.

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The Medicare Advantage Plan is an alternative to traditional Medicare that allows eligible participants to access their benefits through private insurance plans within Medicare. Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans have become an increasingly popular choice for participants because of the lower rates and added benefits offered. But for the skilled nursing homes responsible for delivering the services covered by MA plans, the fallout is far more unfavorable. Will MA plans irreparably damage the SNF industry?

Skilled nursing facilities generally receive lower reimbursement rates under MA plans than under traditional Medicare. The Federal government, through CMS, pays MA plans a fixed, or ‘capitated’, monthly amount per beneficiary – a per person, per month rate to cover health care services for each individual participant. Because the payments are fixed, there is the inherent risk that costs for a participant will exceed the capitated payment. If there’s a deficit, the SNF has to absorb it.

Managed care reduces the average revenue per patient day, but the staffing and administrative requirements to deliver the same level of care remain the same. The result? Tighter profit margins resulting from the shortfall put pressure on facilities to control expenses and avoid providing excess services. To effectively tackle this challenge, my colleague, Shulem Rosenbaum CPA/ABV, partner with Roth&Co’s Advisory division, shares that “SNFs must rethink their cost structures. Many SNFs have historically relied on a per-patient-day (PPD) variable cost model, where expenses fluctuate with occupancy and patient demand. This approach leaves facilities exposed to the instability of fixed or inconsistent reimbursement rates frequently seen with Medicare Advantage.”

One of our clients, a long-time SNF operator with over 50 facilities, shared his perspective about how MA plans have disrupted the financial landscape for skilled nursing facilities. “We’re left juggling to meet patient needs while navigating a system that doesn’t account for the real costs of care. It’s a challenge to stay financially viable.” The numbers prove him right. According to calculations made by Zimmet Healthcare, the dollar amount of SNF Medicare reimbursements lost this year to MA comes to over $10 billion nationally, with Pennsylvania losing almost $500 million and New York out by $634 million.

While SNFs revenues will always be restricted by federal and state requirements, there are ways to alleviate concerns about MA reimbursement and reduce volatility through strategic initiatives. SNF’s can maximize their revenues by building strong relationships with MA plan providers to negotiate better reimbursement rates or value-based contracts. They can work to reduce their reliance on MA plans and improve profitability by diversifying their patient base and attracting more self-pay and private insurance patients. As with any business operation, they can optimize efficiency by streamlining administrative practices, integrate technology, and brainstorm for additional cost-saving measures that won’t compromise the quality of care.

“A compelling solution is to adopt a fixed-expense model that reduces reliance on operational leverage,” Rosenbaum adds. “By reassessing and standardizing specific cost centers, SNFs can establish a more stable financial framework that is less affected by patient volume.” Another of our clients, a small, local SNF owner, had a different take on current challenges. “MA plan participation is growing, and we must learn to work with that. The evolution of the industry has made us take a hard look at how we manage our resources, pushing us to reassess and work smarter— which is something every operation needs to do from time to time.”

Ultimately, while Medicare Advantage plans may effectively help participants manage their healthcare costs, they restrict revenues and patient care options for SNFs. Will the rise in MA plans push the SNF industry to its breaking point? Times may be lean for SNF’s, but we believe that agile and creative facilities can effectively modify operations, maintain patient care, and adapt to working with MA plans to achieve a sustainable business model for the long term.

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With the bull market in stocks celebrating its second birthday, many potential donors have likely seen sizable gains in their investment accounts, especially those who have invested heavily in the tech and AI sectors. While that’s great for their personal wealth, it also creates a tricky tax situation when the time comes to sell those investments, and they are often exposed to hefty capital gains taxes.

Enter the beauty of donating appreciated stock. By gifting those shares directly to your non-profit, your donors can:

Avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation of stocks or securities
Become eligible to claim a charitable deduction, sometimes for the full fair market value of those assets
Continue to support the causes they care about

Receiving stock donations is a transformative opportunity for non-profits. Unlike individual investors, non-profit organizations don’t have to worry about capital gains taxes when selling donated shares. This strategy allows them to retain the full value of the donation and boosts the impact of the gift on the organization’s mission. Many donors are actively seeking tax-efficient ways to support the causes they believe in. Offering this donation option makes your organization an attractive choice and differentiates it from other charities.

What practical steps can a non-profit take to implement this strategy? By simply opening a brokerage account to accept stock donations, your organization can unlock a powerful new fundraising channel that benefits everyone involved.

The process is surprisingly simple:

Open a brokerage account specifically for accepting stock donations
Promote this giving option to your donor base, highlighting its tax benefits
Provide clear instructions on how donors can initiate the transfer

The donor handles the stock transfer, while the organization receives the full value of the investment asset; both come out ahead. If the donor is being serviced by a financial advisor, this strategy can be implemented as easily as a cash donation. If they do not have a capable advisor, suggest that they reach out to our affiliate wealth management group, Equinum, to receive professional, white glove service.

In a market flush with investor gains, tapping into donated appreciated stock can be a powerful fundraising strategy for non-profits. It allows donors to maximize the impact of their gift, while the non-profit retains its full value to drive its mission forward. Potential donors should consult with their tax advisors to ensure this strategy aligns with their goals and that they are prepared to meet all legal requirements.

Why should your organization wait any longer? Open a brokerage account and start spreading the word. Your donors – and your bottom line – will thank you.

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When you peek under the hood at inflation data and the latest cost-of-living trends, you might feel some relief upon noticing that, while some high prices still sting, costs are stabilizing overall. All except for one notable, stubborn exception: housing.

Since the pandemic, home prices have shot up dramatically, pushing the dream of homeownership further out of reach for many Americans. Every market has its quirks, but on the whole, the median home price across the U.S. tells the same story – prices are up, and they aren’t trending downward.

To add insult to injury, interest rates were raised in 2022 and 2023 as a mechanism to quell inflation. The natural result should have been a downswing in housing prices. Yet, despite the hikes, home prices didn’t budge. So, now we’re getting hit with the classic one-two punch: higher home prices are prevailing and interest rates have been climbing.

Here’s a typical real-world example: Imagine you had your eye on a $600,000 house back in 2021. With a 30-year mortgage at a 3% rate and a $200,000 down payment, your mortgage bill would have come to an estimated $1,686 a month. Fast forward and today, that same house would likely be priced closer to $800,000, with mortgage rates now hovering around 6.5%. Assuming that the same down payment was applied, the monthly mortgage cost would jump from $1,686 to $3,792 – a staggering difference.

The Fed-fund rate is regulated by the Federal Reserve, while Treasury and Bond rates tend to be controlled by the market – and the rates typically align. However, when the Fed announced a recent half-percent rate cut on September 18th — intended to signal economic stability and control over inflation—many hoped it would signal some relief, especially with the Feds projection of more cuts on the horizon. But ironically, the market has pushed back and treasury bond yields and mortgage rates have actually risen. Economists are practically falling over each other to explain this strange turn of events.

At Equinum, we believe that, while rates might dip a little, the only way we’re likely to see a meaningful drop in home prices or mortgage rates, would be through a recession. In a recession, employment drops and there is less money circulating in the economy; people cannot afford homes and real estate prices fall. The Fed generally responds by cutting interest rates, hoping to stimulate the economy and pull it out of its inertia. While a period of recession may be good news for those seeking to purchase real estate, it comes at the expense of joblessness and unemployment. This solution presents a difficult dilemma: choosing between affordable housing and job stability, an uneasy balancing act that none of us wants to experience.

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Global crises and natural disasters are on the rise and in response, people all over the country are opening their hearts and their wallets to support those in need. But this rise in altruism has its challenges. In the wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, the Internal Revenue Service recently warned taxpayers to beware of scammers who exploit public generosity by creating fake charities that gather donations and steal sensitive personal and financial information. According to recent data from the Federal Trade Commission, in 2023, nearly 10,000 reports of charitable solicitation fraud were filed in the United States, resulting in a loss of approximately $22.5 million to donors. Scammers commonly take advantage of peoples’ generosity during the holiday season, and when natural disasters or other tragic events occur; and their victims are often the easier marks – seniors and groups with limited English proficiency.

Scammers are imaginative and don’t limit themselves to pulling on heartstrings only as a response to a natural crisis. In a shameful example of fake charity fraud, in 2023, student Madison Russo, fraudulently raised nearly $40,000 by claiming to have multiple cancers, including stage 2 pancreatic cancer and leukemia. She publicized her story on TikTok and set up a GoFundMe page for donations. Ultimately, she was challenged and, after failing to provide medical records or proof of her diagnosis, was convicted and sentenced to probation and restitution to her donors.

Sham charities can go corporate too. In a March 2024 announcement, the Federal Trade Commission, along with ten other states, brought suit against Cancer Recovery Foundation International, also known as Women’s Cancer Fund, and its operator, Gregory B. Anderson. The suit alleges that from 2017 to 2022, the organization collected more than $18 million from donors to support women cancer patients. It only spent 1.1%, or approximately $196,000, on financial support to patients, while a cool $775,139 went to pay Anderson, its operator.

The FBI warns citizens to avoid making financial contributions to groups that support terrorism. Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) are foreign organizations that are designated by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The US Department of State provides a public list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and warns donors to keep their distance.

“We all want to help innocent victims and their families,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “Knowing we’re trying to aid those who are suffering, criminals crawl out of the woodwork to prey on those most vulnerable – people who simply want to help. Especially during these challenging times, don’t feel pressured to immediately give to a charity you’ve never heard of. Check out the charity first and confirm it is authentic.”

To that end, the IRS offers the Tax-Exempt Organization Search (TEOS) tool, which taxpayers can access on the IRS website to help them find or verify qualified, legitimate charities. Beyond this, how can a donor make sure that his or her charitable donations reach their intended recipients? The wise donor will do their research and will stick with charities they know and trust. It’s best to make targeted donations, designated towards specific purposes instead of to a general fund. Cyber-safety should always be paramount; never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited e-mails, texts, or social media posts. Also know that most legitimate charity websites end in “.org” rather than “.com.” Charities that ask for cash or wire payments raise a red flag. It is always more prudent to pay by credit card or write a check directly to a charity; and never make a charitable donation check out to an individual.

As charitable scams continue to evolve, it is vital for donors to stay vigilant and informed about how to identify potential fraud. Always verify the legitimacy of a charity through reliable resources, such as the Tax-Exempt Organization Search, Better Business Bureau or Charity Navigator, and be wary of unsolicited requests for donations. By staying aware and conducting due diligence, you can ensure that your contributions reach those who genuinely need support, while safeguarding yourself against scammers.

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Excel and Power BI are both powerful Microsoft tools used in data analysis and reporting, but each has its distinct strengths and applications.

Excel, as a spreadsheet program, offers strong capabilities used for basic analysis and reporting; it features detailed, manual data entry and calculations. Excel is suitable for small to medium datasets for use in financial analysis, and it’s a comfortable choice for users who are already familiar with its functions and formulas. The program is commonly used by businesses and students for creating budgets, tracking expenditures, calculations and analyses, and other statistical functions.

Power BI is the go-to choice for advanced analytics and visualization. It offers more automation and scalability for large datasets and its interactive functions are used for advanced data analysis, forecasting, tracking key metrics and other tasks that require manipulating and sharing data.

Power BI vs. Excel: Why Power BI Stands Out

While Excel remains a popular tool for data analysis, Power BI offers several advantages that make it a superior choice for modern businesses:

Enhanced Visualizations: Power BI’s advanced visual tools make it easier to present complex data in a visually appealing and interactive way.
Real-Time Data Integration: Unlike Excel, which often requires manual data refreshes, Power BI can connect to live data sources for continuous updates.
Scalability: Power BI handles large datasets more effectively than Excel, making it ideal for businesses that deal with high volumes of data.
Seamless Integration: Power BI supports a wide range of data sources, including cloud services like Azure, and enterprise systems like SAP and Salesforce, making it more versatile than Excel.

Who’s got the Advantage?

Whereas Excel is the workhorse we all know and love, Power BI provides attractive bells and whistles. Its extensive features for formatting, natural language queries, and editing and filtering are visually appealing – with a customized dashboard offering a 360-degree view. Users can more easily drill down into data with Power BI and automate and share interactive reports across teams and organizations. Ultimately, these capabilities can help businesses make better-informed, data-driven decisions. While Excel’s calculation and spreadsheet functionalities make it ideal for studying data, Power BI is a better choice for performance and sharing.

Why Choose?

Excel and Power BI, both created by Microsoft, can complement each other effectively and integrate well. There’s no real need to choose between them – they can be used together for optimal results.

Data created in Excel can easily be shared with Power BI without transition glitches. The same goes for other Microsoft Office applications, like Power Query and Power Pivot. An amalgam of these tools can save a business time, automate its processes, and allow it to optimize and upgrade its data management.

Ask us about how RothTech can help your organization leverage the full potential of Power BI for deeper insights and better decision-making.

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Cost segregation is a key tool that allows a business to reclassify certain property components and potentially reduce its tax burden through accelerated depreciation. Property owners who have developed, acquired, expanded, or renovated real estate can optimize their depreciation deductions and defer income taxes at both federal and state levels. While cost segregation is common in office, hotel, and retail spaces, it can benefit any type of commercial property.

For tax purposes, residential rental properties typically depreciate over 27.5 years, while commercial properties depreciate over 39 years. However, properties include more than the building structure itself—elements like plumbing, flooring, and sidewalks can be depreciated on accelerated timelines. By separating specific property components, investors can fast-track depreciation deductions, cut taxable income, and improve cash flow. This method is especially valuable in commercial real estate, where larger investments yield substantial tax savings. Cost segregation is one way private-market real estate provides unique tax advantages, making it a particularly appealing asset class.

When selling property used in your business, understanding the sale’s tax implications is essential, especially given the complex rules involved.

Basic rules

As an example, consider a property for sale that is either land or depreciable property used in your business and has been held for more than a year. Under tax law, gains and losses from sales of business property are netted against each other. The tax treatment is as follows:

If the netting of gains and losses results in a net gain, then long-term capital gain treatment results, subject to “recapture” rules discussed below. Long-term capital gain treatment is generally more favorable than ordinary income treatment.
If the netting of gains and losses results in a net loss, that loss is fully deductible against ordinary income. (In other words, none of the rules that limit the deductibility of capital losses apply.)

The availability of long-term capital gain treatment for business property net gain is limited by “recapture” rules. Under these rules, amounts are treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gain, because of previous ordinary loss or deduction treatment.

The beauty of utilizing cost segregation to accelerate depreciation is that it offsets income – until it is time to sell. That’s when the recapture rule kicks in. There’s a special recapture rule that applies only to business property. Under this rule, to the extent you’ve had a business property net loss within the previous five years, any business property net gain is treated as ordinary income instead of long-term capital gain.

Different types of property

Under the Internal Revenue Code, different provisions address different types of property. For example:

Section 1245 property. This consists of all depreciable personal property, whether tangible or intangible, and certain depreciable real property (usually real property that performs specific functions). If you sell Section 1245 property, you must recapture your gain as ordinary income to the extent of your earlier depreciation deductions on the asset.
Section 1250 property. In general, this consists of buildings and their structural components. If you sell Section 1250 property that’s placed in service after 1986, none of the long-term capital gain attributable to depreciation deductions will be subject to depreciation recapture. However, for most noncorporate taxpayers, the gain attributable to depreciation deductions, to the extent it doesn’t exceed business property net gain, will (as reduced by the business property recapture rule above) be taxed at a rate of no more than 28.8% (25% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) rather than the maximum 23.8% rate (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) that generally applies to long-term capital gains of noncorporate taxpayers.

Other rules apply to, respectively, Section 1250 property that you placed in service after 1980 and before 1987, and Section 1250 property that you placed in service before 1981.

Even with the simple assumptions presented in this article, the tax treatment of the sale of business assets can be complex. Tools like cost segregation, combined with a solid grasp of tax rules, can make a significant difference in tax outcomes and improve a business’ overall financial strategy when it sells business property.

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On September 18, 2024, for the first time in over four years, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.5%. Will this cut relieve the borrowing chokehold crippling the commercial real estate (CRE) industry? Opinions are mixed. Some say that it buys time for CRE holders, and that with the additional future cuts alluded to by the Fed, they will be able to hold out until refinancing becomes viable. Others claim that a rate cut will barely make a dent in the challenges that highly- leveraged CRE holders and investors are facing, and that banks will no longer wait patiently for them to address their debts.

According to CRE data firm Trepp, an estimated $2.2 trillion in commercial-property debt will be maturing between this year and 2027. CRE holders that invested using the artificially low, pre-pandemic interest rates are now seeking refinancing and find themselves in a very tight spot. The inevitable result is defaults and receiverships. Jeff Krasnoff, CEO of Rialto Capital, a real estate investment and asset management firm based in Florida, recently brought over fifteen foreclosure suits against borrowers from Signature Bank, which collapsed in 2023, alleging defaults exceeding $300 million. Other examples include investment firm Ashkenazy Acquisitions, multifamily syndicator GVA, and landlord Steve Croman, who account for approximately $751 million in defaults in 2024.

Until now, banks have been resorting to the “extend and pretend” game, where they’ve extended loan terms for struggling borrowers to help them avoid default, while waiting and hoping to see property values rebound. This unsustainable strategy is wearing thin, and, according to the Federal Reserve’s senior loan officer opinion survey released in May 2024, banks reported tightening their CRE lending policies during the first quarter of 2024. Banks are making efforts to reduce their exposure and have been quietly divesting troublesome portfolios of CRE loans in order to cut their losses – a reasonable move in light of 2023’s collapse of First Republic and Signature Bank, both of which were major commercial real estate lenders.

An analysis by S & P Global found that approximately 10% of the CRE mortgages maturing in 2024 are office properties. The post-pandemic shift toward remote and hybrid work arrangements have hit the office sector hard, generating vacancies and delinquencies. Trepp estimates that the U.S. office market has lost nearly a quarter of its value since the Federal Reserve began raising rates. Many of these office space owners are highly- leveraged or locked into floating rate debt and are struggling to stay viable. According to Shulem Rosenbaum CPA/ABV, Partner and business valuation expert at Roth&Co, the takeaway is that “overleveraging can be beneficial in stable markets, but carries significant risks in more turbulent times.”

What can we expect for the future? In a September 2024 press conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that the Fed would consider additional cuts, by, “making decisions meeting by meeting, based on the incoming data, the evolving outlook, the balance of risks.”

Powell expects that the economy will continue its trend towards falling inflation and rising unemployment – a trend that prompted this first rate cut. The consensus among analysts and central bank officials is that more interest rate cuts will be forthcoming in 2024 and into 2025. A drop in the interest rate means that borrowing costs will ease and capital will free up. This will make financing new deals more attractive to investors and developers. More transaction activity will spur competition, and increased demand will bring up property prices. While many analysts believe most lenders and real estate owners can hold out until rates drop enough for refinancing, the support from the Fed won’t be sufficient for some of the country’s most heavily leveraged property investors.

Will rate cuts pull the CRE industry out of its pandemic-induced coma? U.S. economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman was no fan of central banking practices and its manipulation of interest rates. He believed, “cutting interest rates doesn’t create capital” nor increase real wealth, “it just shifts it around,” redistributing existing capital within the economy.

Rosenbaum asserts, “We have yet to see the positive effects of the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cuts on the CRE industry.” Initial rate increases occurred during a period when the CRE sector was already grappling with high vacancies and rent forbearances, while key COVID relief programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) were unavailable to many landlords. Other resources, like the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), were limited to businesses with small workforces. “While the Fed’s current actions may provide some temporary relief,” Rosenbaum contends, “we believe it is unlikely to deliver the comprehensive solution that the CRE industry urgently requires.”

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In today’s data-driven world, businesses of all sizes—from small startups to large conglomerates—collect vast amounts of data. However, the true challenge lies in transforming this raw data into actionable insights that drive informed decision-making. Microsoft’s Power BI is a powerful business intelligence tool designed to help organizations convert data into meaningful reports and visualizations, making data analysis more accessible, insightful, and actionable.

Why Power BI is Essential for Modern Businesses

1) Data Consolidation Across Multiple Sources: Power BI allows businesses to integrate data from multiple sources, such as Excel, cloud services, databases, and even the web. This unified data access means that businesses can analyze sales, operations, finance, and customer data all in one place, enabling cohesive decision-making across departments.

2) Real-Time Analytics: Power BI provides real-time data streaming, meaning businesses can track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics as they happen. This allows companies to respond proactively to changes in market conditions or internal performance issues, rather than relying on static, outdated reports.

3) Advanced Data Visualization: While tools like Excel can visualize data to a degree, Power BI takes this a step further with interactive, highly customizable dashboards. These dashboards provide a clear view of complex datasets and help users easily identify trends, outliers, and opportunities through modern visuals like heatmaps, treemaps, and geographic maps.

4) Self-Service Business Intelligence: One of the greatest advantages of Power BI is its ease of use. Users across the organization, not just those in IT, can create their own reports and dashboards. This empowers all team members to make data-driven decisions and fosters a culture of data literacy throughout the organization.

5) Scalability and Affordability: Power BI is built on scalable data engines capable of handling large datasets without performance degradation. Additionally, its pricing structure is progressive, offering free options for small organizations using Power BI Desktop, and affordable licensing for larger enterprises that need cloud sharing and collaboration.

How to Set Up Power BI for Success

To maximize the potential of Power BI, proper setup and ongoing optimization are critical. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1) Define Clear Objectives: Before jumping into Power BI, businesses should outline their goals. What key metrics are you tracking? What decisions do you hope to influence with your data? Aligning Power BI with these objectives ensures you are focused on the right data and insights.

2) Data Integration and Cleaning: Power BI excels when data is clean and consistent. Use tools like Power Query to prepare data from various sources, ensuring accuracy and reliability before analysis. Once cleaned, Power BI can pull in data from sources such as SAP, Oracle, Azure, and even websites.

3) Establish Roles and Permissions: To protect sensitive data, businesses should set up appropriate user roles in Power BI. The platform allows administrators to grant different permissions, ensuring that data is secure while still enabling collaboration across departments.

4) Foster a Data-Driven Culture: Training employees to use Power BI is essential for unlocking its full potential. Encourage team members to build their own reports and dashboards, fostering a culture where data literacy thrives.

Best Practices for Power BI Optimization

Even after setting up Power BI, ongoing refinement is essential to ensure the tool evolves alongside your business. Here are some optimization tips:

– Automate Data Refreshes and Alerts: Set up automatic data refreshes to ensure your dashboards always display the latest information. Use alerts to notify key stakeholders when KPIs reach critical thresholds, enabling faster responses to emerging trends.

– Optimize Report Performance: As data volumes grow, it’s important to optimize reports for performance. Techniques like DirectQuery and incremental refreshes can help keep reports running smoothly, even with large datasets.

– Design with Simplicity: Power BI dashboards should be clear and concise. Avoid overloading users with too much information, and focus on the most critical data points. Use consistent visualizations, round numbers, and clean layouts to enhance readability.

– Security and Governance: Power BI offers robust data security features, such as row-level security, allowing businesses to protect sensitive data while still leveraging the platform’s collaborative features.

Conclusion: Unlock the Power of Your Data with Power BI

Power BI transforms data into actionable insights, making it a critical tool for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge in today’s data-driven world. By integrating data across multiple sources, offering real-time insights, and enabling self-service reporting, Power BI helps businesses make informed decisions that drive growth, efficiency, and profitability.

With proper setup, ongoing optimization, and a commitment to fostering a data-driven culture, your organization can fully unlock the power of Power BI and harness the full potential of your data.

Ask us about how RothTech can help your organization leverage the full potential of Power BI for deeper insights and better decision-making.

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The IRS defines voluntary disclosure as “a way for taxpayers with previously undisclosed income to contact the IRS and resolve their tax matters.” It’s their way of offering remiss taxpayers the opportunity to mitigate potential penalties.

This new program refers specifically to the COVID-era Employee Retention Credit (ERC). If you claimed and received the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) for 2021 tax periods, but you are, in fact, ineligible, you will need to repay the credit. The Voluntary Disclosure Program, or VDP, may be your chance to regroup.

An analysis conducted by the IRS found that a whopping 60% to 70% of applications for the ERC show an unacceptable “level of risk.” This is IRS lingo for claims they believe have a high likelihood of being ineligible for the credit. Tens of thousands of these are slated to be denied in the coming months. This high percentage of erroneous filings has inspired the IRS to temporarily reopen the Voluntary Disclosure Program and give businesses the chance to repair or retract their improperly filed claims to avoid potential civil penalties, audit costs and possible litigation.

Round two of the Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) was launched on August 15, 2024 and will close soon – on November 22, 2024. The VDP offers a 15% discount on the repayment of a claimant’s errant claim and the opportunity to avoid penalties, audits, or fees associated with that incorrect claim.

The IRS is marketing this “discount” as defraying the high expenses that many businesses needed to pay their (overly aggressive) advisors or promoters in order to get the ERC in the first place. Couched in another way, the IRS is willing to pay 15% of the claim in order to get their hands on the other 85% and to get the business to rat on the promoters of ineligible claims.

The first ERC VDP earlier this year offered a more generous 20% discount, but that offer is gone. If a taxpayer believes that it is eligible for the ERC, but wants to recalculate to claim a different amount, it will have to file an amended return to report that reduced amount.

Only those who have claimed ERC for 2021 (not 2020) and have received the refund or the credit against their employment taxes, are eligible to take advantage of VDP 2.0. If a claimant has already received an IRS “clawback” notice demanding repayment, they’re out of luck. If they are in the middle of an employment tax exam for the credit period or are under criminal investigation, they have also lost their chance. When a claimant is accepted to the Voluntary Disclosure Program, they must execute a closing agreement explicitly stating that they are not entitled to the ERC – and the IRS doesn’t stop there. In its efforts to identify potentially abusive ERC promotors, the claimant will have to provide the names and contact information of the preparer or advisor who helped them submit the claim.

If you’ve applied for the ERC but have not yet received a credit or refund or have received a check but have left it uncashed, then you are not eligible for this program. Instead, the IRS offers a withdrawal process. This process effectively reverses your claim, treating it as if it was never filed. The IRS will graciously hold back from imposing penalties or interest as well. However, you won’t get the 15% “discount.” To date, the claim withdrawal process has led to more than 7,300 entities withdrawing $677 million.

The IRS continues hunting for erroneous or fraudulent ERC claims and has already mailed out thousands of letters disallowing unpaid ERC claims to businesses in these last few months. This deluge of letters represents more than $1 billion in ERC claims.

It is interesting to note that the IRS seems to be targeting only those that have already received their credits. For many businesses that have already received (and in most cases, spent) the monies, it would be very hard to part with what they already have in hand.

Do you need to rethink your ERC claim? Was your preparer above board? Was he or she knowledgeable about your business and informed about ERC qualifications? Was your eligibility based on “general supply chain disruptions?”

Our recent experience handling numerous ERC audits have shown us that the IRS has been operating under a policy of “deny first, ask questions later.” Your claim may deserve a revisit, and the Voluntary Disclosure Program may be your return ticket to proper compliance.

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“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.”

— H. L. Mencken

It’s that season again — when those running for public office start making promises of all shapes and sizes, even those that defy the laws of economics. But let’s not forget their ultimate goal: to get more votes. As Churchill lamented, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

Let’s examine a few recent examples:

Vice President Harris, in her “economic plan” released on August 15th, promised to ban price gouging. This term usually refers to sellers exploiting market power to unfairly raise prices. With grocery prices up 26% since 2020, addressing this issue sounds appealing. However, even The New York Times felt compelled to critique this proposal, quoting economist Jason Furman: “This is not sensible policy, and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality.” Harris’s economic advisers surely know that price gouging bans have never and will never work, but they’re banking on voters not noticing.

Then there’s former President Trump’s tariff proposal: a 10% tariff on all imported goods. While this might appeal to voters who favor “America First” policies and resist globalization, these tariffs would ultimately raise prices for consumers. Although certain adverse measures can be justified in certain areas like computer chips (national security) or medicine (as seen during COVID), they ignore the fact that importing cheaper goods has long kept American lifestyles more affordable.

A final example is the bipartisan silence on the solvency of Social Security and the national debt. Telling seniors they might face pay cuts, or juniors that they need to pay more into the system, doesn’t win votes. As a result, these topics remain taboo until they become ticking time bombs.

Historian Niall Ferguson recently highlighted his “personal law of history:” “Any great power that spends more on debt service (interest payments on the national debt) than on defense will not stay great for very long. True of Habsburg Spain, t ancient régime France, true of the Ottoman Empire, true of the British Empire, this law is about to be put to the test by the U.S. beginning this very year.” Tackling this issue isn’t politically advantageous, so it’s conveniently ignored.

While were not here to predict the future, it is important to recognize the incentives driving political stances. To draw from the Churchill well once again, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” It’s high time for voters to wake up to economic reality – politics is often a game of fantasy.

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Non-compete agreements have always been considered a valuable business tool, especially after a merger or acquisition. However, these agreements have become more complicated in the wake of a new and controversial final rule, issued in April 2024, by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposing a ban on noncompete agreements for most employees and independent contractors. The rule would have gone into effect in September 2024.

To counter the FTC’s effort, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several business groups filed federal lawsuits challenging the final rule, arguing that the FTC lacked the authority to enact the ban and that it violated the Constitution. By August 20, 2024, they prevailed, and the rule was struck down. The Court concluded that the FTC’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious,” stating that the Non-Compete Rule was “unreasonably overbroad.” The Court was specifically offended by the rule’s “one size fits all” solution to the potential hazards of a non-compete.

This ruling will not impact state laws on non-competes. Several states have already limited their use. Minnesota banned workplace non-competes in July 2023, and New York nearly passed a similar ban before it was vetoed. States like Indiana have also restricted non-competes in specific cases.

Non-compete agreements have been around for decades. Some are required at the get-go, as a prerequisite for employment, and some kick in upon termination of employment. The employer will require an employee to sign a non-compete agreement to protect the employer’s business interests, guard against disclosure of trade secrets, and prevent the employee from poaching customers or clients. These agreements will generally limit employment activities in the same field, for a specified period, and their goal is to protect the employer.

Non-competes also may come into play in business combinations. These agreements typically prevent the seller from competing with the buyer within a specified geographic area for a certain time period (usually five years or less).

A non-compete agreement may be estimated in various circumstances, including legal disputes, mergers, financial reporting and tax matters. The most common approach to valuing a non-compete agreement is the ‘with-and-without’ method. Without a non-compete agreement, the worst-case scenario is that competition from the employee or seller will drive the company out of business. Therefore, the value of the entire business represents the highest ceiling for the value of a non-compete.

The business’ tangible assets possess some value and could be liquidated if the business failed, and it is unlikely that the employee or seller will be able to steal 100% of a business’s profits. So, when valuing non-competes, experts typically run two discounted cash flow scenarios — one with the non-compete in place, and the other without.

The valuation expert computes the difference between the two expected cash flow streams and includes consideration of several other factors:

The company’s competitive and financial position
Business forecasts and trends
The employee’s or seller’s skills and customer relationships

Next, each differential must be multiplied by the probability that the individual will subsequently compete with the business. If the party in question has no incentive, ability, or reason to compete, then the non-compete can be worthless. Factors to consider when predicting the threat of competition include the individual’s age, health, financial standing and previous competitive experience. When valuing non-competes related to mergers and acquisitions, the expert will also consider any post-sale relocation and employment plans.

A critical factor to consider when valuing non-competes is whether the agreement is legally enforceable. The restrictions in the agreement must be reasonable. For example, some courts may reject non-competes that cover an unreasonably large territory or long period of time. What is “reasonable” varies from business to business, and is subject to the particulars of the business, the terms of the agreement, state statutes and case law.

What does this mean for your business? The legal battle over non-competes has drawn attention to their use, prompting the corporate world to reconsider work relationships without restrictive covenants. Non-competes will likely be viewed differently moving forward. As with all business-related legislation, businesses should stay updated and informed of changes and revisions that may affect its employment practices and its bottom line.

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Real Estate Right Now is a video series covering the latest real estate trends and opportunities, and how you can make the most of them. Below, we talk about the benefits of investing in a Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA).

If you’re an independent-minded investor looking to diversify, an SDIRA, or Self-Directed IRA, might be the way to go.

An SDIRA is an individual retirement account that can hold alternative investments. Besides for standard investments – like stocks, bonds, cash, money market funds and mutual funds, an investor can hold assets that aren’t typically part of a retirement portfolio, like investment real estate. A custodian or trustee must administer the account, but SDIRAs are directly managed by the account holder, which is why they’re called self-directed.

SDIRAs come with complex rules and carry some risk, but they offer the opportunity for higher returns and greater diversification.

Self-directed IRAs are generally only available through specialized firms, like trust companies and certain banks. As custodians, these entities are not allowed to give financial or investment advice about your SDIRA. The account holder is responsible for all research, due diligence, and asset management within the account. Some downsides of maintaining an SDIRA include custodial fees and – if you’re not a savvy investor – exposure to fraud.

When investing in real estate through an SDIRA, the IRA’s funds are used to purchase the property. That means that the IRA will own the property, and it can only be used for investment purposes. Know that there are potential tax consequences when an SDIRA carries debt – like a mortgage – and the SDIRA will probably get taxed at a higher rate.

The upsides of investing in an SDIRA are its flexibility, diversification and the control it gives to the investor. SDIRAs offer a wide range of investment options, so the investor is not limited to stocks, bonds and mutual funds. SDIRA holders may also invest in real estate, private debt, privately held companies or funds, or even cryptocurrency. SDIRAs give the investor control to choose which specific assets he believes will perform the most advantageously based on his own research, due diligence and risk tolerance. And similarly to any IRA, investors benefit from tax-deferred or tax-free growth on their investments.

There are a number of rules an investor must be aware of when considering investing in real estate through an SDIRA, like steering clear of “prohibited transactions” and not engaging in transactions with “disqualified persons.”

Disqualified persons are people or entities that cannot be involved in any direct or indirect deals, investments, or transactions with the SDIRA. These persons include the investor, any beneficiaries of the IRA, all family members, any of the IRA’s service providers, any entities (corporations, partnerships etc.) that are owned by a disqualified person, or officer, shareholder or employee of those entities. The investor cannot transfer SDIRA income, property, or investments to a disqualified person, or lend IRA money or to a disqualified person.

Prohibited transactions are those that earn the investor personal financial gain on the investment. The investor may not sell, exchange or lease their personal property to the SDIRA as an investment (a.k.a “double dealing”). Moreover, the investor cannot supply goods, services or facilities to disqualified persons or allow fiduciaries to use the SDIRA’s income or investment(s) for their own interest. In practicality, this means that if you own a construction company or are another type of service provider, the SDIRA cannot contract with your company to do work on the property or provide it with any service. All income from SDIRA assets must be put back in the IRA and the investor must make sure that all rental income from an investment property owned by the SDIRA is deposited in the SDIRA account, and not in his personal account. The investor is not even allowed to spend the night in their SDIRA-owned rental property.

The consequences of breaking these rules are immediate. If an IRA owner or their beneficiaries engage in a prohibited transaction, the account stops acting as an IRA as of the first day of that year. The law will look at it as if the IRA had distributed all its assets to the IRA holder at fair market value as of the first day of the year. When the total value of the former-SDIRA is more than the basis in the IRA – which was the investor’s goal – the owner will show a taxable gain that will be included in their income. Depending on the infringement, they may even be subject to penalties and interest.

Reach out to your financial advisor to learn if an SDIRA is the right tool for you.

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Partnerships, and some multi-member LLCs, are a popular choice for businesses and investments because of the federal income tax advantages they offer – particularly pass-through taxation. In return, they must also follow specific, and sometimes complex, federal income tax rules.

Governing documents
A partnership is governed by a partnership agreement, which specifies the rights and obligations of the entity and its partners. Similarly, an LLC is governed by an operating agreement, which specifies the rights and obligations of the entity and its members. These governing documents address certain tax-related issues that dictate how profits and losses are allocated, outline tax responsibilities, and ensure compliance with relevant tax laws.

Partnership tax basics
The tax numbers of a partnership are allocated to the partners. The entity issues an annual Schedule K-1 to each partner to report his or her share of the partnership’s tax numbers for the year. The partnership itself doesn’t pay federal income tax. This arrangement is called pass-through taxation because the tax numbers from the partnership’s operations are passed through to the partners who then take them into account on their own tax returns (Form 1040 for individual partners). Partners can also deduct partnership losses passed through to them, subject to various federal income tax limitations, such as the passive loss rules.

Special tax allocations
Partnerships are allowed to make special tax allocations. This is an allocation of partnership loss, deduction, income or gain among the partners that’s disproportionate to the partners’ overall ownership interests. The best measure of a partner’s overall ownership interest is the partner’s stated interest in the entity’s distributions and capital, as specified in the partnership agreement.

An example of a special tax allocation is when a 50% high-tax-bracket partner is allocated 80% of the partnership’s depreciation deductions while the 50% low-tax-bracket partner is allocated only 20% of the depreciation deductions. All unique tax allocations should be set forth in the partnership agreement and must comply with complicated rules in IRS regulations.

Distributions to pay partnership-related tax bills
Partners must recognize taxable income for their allocations of partnership income and gains — whether those income and gains are distributed as cash to the partners or not. Therefore, a common partnership agreement provision is one that calls for the partnership to make cash distributions to help partners cover their partnership-related tax liabilities. Of course, those liabilities will vary, depending on the partners’ specific tax circumstances.

The partnership agreement should specify the protocols that will be used to calculate distributions intended to help cover partnership-related tax bills. For example, the protocol for long-term capital gains might call for distributions equal to 15% or 20% of each partner’s allocation of the gains. Such distributions may be paid out in early April of each year to help cover partners’ tax liabilities from their allocations of income and gains from the previous year.

When creating a partnership or LLC, it’s crucial to document tax considerations in a formal agreement to avoid future complications. This includes clearly outlining how income, losses, and deductions will be allocated among members, as well as specifying the tax responsibilities each member will bear. By addressing these tax issues upfront, partners and members can avoid potential conflict and ensure compliance with federal tax regulations.

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Political passions run deep but allowing them to dictate investment decisions can be perilous. A 2020 UBS poll revealed that nearly half (46%) of American investors planned to adjust their portfolios based on the outcome of the presidential election. This highlights a concerning trend: letting political affiliation influence financial strategy. Beyond the inherent difficulties of market timing, throwing political aspects into the mix can lead to even greater risk.

Then there’s the research that exposes a more insidious enemy: confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias is the cognitive tendency to seek out, interpret, and favor information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, while disregarding or downplaying contradictory evidence. In simpler terms, we often see what aligns with our established views, and readily reinforce them while dismissing anything that may challenge them. The thinking is always that if the “other guy” wins, markets will crash.

Even more concerning, party affiliation often colors perceptions of the national economy, with the party in power typically receiving higher approval ratings.

This chart illustrates a persistent trend: we tend to feel good about the economy if our party is in power, and vice versa. So it’s not only a divide in regard to what will happen in the future, we can’t even agree on what is happening right now! The last time public opinion was in agreement regarding the economy was during the Clinton administration, when strategist James Carville famously declared, “It’s the economy, stupid!” Apart from that, there’s always been a clear divide.

What may be surprising is that historically, investing only under a democratic president yielded a much higher return than investing under only republican administrations. The growth of a $10,000 investment in 1950 would have been $405,540 under the Democrats, versus only $77,770 under the Republicans. But here’s the kicker – had you remained invested the whole time, the growth of that $10,000 investment would have come to $3.15 million dollars!

Does the president actually have any sway on this? Or are market cycles the main actor? It’s hard to say that President Bush was at fault for the great recession and housing crisis of 2008, and it was definitely good luck for President Obama, to be in office during the recovery. Markets and business cycles sing to their own tune, and don’t care who is warming the chair in the oval office.

Despite being informed and educated, investors will often still want to base their “thematic investing” decisions, where they invest in a certain sector or theme, on their projected election outcome.

Consider someone who believed President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” slogan would boost the oil and gas industry. Despite this expectation, the SPDR Fund Energy Select Sector (ticker XLE) plummeted by 48% during his tenure. Similarly, those who assumed natural gas would thrive under President Biden have been disappointed, with most ETFs tracking natural gas being down by about 70% during his time in office.

The takeaway? When it comes to your investment accounts, leave confirmation bias at the login screen. Focus on what truly matters: your financial goals. By employing a well-defined strategy tailored to your individual needs and risk tolerance, you can navigate the markets with greater clarity and avoid the pitfalls of political influence.

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Maximizing current-year depreciation write-offs for newly acquired assets is a must for every business. Two federal tax breaks can be a big help in achieving this goal: first-year Section 179 depreciation deductions and first-year bonus depreciation deductions. These two deductions can potentially allow businesses to write off some or all of their qualifying asset expenses in Year 1.

Here’s how to coordinate these write-offs for optimal tax-saving results.

Sec. 179 deduction basics

Most tangible depreciable business assets — including equipment, computer hardware, vehicles (subject to limits), furniture, most software, and fixtures — qualify for the first-year Sec. 179 deduction.
Sec. 179 deductions are also allowed for nonresidential building roofs, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems and security systems.
Depreciable real property generally doesn’t qualify unless it’s qualified improvement property (QIP).

QIP means any improvement to an interior portion of a nonresidential building that’s placed in service after the date the building is placed in service — except for any expenditures attributable to the enlargement of the building, any elevator or escalator, or the internal structural framework.
The inflation-adjusted maximum Sec. 179 deduction for tax years beginning in 2024 is $1.22 million. It begins to be phased out if 2024 qualified asset additions exceed $3.05 million. (These are up from $1.16 million and $2.89 million, respectively, in 2023.)

Bonus depreciation basics
Most tangible depreciable business assets also qualify for first-year bonus depreciation. In addition, software and QIP generally qualify. To be eligible, a used asset must be new to the taxpayer.

For qualifying assets placed in service in 2024, the first-year bonus depreciation percentage is 60%. This is down from 80% in 2023.

Sec. 179 vs. bonus depreciation
The current Sec. 179 deduction rules are generous, but there are several limitations:

- The phase-out rule mentioned above,
- A business taxable income limitation that disallows deductions that would result in an overall business taxable loss,
- A limited deduction for SUVs with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 6,000 pounds, and
- Tricky limitation rules when assets are owned by pass-through entities such as LLCs, partnerships, and S corporations.

First-year bonus depreciation deductions aren’t subject to any complicated limitations but, as mentioned earlier, the bonus depreciation percentages for 2024 and 2023 are only 60% and 80%, respectively.

So, the current tax-saving strategy is to write off as much of the cost of qualifying asset additions as you can with Sec. 179 deductions. Then claim as much first-year bonus depreciation as you can.

Example: In 2024, your calendar-tax-year C corporation places in service $500,000 of assets that qualify for both a Sec. 179 deduction and first-year bonus depreciation. However, due to the taxable income limitation, the company’s Sec. 179 deduction is limited to only $300,000.

- You can deduct the $300,000 on your corporation’s 2024 federal income tax return.
- You can then deduct 60% of the remaining $200,000 ($500,000 − $300,000), thanks to first-year bonus depreciation.

So, your corporation can write off $420,000 in 2024 [$300,000 + (60% x $200,000) = $420,000]. That’s 84% of the cost! Note that the $200,000 bonus depreciation deduction will contribute to a corporate net operating loss that’s carried forward to your 2025 tax year.

Manage tax breaks
Coordinating Sec. 179 deductions with bonus depreciation deductions is a tax-wise idea and a useful tool in a business’ tax strategy toolbox. Applied correctly, this strategy may allow your business to potentially write off some or all of its qualifying asset expenses in Year 1. That’s good for your books and good for your business.

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Taxpayers and practitioners agree that attempting to contact the IRS by phone can be a frustrating endeavor. Every year, millions of taxpayers seek IRS assistance by reaching out to the IRS’ toll-free and international telephone lines with their federal tax questions, requests for tax forms, to check on the status of their refunds, or to follow up with IRS correspondence or notices. All too often, they are met with long wait times, disconnected calls and general anxiety. The Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS, was created to champion the taxpayers’ cause by mediating between taxpayers and the IRS to help resolve tax issues. But a recent study of TAS phone lines conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), found that catching TAS for a heart to heart talk is equally as challenging as contacting the IRS directly.

With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, $80 billion in supplemental funding was allocated to help the IRS up its game. One area of improvement focused on increasing the level of service via IRS telephone lines. In November of 2023, the Treasury Inspector General issued a report on the quality of customer service with the objective of determining whether IRS help lines were operational and able to provide taxpayers simple, fast, and accessible customer service.

Testers called 102 IRS customer service telephone numbers during the 2023 tax filing season to evaluate the quality of customer service and found that 21 of them placed the caller on hold for more than 30 minutes, before the caller ultimately ended the call. Other flaws emerged; taxpayers were referred to incorrect phone lines, the offer to provide messages in either English or Spanish was inconsistent, taxpayers did not always receive a return call as promised and hold times were excessive. In its Objectives Report to Congress for fiscal year 2025, the National Taxpayer Advocate service cited flaws in IRS taxpayer communications and advocated for the IRS to, “do a more comprehensive measure of phone service that includes the quality of the caller’s experience.”

Despite the Advocates Service’s best intentions, when TIGTA turned its spotlight on TAS itself, it didn’t fare much better. In July of 2024, TIGTA issued an evaluation report about how ready and responsive TAS phone lines were; the results sounded familiar.

TAS telephone lines were found to be inconsistent in providing taxpayers with the ability to speak with a TAS representative. TIGTA called all 76 local TAS telephone lines in the United States, using the telephone numbers listed on the TAS and IRS websites. Some telephone lines were found to be out of service, voicemail boxes were often full and unable to address the call, and recorded scripted messaging and callback times were inconsistent. Of the 76 calls made, only two were answered by a TAS representative. Automatic voicemail prompts promised that callbacks would be received anywhere between one business day to as long as four weeks. TIGTA also compared contact information for telephone numbers, fax lines, and local addresses between what was listed on the TAS and the IRS website and found several discrepancies. It identified voicemail messaging that had significant differences in the information being communicated.

After reviewing TIGTA’s draft report, TAS stepped up to the plate and agreed with much of its results and recommendations. TAS took corrective actions to make changes to voicemail messages, made updates to the IRS and TAS websites, and is striving to provide more consistent information to taxpayers. However, as claimed by its compatriot, the IRS, TAS management contends that it is short staffed and cannot adopt all of TIGTA’s recommendations.

Despite ongoing efforts to improve, IRS-taxpayer communications remain a messy business. In our experience, communicating with the IRS is best achieved by utilizing their call-back feature; which we have found to be fairly dependable and helpful. Nevertheless, when attempting to work out your issues with the IRS, patience and perseverance must rule the day.

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The commercial real estate industry is heading towards a financing chokehold and that may translate into overwhelming stress for traditional sources of credit – namely banks and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). CREnews.com, in its “Year-End 2023: CRE at a Crossroads”, reports that about $2.8 trillion in commercial real estate (CRE) loans are maturing over the next five years, with $544.3 billion coming due this year, the majority of which are owned by banks and commercial mortgage-backed securities. Commercial real estate owners are experiencing a weakened demand for office space and a softening of property values. Previously low interest rates will be unobtainable, making refinancing untenable, and receiverships and defaults are looming. Lenders will look to unload defaulted properties at a much lower value. Lender’s CRE exposure, coupled with rising deposit costs, high levels of uninsured deposits, and declining asset values, have left commercial real estate owners – specifically, those holding maturing debt – in a very dangerous space.

Nomura analyst Greg Hertrich, quoted in a recent Reuters report, says, “Almost 50 U.S. lenders could fail in the coming years under pressure from higher interest rates and operational problems.” This projection is strongly supported by the FDIC’s published list of “problem banks” which listed fifty-two banks totaling $66.3 billion in assets experiencing financial, operational, or managerial weaknesses. In another analysis, conducted by Consulting firm Klaros Group, a review of 4,000 banks found that 282 banks face the threat of commercial real estate loans and potential losses tied to higher interest rates.

Earlier this year, the Federal Reserve published its Financial Stability Report, disclosing its assessment of the stability of the U.S. financial system as of Q1 2024. The study solicited views from a range of broker-dealers, investment funds, research and advisory firms, and academics concerned about the risks to U.S. financial stability. The study reported that banks with a significant exposure to commercial real estate loans could be headed for substantial losses if the trend towards remote work, high vacancy rates and slow rent growth continues. Funding tensions were also attributed to high levels of uninsured deposits and declines in the fair value of assets. The report’s respondents also noted that because interest rates may stay higher for longer than expected, there is a higher potential for “renewed deposit outflows,” or to use the colloquial term, “a run on the bank.”

Should borrowers worry? Some say not. In testimony in a May 15 Capitol Hill hearing on bank oversight, regulators opined that the banking industry is resilient, despite last years’ spate of bank failures. Martin J. Gruenberg, Chairman of the FDIC Board of Directors, testifying for the House Committee on Financial Services, said that banks have sufficient capital on hand, and sufficient liquidity to weather the storm. Gruenberg tempered his prognosis by noting that the banking industry continues to face significant downside risks from inflation, volatile interest rates, and global instability. The economic outlook is uncertain and “these risks could cause credit quality and profitability to weaken, loan growth to slow, provision expenses to rise, and liquidity to become more constrained.”

Lenders are walking a tightrope and that tightrope could easily be snapped by a change in interest rates, a global crisis, or borrower panic. In response, borrowers should stay aware, and start thinking about upcoming refinancing often and early. Traditional lending sources are sure to be compromised in the immediate future, and their available funds constrained and reserved for the best performing properties. By staying informed, property owners can strategically position themselves to address their refinancing needs.

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Most not-for-profit entities are familiar with the hazards of excess benefit transactions, but this brief refresher may enhance vigilance and compliance. The stakes are high. 501(c)(3) organizations determined by the IRS to have violated the rules governing excess benefit transactions can be liable for penalties of 25% to 200% of the value of the benefit in question. They may also risk a revocation of their tax-exempt status — endangering both their donor base and community support.

Private inurement

To understand excess benefit transactions, you also need to comprehend the concept of private inurement. Private inurement refers to the prohibited use of a nonprofit’s income or assets to benefit an individual that has a close connection to the organization, rather than serving the public interest. A private benefit is defined as any payment or transfer of assets made, directly or indirectly, by your nonprofit that is:

• Beyond reasonable compensation for the services provided or goods sold to your organization, or

• For services or products that don’t further your tax-exempt purpose.

If any of your organization’s net earnings privately benefit an individual, the IRS won’t view your nonprofit as operating primarily to further its tax-exempt purpose.

Private inurement rules extend the private benefit prohibition to “insiders” or “disqualified persons” — generally any officer, director, individual or organization (including major donors and donor advised funds) in a position to exert significant influence over your nonprofit’s activities and finances. The rules also cover their family members and organizations they control. A violation occurs when a transaction that ultimately benefits the insider is approved.

Examples of violations could include a nonprofit director receiving an excessive salary, significantly higher than what is typical for similar positions in the industry; a nonprofit purchasing supplies at an inflated cost from a company owned by a trustee, or leasing office space from a board member at an above-market rate.

Be reasonable

The rules don’t prohibit all payments, such as salaries and wages, to an insider. You simply need to make sure that any payment is reasonable relative to the services or goods provided. In other words, the payment must be made with your nonprofit’s tax-exempt purpose in mind.

It is wise for an organization to ensure that, if challenged, it can prove that its transactions were reasonable, and made for valid exempt purposes, by formally documenting all payments made to insiders. Also, ensure that board members understand their duty of care. This refers to a board member’s responsibility to act in good faith; in your organization’s best interest; and with such care that proper inquiry, skill and diligence has been exercised in the performance of duties. One best practice is to ask all board members to review and sign a conflict-of-interest policy.

Appearance matters

Some states prohibit nonprofits from making loans to insiders, such as officers and directors, while others allow it. In general, you’re safer to avoid such transactions, regardless of your state’s law, because they often trigger IRS scrutiny. Contact your accounting professional to learn more about the best ways to avoid excess benefit transactions, or even the appearance of them, within your organization.

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One of the most pressing financial questions facing the United States today is about its outstanding national debt, which recently crossed the $35 trillion mark. That translates into about $270,000 per taxpayer—a figure that many say is downright terrifying. What will happen when this debt “comes home to roost”? How will it all end? These are critical questions, and the answers are far from simple.

Some people subscribe to Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), a macroeconomic theory suggesting that a country issuing its own currency can never run out of money in the same way a business or individual can. Without diving too deeply into this view, it’s important to note that this theory is highly controversial and has more critics than supporters. Just because you can print more money doesn’t mean you will never need to pay it back. At the very least, issuing more dollars could lead to inflation and in a dire scenario, might cause the dollar to lose its global reserve currency status.

While MMT economists advocate for a calm and collected couch-potato approach to this predicament, others take a more extreme stance. Let’s call these preppers “The Three G’s” Squad—those who are hoarding “Gold, Groceries, and Guns” for when the wheels of the U.S. system come off. These folks are preparing for something as drastic as a proper zombie invasion, focusing on stockpiling tangible assets and ensuring self-sufficiency in case of a severe scenario.

While there may be some merit to stockpiling canned food in your basement, we’d prefer a more strategic and less doomsday-oriented approachThis isn’t the first time the U.S. has been in a difficult spot. The great experiment known as the U.S.A., established by the Founding Fathers, has faced its share of challenges before, but it has always pulled through.

So, while you might feel the urge to “do something” and potentially overprepare, our strategy focuses on investing in the largest, most efficient companies in the U.S. These companies are well-equipped to navigate financial crises due to their resources, experience, and operational efficiencies. While the possibility of an extreme event leading to total chaos always exists, it’s more likely that circumstances will create a financial crisis requiring robust and adaptive responses. And who better to manage these challenges than the most capable and resourceful companies?

Consider this: In January 1980, an ounce of gold was trading at $800. Today, that same ounce is worth about $2,400. However, to have merely kept pace with inflation since 1980, gold would need to be priced at $3,200 an ounce. By contrast, $800 invested in the S&P 500 in January 1980, and left to compound (with taxes paid from another source), would be worth about $117,000 today. While noisy preparation might provide comfort now, it has historically come at a steep cost to our long-term serenity.

So, although no one can claim to know how the national debt situation will play out—it’s a complex and daunting issue—what may feel like underpreparing today can be the best preparation. You can choose to take dramatic steps and watch events unfold on TV from your basement (with all the baby corn, of course), but true preparation might actually lie in betting on a brighter future and on those that are best suited to realize it.

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When valuing a business, experts often go beyond the company’s financial statements and will interview management and request relevant documents to gain insight into the owners’ perceived value of the business. While this information should not replace a comprehensive valuation analysis, it can help identify discrepancies that need to be reconciled.

There are alternative indicators of value that experts may consider when valuing a business, and they are more common than one would think:

1. Buy-sell agreements

Owners often protect their business interests with buy-sell agreements. These agreements can provide a specific value for the business and may even contain valuation formulas to be used on an owner’s death or termination.

2. Prior sales

Arm’s-length transfers of ownership interests and offers to buy the company (or a portion of it) can shed light on a company’s value. Courts tend to give significant weight to prior sales and offers, especially when evaluating fair value for dissenting or oppressed shareholder claims. In some cases, courts may even consider transactions that happen after the valuation date. For data to be meaningful, the transaction should occur within a reasonable time frame; involve unrelated, credible buyers; and include business interests of comparable size and rights.

3. Past valuation reports

Valuation reports prepared for other purposes can provide insight into a company’s value. Comparability and timeliness are imperative.

4. Life insurance policies

Life insurance coverage can provide a useful indicator of value. When selecting adequate life insurance coverage amounts, most companies estimate the costs of buying out the owner or of losing a key individual.

5. Personal loan applications

Personal loan applications may be subpoenaed to provide evidence of a business interest’s value for owner disputes and marital dissolutions. When borrowers list personal assets on loan applications, they want to appear as creditworthy as possible. Conversely, when buying out another shareholder or obtaining a divorce, owners have a financial incentive to undervalue their business interests. When the amounts shown on loan applications and valuation reports differ substantially, the data may need further review.

Reliance

Though these indicators are a valuable tool in a valuation analysis, relying on them without a proper review of the terms and context may lead to inaccuracies. These metrics may not reflect current market conditions, financial health, or operational changes of the business. Buy-sell agreements could be outdated, prior sales may have been driven by unique, one-time circumstances, and life insurance policies might not reflect a true measure of a business’s worth. In Connelly v. United States, the court emphasized the importance of context, noting that these indicators must be carefully examined to ensure they represent a fair and accurate valuation.

Transparency is Key

Most valuation reports address these indicators of value, but sometimes they are overlooked, unavailable, or even withheld by the valuator’s client. It’s important to share all relevant information with your valuation professional. Alternative indicators of value may can be used to corroborate or refute a value conclusion. Analyzing financial statements, making time to review alternative indicators of value, and a good dose of common sense are invaluable in calculating accurate business value.

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In April 2023, taxpayers and tax professionals were elated by news that the U.S. Tax Court had ruled in favor of businessman Alon Farhy in his suit against the IRS. Farhy asserted that the IRS had no authorization to assess and impose penalties for failure to file foreign information returns. Their collective joy was tempered a year later when in May 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit reversed the Tax Court’s initial ruling.

Farhy failed to report his ownership in two foreign entities in Belize and was assessed hefty Section 6038(b) penalties. The penalty scale for infringements under Section 6038(b) includes initial penalties of $10,000 for each annual accounting period, for every foreign entity for which the required information is not provided. Additional penalties include $10,000 for each 30-day period that the infraction occurs, up to a maximum of $50,000.

Farhy’s argument to the courts was unique; he did not deny his lack of compliance. Rather, he challenged the IRS’ authority to independently assess and issue Section 6038(b) penalties directly, for failing to file certain foreign tax information. If the IRS sought to collect penalties, he contended, it would have to pursue civil action by filing a lawsuit in federal court under Title 28 of the U.S. Code. In its surprising ruling, the Tax Court agreed with Farhy’s position, and acknowledged that Section 6038(b), unlike other penalty sections, does not include a provision authorizing assessment of penalties.

Farhy’s victory didn’t last long. A year later, the Washington, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, based on context and history. “… penalties imposed under section 6038(b) … are assessable. This conclusion is buttressed by more than forty years of congressional acquiescence to the IRS’s practice of assessing section 6038(b) penalties.”

Apparently, silence is acquiescence. The court decided that the responsibility to clarify, change, or reinterpret a statute falls upon Congress. If Congress hasn’t revisited this statute in forty years, it must have no objection to its interpretation. The Court of Appeals utilized the “tools of statutory interpretation” and looked “to contextual clues” to assess whether this specific penalty provision could be challenged. It concluded that that Congress meant for Section 6038(b) penalties to be assessable, “Read in light of its text, structure, and function, section 6038 itself is best interpreted to render assessable the fixed-dollar monetary penalties subsection (b) authorizes.” On June 4, 2024, Farhy filed a petition for a rehearing, but it was denied.

While Farhy v Commissioner was on appeal, the ruling was successfully applied in Raju J. Mukhi v. Commissioner. Mukhi racked up $11 million of foreign reporting penalties and brought several claims to court, a fraction of which were Section 6038(b) penalties. In regard to those penalties, the Tax Court reaffirmed its decision in Farhy, finding that the IRS lacked authority to assess the penalties under Section 6038(b). Farhy was heard in U.S. Tax Court and deals with tax law interpretation, while Mukhi was heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and involves immigration law. The overlap between the two cases highlights how rulings in one area can simultaneously impact decisions in other areas, influencing both IRS enforcement practices and federal law.

Litigation revolving around the IRS’ assessment authority for Section 6038(b) is likely to continue; but until there is a conclusive decision by the Supreme Court, taxpayers and practitioners can and should challenge IRS authority to assess these penalties in US Tax Court cases, where they fall outside of the D.C. Circuit. Ultimately, regardless of the courts’ decisions, the requirement to file still remains. Serious players in the international business space must be scrupulous in their tax compliance and stay mindful and aware of changing judicial interpretations of tax law.

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In a May 24, 2024, press release the American Health Care Association (AHCA) announced that, in conjunction with the Texas Health Care Association (THCA) and several Texas long term care facilities, it has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In June, trade association LeadingAge, which represents more than 5,400 nonprofit aging service providers, joined the fray and announced that it has joined as co-plaintiff with AHCA. No surprises here. Since CMS’ April 22 release of its final mandate establishing new requirements for nursing homes staffing, healthcare associations and operators have been gearing up for a fight.

“We had hoped it would not come to this; we repeatedly sought to work with the Administration on more productive ways to boost the nursing home workforce,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA. “We cannot stand idly by when access to care is on the line and federal regulators are overstepping their authority. Hundreds of thousands of seniors could be displaced from their nursing home; someone has to stand up for them, and that’s what we’re here to do,”

AHCA’s complaint argues that the agencies’ decision to adopt the one-size-fits-all minimum staffing standards is “arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise unlawful in violation of the APA.” Further, the lawsuit argues that the rule exceeds CMS’s statutory authority and imposes unrealistic staffing requirements.

The final mandate demands a minimum of 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of total staffing, with specific allocations for registered nurses (RN) and nurse aides. The allocations call for significant HPRD of direct RN care, and direct nurse aide care, and require the presence of an RN in all facilities at all times. Nursing home operators around the country claim that these requirements are unattainable, unsustainable, and unlawful; they could lead to widespread closures that will put the country’s most vulnerable population at risk.

Partnering with Texas nursing home industry leaders was a fitting move by AHCA as more than two-thirds of Texas facilities cannot meet any of the new requirements and suffer from a nursing shortage that is not expected to abate. The lawsuit emphasizes that, “Texas simply does not have enough RNs and NAs to sustain these massive increases. On the other hand, Texas has a relatively high proportion of licensed vocational nurses (“LVNs”) but the Final Rule largely ignores their important contributions to resident care.”

LeadingAge, with a membership spanning more than 41 states, represents the aging services continuum, including assisted living, affordable housing, and nursing homes. Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, was vociferous in LeadingAge’s stance on the mandate. “The entire profession is completely united against this rule,” she said in a statement. LeadingAge voiced its opposition to the proposed mandate back in 2022, at the outset of Biden’s administration, and now joins the legal battle against its implementation, claiming that, “it does not acknowledge the interdependence of funding, care, staffing, and quality.”

At inception, the new mandate triggered strong opposition from industry leaders and lawmakers. Industry leaders claim the rural areas will take a harder hit than urban areas. Rural facilities are grappling with an unprecedented and acute shortage of registered nurses (RNs), rising inflation, and insufficient reimbursement. Additionally, both Republican and Democratic Congressmen joined in protest of the mandate and threw their support behind the Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act (H.R. 5796) which would have effectively suspended the proposal. Ultimately, the staffing mandate was finalized before the House of Representatives took it up.

On the other side of the courtroom, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) officials maintain that facilities will be able to comply with the mandate because the three phase plan will “allow all facilities the time needed to prepare and comply with the new requirements specifically to recruit, retain, and hire nurse staff as needed.” The lawsuit counters this assertion stating that a delay in deadlines will do nothing to fix the underlying problem.

“To be clear, all agree that nursing homes need an adequate supply of well-trained staff,” the lawsuit states. “But imposing a nationwide, multi-billion-dollar, unfunded mandate at a time when nursing homes are already struggling with staffing shortages and financial constraints will only make the situation worse.”

In conversations with our healthcare clients, the consensus that seems to be forming is that the new staffing mandate’s attempt to address healthcare staffing issues is simply not feasible. The mandate only exacerbates the post-Covid, turbulent environment of the healthcare industry. It is most likely that the legal assault against the mandate has only just begun as nursing home owners and healthcare companies turn to the courts to mitigate the effects of the mandate and to strongarm CMS into drafting a more equitable ruling. How the mandate will ultimately be implemented, which of its components may be reversed, and what adjustments and policy updates will arise, is yet to be seen. Stay ready for updates as the situation evolves.

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While bankruptcies are widely publicized and must follow the established governing codes, there is much more privacy and procedural flexibility when it comes to receiverships. And as we see more portfolios struggling in the current environment of higher interest rates, it’s critical to understand what receivership is and more importantly what it means for you.

Whereas bankruptcy is a method used by debtors to protect themselves from collection; receivership is a remedy that creditors employ to preserve interest upon a breach of contract i.e loan default. Once a breach has occurred, and the parties are unable to come to an agreement otherwise, the creditor will submit a claim to seek receivership in their state court. While a creditor also has the authority to file for involuntary bankruptcy, the receivership process is timelier, less expensive and more importantly, allows the creditor to nominate a receiver of their choice, albeit with the court’s ultimate approval. All these factors are crucial in accomplishing the lender’s goal of restoring their asset’s value.

The responsibilities, rights and compensation of the receiver are subject to the discretion of the court and not bound by strict procedures as seen in bankruptcies. Once finalized, the appointed receiver assumes complete management of the distressed company, controlling all its financial and operating functions. Depending on the litigation proceedings, as the business stabilizes, the lender will look to return the property to the debtor or transition the asset to a new permanent operator. While the company retains its principals in the interim, their authority and insight is limited, to their detriment. Should the business return to profitability or be sold for a gain, they will ultimately be responsible for any taxable income without the ability to proactively tax plan.

Courts view receivership as a drastic step and will encourage the lender and borrower to come to an equitable agreement instead. Should a portion of the debt be forgiven as part of such an agreement, this may result “cancellation of debt” income reported by the borrower. The additional tax liability can be a crushing blow for an already struggling taxpayer.

The two most popular exclusions under Code Section108 are to demonstrate that the company is insolvent or, more commonly, utilizing the ‘qualified real property business indebtedness exclusion.’ This exclusion can apply when real property that secures a debt is held for use in a trade or business and not primarily held for sale. The downside of utilizing this exclusion is that the taxpayer must reduce the tax basis of its depreciable real property by the amount of income he is aiming to exclude; resulting in a decrease in depreciation expense. While this is a worthy trade-off in the short term and can provide necessary breathing room, there are long-term ramifications the taxpayer needs to be aware of. A deteriorated tax basis translates into a higher capital gain should the property eventually be sold. All said, diligent tax compliance and strategic planning are essential to minimize adverse tax consequences during receivership.

While receivership might be perceived as a company’s death knell, it can also present unique opportunities for the company itself, as well as for entrepreneurs and other industry players. Economist Joseph Schumpeter introduced the economic principle of “creative destruction,” which describes how failures or disruptions in income for one entity or sector can create success for others. An entity that enters receivership has the chance to recover, redevelop and thrive. If it does not, others will take full advantage. Those looking to quickly repay creditors present savvy entrepreneurs with an opportunity to acquire assets that can significantly appreciate in value, at discounted prices, and under favorable terms. In business, there are always winners and losers, but opportunities are ever-present. Recognize them and position yourself as a winner.

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The usual question posed by business owners and their leadership teams when they meet to discuss strategic planning is something along the lines of, “How can we safely grow our company to reach the next level of success?” While that is certainly a good launching point, there are other basics to consider. One of them is the environmental, social and governance (ESG) concept.

3 critical components of ESG

ESG generally refers to how companies handle three critical activities:

• Environmental practices. This includes the use of energy, production of waste and consumption of resources.

• Social practices. This includes fair labor practices; worker health and safety; diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s all about a company’s relationships with people, institutions and the community.

• Governance practices. This refers to business ethics, integrity, openness, transparency, legal compliance, executive compensation, cybersecurity, and product or service quality and safety.

Missteps or miscommunications in these areas can spell disaster for a company if it draws public scrutiny or raises compliance issues with regulatory agencies; while integrating robust ESG practices into a company’s strategic planning and daily operations addresses this possible danger and offers many potential advantages.

Benefits

Strong ESG practices could lead to stronger financial performance and offers the following benefits:

• Higher sales. Many customers — particularly younger ones — consider ESG when making purchasing decisions. Some may even be willing to pay more for products or services from businesses that declare their ESG policies.

• Reduced costs. A focus on sustainability can help companies reduce their energy consumption, streamline their supply chains, eliminate waste and operate more efficiently. Conversely, bad publicity associated with government intervention, discrimination or harassment claims, can be costly and damaging.

• Improved access to capital. Clear and demonstrable ESG practices can provide growing companies with access to low-cost capital. Some investors consider a company’s ESG when making additions to their portfolios and may perceive those with ESG initiatives as lower-risk investments.

• More success in hiring and retaining employees. As climate change remains in the public eye, certain job candidates may favor companies that can clearly demonstrate sound environmental practices. Once hired, these employees will likely be more inclined to stay loyal to businesses that are addressing the issue.

Other aspects of ESG also speak to the current concerns and values of workers. Many of today’s employees want more than a paycheck. They expect employers to care for their well-being and protect them from threats such as corruption, unethical behavior and cybercriminals. Comprehensive ESG practices may reassure such employees and keep them close.

Your choice

The importance of ESG practices is not universally agreed upon in the business world. Some approach ESG formally and diligently, while others slide through potential issues. ESG practices are unique to each business and are subject to a company’s leadership team’s judgement. Nonetheless, as a business engages in strategic planning, taking time to consider the impact of ESG-related practices is time well spent. Its potential benefits can only add value in the long run.

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When it comes to investment discussions, it often seems as if the “bearish” voices have the upper hand. They sound smarter, more cautious, and more in tune with potential risks. It’s easy to feel that by dismissing their concerns, you look like you’re ignoring the data.

The same negative tone is also prevalent in financial media reporting. For example, the first two headlines that popped up in my search for this article were: “Nvidia’s Ascent to Most Valuable Company Echoes Dot-Com Boom” and “Megacap Stocks Are Extremely Overbought and Could Be Due for a Near-Term Pullback.” The news tends to be painted with a broad, negative brush – always highlighting the next big worry.

Financial blogger Michael Batnick has an insightful chart he calls, “Reasons to Sell.” The chart plots major news stories that have pushed the market down, alongside the S&P 500. It is fascinating that, while these stories did cause the market to drop for a week, or even a few months, they appear as only blips on the long-term chart. This demonstrates a crucial point: the market tends to recover from short-term shocks and continues its upward trajectory over the long haul.

Negative new stories that yell “Sell!” are ever present, but if you were to attempt to create a chart titled “Reasons to Buy,” the news stories in this category would be few and far between. The steady, long-term belief in the American economy, and its robust ability to rebound (potentially titled “Belief in Human Innovation”), rarely makes headlines. Yet, this enduring strength is the true reason to ‘Buy’.”

Believing that the economy will continue to grow over time may not be a strong counterargument when faced with short-term crises, but for long-term optimists, it means that the timing is always right. This thought is rooted in the concept of economic resilience and human ingenuity. The economy, particularly the American economy, has shown a remarkable ability to recover from downturns, and to innovate and grow. From the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, every major economic setback has been followed by periods of significant growth and innovation.

The “bearish” team may sound more convincing and more focused on risks, but remember that while the market might dip due to legitimate concerns, history shows it tends to bounce back. Maintaining a long-term perspective, and faith in the economy’s growth and in human innovation, can provide a solid foundation for your investment decisions. Investing is not about timing the market; it’s about time in the market. The longer you stay invested, the more you benefit from the economy’s natural growth and the compounding effect of your investments.

While it’s crucial to be aware of risks and to stay informed, it’s equally important to maintain a balanced view. The negative headlines will always be there, but so will the underlying strength and potential of the economy. Trusting in long-term growth and human innovation can help you stay focused on your financial goals, even when the market feels uncertain.

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Back in September of 2023, the IRS declared a moratorium on the processing of new ERC claims, declaring that a substantial portion of the new claims were ineligible and were a product of clueless businesses lured in by promises from aggressive promoters and ‘ERC mills’. Aggressive promotion campaigns by ERC mills instigated a surge of problematic claims, ultimately obstructing IRS’ processing of legitimate claims for deserving businesses. Fast forward to June 2024 and, after coming under pressure from Congress, the IRS has announced that, in an attempt to crawl through the enmired, fraud-ridden ERC program, it will step up its processing and payments of older ERC claims.

Beleaguered IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel clarified that, “We decided to keep the post-September moratorium in place because we continue to be deeply concerned about the substantial number of claims coming in so long after the pandemic. We worry that ending the moratorium might trigger a renewed marketing push by aggressive promoters that could lead to a new round of improper claims. That would be a bad result to taxpayers and tax administration. By continuing the moratorium, we will use this time to consult with Congress and seek additional help from them on the ERC program. Based on what we are seeing, we believe closing the ERC program down to additional applicants would be the right thing to do.”

Werfel says that the IRS continues to be deluged by 17,000 new claims a week, despite the moratorium, and its inventory of claims stands at 1.4 million. According to the law, businesses can still apply for the credit until April 15, 2025, despite the fact that the pandemic is history. The IRS anticipates that tens of thousands of improper high-risk claims for the ERC will be denied. It conducted a review to assess a group of over 1 million ERC claims representing more than $86 billion filed and found that 10% to 20% of claims fell into the highest-risk group, with clear signs of ineligibility or possible fraud. Another 60% to 70% of the claims showed, “an unacceptable level of risk” which will draw extra analysis and scrutiny from the IRS.

Red flags tagging a claim as high risk are those that declare too many employees and wrong ERC calculations, claims based on a supply chain disruption, businesses that claim the ERC for too much of a tax period, or claims from businesses that did not pay wages or did not exist during the eligibility period. Claiming the ERC for partial shutdowns, where a segment of a business was partially shutdown, is also suspect.

Werfel assures taxpayers that the situation is not completely bleak. “For those with legitimate claims, this review helps the IRS with a path forward, and we’re taking action to help. Our review showed between 10% and 20% of the ERC claims show a low risk of red flags. So, for those with no eligibility warning signs, and received before last September, the IRS will begin judiciously processing more of these claims.” The IRS will work on a first-in-first-out basis, with older claims addressed first. It will not process claims that were submitted after Sept. 14, 2023, post-moratorium. Werfel advises taxpayers to lay low and wait for the IRS to sort things out instead of inundating the IRS toll-free line or contacting their accounting professionals to try to speed up the payment process.

While Werfel’s team sorts out its processing issues, the IRS Criminal Investigation unit is hard at work. It has already initiated 450 criminal cases of potentially fraudulent claims totaling a dollar value of almost $7 billion. Of these cases, 36 have resulted in federal charges. At the same time, the IRS has thousands of audits in the pipeline. “So, the bottom line for us on ERC is that we’re continuing to work on many different angles.” Werfel says. “And today’s announcement illustrates that we have a slow but steady path forward to help small businesses with no red flags on their claims, while denying clearly incorrect claims to continuing your work on those claims with question marks.”

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The 485x is a newly enacted tax credit recently unveiled in Governor Hochul’s FY 2025 Budget. This tax credit, also referred to as the “Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers” program, replaces the 421-a tax incentive program which was created in 1971 to provide a partial real estate tax exemption for newly constructed housing. 421-a required that developers provide a certain percentage of affordable units to middle or low-income tenants in exchange for a 35-year tax credit. Over the years, the 421-a has been periodically suspended, reactivated, restructured, and has now reached its final expiration date. Like its predecessor, the 485x offers developers a long-term tax credit in exchange for the development of a percentage of affordable units; in addition, it seeks to secure fair wages for construction workers at projects benefiting from the program.

Both programs’ goals may be the same but the terms are different. The new program provides an up to 40-year exemption on taxes, an increase from the 35 years offered by the 421-a program. Additionally, the legislature gives the 485x a longer life than the previous initiative, setting it to expire by June 15, 2034. Provisions for the 485x demand a larger proportion of housing project units to be designated as affordable housing, which makes requirements for affordability more stringent, and also includes mandatory sustainability requirements.

For all projects over one hundred units, construction crew wages must start at a base wage rate of $40 an hour. For projects of more than 150 units, depending on location, the program demands construction workers’ total compensation range be the lesser of $63 to $72.45 per hour, or 60 to 65% of the prevailing wage. To keep up with inflation, these rates will increase 2.5% every year. Projects with more than one hundred units must reserve 25% of the units for tenants earning a weighted average of no more than 80% of the area median income, going down to 60% for projects with 150 units or more, depending on their location. If a developer takes it down a notch, buildings developed with 6 to 99 units will have to provide 20% percent of the units for tenants earning 80% percent of the area median income. Condominium and co-op projects are also eligible if they are located outside Manhattan and are valued at an average assessed value of $89 per square foot or less. Developers currently approved under the 421a program have been given an extended deadline and have until 2031 to complete their projects.

The 421a was unpopular and left to languish because developers complained that it was too stringent, while tenant advocates and unions grumbled that it did not do enough. Will the 485x fare better? It’s hard to say. Developers will have to dig deep and make definitive calculations to decide if the 485x credit will prove profitable with its added labor costs and rental income limitations. This is especially applicable to larger developments as the 485x’s tiered scale raises the required base pay per unit built.

Despite these constraints, brokers are reporting that the new law has awakened interest in qualified properties, and values have responded, showing a slow rise. In today’s troubled financing landscape, developers need an incentive to plunge into new projects. The 485x may provide that push. Lawmakers are hoping that the creation of the 485x will serve the dual purpose of wooing developers back into construction mode and helping the city achieve a fair balance between wages and affordability.

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Yogi Berra famously quipped, “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.” That pretty much sums up how many people view living in New York. Long time residents are leaving New York in droves. However, although people are trying to escape high taxes, cold weather and congestion, they often want to keep some of the benefits and conveniences that New York has to offer. They often want to keep their (former) home in New York.

If you’ve moved away from New York but still have a home there, you may think you’ve abandoned the Empire state. But New York State might not have abandoned you (at least not your money). If you maintain a permanent home in New York, you may still be considered a resident for tax purposes.

This article will address the frequently asked question of “How do I get Albany’s hands out of my pocket?” Taxpayers often think that if they buy a Florida home and change their driver’s license and voter’s registration to Florida, they are no longer NYS residents for tax purposes. That doesn’t fly according to the NYS tax dept.

Like many states, New York has strict residency laws that will determine your tax obligations. If you’ve recently moved out of NY or are considering moving you should be aware of the legalities dictating residency and be prepared to defend your position in case of audit.

NYS has two tests to determine whether you are a NY taxpayer – the Domicile Test and the Statutory Residency Test. They can get you on either one.

One’s domicile is his place of permanent legal residence. It’s the place where one has the most family and professional ties and that one considers their home.

Five factors define whether a person is considered domiciled in NY State. None of these factors stand alone in determining what a domicile is, rather, they are considered in their totality. It is all about intention, as evidenced by your actions.

The first factor considered is your physical home. What location do you intend to use as your personal home? Where do you return to after you’ve been away? What is the size of your NY home as opposed to your non-New York home? Is one owned and one rented?

The second criterion revolves around your active business involvement. Where is your primary workplace? Where do you work from on a day-to-day basis? Working from a second home is still considered as though one is working in New York for tax purposes, unless a separate business location is established in the secondary location.

The third factor that NYS will review is how the taxpayer spends his or her time. Taxpayers are expected to spend more time in his or her new home state rather than in New York. A location tracker App like Monaeo can be helpful to support this.

The fourth criteria is ‘near and dear’. One’s domicile is the place where one keeps significant possessions. Where are your significant monetary and sentimental possessions located? New York State will not be convinced that you’ve moved if you keep your Picasso in your former home.

One’s family is the final factor. Where do your family members reside? Where do you host significant events and holidays? Are your children registered for school in your new hometown or in NY State?

Under law, one can only have one domicile. A New York domicile does not change until it is established that it has been abandoned and that a new domicile outside New York State has been established.

A “statutory resident” is defined as one who is not domiciled in NY State but maintains a permanent place of abode (regardless of ownership) in the state, and spends, in the aggregate, more than 183 of the taxable year there. Under audit, NYS will review calendars, expense reports, credit card statements, passports, cell phone records, and EZ PASS activity to make an accurate count of how many days you’ve spent in NY State. Partial days will count as a full day when making the count, with only very limited travel and medical exceptions.

If an auditor determines that a taxpayer is not domiciled in NY State, he will still attempt to establish that the Taxpayer is a statutory resident. In either case, whether being domiciled in NY State or being a statutory resident of NY State, the taxpayer is considered a NY State resident for tax purposes. If you are preparing to move out of NYS, but still plan to have some kind of continuing relationship with your former home, it would be wise to confer with your accountant and develop a preventative strategy to defend yourself in case your residential tax obligations are challenged.

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The Evolution and Impact of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transitioned from a niche area of academic research to an essential tool that is transforming how businesses operate. For accountants and other business professionals, AI represents a powerful ally in streamlining operations, improving accuracy, and enhancing decision-making processes.

Understanding AI in Business
AI refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. This includes understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, and making decisions. Over the past few years, AI has become more accessible and practical, particularly with the rise of tools like ChatGPT and other AI assistants. These tools can automate repetitive tasks, provide quick answers to queries, and even generate insightful reports, all of which are invaluable in the business world.

The Role of AI in Business Operations
AI is not a futuristic concept; it is already making a significant impact in various business operations. For instance, AI can assist in:
• Financial Analysis and Reporting: AI tools can sift through large datasets to identify patterns and generate detailed reports, helping businesses make informed financial decisions.
• Risk Management: AI systems can analyze historical data to predict potential risks and recommend mitigation strategies, thereby enhancing the overall risk management framework.
• Customer Service: AI chatbots can handle customer inquiries round-the-clock, providing timely and accurate responses that improve customer satisfaction.

The Practical Benefits of AI for Accounting
For business professionals, the integration of AI can bring several tangible benefits:
• Efficiency and Automation: AI can handle routine tasks such as data entry, invoice processing, and reconciliation. This frees up time for professionals to focus on more strategic activities, like financial planning and analysis.
• Accuracy and Consistency: AI systems reduce the risk of human error in data processing and calculations, ensuring that records are accurate and consistent. This is crucial for maintaining compliance and preparing precise financial statements.
• Enhanced Decision-Making: AI can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, uncovering trends and insights that might not be immediately obvious. This supports better decision-making and strategic planning.
• Improved Client Interaction: AI-powered chatbots can provide instant support to clients, answering common questions and performing basic tasks. This enhances the client experience and allows human staff to handle more complex inquiries.

Challenges and Considerations
While AI offers numerous benefits, its implementation comes with challenges, particularly in sensitive fields like healthcare. In these areas, AI must be used with caution due to privacy concerns, the need for regulatory compliance, and the critical importance of accuracy. Businesses must ensure that their AI systems are secure, reliable, and compliant with all relevant regulations.

Transformative AI Solutions
Part of the suite of AI-driven software solutions that RothTech has developed caters specifically to the needs of modern businesses. Here’s a closer look at how these technologies work and some of the benefits they deliver:

1. Advanced User Support with AI Chatbots
Our chatbots utilize Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models, which combine the best of retrieval-based and generative AI systems. Here’s how it works: when a customer query comes in, the RAG model first retrieves relevant information from a vast database of knowledge. This knowledge is usually kept private by organizations using the tool, so “ordinary” AI models like ChatGPT have no access to it. It then uses this information to generate a response that is not only accurate but contextually aware. This process enhances the chatbot’s ability to conduct complex, multi-turn conversations and provide responses that feel natural and intuitive, thereby improving customer service interactions and efficiency. In addition, this type of chatbot can recognize user’s intents and perform actions ranging from simple API calls to orchestrated and complex workflows.

2. Revolutionizing Knowledge Management
Our knowledge exchange platform transforms how information is curated, accessed, and utilized within an organization. It acts much like an AI-driven mentor that is available round-the-clock. It can ingest data from a variety of sources, including internal reports, emails, databases, and even external publications, to build a comprehensive knowledge base. Real-time analytics on user queries and the system’s responses help identify gaps in information and areas for improvement, ensuring that every team member has the most accurate and relevant information at their fingertips. If needed, this system can seamlessly transfer control to a human operator, resulting in enhanced user experience.

3. AI-Driven Recruitment: Enhancing HR Efficiency
Using deep learning, we employ HR systems which are able to analyze a multitude of data points from job descriptions and resumes to match candidates with job opportunities. This AI-driven approach not only expedites the hiring process but also improves the quality of matches, which can enhance workforce stability and satisfaction.

4. Automated Monitoring of Web Applications
Our automated systems proactively monitor the health and performance of web applications, ensuring they deliver a seamless user experience. By identifying and addressing issues before they affect users, these tools maintain high standards of application reliability and security.

5. AI in Fraud Detection and Financial Auditing
Our AI systems analyze transactional data for patterns indicative of fraud and scrutinize financial documents using natural language processing to detect inconsistencies. These capabilities enhance the security and accuracy of financial operations.

6. Streamlining Insurance Processes
AI-driven automation in insurance workflows helps manage claims, underwriting, and customer service tasks more efficiently, reducing the burden on staff and improving client satisfaction.

7. Enhanced Reporting and Business Analytics
Our tools use advanced LLMs to process both structured and unstructured data, enabling comprehensive business analysis, database querying and insight generation, which supports informed decision-making.

8. AI in Medicine
We have successfully implemented an advanced computer vision project for MRI analysis. This project aims to assist clinicians in analyzing MRI scans more accurately and efficiently by leveraging AI to interpret medical imaging nuances.

The Future of AI: Agents and Agency

As AI technology continues to evolve, the concept of AI agents — semi-autonomous systems that can perform a variety of business functions — and AI agency, where AI represents businesses in interactions, is becoming more prominent. In addition, the newest Large Language Models presented just days ago are making a big step towards much more natural human-computer interaction—for example, GPT 4o accepts as input any combination of text, audio, image, and video and generates any combination of text, audio, and image outputs. Such advances of AI development will further redefine the boundaries of what machines can do in a business context, offering new opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

As AI technology continues to evolve, its potential to redefine business operations grows exponentially, promising unprecedented innovation and efficiency. However, businesses must also navigate the associated risks, including data privacy concerns and the need for robust regulatory compliance, to fully leverage AI’s transformative power while mitigating potential downsides.

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CFOs and Tax Leaders share responsibilities and goals – but need to do a better job collaborating. These two pivotal business roles share responsibility for the financial stability, profitability, and growth of their businesses, but when they are not aligned on the strategic value of the tax function, the company will suffer the consequences.

BDO’s Tax Strategist Survey found that 78% of CFOs believe that the tax function offers strategic value to the broader business, and 75% believe the tax function is invited to weigh in on business decisions before they are made. In both instances, there is a clear signal that CFOs see the merits of fully engaging with the tax function.

However, tax leaders’ responses to the same survey seemed to tell a different story. Only 27% of tax leaders say that they were sufficiently involved in a wide enough range of business decisions to meet the threshold of a “tax strategist” — the type of tax leader who regularly takes a seat at the table to provide strategic input outside the traditional areas of responsibility of the tax function.

This disconnect creates an interesting challenge: if CFOs believe tax leaders are already adding sufficient strategic value, they may fail to include them in the wider decision-making process. This oversight could prevent leveraging the full potential of a tax team, leading to missed tax opportunities or even increased tax risk or liability. Tax leaders, for their part, believe they can be more involved, so something appears to be lost in translation. How can CFOs and tax leaders work together to enable a more strategic tax function?

Expanding Roles: CFOs and Strategic Tax Functions

The tax function’s role is expanding and becoming more complicated. Tax leaders must navigate increasing regulatory complexity, as major domestic U.S. tax policy changes occur with greater frequency. International trade treaties and regulations have changed markedly due to new presidential administrations and expanding geopolitical conflicts.

Tax leaders are increasingly involved in reputation management amid heightened demand for tax transparency from regulators and other stakeholders. Tax leaders and CFOs must work together to manage competing priorities of maximizing shareholder value and ensuring the company is not overpaying tax, while at the same time managing public scrutiny related to total tax contribution.

Tax Leaders: Learn to Speak the Same Language

In turn, tax leaders need to understand how the CFO’s role is evolving. Learning to speak the language of business and finance beyond tax means understanding the strategic priorities of the CFO and the business and how the tax function can positively impact those goals. Tax leaders must make sure that their highly technical tax language translates across the business so that tax planning strategies can be effectively communicated to the C-suite and accurately deployed.

Expanding the range of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure the tax function’s impact on the company can also help align goals and foster communication. Alongside essential benchmarks like effective tax rate or accuracy of tax returns, new benchmarks may dovetail with the CFO’s other goals – like capital allocation and risk management, helping to bring the tax function’s insights to a wider audience.

Developing the ability to calculate and communicate the tax implications of business decisions and policy shifts in terms that matter to the broader business is key to the tax leader becoming a trusted advisor to the CFO. Showing leaders across the company that the tax team can focus on bottom-line impacts while attending to technical tax details can demonstrate how the tax function’s abilities extend beyond compliance and into strategic value.

CFOs: Keep the Lines of Communication Open and Provide the Right Support

For CFOs, keeping the lines of communication open with tax leaders is essential to successful strategic tax planning. Inviting tax leaders to the table when major decisions are made is important, but will be merely symbolic if tax leaders do not have the resources they need to make strategic contributions. The CFO should work closely with tax leaders to ensure the tax team is equipped with the necessary resources, including skilled personnel, an effective staffing model, advanced technology, and ongoing training and development. This kind of support simplifies dealing with complex tax situations and allows tax leaders to focus on strategic contributions by automating routine tasks and providing actionable data insights.

CFOs and Tax Leaders: Foster Alignment in Action

When CFOs and tax leaders set goals together, communicate, and keep each other accountable, the magic can start to happen. Their alignment will drive better business outcomes, enhance decision-making, mitigate tax risk, and improve operational resilience. When well-aligned CFOs and tax leaders are strategic partners, they can unlock the full potential of the tax team and leverage highly technical knowledge to provide bottom-line value to the entire business.

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Real Estate Right Now is a video series covering the latest real estate trends and opportunities and how you can make the most of them. In the episode below, we cover the main advantages of investing in student rental properties.

Student housing properties have earned a significant niche in the commercial real estate market, and while they may evoke a natural reluctance on the part of the investor, they actually offer several unique investment advantages.

Investing in student housing properties often carries less risk than investing in traditional multi-family properties. The need for student housing is on the rise, with a projected 46 million people falling into the college age-range by 2031. In response, off-campus rentals have been attracting capital from savvy investors.

Universities and colleges are historically unaffected by recession or economic flux. Education is always a commodity in demand. By association, student housing properties are also less susceptible to economic downswings. College enrollment runs in continuous cycles, so new housing is needed every semester. This means that demand for this type of property remains stable and cash flows are predictable, albeit the downside of constant turnover.

Because student spaces are usually shared by multiple renters, student housing offers the investor higher returns. It also offers opportunities to generate ancillary income by supplying amenities like parking, bike storage or a gym.

In terms of risk, student rentals have lower default rates than most multi-family units because parents are often the ones to cosign on their kids’ rentals.

Student housing is considered residential, and therefore qualifies for a 27.5-year depreciation schedule, as opposed to industrial and retail real estate, which has a 39-year depreciation schedule. This means there are more deductions to shelter the property income.

Of course there are some disadvantages to consider when you’re thinking of investing in a student rental property. These include lower cash flow in summer months and the high potential for damages. Investors in student housing must also be equipped to deal with an inexperienced renter population and should be prepared to communicate with renters’ parents, who are often involved in the rental process.

To identify lucrative investment opportunities in the student housing market, the investor should stay informed about which universities are growing in enrollment. Higher enrollment means the demand for off-campus housing will increase. A property’s location is an essential factor in assessing the property’s success. Student housing located near a main campus will attract renters more easily than one further away and can demand higher rents. Amenities are important to the student population, with Wi-Fi, gyms, and communal spaces acting as a heavy draw. Lastly, look out for college towns with a stable economy, or an economy that’s on the rise. Colleges and universities in growing towns will look to expand and attract more students – and those students will need housing.

Diversifying your investments to include student housing properties can insulate your investment portfolio from risk and may offer a profitable option for optimizing its value. Speak to your investment advisors to learn more about this promising investment.

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In the wide, wide world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), most business buyers conduct thorough due diligence before closing their deals. This usually involves carefully investigating the target company’s financial, legal, and operational positions.

As a business owner, you can perform these same types of reviews of your own company to discover critical insights.

Now you can take a deep dive into your financial or legal standing if you think something is amiss. But assuming all’s well, the start of a new year is a good time to perform an operational review.

Why Perform an Operation Review?

An operational review is essentially a reality check into whether – from the standpoint of day-to-day operations – your company is running smoothly and fully capable of accomplishing its strategic objectives.

For example, a real estate business relies on recurring revenue from established clients as well as new revenues, in order to survive and grow. It needs to continuously ensure that it has the knowledge, talent and resources to acquire, buy or lease properties to develop or resell. The point is, you don’t want to fall behind the times, which can happen all too easily in today’s environment of disruptors and rapid market changes.

Before getting into specifics, gather your leadership team and ask yourselves some big-picture questions:

Is your company falling short of its financial goals?

An operational review can spotlight both lapses and opportunities for increased profit and can offer recommendations to improve management performance.

Are day-to-day operations working efficiently?

Implementing system controls like automated financial tracking systems and data analytic tools can help real estate companies streamline their operations and improve efficiency.

Is your company organized optimally to safeguard its financial records and reports?

Protecting financial information is especially important in the real estate industry where most transactions involve large sums of money.

Are your company’s assets sufficiently protected?

Implementing system controls to protect your business and its properties can prevent unauthorized access; making regular inspections will identify any issues or damage.

What to look at

When business buyers perform operational due diligence, they tend to evaluate at least 3 primary areas of a target company:

Operations: Buyers will scrutinize a company’s structure and legal standing, contracts and agreements, sales and purchases, data privacy and security and more. Their goal is to spot performance gaps, identify cost-cutting opportunities and determine ways to improve the bottom line.
Selling, general & administrative (SG&A): This is a financial term that summarizes a company’s sales-related and administrative expenses. An SG&A analysis is a way for business buyers — or you, the business owner — to assess whether the company’s operational expenses are too high or too low.
Human resources (HR): Buyers typically review a target business’s organizational charts, staffing levels, compensation and benefits, and employee bonus or incentive plans. Their goal is to determine the reasonability and sustainability of each of these factors.

A Funny Question to Ask Yourself

Would you buy your real estate company if you didn’t already own it? It may seem like a funny question, but an operational review can tell you, objectively, just how efficiently and impressively your business is running. Roth&Co is happy to help you gather and analyze the pertinent information involved.

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Within this flurry are what we call ‘bellwether’ companies, whose earnings reports carry significant weight in gauging the overall economic health. Want to gauge consumer spending? Keep an eye on iPhone sales and airline bookings. Curious about food prices? Look into the restaurant chains and food suppliers. You get the drift. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of earnings season, a few events hold sway far beyond the immediate financial realm. Among them are the much-anticipated letters and shareholder meetings hosted by Warren Buffett.

This year, Buffett’s letter began with a heartfelt tribute to his longtime friend and business partner, Charlie Munger, who recently passed away just short of his 100th birthday. Following this poignant start, Buffett delved into insights about Berkshire Hathaway, along with nuggets of wisdom about business and investing:

“One fact of financial life should never be forgotten. Wall Street – to use the term in its figurative sense – would like its customers to make money, but what truly causes its denizens’ juices to flow is feverish activity. At such times, whatever foolishness can be marketed will be vigorously marketed – not by everyone, but always by someone.”

True success in investing lies in maintaining a steady hand through the inevitable ebbs and flows of the market. But, there’s a catch. Media outlets thrive on sensationalism. When things are tranquil, people tend to switch off, so it’s in the best media’s interest to stir up drama to recapture attention. Wall Street – as Buffet explains – yearns for action.

We can’t stress enough the importance of being aware of the biases inherent in the sources we so often rely on. Are they tied to defense contracts, hyping up tensions in Ukraine? Are they predicting market volatility while pushing investment newsletters? Or are they perhaps peddling doomsday scenarios about nuclear conflict while selling long-shelf-life emergency rations?

There will always be a cacophony of distractions. It’s those who can tune it out who will reap the benefits in the long run.

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Roth&Co hosted a webinar on February 28, 2024, featuring Tax Controversy Manager Ahron Golding, Esq. The webinar discussed the recent approach that the IRS has been taking towards the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), scrutinizing ERC claims for abuse and fraud. Audits and criminal investigations on promoters and businesses filing questionable claims are intensifying, with thousands of audits already in the pipeline.

What is the IRS looking for? Here is what the IRS refers to as the ‘suspicious seven:’

Too many quarters being claimed

Some promoters have urged employers to claim the ERC for all 7 quarters that the credit was available. Since the IRS believes that it is rare for a business to legitimately qualify for all quarters, making a claim for all of them is a red flag.

Government orders that don’t qualify

In order for a business to qualify for the ERC due to a government order that compromised their operations:

the order must have been in effect for the periods claimed
the order must have been directed towards the business rather than towards the customer
the full or partial shutdown must have been by order and not simply via guidance or recommendation
the IRS is looking for the negative financial impact on the business

Claiming that an entire segment of a business was shut down, though that segment was not significant compared to the entire business, will cause a claim to be disallowed.

Too many employees and wrong ERC calculations

The laws are complex, and have changed throughout 2020 and 2021. Dollar limits, credit amounts, and the definition of qualified wages changed as well. Make sure your calculations are accurate.

Supply chain issues

The IRS is not looking kindly at claims based on general supply chain disruption.

Business claiming the ERC for too much of a tax period

If eligibility is based on full or partial suspension, then a business can only claim the ERC for wages paid during the period of actual suspension, not necessarily the whole quarter.

Business did not pay wages or did not exist during the eligibility period

If the business did not exist or pay any wages during the period of the claim, the claim will be disallowed by the IRS and prosecuted for fraud.

Promoter says there’s nothing to lose

Promoters that urged businesses to claim the ERC because they had “nothing to lose” were mistaken. Incorrectly claiming the ERC invites repayment requirements, penalties, interest, audits, and the expense of hiring someone to help resolve the error, amend returns, and represent the business in an audit.

The IRS has a comprehensive ERC eligibility checklist here.

Many businesses have neglected to take into account the issue of aggregation as it applies to the ERC credit. This can potentially effect employee count, revenue, and other crucial calculations.

Overall, the IRS is not too pleased with ERC promoters. IRS auditors have been trained to start an audit by asking who the taxpayer used to help prepare their claim. The IRS expects a taxpayer to utilize a trusted tax professional, rather than a dubious ‘ERC mill’.

What if the employer has an opinion letter to back up his claim? Generally, opinion letters are only as valuable as the backup data they provide. If a claim can be justified by hard numbers, it will help the employer if challenged.

If a business determines that it incorrectly claimed the Employee Retention Credit, it can use the ERC claim withdrawal process outlined here, so long as the business has not yet received the credit or hasn’t deposited an ERC check. Requesting a withdrawal means a business is asking the IRS not to process their entire adjusted return that included the ERC claim. If the IRS accepts the request, the claim will be treated as if it was never filed.

If a business incorrectly received the ERC before December 21, 2023, and deposited the check, they can apply for the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program before March 22nd, 2024. This program allows participants to repay only 80% of the ERC they received as a credit on their return or as a refund. Click here for more details.

If your business received an opinion letter regarding ERC eligibility that you would like us to review, please email engage@rothcocpa.com.

This summary has been presented for educational purposes only and does not constitute a comprehensive study of the ERC tax laws or serve as a legal opinion or tax advice.

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A well-timed merger or an opportune acquisition can help your business grow, but it can also expose you and your business to risk. Buyers must consider the strengths and weaknesses of their intended partners or acquisition targets before entering into any new transactions.

When entering into any new buy/sell agreement, a robust due diligence process is imperative in order to avoid the risk of costly errors and financial losses. Due diligence means much more than just assessing the reasonableness of the sales price. It involves examining a company’s numbers, comparing the numbers over time, and benchmarking them against competitors. Proper due diligence can help verify the seller’s disclosures, confirm the target’s strategic fit, and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks.

What are the phases of the due diligence process, and how can they help in the decision-making process?

Defining Your Objectives

Before the due diligence process begins, it’s important to establish clear objectives. The work done during this phase should include a preliminary assessment of the target’s market position and financial statements, and the expected benefits of the transaction.

The process should also identify the inherent risks of the transaction and document how due diligence efforts will verify, measure and mitigate the buyer’s potential exposure to these risks.

Conducting Due Diligence

The primary focus during this step is evaluating the potential purchase’s financial statements, tax returns, legal documents and financing structure.

Look for red flags that may reveal liabilities and off-balance-sheet items. The overall quality of the company’s earnings should be scrutinized.
Budgets and forecasts should be analyzed, especially if prepared specifically for the M&A transaction.
Interviews with key personnel will help a prospective buyer fully understand the company’s operations, culture and its practical value.

AI – A Valuable Resource

With its ability to analyze vast quantities of customer data rapidly and proficiently, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how companies conduct due diligence. Using AI, the potential buyer can identify critical trends and risks in large data sets, especially those that may be related to regulatory compliance or fraud.

Structuring the deal

The goal of the due diligence review is to piece together all of the information reviewed into one coherent picture. When the parties meet to craft the provisions of the proposed transaction, the information gathered during due diligence will help them develop their agreement. For example, if excessive customer turnover, shrinking profits or a high balance of bad debts are revealed during the due diligence process, the potential buyer may negotiate for a lower offer price or an earnout provision. Likewise, if cultural problems are discovered, such as disproportionate employee turnover or a lack of strong company core values, the potential buyer may decide to revise some of the terms of the agreement, or even abandon the deal completely.

Hazards of the Due Diligence Process

Typical challenges in executing a successful due diligence process include:

Asking the wrong questions, or not knowing what to ask
Poor Timing – presentation or execution of documents may be delayed or unavailable
Lack of communication between potential buyers and sellers or their representatives
Cost – due diligence can be expensive, running into months and utilizing extensive specialist hours

We can help

Comprehensive financial due diligence boosts the quality of information available to decision-makers and acts as a foundation for a successful M&A transaction. If you’re thinking about merging with a competitor or buying another company, contact Roth&Co to help you gather the information needed to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of a transaction that will serve the best interests of all parties involved.

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Whether you are running a small business or are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, having great leadership is critical for the success of any organization. Great business leaders don’t just inspire their employees to work harder and achieve more – they create a positive work culture that fosters growth, development, and success. The best business leaders create a vision for their company and help their employees turn that vision into a reality.

Becoming a great leader is a process — one that thrives on embracing challenges, seeking feedback, building connections, and cultivating understanding. While some leaders have certain innate skills that allow them to thrive, the majority of business leaders develop the necessary skills through a continuous journey of learning and growth. According to Professor Linda Hill, chair of the Leadership Initiative and author of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, great leaders have intentionally put themselves into situations where they’ve had to learn, adapt, and grow. Finding and capitalizing on these situations is critical for developing the tenacity and fortitude to motivate and guide others.

There are certain qualities that great leaders need to have, like excellent communication, problem-solving skills, and delegating skills. I’ve written about these skills before, and they are a must for any strong business leader. Here are 5 additional qualities for successful leadership – according to Professor Linda Hill, along with ideas on how to help develop them:

Curiosity

Great leaders understand that curiosity is a mindset. They enjoy exploring uncharted waters and trying to understand the art of the ‘possible.’ They can look at situations and problems from the perspective of external stakeholders, such as customers or competitors, which enables them to better consider the broader context, beyond just an internal organizational viewpoint.

How to nurture curiosity

Be open to new experiences and people outside of your immediate division, function, and industry. Don’t be afraid to question the status quo, even if the questions seem basic or naive. The inspiration for the Polaroid instant camera came when Edwin Land’s daughter wanted to see a photo her father had just taken. When he explained that the film had to be processed, she wondered aloud, “Why do we have to wait for the picture?”

Adaptability

As technology evolves, the world changes faster and stakeholder expectations grow quicker. As a leader, you need to be able to adjust to these ever-shifting demands and cultivate an agile work culture. Adaptability allows you to swiftly respond to different issues, pivot when needed, and embrace new opportunities and challenges.

How to strengthen your adaptability

Venture beyond your comfort zone and push yourself to work in new environments with different kinds of people. By taking on assignments and seeking experiences that demand flexibility, you can help foster your adaptability.

Creativity

Any idea that is new and helpful to your company – is creative. Diversity of thought is the driving force behind true innovation, as each of us brings our own unique perspective and “slice of genius” to the table.

How to cultivate creativity

A leader’s job is not to come up with all the great ideas on their own, but rather to establish an environment that nurtures creativity in others. Encourage and promote diverse perspectives on your team. Different viewpoints standing against each other is when creativity flourishes and great ideas are born.

Authenticity

Being genuine and true to who you are is fundamental to success in any role and is even more important in leadership roles. Your talent and skills are not enough; people need to trust your character and connect with you, otherwise they will not be willing to take risks with you.

How to show your authenticity

Understanding how people perceive you is crucial for growth, but asking for and receiving feedback is not easy. Seek feedback at a time when you can remain open, without becoming defensive. Start by asking for feedback in more casual, low-pressure situations and work your way up to more formal and intensive reviews.

Empathy

Understanding and connecting with others on an emotional level is crucial to building trust and strengthening relationships. Great leaders need to see their employees not as robots, but as valuable team members. Leaders need to understand what matters to their employees, what their priorities are, and be able to find common ground. Developing empathy will give you a deeper appreciation of the challenges others are working through, and will help you foster a more supportive and nurturing environment.

How to develop greater empathy

Make a point to interact with employees by asking questions about their work preferences, the pressures they’re under, and their strengths and weaknesses. Your goal is to build understanding and connection. If someone’s opinions or actions strike you as illogical, it’s likely you don’t understand what matters most to that person.

Leadership isn’t a quality you either innately possess or lack. It is the composition of different skills that can be developed and perfected over time.

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Meetings are critical to a company’s success. Good meetings, that is.

Leading an effective and productive meeting is part science and part art. The science is in putting in the pre-meeting work to ensure that the essential elements of the meeting structure are in place. The art is in the way we run the meeting and promote positive engagement with participants. Here are six strategies to help you lead positive, engaging and efficient meetings that actually yield results.

Clearly Articulate the Purpose – Be clear and concise about the goal of your meeting. If you can’t describe why you’re holding a meeting in a sentence or two, you probably don’t need to have it. The meeting objective should have results-oriented terms and actionable goals.

Prepare an Agenda – Have the meeting leader prepare an agenda beforehand and send it to participants in advance. This will sharpen and clarify the purpose of the meeting and give everyone a chance to prepare. The agenda provides a compass for the conversation, so the meeting can get back on track if the discussion wanders off course.

Invite the Right People – Meetings are expensive and time-consuming. Avoid inviting anyone who is not needed to achieve the meeting objective. At the same time, be sure that you have enough participants for a productive, open discussion with diverse perspectives. A good meeting strikes a balance between minimizing attendees and maximizing the creative potential of a group.

Keep Detours Brief –The meeting leader’s job is to intervene when the conversation gets derailed. And nothing derails a meeting faster than discussing something that may be connected to the agenda, but not essential to the meeting. If you or someone else introduces an idea that’s only tangentially related or unrelated, get ‘in and out’ quickly so you can refocus on the purpose of the meeting. Set the climate for engagement by encouraging productive behavior and discouraging unproductive behavior. Nothing prevents engagement like letting bothersome behavior and random discussions run rampant in your meeting.

Keep the Meeting Short – Don’t overload your meeting agenda. Better to have four 30-minute meetings than a single 2-hour meeting. Setting a time limit for meetings is a respectful way to honor people’s time get them back to their schedules as promptly as possible.

End With Meaningful Action Steps – One of the biggest blunders people make when leading meetings is failing to record, recap, and follow up on action items, next steps, and important meeting outcomes. Leave the last few minutes of every meeting to discuss who is responsible for what, and what the deadlines are. Otherwise, all the time you spent on the meeting will be for naught. Every action item needs three things: 1) Clear deliverable; 2) Owner; and 3) Due date.

Meetings are a critical avenue for growing your business, improving productivity and communication, promoting team integration and increasing job satisfaction. It pays to run them well.

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Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the third quarter of 2023. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact your financial advisor to ensure that you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements.

July 31

Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for second quarter 2023 (Form 941) and pay any tax due. (See the exception below, under “August 10.”)
File a 2022 calendar-year retirement plan report (Form 5500 or Form 5500-EZ) or request an extension.

August 10

Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for second quarter 2023 (Form 941), if you deposited all of the associated taxes due in full, and on time.

September 15

If a calendar-year C corporation, pay the third installment of 2023 estimated income taxes.
If a calendar-year S corporation or partnership that filed an automatic six-month extension:
- File a 2022 income tax return (Form 1120-S, Form 1065 or Form 1065-B) and pay any tax, interest and penalties due.
- Make contributions for 2022 to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans.

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If a long-time business owner fails to establish a clearly written and communicated succession plan, the result can be chaotic. While there are many aspects to succession planning, one way to clearly document your goals — particularly if your company has multiple owners — is to draft a buy-sell agreement.

Avoiding conflicts

A “buy-sell,” as it’s often called for short, is essentially a contract that lays out the terms and conditions under which the owners of a business, or the business itself, can buy out an owner’s interest if a “triggering event” occurs. Such events typically include an owner dying, becoming disabled, getting divorced or deciding to leave the company.

If an owner dies, for example, a buy-sell can help prevent conflicts — and even litigation — between surviving owners and a deceased owner’s heirs. It also ensures that surviving owners don’t become unwitting co-owners with a deceased owner’s spouse who may have little knowledge of the business or interest in participating in it.

A buy-sell also spells out how ownership interests are valued. For instance, the agreement may set a predetermined share price or include a formula for valuing the company that’s used upon a triggering event, such as an owner’s death or disability. Or it may call for the remaining owners to engage a business valuation specialist to estimate fair market value.

By facilitating the orderly transition of a deceased, disabled or otherwise departing owner’s interest, a buy-sell helps ensure a smooth transfer of control to the remaining owners or an outside buyer.

This minimizes uncertainty for all parties involved. Remaining owners can rest assured that they’ll retain ownership control without outside interference. The departing owner, or in some cases that person’s spouse and heirs, know they’ll be fairly compensated for the ownership interest in question. And employees will feel better about the company’s long-term stability, which may boost morale and retention.

Funding the agreement

There are several ways to fund a buy-sell. The simplest approach is to create a “sinking fund” into which owners make contributions that can be used to buy a departing owner’s shares. Or remaining owners can simply borrow money to purchase ownership shares.

However, since there are potential complications with both options, many companies turn to life insurance and disability buyout insurance as a funding mechanism. Upon a triggering event, such a policy will provide cash that can be used to buy the deceased owner’s interest. There are two main types of buy-sells funded by life insurance:

1. Cross-purchase agreements. Here, each owner buys life insurance on the others. The proceeds are used to purchase the departing owner’s interest.

2. Entity-purchase agreements. In this case, the business buys life insurance policies on each owner. Policy proceeds are then used to purchase an owner’s interest following a triggering event. With fewer ownership interests outstanding, the remaining owners effectively own a higher percentage of the company.

A cross-purchase agreement tends to work better for businesses with only two or three owners. Conversely, an entity-purchase agreement is often a good choice when there are more than three owners because of the cost and complexity of owners having to buy so many different life insurance policies.

Getting expert guidance

Speak to your financial advisor for help creating, administering and executing a buy-sell agreement.

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Complaining, officially defined as ‘the act of expressing dissatisfaction,’ is an essential aspect of any organization’s communication. When done ineffectively, complaining can hurt the collective mood, individual relationships and organizational culture. But when done effectively, complaining can help manage risks, provide early red flags, uncover opportunities for growth and change, and even improve relationships and well-being.

Part of being a business leader is handling your employees’ complaints. While some larger companies have extensive dispute resolution and arbitration procedures, informal procedures are often the best method for the small business owner where each situation is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Whatever method your business uses, if an employee complains about an employment-related situation, as a business leader, you should be prepared to handle it in a fair and consistent manner.

When considering how to handle complaints, it is important to understand why employees complain, and when and how complaining can be constructive or destructive. Different types of complaints have different underlying intents. When faced with complaints from employees, start by identifying the type of complaint:

Productive Complaints

A productive complaint is made with the intention of improving an undesirable situation. Productive complaints can bring in valuable feedback necessary to change practices or behaviors that are harming the organization. Productive complaints are used to improve an organization’s processes, products and services on behalf of all employees and customers.

Venting

Venting is an emotional form of complaining where an individual expresses their dissatisfaction about someone or something to others. The typical intent behind venting is to release bottled-up stress or frustration. Research shows that venting can have a positive impact because it helps people process stress and frustration while increasing team bonding. While managers are often nervous about employees expressing negative feelings about their work, as long as it doesn’t become toxic, these complaints play a role in every organization.

Chronic Complaining

Chronic complaining is when a person seems to enjoy complaining about everything (the temperature, their salary, their manager, or even the elevator speed). Chronic complainers often have pessimistic views of their role, their work, and the world around them. While many of their complaints may seem frivolous, chronic complainers are very good at picking out serious red flags in an organization that others may miss.

Malicious Complaining

Malicious complaining is a destructive form of complaining that’s used to undermine colleagues or gain an unfair advantage. An employee’s own benefit, rather than dissatisfaction with an organizational issue, is the true intent in this form of complaining.

While understanding the intent of a complaint is important, an employer should also have a strategy on how to listen to and act on complaints when they are received. Here are some helpful steps to harness the benefits of a complaint:

Validate and show thanks

Whether an employee’s complaint seems valid or superficial, it’s always important to take it seriously. Showing your employees that you value and respect their concerns – no matter how big or small – increases the trust employees have in you. Thank the messenger for showing trust in you to address the issue. Despite the fact that the message may be wrapped in negative emotions like frustration or disappointment, the fact that an employee would come to you to share their concerns rather than venting to a coworker or friend, is positive.

Be Curious

Make sure you really understand the problem. Allow the employee to talk without interruption, then ask open-ended questions until you have a clear understanding of the facts. Be curious and consider the employee’s intention. Is the complaint intended to fix a problem? Does it offer an opportunity for positive change? Is it a red flag for a future issue? Is it something that several employees have previously mentioned? Is the person just trying to be heard by venting about an unsolvable situation?

Consider a time buffer

When appropriate (and if the complaint isn’t extremely serious), consider implementing a “time buffer” – a short pause to reflect on the grievance, its impact, and potential solutions before having a conversation about it. This gives the employee time to articulate concerns with less emotion, more effectively. It can also allow you to prepare resources and ideas for a response.

Involve the employee in the solution

Involving the employee in finding a solution means asking for their input, suggestions and preferences, and then considering different options and actions together. By involving the employee in finding a solution, you show respect and trust in their judgment, and you also increase their buy-in and commitment to the outcome.

Understanding why employees complain is an important step in handling the complaints themselves. Then, by better managing employee complaints, managers can create a positive, high-performing work environment while monitoring and containing the risks and costs associated with complaining. When employees feel that they are being treated with respect and fairness, they are more likely to accept the solutions you suggest, even if it is not exactly what they wanted or expected.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, nor should it be relied upon for, legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.

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The IRS recently released guidance providing the 2024 inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

HSA fundamentals

An HSA is a trust created or organized exclusively for the purpose of paying the “qualified medical expenses” of an “account beneficiary.” An HSA can only be established for the benefit of an “eligible individual” who is covered under a “high-deductible health plan.” In addition, a participant can’t be enrolled in Medicare or have other health coverage (exceptions include dental, vision, long-term care, accident and specific disease insurance).

Within specified dollar limits, an above-the-line tax deduction is allowed for an individual’s contributions to an HSA. This annual contribution limitation and the annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses under the tax code are adjusted annually for inflation.

Inflation adjustments for next year

In Revenue Procedure 2023-23, the IRS released the 2024 inflation-adjusted figures for contributions to HSAs, which are as follows:

Annual contribution limitation. For calendar year 2024, the annual contribution limitation for an individual with self-only coverage under an HDHP will be $4,150. For an individual with family coverage, the amount will be $8,300. This is up from $3,850 and $7,750, respectively, in 2023.

There is an additional $1,000 “catch-up” contribution amount for those age 55 and older in 2024 (and 2023).

High-deductible health plan defined. For calendar year 2024, an HDHP will be a health plan with an annual deductible that isn’t less than $1,600 for self-only coverage or $3,200 for family coverage (up from $1,500 and $3,000, respectively, in 2023). In addition, annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) won’t be able to exceed $8,050 for self-only coverage or $16,100 for family coverage (up from $7,500 and $15,000, respectively, in 2023).

Advantages of HSAs

There are a variety of benefits to HSAs. Contributions to the accounts are made on a pre-tax basis. The money can accumulate tax-free year after year and can be withdrawn tax-free to pay for a variety of medical expenses such as doctor visits, prescriptions, chiropractic care and premiums for long-term care insurance. In addition, an HSA is “portable.” It stays with an account holder if he or she changes employers or leaves the workforce. Contact your employee benefits and tax advisors if you have questions about HSAs at your business.

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In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve implemented a Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) to stimulate the economy. Interest rates remained near zero for an extended period, leading to the emergence of the acronym TINA – There Is No Alternative. TINA became the prevailing rationale for investors, suggesting that with treasuries and other fixed income securities offering minimal returns, the only viable option was to invest in equities and real estate.

But financial markets are dynamic, and nothing stays the same forever. In recent months, interest rates have experienced a significant rise as the Fed attempts to control inflation. As a result, a new buzzword has entered the investment lexicon: TARA – There Are Reasonable Alternatives. The concept behind TARA is that investing in short-term treasuries, which yield around 4-5%, presents a prudent opportunity.

This new trend has spurred a surge in investor interest, with flows pouring into treasuries. The allure of treasuries as an alternative to more traditional investments has taken hold. But is this shift truly beneficial for long-term investors?

Relying on short-term treasuries for long-term assets may prove to be a mistake. While the immediate satisfaction of a decent return may feel appealing, it is not conducive to long-term economic success. It’s the financial equivalent to subsiding your hunger with junk food. Sure, it provides momentary pleasure, but it ultimately leaves you unsatisfied.

Successful investing involves persevering through challenging times and sticking to a long-term plan. It comes from weathering market fluctuations and staying committed to a long-term strategy.

So for short-term assets – like funds earmarked for a house down payment or investments that cannot tolerate volatility – treasuries serve as an excellent option. Treasuries provide stability and security, which is why we encourage investors to consider this option. For corporations and nonprofits sitting on cash, this can be an amazing opportunity. However, when it comes to longer-term investments, adhering to the original plan and maintaining a steadfast approach is the optimal choice.

The key to achieving long-term financial goals lies in maintaining discipline and resisting the allure of short-term gains. While TARA may present attractive alternatives in the current market landscape, remember that TINA is still relevant. Remaining fully invested according to your long-term financial plan is critical, and that should not be compromised for the comfort of short-term options.

For more information, please reach out to us at info@equinum.com.

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The traditional corporate ladder is no longer.

It used to be that an employee’s career would be at a single firm. As an employee proved themselves, they gradually moved into a better office, gained more responsibilities and earned a bigger paycheck. The path was clear and often linear. While titles changed and responsibilities grew, employees would measure services to their company in decades. The pinnacle of professional achievement was the corner office situated neatly at the top of a clearly defined corporate ladder.

Today, significant employee turnover has become a byproduct of the modern career path. Most employees spend 3 or 4 years at an organization before moving on. Despite this, most companies still see employee turnover as a negative attribute. During interviewing and onboarding, there is an underlying assumption that the employee will stay with the employer indefinitely, even though the average tenure of a modern worker is about four years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. When the employee does leave, the process feels awkward – with neither side acknowledged or prepared for the inevitable moment.

In today’s world, employers need to closely review the real value of employee retention. Here are some reasons why employers should rethink their focus on employee turnover:

Retention does not equal engagement. Companies that focus too much on retention often get stuck with people who show mediocre (or even low) performance and have minimal ambition. Employees who want challenging, engaging jobs leave quickly when they see average performance being rewarded.
Lengthy employee tenures can be counterproductive. After a certain point, unless the employee has moved up in an organization, the longer an employee stays, the more likely they are to be unproductive, unengaged and unfulfilled. Businesses with a high percentage of long-tenured employees are less likely to be exposed to innovative ideas from new employees coming from other companies and industries.
Turnover is out of your hands. Employees leave companies all the time to pursue completely different career tracks and personal goals. No matter what you do or offer, employees may leave.

Some employers have embraced the notion of intentional attrition, often known as an “up-and-out” system. For example, at companies like McKinsey & Co., attrition isn’t negative. It’s normal. Employees know at the beginning of their time with McKinsey that they might not progress upward. With only a few senior positions available, McKinsey team members are encouraged to leave after a finite amount of time.

Like with any organizational change, it takes time and effort to push through the setback of losing great people. In the modern business world, the majority of employees are going to resign from their job at some point, but if you can create a culture that doesn’t penalize workers who resign, you can create an organization where highly successful people will want to work and grow. According to Bryan Adams, CEO and founder of Ph.Creative, here are several steps to consider:

Acknowledge that this isn’t forever from the beginning. Be honest from the start and acknowledge that your company may be a “stepping stone” to help your employees gain the experience and skills to find better opportunities elsewhere in the future. In return, expect exceptional performance from your employees and for them to be honest once they are ready to move on.
Focus on promoting internal candidates and boomerang employees. Some of your employees will want to stay at your organization for more than two or three years. However, they won’t stick around if you can’t offer them mobility. Be sure to show that you’re serious about recognizing impressive work by promoting from within whenever possible or rehiring former employees who have upped their skills and credentials.
Engage your alumni. Many people leave their jobs only to be replaced and forgotten by their former bosses. Another example from McKinsey, though, is that the firm proudly publishes articles on alumni and even offers alumni special recognition in the company. Consider putting together a program that encourages former employees to stay in touch and share news and events.
How you offboard people is key. Bid a positive farewell, celebrate their future successes and opportunities, and be grateful for their specific contributions. Keeping in touch and celebrating personal wins — and maybe even reaching out to feature or profile alumni as they move through their careers — encourages people to fondly remember their time at your company.

Rather than fighting to hold onto employees, companies are better positioned for success if they develop a culture that benefits from a healthy influx of people, ideas and practices. Employers must develop strategies that promote employee engagement, career development and succession planning to bring out the most appreciation and value from their employees. Employers who are willing to embrace this model of work – where employees give organizations 100% when they are there, and readily transfer knowledge to the next generation when they move up or on – will provide a significant competitive advantage.

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With concerns about inflation in the news for months now, most business owners are keeping a close eye on costs. Although it can be difficult to control costs related to mission-critical functions such as overhead and materials, you might find some budge room in employee benefits.

Many companies have lowered their benefits costs by offering a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Of course, some employees might not react positively to a health plan that starts with the phrase “high-deductible.” So, if you decide to offer an HSA, you’ll want to devise a strategy for championing the plan’s advantages.

The Basics

An HSA is a tax-advantaged savings account funded with pretax dollars. Funds can be withdrawn tax-free to pay for a wide range of qualified medical expenses. As mentioned, to provide these benefits, an HSA must be coupled with an HDHP. For 2023, an HDHP is defined as a plan with a minimum deductible of $1,500 ($3,000 for family coverage) and maximum out-of-pocket expenses of $7,500 ($15,000 for family coverage).

In 2023, the annual contribution limit for HSAs is $3,850 for individuals with self-only coverage and $7,750 for individuals with family coverage. If you’re 55 or older, you can add another $1,000. Both the business and the participant can make contributions. However, the limit is a combined one, not per-payer. So if your company contributed $4,000 to an employee’s family-coverage account, that participant could contribute only $3,750.

Another requirement for HSA contributions is that an account holder can’t be enrolled in Medicare or covered by any non-HDHP insurance (such as a spouse’s plan). Once someone enrolls in Medicare, the person becomes ineligible to contribute to an HSA — though the account holder can still withdraw funds from an existing HSA to pay for qualified expenses, which expand starting at age 65.

3 Major Advantages

There are 3 major advantages to an HSA to clearly communicate to employees:

1. Lower Premiums

Some employees might scowl at having a high deductible, but you may be able to turn that frown upside down by informing them that HDHP premiums — that is, the monthly cost to retain coverage — tend to be substantially lower than those of other plan types.

2. Tax Advantages x3

An HSA presents a “triple threat” to an account holder’s tax liability. First, contributions are made pretax, which lowers one’s taxable income. Second, funds in the account grow tax-free. And third, distributions are tax-free as long as the withdrawals are used for eligible expenses.

3. Retirement and Estate Planning Pluses

There’s no “use it or lose it” clause with an HSA; participants own their accounts. Funds may be carried over year to year — continuing to grow tax-deferred indefinitely. Upon turning age 65, account holders can withdraw funds penalty-free for any purpose, though funds that aren’t used for qualified medical expenses are taxable.

An HSA can even be included in an account holder’s estate plan. However, the tax implications of inheriting an HSA differ significantly depending on the recipient, so it’s important to carefully consider beneficiary designation.

Explain the Upsides

Indeed, an HDHP+HSA pairing can be a win-win for your business and its employees. While participants are enjoying the advantages noted above, you’ll appreciate lower payroll costs, a federal tax deduction and reduced administrative burden. Just be prepared to explain the upsides.

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A common question for people planning their estates or inheriting property is: For tax purposes, what’s the “cost” (or “basis”) an individual gets in inherited property? This is an important area and is too often overlooked when families start to put their affairs in order.

Under the fair market value basis rules (also known as the “step-up and step-down” rules), an heir receives a basis in inherited property that’s equal to its date-of-death value. So, for example, if an individual bought shares in an oil stock in 1940 for $500 and it was worth $5 million at his death, the basis would be stepped up to $5 million for his heirs. That means all of that gain escapes income taxation forever.

The fair market value basis rules apply to inherited property that’s includible in the deceased individual’s gross estate, whether or not a federal estate tax return was filed, and those rules also apply to property inherited from foreign persons, who aren’t subject to U.S. estate tax. The rules apply to the inherited portion of property owned by the inheriting taxpayer jointly with the deceased, but not the portion of jointly held property that the inheriting taxpayer owned before his or her inheritance. The fair market value basis rules also don’t apply to reinvestments of estate assets by fiduciaries.

Lifetime Gifting

It is crucial to understand the fair market value basis rules so as to avoid paying more tax than legally required.

For example, in the above scenario, if the individual instead decided to make a gift of the stock during his lifetime (rather than passing it on when he died), the “step-up” in basis (from $500 to $5 million) would be lost. Property acquired by gift that has gone up in value is subject to the “carryover” basis rules. That means the person receiving the gift takes the same basis the donor had in it ($500 in this example), plus a portion of any gift tax the donor pays on the gift.

A “step-down” occurs if someone dies while owning property that has declined in value. In that case, the basis is lowered to the date-of-death value. Proper planning calls for seeking to avoid this loss of basis. Giving the property away before death won’t preserve the basis. This is because when property that has gone down in value is the subject of a gift, the person receiving the gift must take the date of gift value as his or her basis (for purposes of determining his or her loss on a later sale). Therefore, a good strategy for property that has declined in value is for the owner to sell it before death so he or she can enjoy the tax benefits of the loss.

These are the basic rules. Other rules and limits may apply. For example, in some cases, a deceased person’s executor may be able to make an alternate valuation election. And gifts made just before a person dies (sometimes called “death bed gifts”) may be included in the gross estate for tax purposes. Speak to your financial advisor for tax assistance when estate planning or after receiving an inheritance.

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As a business owner, you’ll likely need to have your company appraised at some point. An appraisal is essential in the event of a business sale, merger or acquisition. It’s also important when creating or updating a buy-sell agreement or doing estate planning. You can even use a business valuation to help kickstart or support strategic planning.

A good way to prepare for the appraisal process, or to just maintain a clear, big-picture view of your company, is to learn some basic valuation terminology. Here are 5 terms you should know:

1. Fair market value

This is a term you may associate with selling a car, but it applies to businesses — and their respective assets — as well. In a valuation context, “fair market value” has a long definition:

The price, expressed in terms of cash equivalents, at which property would change hands between a hypothetical willing and able buyer and a hypothetical willing and able seller, acting at arm’s length in an open and unrestricted market, when neither is under compulsion to buy or sell and when both have reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.

2. Fair value

Often confused with fair market value, fair value is a separate term — defined by state law and/or legal precedent — that may be used when valuing business interests in shareholder disputes or marital dissolution cases. Typically, a valuator uses fair market value as the starting point for fair value, but certain adjustments are made in the interest of fairness to the parties.

For example, dissenting shareholder litigation often involves minority shareholders who are “squeezed out” by a merger or other transaction. Unlike the “hypothetical, willing” participants contemplated under the definition of fair market value, dissenting shareholders are neither hypothetical nor willing. The fair value standard helps prevent controlling shareholders from taking advantage of minority shareholders by forcing them to accept a discounted price.

3. Going concern value

This valuation term often comes into play with buy-sell agreements and in divorce cases. Going concern value is the estimated worth of a company that’s expected to continue operating in the future. The intangible elements of going concern often include factors such as having a trained workforce, an operational plant and the necessary licenses, systems and procedures in place to continue operating.

4. Valuation premium

Due to certain factors, sometimes an appraiser must increase the estimate of a company’s value to arrive at the appropriate basis or standard of value. The additional amount is commonly referred to as a “premium.” For example, a control premium might apply to a business interest that possesses the requisite power to direct the management and policies of the subject company.

5. Valuation discount

In some cases, it’s appropriate for an appraiser to reduce the value estimate of a business based on specified circumstances. The reduction amount is commonly referred to as a “discount.” For instance, a discount for lack of marketability is an amount or percentage deducted from the value of an ownership interest to reflect that interest’s inability to be converted to cash quickly and at minimal cost.

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If you’re self-employed and run your business or perform certain functions from home, you may be able to claim deductions for home office expenses against your business income. There are two methods for claiming this tax break: the actual expense method and the simplified method.

How to qualify

In general, you qualify for home office deductions if part of your home is used “regularly and exclusively” as your principal place of business.

If your home isn’t your principal place of business, you may still be able to deduct home office expenses if:

You physically meet with patients, clients or customers on your premises, or
You use a storage area in your home (or a separate free-standing structure, such as a garage) exclusively and regularly for business.
Expenses you can deduct

Many eligible taxpayers deduct actual expenses when they claim home office deductions. Deductible home office expenses may include:

Direct expenses, such as the cost of painting and carpeting a room used exclusively for business,
A proportionate share of indirect expenses, including mortgage interest, rent, property taxes, utilities, repairs and insurance, and
Depreciation.

Keeping track of actual expenses can take time and requires organized recordkeeping.

The simpler method

Fortunately, there’s a simplified method: You can deduct $5 for each square foot of home office space, up to a maximum of $1,500.

The cap can make the simplified method less valuable for larger home office spaces. Even for small spaces, taxpayers may qualify for bigger deductions using the actual expense method. So, tracking your actual expenses can be worth it.

Changing methods

When claiming home office deductions, you’re not stuck with a particular method. For instance, you might choose the actual expense method on your 2022 return, use the simplified method when you file your 2023 return next year and then switch back to the actual expense method for 2024.

What if I sell my home?

If you sell — at a profit — a home on which you claimed home office deductions, there may be tax implications.

Also be aware that the amount of your home office deductions is subject to limitations based on the income attributable to your use of the office. Other rules and limitations may apply. However, any home office expenses that can’t be deducted because of these limitations can be carried over and deducted in later years.

Different rules for employees

Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended the business use of home office deductions from 2018 through 2025 for employees. Those who receive paychecks or Form W-2s aren’t eligible for deductions, even if they’re currently working from home because their employers closed their offices due to COVID-19.

We can help you determine if you’re eligible for home office deductions and how to proceed in your situation.

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Can you guess which months are the least productive of the year? If the timing of this article doesn’t give it away, you might be surprised to hear that it’s the first two months of the year. A study by the data collaboration software provider Redbooth found that January and February are the least productive months. Cold temperatures and daylight hours that are in short supply seem to cause dreary conditions that impact everyone’s productivity.

Instead of simply bundling up and waiting out the slump, try some new actions to boost productivity in your business or organization. Rae Ringel, president of leadership development consultants The Ringel Group, developed four strategies that can breathe new life into this notoriously gloomy time of year:

Experimentation Mode

The new year is an excellent time to think about introducing new routines, tools, and habits into a team’s culture. The more radical the departure from business-as-usual, the more likely employees are to break old habits and reexamine what brings out their best.

Some ideas include replacing hour-long meetings with 15-minute check-ins. Or setting aside one day a week as a meeting-free zone. Maybe even move to a 4-day work week? Whatever your team’s experiment is, be sure to commit to it for at least a few weeks.

Fail-fast February

Sometimes the key to success is failing spectacularly and quickly, but then working and changing a solution until it succeeds. The final product or strategy may be significantly different from the starting point, but in the end, the most important thing is that success is achieved.

Consider designating February (or March) as a month when fast failure will be celebrated. Encourage employees to creatively develop large and small ways to improve the organization, so that leaders can crack open underexplored opportunities and spark new thinking. One way to kick off the “fail-fast” month might include business leaders recalling their own most disastrous professional failures and what they learned from them.

Unexpected Appreciation

Many employees expect some type of monetary gift around the end of the year as a form of appreciation for a year’s work. When leaders surprise their employees with employee recognition moments early in the new year, these gestures can take on greater significance because they don’t feel obligatory. Leaders could frame such gestures as a “thank you in advance” for work to come in the new year. And these acts don’t have to be monumental. Sometimes food-delivery gift cards or other simple gifts can go a long way when they are unexpected.

Reconnecting with What Matters Most

Finally, reconnect your team with what matters most. This may be the customers an organization caters to, the clients it serves, or users of the products it develops. As an example, a law firm might bring in a client whose life was positively affected by the firm’s work. That impactful work wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of team members who may never have heard the client’s name. The idea is for employees to see themselves as essential sparks in the work the organization performs. Reflecting on the new year can ground your team in your organization’s purpose and meaning.

The new calendar year offers an opportunity to shake things up in a meaningful way. You can’t change the weather, the amount of sunlight, or the general lack of enthusiasm, but the suggestions above can help build energy and excitement that can fuel productivity year-round.

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If you own an interest in a closely held business, a buy-sell agreement should be a critical component of your estate and succession plans. These agreements provide for the orderly disposition of each owner’s interest after a “triggering event,” such as death, disability, divorce or withdrawal from the business. This is accomplished by permitting or requiring the company or the remaining owners to purchase the departing owner’s interest. Often, life insurance is used to fund the buyout.

Buy-sell agreements provide several important benefits, including keeping ownership and control within a family or other close-knit group, creating a market for otherwise unmarketable interests, and providing liquidity to pay estate taxes and other expenses. In some cases, a buy-sell agreement can even establish the value of an ownership interest for estate tax purposes.

However, because circumstances change, it’s important to review your buy-sell agreement periodically to ensure that it continues to meet your needs. The start of a new year is a good time to do that.

Focus on the valuation provision

It’s particularly critical to revisit the agreement’s valuation provision — the mechanism for setting the purchase price for an owner’s interest — to be sure that it reflects the current value of the business.

As you review your agreement, pay close attention to the valuation provision. Generally, a valuation provision follows one of these approaches when a triggering event occurs:

Formulas, such as book value or a multiple of earnings or revenues as of a specified date,
Negotiated price, or
Independent appraisal by one or more business valuation experts.

Independent appraisals almost always produce the most accurate valuations. Formulas tend to become less reliable over time as circumstances change and may lead to over- or underpayments if earnings have fluctuated substantially since the valuation date.

A negotiated price can be a good approach in theory, but expecting owners to reach an agreement under stressful, potentially adversarial conditions is asking a lot. One potential solution is to use a negotiated price while providing for an independent appraisal in the event that the parties fail to agree on a price within a specified period.

Establish estate tax value

Business valuation is both an art and a science. Because the process is, to a certain extent, subjective, there can be some uncertainty over the value of a business for estate tax purposes.

If the IRS later determines that your business was undervalued on the estate tax return, your heirs may face unexpected — and unpleasant — tax liabilities. A carefully designed buy-sell agreement can, in some cases, establish the value of the business for estate tax purposes — even if it’s below fair market value in the eyes of the IRS — helping to avoid these surprises.

Generally, to establish business value, a buy-sell agreement must:

Be a bona fide business arrangement,
Not be a “testamentary device” designed to transfer the business to family members or other heirs at a discounted value,
Have terms that are comparable to similar, arm’s-length agreements,
Set a price that’s fixed by or determinable from the agreement and is reasonable at the time the agreement is executed, and
Be binding during the owner’s life as well as at death, and binding on the owner’s estate or heirs after death.

Under IRS regulations, a buy-sell agreement is deemed to meet all of these requirements if at least 50% of the business’s value is owned by nonfamily members.

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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 mandatory.

Is now the time for your small business to do so? As you compete for top talent and look to retain valued employees, would launching a retirement plan help your case? Quite possibly. And the good news is that the federal government is offering some intriguing incentives for eligible smaller companies ready to make the leap.

Late last year, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 was signed into law. Within this massive spending package lies the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 Act (SECURE 2.0). Its provisions bring three key improvements to the small employer pension plan start-up cost tax credit, beginning this year:

1. Full coverage for the smallest of small businesses. SECURE 2.0 makes the credit equal to the full amount of creditable plan start-up costs for employers with 50 or fewer employees, up to an annual cap. Previously, only 50% of costs were allowed. This limit still applies to employers with 51 to 100 employees.

2. Glitch fixed for multiemployer plans. SECURE 2.0 retroactively fixes a technical glitch that prevented employers who joined multiemployer plans in existence for more than 3 years from claiming the small employer pension plan start-up cost credit. If your business joined a pre-existing multiemployer plan before this period, contact us about filing amended returns to claim the credit.

3. Enhancement of employer contributions. Perhaps the biggest change brought by SECURE 2.0 is that certain employer contributions for a plan’s first 5 years now may qualify for the credit. The credit is increased by a percentage of employer contributions, up to a per-employee cap of $1,000, as follows:

100% in the plan’s first and second tax years,
75% in the third year,
50% in the fourth year, and
25% in the fifth year.

For employers with between 51 and 100 employees, the contribution portion of the credit is reduced by 2% times the number of employees above 50.

In addition, no employer contribution credit is allowed for contributions for employees who make more than $100,000 (adjusted for inflation after 2023). The credit for employer contributions is also unavailable for elective deferrals or contributions to defined benefit pension plans.

To be clear, though the name of the tax break is the ‘small employer pension plan start-up cost credit,’ it also applies to qualified plans such as 401(k)s and SIMPLE IRAs, as well as to Simplified Employee Pensions. Our firm can help you determine if now is the right time for your small business to launch a retirement plan and, if so, which one.

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Roth&Co’s latest video series: Real Estate Right Now.

Presented by Alan Botwinick and Ben Spielman, co-chairs of the Roth&Co Real Estate Department, this series covers the latest real estate trends and opportunities and how you can make the most of them. This episode discusses critical valuation metrics used to calculate the potential of an investment property.

Watch our short video:

Investing in real estate can be profitable, rewarding and successful. At the same time, the real estate investment industry is also demanding, competitive and very often, risky. Success requires a combination of knowledge, organization and determination, and while this article may not be able to supply some of those requirements, it will help increase your knowledge about how to initially assess a real estate investment. Here are three useful tools to help calculate the potential of an investment property:

o Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)
o Price Per Unit (PPU)
o Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)

Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)
When an investor considers buying a commercial or rental property, he’ll need to know how long it will take to earn back his investment. The GRM is a simple calculation that tells us how many years of rent it will take to pay off the cost of an investment purchase. The GRM formula compares a property’s fair market value (the price of the property) to its gross rental income.

Gross Rent Multiplier = Purchase Price / Gross Annual Rental Income

The result of the calculation represents how many years it will take for the investor to recoup the money he spent on the purchase of the property. The lower the gross rent multiplier, the sooner the investor can expect to get his money back.

Calculating an investment property’s GRM is not complex and will result in a useful metric, but in practicality, it does not consider operating costs such as the debt service coverage, the property’s maintenance expenses, taxes, local property values and other important factors that strongly impact the profitability of an investment
Experienced investors use the GRM metric to make quick assessments of their opportunities, and to quickly weed through their options. A high GRM may serve as a red flag, directing the investor to look elsewhere and spend more time analyzing more optimal options.

Price Per Unit (PPU)
Another tool in the investment arsenal is the PPU, or Price Per Unit. This calculates just that – the price per door on your investment property. The calculation is simple:

Price Per Unit = Purchase Price / Number of Units

In other words, the PPU is the amount the seller is asking per unit in the building. The PPU can provide a broad view of the market and can give you a good idea of how one property compares to another. The downside of the calculation is that it does not determine the ROI or Return on Investment. PPU does not take any other features of the property into consideration, so its usefulness is limited.

Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)
The Cap Rate is a realistic tool that considers an investment’s operating expenses and income, and then calculates its potential rate of return (as opposed to the GRM, which looks only at gross income). The higher the Cap Rate, the better it is for the investor. Why is it realistic? Because the Cap Rate estimates how profitable an income property will be, relative to its purchase price, including its operational expenses in the computation.

Capitalization Rate = Net Operating Income / Purchase Price

Like any other calculation, the Cap Rate will only be as accurate as the numbers applied. If a potential investor under- or overestimates the property’s operational costs or other factors, the calculated Cap Rate won’t be accurate.

There is no one-size-fits-all calculation that will direct an investor to real estate heaven. However, utilizing basic tools like the GRM, PPU and Cap Rate will give an investor a broad view of the investment’s potential. Using these tools to jumpstart the due diligence process can help the investor determine whether further research into the investment is warranted and what a property’s potential for profit may be.

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This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, nor should it be relied upon for legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.

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If you’re still around at this point of 2020, you’re probably expecting something crazy to happen. Will there be a release of a new and improved COVID-20? Will there be a civil war when half the country doesn’t like the election outcome? Are we in for a zombie apocalypse, perhaps?

While we do know that crazy stuff can happen, we can never predict it.

Financial media on the other hand, lives on predictors and prognosticators.

Every day, talking heads come onto CNBC and Bloomberg to gab about and predict the future of the economy, the stock markets and more. (In all honesty, they know nothing. But hey, something’s gotta fill their programming.)

We don’t like predictions because we know they don’t actually represent the truth. And even if they did, that information might not be as helpful as you’d think. Just imagine having a time machine where you could see future news, but not its financial outcome. All you’d need to do to know how the economy and stock market would look, is interpret the news.

So, it’s January of 2020, and you check into your magical machine. Alas, you see that a pandemic will be unleashed into the world, where air-travel would come to a halt, live sports would take a total sabbatical and the entire globe would be on an obligatory home confinement for months. You see that the virus will leave forty million Americans jobless, millions of people infected, and hundreds of thousands – dead.

Okay, now what would you do with your portfolio? Probably go to all-cash. Maybe you would buy some gold?

With the benefit of hindsight, cash was probably the worst asset class to be in. Gold did perform very well, but regarding the bulk of your decision, you would have been dead wrong. You would have never predicted that although thousands would die each day from the virus, the stock market would make a new all-time high just a couple of months afterwards.

Just think: If we can’t even predict the financial future knowing the news in advance, we definitely don’t stand a chance without that advantage.

Our take at Equinum is: stop predicting what the future holds. Instead, prepare and be ready for many diverse outcomes, including the crazy stuff.

If you watch financial media, your head should be spinning from all the current predictions coming from all the pundits sitting in their living rooms. (Although their bookshelves of borrowed books do make them look intelligent.)

Will we have hyper-inflation due to all the helicopter money being dropped in the form of stimulus and unemployment benefits, or deflation due to the millions of people out of work?

Will the market retest the March lows, or will the amazing ascent we are currently on, continue?

Will New York real estate have a Humpty Dumpty fall, or is this a once-in-a-life-time opportunity where the king’s horses and men come through?

Again, we don’t predict. But we do need to prepare.

And how do we do that?

Well first and foremost, we want to have an all-weather portfolio. That is, a properly diversified portfolio where you have a mix of asset classes and proper asset allocation.

At Equinum, we have made some changes to our clients’ accounts. We have swapped some of the government bonds in our portfolios to TIPS, which are inflation protected. So, if inflation gets out of control, clients won’t lose purchasing power.

We added some real assets to portfolios, like precious metals and real estate. These tend to do well in cases of inflation.

Income producing companies can also be a good hedge as well.

One more thing to the renters out there: It might be a prudent idea to consider purchasing a home. If we do have a pickup in real inflation, your rent can double over the next decade or so. But if you lock in a mortgage, your price is locked. To sweeten the deal, mortgage rates are the lowest ever recorded by Freddie Mac in a series that goes back to 1971.

If you have personal questions or concerns, please reach out to us at info@equinum.com to set up a call.

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This week, the SBA reopened the EIDL loan and grant program for applicants and released an updated form for PPP forgiveness. Here is what it means for your business or organization:

EIDL LOAN & GRANT

On June 15 ^th , 2020, the SBA began accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance Grant applications from qualified small businesses. The EIDL provides low interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by COVID-19, as well as a grant of up to $10,000 that does not need to be repaid. Here is what you need to know:

EIDL Loans

Interest rates are 2.75% for nonprofits and 3.75% for businesses, with a maximum term of 30 years.
Loans over $200,000 must be guaranteed by an owner with at least 20% interest in the company. We expect this requirement to be waived for schools.
You can apply for this loan directly on SBA.gov. It is a simple form that can be completed in under 15 minutes.

EIDL Grants

Eligible businesses can request an advanced grant of up to $10,000, calculated at $1,000 per employee.
This grant does not need to be paid back, even if your organization is denied the EIDL loan.
You do not need to accept the loan to receive the grant.
If you get an EIDL grant, and later apply for a PPP loan, the EIDL grant will be subtracted from the amount that gets forgiven.

EIDL Eligibility

Small businesses with less than 500 employees, which have been in business as of January 31 ^st , 2020, are eligible. This includes:

independent contractors (for whom there is expanded eligibility criteria)
freelancers
sole proprietorships, with or without employees
gig workers
agricultural businesses

Although, the grants are available until December 16th, 2020, funds are expected to run out quickly, so apply as soon as possible.

The application could be found here .

UPDATED PPP FORGIVENESS APPLICATIONS

Today, the SBA, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, posted a revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application which applies to borrowers who:

are self-employed and have no employees; OR
did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19, and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%.

The EZ application requires fewer calculations and less documentation for eligible borrowers. Details regarding the applicability of these provisions are available in the instructions to the new EZ application form.

Both applications give borrowers the option of using the original 8-week covered period (if their loan was made before June 5th, 2020) or an extended 24-week covered period. These changes will result in a more efficient process and make it easier for businesses to realize full forgiveness for their PPP loan.

Click here to view the EZ Forgiveness Application.

Click here to view the Full Forgiveness Application.

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Are you an employer who owns a business where tipping is customary for providing food and beverages? You may qualify for a tax credit involving the Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes that you pay on your employees’ tip income.

How the credit works

The FICA credit applies with respect to tips that your employees receive from customers in connection with the provision of food or beverages, regardless of whether the food or beverages are for consumption on or off the premises. Although these tips are paid by customers, they’re treated for FICA tax purposes as if you paid them to your employees. Your employees are required to report their tips to you. You must withhold and remit the employee’s share of FICA taxes, and you must also pay the employer’s share of those taxes.

You claim the credit as part of the general business credit. It’s equal to the employer’s share of FICA taxes paid on tip income in excess of what’s needed to bring your employee’s wages up to $5.15 per hour. In other words, no credit is available to the extent the tip income just brings the employee up to the $5.15 per hour level, calculated monthly. If you pay each employee at least $5.15 an hour (excluding tips), you don’t have to be concerned with this calculation.

Note: A 2007 tax law froze the per-hour amount at $5.15, which was the amount of the federal minimum wage at that time. The minimum wage is now $7.25 per hour but the amount for credit computation purposes remains $5.15.

How it works

Example: A waiter works at your restaurant. He’s paid $2 an hour plus tips. During the month, he works 160 hours for $320 and receives $2,000 in cash tips which he reports to you.

The waiter’s $2 an hour rate is below the $5.15 rate by $3.15 an hour. Thus, for the 160 hours worked, he or she is below the $5.15 rate by $504 (160 times $3.15). For the waiter, therefore, the first $504 of tip income just brings him up to the minimum rate. The rest of the tip income is $1,496 ($2,000 minus $504). The waiter’s employer pays FICA taxes at the rate of 7.65% for him. Therefore, the employer’s credit is $114.44 for the month: $1,496 times 7.65%.

While the employer’s share of FICA taxes is generally deductible, the FICA taxes paid with respect to tip income used to determine the credit can’t be deducted, because that would amount to a double benefit. However, you can elect not to take the credit, in which case you can claim the deduction.
Get the credit you’re due

If your business pays FICA taxes on tip income paid to your employees, the tip tax credit may be valuable to you. Other rules may apply. Contact us if you have any questions.

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The word “concentration” is usually associated with a strong ability to pay attention. Business owners are urged to concentrate when attempting to resolve the many challenges facing them. But the word has an alternate meaning in a business context as well — and a distinctly negative one at that.

Common problem

A common problem among many companies is customer concentration. This is when a business relies on only a few customers to generate most of its revenue.

The dilemma is more prevalent in some industries than others. For example, a retail business will likely market itself to a broad range of buyers and generally not face too much risk of concentration. A commercial construction company, however, may serve only a limited number of clients that build, renovate or maintain offices or facilities.

How do you know whether you’re at risk? One rule of thumb says that if your biggest five customers make up 25% or more of your revenue, your customer concentration is high. Another simple measure says that, if any one customer represents 10% or more of revenue, you’re at risk of elevated customer concentration.

In an increasingly specialized world, many types of businesses focus only on certain market segments. If yours is one of them, you may not be able to do much about customer concentration. In fact, the very strength of your company could be its knowledge and attentiveness to a limited number of buyers.

Nonetheless, know your risk and explore strategic planning concepts that might enable you to lower it. And if diversifying your customer base just isn’t an option, be sure to maintain the highest levels of customer service.

Other forms

There are other forms of concentration. For instance, vendor concentration is when a company relies on only a handful of suppliers. If any one of them goes out of business or substantially raises its prices, the company relying on it could find itself unable to operate or, at the very least, face a severe rise in expenses.

You may also encounter geographic concentration. This can take a couple forms. First, if your customer base is concentrated in one area, a dip in the regional economy or a disruptive competitor could severely affect profitability. Small local businesses are, by definition, dependent on geographic concentration. But they can still monitor the risk and look for ways to mitigate it (such as online sales).

Second, there’s geographic concentration in the global sense. Say your company relies on a foreign supplier for iron, steel or another essential component. Tariffs can have an enormous impact on cost and availability. Geopolitical and environmental factors might also come into play.

Major risk

Yes, concentration is a good thing when it comes to mental acuity. But the other kind of concentration is a risk factor to learn about and address as the year rolls along. We can assist you in measuring your susceptibility and developing strategies for moderating it.

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An array of tax-related limits that affect businesses are annually indexed for inflation, and many have increased for 2020. Here are some that may be important to you and your business.

Social Security tax

The amount of employees’ earnings that are subject to Social Security tax is capped for 2020 at $137,700 (up from $132,900 for 2019).

Deductions

Section 179 expensing:
Limit: $1.04 million (up from $1.02 million for 2019)
Phaseout: $2.59 million (up from $2.55 million)
Income-based phase-out for certain limits on the Sec. 199A qualified business income deduction begins at:
Married filing jointly: $326,600 (up from $321,400)
Married filing separately: $163,300 (up from $160,725)
Other filers: $163,300 (up from $160,700)

Retirement plans
Employee contributions to 401(k) plans: $19,500 (up from $19,000)
Catch-up contributions to 401(k) plans: $6,500 (up from $6,000)
Employee contributions to SIMPLEs: $13,500 (up from $13,000)
Catch-up contributions to SIMPLEs: $3,000 (no change)
Combined employer/employee contributions to defined contribution plans (not including catch-ups): $57,000 (up from $56,000)
Maximum compensation used to determine contributions: $285,000 (up from $280,000)
Annual benefit for defined benefit plans: $230,000 (up from $225,000)
Compensation defining a highly compensated employee: $130,000 (up from $125,000)
Compensation defining a “key” employee: $185,000 (up from $180,000)

Other employee benefits
Qualified transportation fringe-benefits employee income exclusion: $270 per month (up from $265)
Health Savings Account contributions:
Individual coverage: $3,550 (up from $3,500)
Family coverage: $7,100 (up from $7,000)
Catch-up contribution: $1,000 (no change)
Flexible Spending Account contributions:
Health care: $2,750 (no change)
Dependent care: $5,000 (no change)
These are only some of the tax limits that may affect your business and additional rules may apply. If you have questions, please contact us.

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With the empty bottles of bubbly placed safely in the recycling bin and the confetti swept off the floor, it’s time to get back to the grind. The beginning of the year can be a busy time for business owners and executives, because you no doubt want to get off to a strong start in 2020.

One danger of a hectic beginning is setting an early precedent for distancing yourself from rank-and-file staff. After all, a busy opening to the year may turn into a chaotic middle and a frantic conclusion. Hopefully all’s well that ends well, but you and your top-level executives could wind up isolating yourselves from employees — and that’s not good.

Here are some ways to stay connected with staff throughout the year:

Solicit feedback. Set up an old-fashioned suggestion box or perhaps a more contemporary email address where employees can vent their concerns and ask questions. Ownership or executive management can reply to queries with the broadest implications, while other managers could handle questions specific to a given department or position. Share answers through company-wide emails or make them a feature of an internal newsletter or blog.

Hold a company meeting. At least once a year, hold a “town hall” with staff members to answer questions and discuss issues face to face. You could even take it to the next level by organizing a company retreat, where you can not only answer questions but challenge employees to come up with their own strategic ideas.

Be social. All work and no play can make owners and execs look dull and distant. Hold an annual picnic, host an outing to a sporting event or throw a holiday party so you and other top managers can mingle socially and get to know people on a personal level.

Make appearances. Business owners and executives should occasionally tour each company department or facility. Give managers a chance to speak with you candidly. Sit in on meetings; ask and answer questions. Employees will likely get a morale boost from seeing you take an active interest in their little corner of the company.

Learn a job. For a potentially fun and insightful change of pace, set aside a day to learn about a specific company position. Shadow an employee and let him or her explain what really goes into the job. Ask questions but stay out of the way. Clarify upfront that you’re not playing “gotcha” but rather trying to better understand how things get done and what improvements you might make.

By staying visible and interactive with employees, your staff will likely feel more appreciated and, therefore, be more productive. You also may gather ideas for eliminating costly redundancies and inefficiencies. Maybe you’ll even find inspiration for your next big strategic move. We can assist you in assessing the potential costs and benefits of the strategies mentioned and more.

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A significant law was recently passed that adds tax breaks and makes changes to employer-provided retirement plans. If your small business has a current plan for employees or if you’re thinking about adding one, you should familiarize yourself with the new rules.

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) was signed into law on December 20, 2019 as part of a larger spending bill. Here are three provisions of interest to small businesses.

Employers that are unrelated will be able to join together to create one retirement plan. Beginning in 2021, new rules will make it easier to create and maintain a multiple employer plan (MEP). A MEP is a single plan operated by two or more unrelated employers. But there were barriers that made it difficult to setting up and running these plans. Soon, there will be increased opportunities for small employers to join together to receive better investment results, while allowing for less expensive and more efficient management services.
There’s an increased tax credit for small employer retirement plan startup costs. If you want to set up a retirement plan, but haven’t gotten around to it yet, new rules increase the tax credit for retirement plan start-up costs to make it more affordable for small businesses to set them up. Starting in 2020, the credit is increased by changing the calculation of the flat dollar amount limit to: The greater of $500, or the lesser of: a) $250 multiplied by the number of non-highly compensated employees of the eligible employer who are eligible to participate in the plan, or b) $5,000.
There’s a new small employer automatic plan enrollment tax credit. Not surprisingly, when employers automatically enroll employees in retirement plans, there is more participation and higher retirement savings. Beginning in 2020, there’s a new tax credit of up to $500 per year to employers to defray start-up costs for new 401(k) plans and SIMPLE IRA plans that include automatic enrollment. This credit is on top of an existing plan start-up credit described above and is available for three years. It is also available to employers who convert an existing plan to a plan with automatic enrollment.
These are only some of the retirement plan provisions in the SECURE Act. There have also been changes to the auto enrollment safe harbor cap, nondiscrimination rules, new rules that allow certain part-timers to participate in 401(k) plans, increased penalties for failing to file retirement plan returns and more. Contact us to learn more about your situation.

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While you were celebrating the holidays, you may not have noticed that Congress passed a law with a grab bag of provisions that provide tax relief to businesses and employers. The “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020” was signed into law on December 20, 2019. It makes many changes to the tax code, including an extension (generally through 2020) of more than 30 provisions that were set to expire or already expired.

Two other laws were passed as part of the law (The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019 and the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act).

Here are five highlights.

Long-term part-timers can participate in 401(k)s.

Under current law, employers generally can exclude part-time employees (those who work less than 1,000 hours per year) when providing a 401(k) plan to their employees. A qualified retirement plan can generally delay participation in the plan based on an employee attaining a certain age or completing a certain number of years of service but not beyond the later of completion of one year of service (that is, a 12-month period with at least 1,000 hours of service) or reaching age 21.

Qualified retirement plans are subject to various other requirements involving who can participate.

For plan years beginning after December 31, 2020, the new law requires a 401(k) plan to allow an employee to make elective deferrals if the employee has worked with the employer for at least 500 hours per year for at least three consecutive years and has met the age-21 requirement by the end of the three-consecutive-year period. There are a number of other rules involved that will determine whether a part-time employee qualifies to participate in a 401(k) plan.

The employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave is extended.

Tax law provides an employer credit for paid family and medical leave. It permits eligible employers to claim an elective general business credit based on eligible wages paid to qualifying employees with respect to family and medical leave. The credit is equal to 12.5% of eligible wages if the rate of payment is 50% of such wages and is increased by 0.25 percentage points (but not above 25%) for each percentage point that the rate of payment exceeds 50%. The maximum leave amount that can be taken into account for a qualifying employee is 12 weeks per year.

The credit was set to expire on December 31, 2019. The new law extends it through 2020.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is extended.

Under the WOTC, an elective general business credit is provided to employers hiring individuals who are members of one or more of 10 targeted groups. The new law extends this credit through 2020.

The medical device excise tax is repealed.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contained a provision that required that the sale of a taxable medical device by the manufacturer, producer or importer is subject to a tax equal to 2.3% of the price for which it is sold. This medical device excise tax originally applied to sales of taxable medical devices after December 31, 2012.

The new law repeals the excise tax for sales occurring after December 31, 2019.

The high-cost, employer-sponsored health coverage tax is repealed.

The ACA also added a nondeductible excise tax on insurers when the aggregate value of employer-sponsored health insurance coverage for an employee, former employee, surviving spouse or other primary insured individual exceeded a threshold amount. This tax is commonly referred to as the tax on “Cadillac” plans.

The new law repeals the Cadillac tax for tax years beginning after December 31, 2019.

Stay tuned

These are only some of the provisions of the new law. We will be covering them in the coming weeks. If you have questions about your situation, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a great opportunity for reflection and planning. You have 12 months to look back on and another 12 ahead to look forward to. Here are five ways to strengthen your business for the new year by doing a little of both:

1. Compare 2019 financial performance to budget. Did you meet the financial goals you set at the beginning of the year? If not, why? Analyze variances between budget and actual results. Then, evaluate what changes you could make to get closer to achieving your objectives in 2020. And if you did meet your goals, identify precisely what you did right and build on those strategies.

2. Create a multiyear capital budget. Look around your offices or facilities at your equipment, software and people. What investments will you need to make to grow your business? Such investments can be both tangible (new equipment and technology) and intangible (employees’ technical and soft skills).

Equipment, software, furniture, vehicles and other types of assets inevitably wear out or become obsolete. You’ll need to regularly maintain, update and replace them. Lay out a long-term plan for doing so; this way, you won’t be caught off guard by a big expense.

3. Assess the competition. Identify your biggest rivals over the past year. Discuss with your partners, managers and advisors what those competitors did to make your life so “interesting.” Also, honestly appraise the quality of what your business sells versus what competitors offer. Are you doing everything you can to meet — or, better yet, exceed — customer expectations? Devise some responsive competitive strategies for the next 12 months.

4. Review insurance coverage. It’s important to stay on top of your property, casualty and liability coverage. Property values or risks may change — or you may add new assets or retire old ones — requiring you to increase or decrease your level of coverage. A fire, natural disaster, accident or out-of-the-blue lawsuit that you’re not fully protected against could devastate your business. Look at the policies you have in place and determine whether you’re adequately protected.

5. Analyze market trends. Recognize the major events and trends in your industry over the past year. Consider areas such as economic drivers or detractors, technology, the regulatory environment and customer demographics. In what direction is your industry heading over the next five or ten years? Anticipating and quickly reacting to trends are the keys to a company’s long-term success.

These are just a few ideas for looking back and ahead to set a successful course forward. We can help you review the past year’s tax, accounting and financial strategies, and implement savvy moves toward a secure and profitable 2020 for your business.

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In its 2018 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld South Dakota’s “economic nexus” statute, expanding the power of states to collect sales tax from remote sellers. Today, nearly every state with a sales tax has enacted a similar law, so if your company does business across state lines, it’s a good idea to reexamine your sales tax obligations.

What’s nexus?

A state is constitutionally prohibited from taxing business activities unless those activities have a substantial “nexus,” or connection, with the state. Before Wayfair, simply selling to customers in a state wasn’t enough to establish nexus. The business also had to have a physical presence in the state, such as offices, retail stores, manufacturing or distribution facilities, or sales reps.

In Wayfair, the Supreme Court ruled that a business could establish nexus through economic or virtual contacts with a state, even if it didn’t have a physical presence. The Court didn’t create a bright-line test for determining whether contacts are “substantial,” but found that the thresholds established by South Dakota’s law are sufficient: Out-of-state businesses must collect and remit South Dakota sales taxes if, in the current or previous calendar year, they have 1) more than $100,000 in gross sales of products or services delivered into the state, or 2) 200 or more separate transactions for the delivery of goods or services into the state.

Nexus steps

The vast majority of states now have economic nexus laws, although the specifics vary:Many states adopted the same sales and transaction thresholds accepted in Wayfair, but a number of states apply different thresholds. And some chose not to impose transaction thresholds, which many view as unfair to smaller sellers (an example of a threshold might be 200 sales of $5 each would create nexus).

If your business makes online, telephone or mail-order sales in states where it lacks a physical presence, it’s critical to find out whether those states have economic nexus laws and determine whether your activities are sufficient to trigger them. If you have nexus with a state, you’ll need to register with the state and collect state and applicable local taxes on your taxable sales there. Even if some or all of your sales are tax-exempt, you’ll need to secure exemption certifications for each jurisdiction where you do business. Alternatively, you might decide to reduce or eliminate your activities in a state if the benefits don’t justify the compliance costs.

Need help?

Note: If you make sales through a “marketplace facilitator,” such as Amazon or Ebay, be aware that an increasing number of states have passed laws that require such providers to collect taxes on sales they facilitate for vendors using their platforms.

If you need assistance in setting up processes to collect sales tax or you have questions about your responsibilities, contact us.

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Audit season is right around the corner for calendar-year entities. Here’s what your auditor is doing behind the scenes to prepare — and how you can help facilitate the audit planning process.

The big picture

Every audit starts with assessing “audit risk.” This refers to the likelihood that the auditor will issue an adverse opinion when the financial statements are actually in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or (more likely) an unqualified opinion when the opinion should be either modified or adverse.

Auditors can’t test every single transaction, recalculate every estimate or examine every external document. Instead, they tailor their audit procedures and assign audit personnel to keep audit risk as low as possible.

Inherent risk vs. control risk

Auditors evaluate two types of risk:

1. Inherent risk. This is the risk that material departures could occur in the financial statements. Examples of inherent-risk factors include complexity, volume of transactions, competence of the accounting personnel, company size and use of estimates.

2. Control risk. This is the risk that the entity’s internal controls won’t prevent or correct material misstatements in the financial statements.

Separate risk assessments are done at the financial statement level and then for each major account — such as cash, receivables, inventory, fixed assets, other assets, payables, accrued expenses, long-term debt, equity, and revenue and expenses. A high-risk account (say, inventory) might warrant more extensive audit procedures and be assigned to more experienced audit team members than one with lower risk (say, equity).

How auditors assess risk

New risk assessments must be done each year, even if the company has had the same auditor for many years. That’s because internal and external factors may change over time. For example, new government or accounting regulations may be implemented, and company personnel or accounting software may change, causing the company’s risk assessment to change. As a result, audit procedures may vary from year to year or from one audit firm to the next.

The risk assessment process starts with an auditing checklist and, for existing audit clients, last year’s workpapers. But auditors must dig deeper to determine current risk levels. In addition to researching public sources of information, including your company’s website, your auditor may call you with a list of open-ended questions (inquiries) and request a walk-through to evaluate whether your internal controls are operating as designed. Timely responses can help auditors plan their procedures to minimize audit risk.

Your role

Audit fieldwork is only as effective as the risk assessment. Evidence obtained from further audit procedures may be ineffective if it’s not properly linked to the assessed risks. So, it’s important for you to help the audit team understand the risks your business is currently facing and the challenges you’ve experienced reporting financial performance, especially as companies implement updated accounting rules in the coming years.

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State law typically specifies the minimum number of directors a not-for-profit must have on its board. But so long as organizations fulfill that requirement, it’s up to them to determine how many total board members they need. Several guidelines can help you arrive at the right number.

Small vs. large

Both small and large boards come with perks and drawbacks. For example, smaller boards allow for easier communication and greater cohesiveness among the members. Scheduling is less complicated, and meetings tend to be shorter and more focused.

Several studies have indicated that group decision making is most effective when the group size is five to eight people. But boards on the small side of this range may lack the experience or diversity necessary to facilitate healthy deliberation and debate. What’s more, members may feel overworked and burn out easily.

Burnout is less likely with a large board where each member shoulders a smaller burden, including when it comes to fundraising. Large boards may include more perspectives and a broader base of professional expertise — for example, financial advisors, community leaders and former clients.

On the other hand, larger boards can lead to disengagement because the members may not feel they have sufficient responsibilities or a voice in discussions and decisions. Larger boards also require more staff support.

What you should weigh

If you’re assembling a board or thinking about resizing, consider:

Director responsibilities and desirable expertise,
The complexity of issues facing your board,
Fundraising needs,
Committee structure,
Your organization’s life stage (for example, startup, or mature), and
Your nonprofit’s staffing resources.
You may have heard that it’s wise to have an uneven number of board members to avoid 50/50 votes. In such a case, though, the chair can make the decision. Moreover, an issue that produces a 50/50 split usually deserves more discussion.

Downsizing harder than upsizing

If you decide a larger board is in order, recruit new members. Trimming your board is a trickier proposition. For starters, you might need to change your bylaws. Generally, it’s best to set a range for board size in the bylaws, rather than a precise number.

Your bylaws already might call for staggered terms, which makes paring down simpler. As terms end, don’t replace members. Or establish an automatic removal process in which members are removed for missing a specified number of meetings.

An engaging experience

To successfully recruit and retain committed board members, you need to offer an engaging experience. Maintaining an appropriately sized board that makes the most of their talents is the first step.

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The concept of “matching” is one of the basic principles of accrual-basis accounting. It requires companies to match expenses (efforts) with revenues (accomplishments) whenever it’s reasonable or practical to do so. This concept applies when companies make advance payments for expenses that will benefit more than one accounting period. Here are some questions small business owners and managers frequently ask about prepaying expenses.

When do prepaid expenses hit the income statement?

It’s common for companies to prepay such expenses as legal fees, advertising costs, insurance premiums, office supplies and rent. Rather than immediately report the full amount of an advance payment as an expense on the income statement, companies that use accrual-basis accounting methods must recognize a prepaid asset on the balance sheet.

A prepaid expense is a current asset that represents an expense the company won’t have to fund in the future. The remaining balance is gradually written off with the passage of time or as it’s consumed. The company then recognizes the reduction as an expense on the income statement.

Why can’t prepaid expenses be deducted immediately?

Immediate expensing of an item that has long-term benefits violates the matching principle under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Deducting prepaid assets in the period they’re paid makes your company look less profitable to lenders and investors, because you’re expensing the costs related to generating revenues that haven’t been earned yet. Immediate expensing of prepaid expenses also causes profits to fluctuate from period to period, making benchmarking performance over time or against competitors nearly impossible.

Does prepaying an expense make sense?

Some service providers — like your insurance carrier or an attorney in a major lawsuit — might require you to pay in advance. However, in many circumstances, prepaying expenses is optional.

There are pros and cons to prepaying. A major downside is that it takes cash away from other potential uses. Put another way, it gives vendors or suppliers interest-free use of your business’s funds. Plus, there’s a risk that the party you prepay won’t deliver what you’ve paid for.

For example, a landlord might terminate a lease — or they might file for bankruptcy, which could require a lengthy process to get your prepayment refunded, and you might not get a refund at all. Banks also might not count prepaids when computing working capital ratios. And since reporting prepaid expenses under GAAP differs slightly from reporting them for federal tax purposes, excessive prepaid activity may create complex differences to reconcile.

With that said, your company might receive a discount for prepaying. And companies without an established credit history, that have poor credit or that contract services with foreign providers, may need to prepay expenses to get favorable terms with their supply chain partners.

For more information

Start-ups and small businesses that are accustomed to using cash-basis accounting may not understand the requirement to capitalize business expenses on the balance sheet. But matching revenues and expenses is a critical part of accrual-basis accounting. Contact us with any questions you may have about reporting and managing prepaid assets.

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The word “probate” may conjure images of lengthy delays waiting for wealth to be transferred and bitter disputes among family members. Plus, probate records are open to the public, so all your “dirty linen” may be aired. The reality is that probate doesn’t have to be so terrible, and often isn’t, but both asset owners and their heirs should know what’s in store.

Defining probate

In basic terms, probate is the process of settling an estate and passing legal title of ownership of assets to heirs. If the deceased person has a valid will, probate begins when the executor named in the will presents the document in the county courthouse. If there’s no will — the deceased has died “intestate” in legal parlance — the court will appoint someone to administer the estate. Thereafter, this person becomes the estate’s legal representative.

Probate is predicated on state law, so the exact process varies from state to state. This has led to numerous misconceptions about the length of probate. On average, the process takes six to nine months, but it can run longer for complex situations in certain states.

Planning to avoid probate

Certain assets are automatically exempt from probate. But you also may be able to avoid the process with additional planning. The easiest way to do this is through the initial form of ownership or use of a living trust.

By using joint ownership with rights of survivorship, you acquire the property with another party, such as your spouse. The property then automatically passes to the surviving joint tenant on the death of the deceased joint tenant. This form of ownership typically is used when a married couple buys a home or other real estate. Similarly, with a tenancy by entirety, which is limited to married couples, the property goes to the surviving spouse without being probated.

A revocable living trust is often used to avoid probate and protect privacy. The assets transferred to the trust, managed by a trustee, pass to the designated beneficiaries on your death. Thus, you may coordinate your will with a living trust, providing a quick transfer of wealth for some assets. You can act as the trustee and retain control over these assets during your lifetime.

Achieving all estate planning goals

When it comes to probate planning, discuss your options with family members to develop the best approach for your personal situation. Also, bear in mind that avoiding probate should be only one goal of your estate plan. We can help you develop a strategy that minimizes probate while reducing taxes and achieving your other goals.

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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made only one change to the federal gift and estate tax regime, but it was a big one. It more than doubled the combined gift and estate tax exemption, as well as the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption. This change is only temporary, however. Unless Congress takes further action, the exemptions will return to their inflation-adjusted 2017 levels starting in 2026.

What does this mean for your estate plan? If your estate is well within the 2019 exemption amount of $11.40 million ($11.58 million for 2020), the higher exemption won’t have a big impact on your estate planning strategies. But if your estate is in the $6 million to $11 million range, it’s important to build some flexibility into your plan to address potential tax liability after 2025.

An uncertain future

Anything can happen between now and 2026. Lawmakers may allow the exemption amount to revert to its pre-TCJA level, reduce it even further (some have suggested $3.5 million) or make the current amount permanent. Or they may repeal the gift, estate and GST taxes altogether.

This uncertainty makes planning a challenge. Let’s say your estate is worth $8 million. If you die between now and 2025, you’ll avoid estate taxes. But suppose you live beyond 2025 and the exemption drops to an inflation-adjusted $5.75 million. Your estate will be hit with a $900,000 tax liability. A $3.5 million exemption would double the tax to $1.8 million.

One option is to take advantage of the higher exemption by giving away assets (either outright or in trust) during your lifetime. These gifts would be shielded from gift and GST taxes by the current exemption. And the assets (together with any future appreciation in value) would be removed from your estate, avoiding estate taxes even if the exemption decreases in the future.

The problem with this approach is that gifts of appreciated assets retain your tax basis, subjecting your beneficiaries to capital gains taxes if they’re sold. Assets transferred at death, on the other hand, enjoy a “stepped-up basis” and can be sold with lower or no capital gains. If you make substantial lifetime gifts and the exemption amount remains at its current level in the future (or the estate tax is repealed), you’ll have triggered capital gains taxes needlessly.

Staying flexible

One strategy to use to build flexibility into your plan is to use an irrevocable trust. This can enable you or your representatives to switch gears once the future of the estate tax becomes clearer. With this strategy, you transfer assets to an irrevocable trust, taking advantage of the current exemption amount. But you give the trustee the authority to take certain actions that would cause the assets to be included in your estate — such as granting you a power of appointment or naming you as successor trustee. The trustee would exercise this authority if it turns out that estate inclusion would produce a better tax outcome.

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Take a mental snapshot of your sales staff. Do only a few of its members consistently bring in high volumes of good margin sales? An old rule of thumb says that about 20% of salespeople will make 80% of sales; in other words, everyone’s not going to be a superstar.

However, you can create performance management standards that raise the productivity of your sales department and, in turn, the profitability of your company. To do so, focus on the three key traits of every successful salesperson:

1. Authentic aptitude. Some people are “born to sell” while others, with hard work, can become proficient at it. But if a person struggles to form relationships, has no tolerance for rejection or failure, and desires a routine workday, he or she probably doesn’t belong in sales.

You may want to use a sales aptitude test during the hiring process to weed out those most likely doomed to failure. But it’s always possible to hire someone with “potential” who just never grows into the position. If an employee lacks the aptitude for sales, no amount of training and coaching will likely turn him or her into a stellar performer. In such cases, you’ll need to choose between either moving the person into another area of the business or letting him or her go.

2. Effective tactics. Entire books could be written (and have been) about sales tactics. There’s the hard sell, the soft sell, upselling, storytelling, problem solving — the list goes on. At the end of the day, customers buy from people whom they like and trust — and who can deliver what they promise.

Doing the little things separates those at the top of the sales profession from everyone else and helps them build lasting and fruitful relationships with customers. Identify the most valuable tactics of your top sellers and pass them along to the rest of the staff through ongoing training and upskilling.

3. Strong numbers. There’s no way around it: A good salesperson puts up the numbers. Sales is a results-oriented profession. The question and challenge for business owners (and their sales managers) is how to accurately and fairly measure results and ultimately define success.

There are many sales metrics to consider. Which ones you should track and use to evaluate the performance of your salespeople depends on your strategic priorities. For example, if you’re looking to speed up the sales cycle, you could look at average days to close. Or, if you’re concerned that your sales department just isn’t bringing in enough revenue, you could calculate average deal size.

Hopefully, everyone on your sales staff demonstrates these three key traits to some degree. If not, regular performance reviews (to catch problems) and effective coaching (to solve them) are a must. We can help you identify the ideal metrics for your company, run the numbers, and set reasonable and profitable revenue goals.

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Most businesses report financial performance using U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). But the income-tax-basis format can save time and money for some private companies. Here’s information to help you choose the financial reporting framework that will work for your situation.

The basics

GAAP is the most common financial reporting standard in the United States. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires public companies to follow it — they don’t have a choice. Many lenders expect large private borrowers to follow suit, because GAAP is familiar and consistent.

However, compliance with GAAP can be time-consuming and costly, depending on the level of assurance provided in the financial statements. So, some private companies opt to report financial statements using an “other comprehensive basis of accounting” (OCBOA) method. The most common OCBOA method is the tax-basis format.

Key differences

Departing from GAAP can result in significant differences in financial results. Why? GAAP is based on the principle of conservatism, which prevents companies from overstating profits and asset values. This runs contrary to what the IRS expects from for-profit businesses. Tax laws generally tend to favor accelerated gross income recognition and won’t allow taxpayers to deduct expenses until the amounts are known and other deductibility requirements have been met. So, reported profits tend to be higher under tax-basis methods than under GAAP.

There are also differences in terminology. Under GAAP, companies report revenues, expenses and net income. Conversely, tax-basis entities report gross income, deductions and taxable income. Their nontaxable items typically appear as separate line items or are disclosed in a footnote.

Capitalization and depreciation of fixed assets is another noteworthy difference. Under GAAP, the cost of a fixed asset (less its salvage value) is capitalized and systematically depreciated over its useful life. For tax purposes, fixed assets are depreciated under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS), which generally results in shorter lives than under GAAP. Salvage value isn’t subtracted for tax purposes, but Section 179 and bonus depreciation are subtracted before computing MACRS deductions.

Other reporting differences exist for inventory, pensions, leases, start-up costs and accounting for changes and errors. In addition, companies record allowances for bad debts, sales returns, inventory obsolescence and asset impairment under GAAP. But these allowances generally aren’t permitted under tax law.

Departing from GAAP

GAAP has become increasingly complex in recent years. So some companies would prefer tax-basis reporting, if it’s appropriate for financial statement users.

For example, tax-basis financials might work for a business that’s owned, operated and financed by individuals closely involved in day-to-day operations who understand its financial position. But GAAP statements typically work better if the company has unsecured debt or numerous shareholders who own minority interests. Likewise, prospective buyers may prefer to perform due diligence on GAAP financial statements — or they may be public companies that are required to follow GAAP.

Tax-basis reporting makes sense for certain types of businesses. But for other businesses, tax-basis financial statements may result in missing or even misleading information. We can help you evaluate the pros and cons and choose the appropriate reporting framework for your situation.

Back to industry updates

One of the worst things that can happen to a not-for-profit organization is to have its tax-exempt status revoked. Among other consequences, the nonprofit may lose credibility with supporters and the public, and donors will no longer be able to make tax-exempt contributions.

Although loss of exempt status isn’t common, certain activities can increase your risk significantly. These include ignoring the IRS’s private benefit and private inurement provisions. Here’s what you need to know to avoid reaping an excess benefit from your organization’s transactions.

Understand private inurement

A private benefit is any payment or transfer of assets made, directly or indirectly, by your nonprofit that’s:

Beyond reasonable compensation for the services provided or the goods sold to your organization, or
For services or products that don’t further your tax-exempt purpose.

If any of your nonprofit’s net earnings inure to the benefit of an individual, the IRS won’t view your nonprofit as operating primarily to further its tax-exempt purpose.

The private inurement rules extend the private benefit prohibition to your organization’s “insiders.” The term “insider” or “disqualified person” generally refers to any officer, director, individual or organization (as well as their family members and organizations they control) who’s in a position to exert significant influence over your nonprofit’s activities and finances. A violation occurs when a transaction that ultimately benefits the insider is approved.

Make reasonable payments

Of course, the rules don’t prohibit all payments, such as salaries and wages, to an insider. You simply need to make sure that any payment is reasonable relative to the services or goods provided. In other words, the payment must be made with your nonprofit’s tax-exempt purpose in mind.

To ensure you can later prove that any transaction was reasonable and made for a valid exempt purpose, formally document all payments made to insiders. Also ensure that board members understand their duty of care. This refers to a board member’s responsibility to act in good faith, in your organization’s best interest, and with such care that proper inquiry, skill and diligence has been exercised in the performance of duties.

Avoid negative consequences

To ensure your nonprofit doesn’t participate in an excess benefit transaction, educate staffers and board members about the types of activities and transactions they must avoid. Stress that individuals involved could face significant excise tax penalties. For more information, please contact us.

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