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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.

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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After numerous promises and delays, the IRS and Treasury have finally issued Proposed Regulations addressing Previously Taxed Earnings and Profits (PTEP) of foreign corporations and the related basis adjustments.

The proposed regulations are a follow-up of Notice 2019-01, which was issued in response to 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”). This notice provided a preview on how previously taxed income should be tracked and allocated when distributed. The current proposed regulations present a framework for tracking and managing PTEP to ensure that US shareholders in controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) are not taxed twice on the same earnings.

US Shareholders in CFCs are subject to a handful of tax regimes which require them to recognize “phantom income,” or income attributed from the foreign corporation, without even having received a distribution of cash or property. These regimes include Subpart F, Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (GILTI) and the one-time Section 965 Transition tax, ca. 2017.

When an actual distribution of cash or property is made, these earnings could be subject to US tax for a second time. The PTEP rules provide that these earnings, previously taxed under one of the above-mentioned regimes, should be excluded from income when distributed, preventing double taxation.

The latter two regimes, GILTI and Section 965, were codified as part of the 2017 TCJA and resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of US taxpayers that were recognizing phantom income and in the amounts of PTEP that were in the system. Hence, the increased urgency for guidance on the practical application of the PTEP rules.

The 350-page proposal does not make for light reading, and experts claim it doesn’t cover many issues that still need to be addressed.

Below are some key points:

PTEP Accounting and Tracking – The regulations require tracking of PTEP at both the U.S. shareholder and foreign corporation levels.

Categorized, annual PTET accounts – Taxpayers must maintain annual PTEP accounts categorized by the different types of income inclusions (e.g., Subpart F income, Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income [GILTI], Section 965 inclusions).

Share-by-Share Basis Adjustments – This approach entails applying basis adjustments to specific shares or property, which prevents improper shifts and ensures accurate gains or losses upon sale.

Tiered structures present challenges because they involve multiple layers of ownership. Under Subpart F/GILTI/Section 965 rules, lower tier foreign corporation income can bypass intermediate holding companies and be allocated directly to the US shareholder, making it difficult to accurately account for PTEP.

Adjustments to basis are generally made at the beginning of the taxable year in which the inclusion or distribution occurs.

Foreign Currency Dollar Basis Pools – Taxpayers are required to maintain U.S. dollar basis pools to compute foreign currency gain or loss under Section 986(c).

Foreign Tax Credits Allocation and Apportionment – The proposal includes rules for allocating and apportioning foreign taxes to PTEP distributions.

The proposed regulations are set to apply only for future tax years of foreign corporations, starting on or after the date when the regulations are officially finalized. They are not retroactive.

Taxpayers have the option to apply the regulations retroactively to open tax years.

The proposed regulations are welcome and will be helpful for taxpayers who have had recognized Subpart F, GILTI or other phantom inclusions from CFCs. However, accounting for US investments in foreign corporations and keeping updated about the new ordering rules, basis adjustments, and distribution classifications is not for an amateur. Taxpayers should work closely with tax professionals who can help them update their tracking systems, accurately categorize PTEP pools, and strategize to avoid double taxation and address compliance issues.

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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”.

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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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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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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January 2023

Investors: The market feels very risky right now. With inflation still very high, and the Federal Reserve aggressively raising rates, I’ll play it safe and invest in short duration treasuries yielding a risk-free 5%.

Stock market: LOL

At first glance, investing in non-volatile assets in response to an unstable and risky market may seem sensible. But it brings to mind one of Warren Buffet’s best pieces of investment advice: “Be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy.” This is the essence of successful investing; take advantage of opportunities when others are too apprehensive to seize them.

At the close of 2022, Wall Street had weathered a backbreaking annual percentage drop. The S &P market cap, the Dow, and Nasdaq fell drastically. It was a year of sharp losses and hefty interest rate hikes. Investors ran scared and turned risk-averse. They abandoned the market and went into safe, predictable government treasuries – investments that promised no variations in outcomes and no surprises.

In hindsight, we can see that the market bottomed on October 13th, 2022, a day when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in much higher than expected, with inflation running at 8.2% year over year. By that time, the Federal Reserve had already raised rates five times, with three consecutive hikes of 75 basis points; and they showed no sign of stopping until the inflation was under control.

Curiously, on that day, the market opened down by 1.5% and then, against all odds, managed to close with a 2.5% increase. At that point the market was down about 26% from previous highs. Since then, the market has risen 23% and is only a small percent away from reaching its previous highs. This unpredictability highlights the cruel irony of the market: it tends to be forward-looking and often thrives when things seem bleak on Main Street.

It’s natural for the investor to feel the need to run for cover in a volatile market. But historically, from an investment perspective, it’s always better to stay the course. Investors that abandoned the market after 2022’s debacle are still left with their stable government treasuries, while those who were able to endure the risk are now reaping higher returns. Had those timid investors remained invested, their shares would have ridden the waves and ended up high with the market.

From our vantage point at Equinum, we often witness how emotions play on an investor’s ability to make effective decisions. From our conversations with clients and prospects, we have seen patterns emerge: When investors are comfortable they tend to invest more, and when they are hesitant, they bail out – often counterproductively. Moving in and out of the market based on feelings is never a sound approach in the long-run.

As advisors, we are tasked with keeping our clients’ emotions level through both the good times and the uncertain ones. And given people’s innate tendency to make the wrong decisions when investing, it becomes crucial to adopt a big-picture approach and remain invested for the long haul. Emotional reactions to short-term fluctuations can lead to impulsive actions that may not align with one’s overall financial goals.

For more information, please reach out to us at info@equinum.com.

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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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As you are already aware, both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have entered into receivership programs from the federal authorities. Last weekend was a long and daunting one. Companies banking with these institutions were nervous about their unsecured deposits, which were necessary to meet payroll and other basic business functions. The Federal Reserve stepped in, took over the operations of both banks and announced a new program called the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) to try and quell the flood of withdrawals from other regional banks. This program allows banks to pledge certain assets that have lost market value due to the dramatic increase in rates as a result of Federal Reserve tightening, which began this time last year.

How much the Fed will be able to cover is still unknown. Should we consider all bank deposits guaranteed, even above the official $250,000 threshold? Will they keep this program for all future bank failures?

Besides the two banks previously mentioned, along with Silvergate – which was shut down earlier last week – there are many other banks in the limelight. Many publicly traded regional banks’ stock prices were down 50% or more on Monday alone – and the market is saying that this is only the start.

The biggest concern is that things are moving extremely fast. Just last week Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified in front of Congress stating that they aren’t seeing any issues in the banking world from the rate-hiking campaign they have been on over the last year. Since then, three banks with hundreds of billions of dollars of assets had to be bailed out!

So, what does this mean for us now? We believe this is a prudent and opportune time to rethink where and how we hold cash deposits. There are the large, ‘too-big-to-fail’ banks that many consider as safe as some government programs. Then there are the local regional banks that each bring along some benefits. The larger institutions offer safety to your assets, while smaller banks can give you higher yields, certain services and respect that only Fortune 500 companies get at the larger banks. The issue is that typically, these two are mutually exclusive. It’s rare to have safety and liquidity, along with higher interest, at the same institution.

Our wealth management partners at Equinum would like you to consider a third option – U.S. Government treasury bonds held in a brokerage account. Not only does this offer both security and higher yields, but it also offers tax advantages in some cases as well. Government treasures are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. This is an assurance that supersedes the ‘too-big-to-fail’ status of some banks, and is on par with FDIC insurance as it relates to security. On top of this, yields are currently in the 4.5% range for short term treasuries. Obviously, for core banking functions and payroll processing, you will still need to have banking relationships. But for larger balances not needed for day-to-day operations, it’s imperative to consider where these assets are being held.

Keep in mind that there’s a key difference between assets held in a bank account versus those in a brokerage account. When you deposit $1,000,000 in a bank account, the bank takes most of that cash and invests the money into other things – mostly in new loans or existing fixed income investments. Your money is effectively mixed together with all the other bank depositors and invested by the bank. The bank has certain requirements as to what percentage of deposits need to be liquid, but that number is really small – currently just 10%. There are other ratios and stress tests that banks must adhere to, but as we all see with last week’s failings, there are obviously still risks out there.

Contrast this with brokerage accounts: When you hold an asset in your brokerage account, it’s in your name. You own the shares of the companies you invest in and can vote your ownership the way you want. You own the bond and receive the interest payments. Each respective client’s assets are in a segregated account held at the custodian in the client’s name. Even if something were to happen to the custodian, client assets are protected and secure. Even creditors would have no claim on client assets.

Each family and company’s situation varies – there’s no silver bullet to cover all circumstances. This is just something to consider in the current unique situation.

Always feel free to reach out to us or to our partners at Equinum.

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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As an investor, it’s easy to fall prey to “recency bias” – the tendency to base investment decisions on recent market performance rather than taking a broader and more forward-looking perspective.

Fighting the last war is a natural human tendency that results from our innate desire to find patterns and make sense of the world around us. But, in the world of investing, this can be a dangerous mindset to adopt. For example, after the 2008 financial crisis, many investors rushed to allocate billions of dollars to so-called “black swan” strategies that were designed to protect against rare and extreme events. This reaction was misguided, though. It came after the feared black swan, and at that point, was a useless strategy.

A more drastic example? A study conducted by Fidelity Investments on their flagship Magellan fund, during Peter Lynch’s famed tenure, from 1977-1990. His average annual return during this period was 29%, as compared to 14.47% of the S&P 500 index. This is a remarkable return over the 13-year period and made him one of the best investors ever. It was clear that investors were aware of the fund’s stellar performance as inflows made it one of the largest mutual funds of its time. Given that amazing performance, you would expect that Magellan Fund investors got really rich during Lynch’s tenure. Shockingly, a study by Fidelity Investments found otherwise. The average investor lost money under Lynch’s leadership. Rub your eyes and read that again: The average investor lost money in the Fidelity Magellan fund under Peter Lynch’s tenure during a period of time when the fund returned around 29% annually. How did the average investor lose out on Magellan’s success?

Markets swing up and down. When the market went up, the Magellan fund rose even higher. This excited and enticed investors who rushed to invest. But when the market and the fund declined, investors immediately sold. At every robust period, investors moved money into the fund, and at every decline, they sold – with Magellan’s value swinging lower than before. Recency bias killed Magellan’s performance.

Similarly, in the current market environment, investors are reacting to what worked in 2022, without considering whether those strategies will continue to be successful in the future. To avoid the pitfalls of fighting the last war, investors must adopt a progressive approach. This means taking a longer-term view of the investment landscape and considering how trends and risks might evolve over time. By focusing on the future, investors can avoid getting caught up in short-term market movements and can make better-informed investment decisions.

Be aware of this tendency, and look out of the windshield as opposed to the rear-view mirror. You’ll make more knowledgeable investment decisions and avoid getting caught off guard by unexpected events. You won’t get caught up in the latest market fads. Instead, you’ll be primed for long-term financial success.

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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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Audited financial statements come with a special bonus: a “management letter” that recommends ways to improve your business. That’s free advice from financial pros who’ve seen hundreds of businesses at their best (and worst) and who know which strategies work (and which don’t). If you haven’t already implemented changes based on last year’s management letter, there’s no time like the present to improve your business operations.

Reporting deficiencies

Auditing standards require auditors to communicate in writing about “material weaknesses or significant deficiencies” that are discovered during audit fieldwork.

The AICPA defines material weakness as “a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis.” Likewise, a significant deficiency is defined as “a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control that is … important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.”

Auditors may unearth less-severe weaknesses and operating inefficiencies during the course of an audit. Reporting these items is optional, but they’re often included in the management letter.

Looking beyond internal controls

Auditors may observe a wide range of issues during audit fieldwork. An obvious example is internal control shortfalls. But other issues covered in a management letter may relate to:

Cash management,
Operating workflow,
Control of production schedules,
Capacity,
Defects and waste,
Employee benefits,
Safety,
Website management,
Technology improvements, and
Energy consumption.

Management letters are usually organized by functional area: production, warehouse, sales and marketing, accounting, human resources, shipping/receiving and so forth. The write-up for each deficiency includes an observation (including a cause, if observed), financial and qualitative impacts, and a recommended course of action.

Striving for continuous improvement

Too often, management letters are filed away with the financial statements — and the same issues are reported in the management letter year after year. But proactive business owners and management recognize the valuable insight contained in these letters and take corrective action soon after they’re received. Contact us to help get the ball rolling before the start of next year’s audit.

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Extending credit to business customers can be an effective way to build goodwill and nurture long-term buyers. But if you extend customer credit, it also brings sizable financial risk to your business, as cash flow could grind to a halt if these customers don’t make their payments. Even worse, they could declare bankruptcy and bow out of their obligations entirely.

For this reason, it’s critical to thoroughly research a customer’s creditworthiness before you offer any arrangement. Here are some ways to do so:

Follow up on references. When dealing with vendors and other businesses, trade references are key. As you’re likely aware, these are sources that can describe past payment experiences between a business and a vendor (or other credit user).

Contact the potential customer’s trade references to check the length of time the parties have been working together, the approximate size of the potential customer’s account and its payment record. Of course, a history of late payments is a red flag.

Check banking info. Similarly, you’ll want to follow up on the company’s bank references to determine the balances in its checking and savings accounts, as well as the amount available on its line of credit. Equally important, determine whether the business has violated any of its loan covenants. If so, the bank could withdraw its credit, making it difficult for the company to pay its bills.

Order a credit report. You may want to order a credit report on the business from one of the credit rating agencies, such as Dun & Bradstreet or Experian. Among other information, the reports describe the business’s payment history and tell whether it has filed for bankruptcy or had a lien or judgment against it.

Most credit reports can be had for a nominal amount these days. The more expensive reports, not surprisingly, contain more information. The higher price tag also may allow access to updated information on a company over an extended period.

Explore traditional and social media. After you’ve completed your financial analysis, find out what others are saying — especially if the potential customer could make up a significant portion of your sales. Search for articles in traditional media outlets such as newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Look for anything that may raise concerns, such as stories about lawsuits or plans to shut down a division.

You can also turn to social media and look at the business’s various accounts to see its public “face.” And you might read reviews of the business to see what customers are saying and how the company reacts to inevitable criticisms. Obviously, social media shouldn’t be used as a definitive source for information, but you might find some useful insights.

Although assessing a potential customer’s ability to pay its bills requires some work up front, making informed credit decisions is one key to running a successful company. Our firm can help you with this or other financially critical business practices.

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A primary estate planning goal for most people is to hold on to as much of their wealth as possible to pass on to their children and other loved ones. To achieve this, you must limit estate tax liability and protect assets from creditors’ claims and lawsuits.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces or eliminates federal gift and estate taxes for most people (at least until 2026). The gift and estate tax exemption is $11.4 million for 2019. One benefit of this change is that it allows you to focus your estate planning efforts on asset protection and other wealth-preservation strategies, rather than tax minimization. One estate planning vehicle to consider is a “hybrid” domestic asset protection trust (DAPT).

What does “hybrid” mean?

The benefit of a standard DAPT is that it offers creditor protection even if you’re a beneficiary of the trust. But there’s also some risk: Although many experts believe they’ll hold up in court, DAPTs are relatively untested, so there’s some uncertainty over their ability to repel creditors’ claims. A “hybrid” DAPT offers the best of both worlds. Initially, you’re not named as a beneficiary of the trust, which virtually eliminates the risk described above. But if you need access to the funds down the road, the trustee or trust protector can add you as a beneficiary, converting the trust into a DAPT.

Do you need this trust type?

Before you consider a hybrid DAPT, determine whether you need such a trust at all. The most effective asset protection strategy is to place assets beyond the grasp of creditors by transferring them to your spouse, children or other family members, either outright or in a trust, without retaining any control. If the transfer isn’t designed to defraud known creditors, your creditors won’t be able to reach the assets. And even though you’ve given up control, you’ll have indirect access to the assets through your spouse or children (provided your relationship with them remains strong).

If, however, you want to retain access to the assets in the future, without relying on your spouse or children, a DAPT may be the answer.

How does a hybrid DAPT work?

A hybrid DAPT is initially set up as a third-party trust — that is, it benefits your spouse and children or other family members, but not you. Because you’re not named as a beneficiary, the trust isn’t a self-settled trust, so it avoids the uncertainty associated with regular DAPTs.

There’s little doubt that a properly structured third-party trust avoids creditors’ claims. If, however, you need access to the trust assets in the future, the trustee or trust protector has the authority to add additional beneficiaries, including you. If that happens, the hybrid account is converted into a regular DAPT subject to the previously discussed risks.

A flexible tool

The hybrid DAPT can add flexibility while offering maximum asset protection. It also minimizes the risks associated with DAPTs, while retaining the ability to convert to a DAPT should the need arise. Contact us with any questions.

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Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the fourth quarter of 2019. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements.

October 15

If a calendar-year C corporation that filed an automatic six-month extension:
- File a 2018 income tax return (Form 1120) and pay any tax, interest and penalties due.
- Make contributions for 2018 to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans.

October 31

Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for third quarter 2019 (Form 941) and pay any tax due. (See exception below under “November 12.”)

November 12

Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for third quarter 2019 (Form 941), if you deposited on time (and in full) all of the associated taxes due.

December 16

If a calendar-year C corporation, pay the fourth installment of 2019 estimated income taxes.

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Everyone needs to plan for retirement. But as a business owner, you face a distinctive challenge in that you must save for your golden years while also creating, updating and eventually executing a succession plan. This is no easy task, but you can put the puzzle pieces together by answering some fundamental questions:

When do I want to retire? This may be the most important question regarding your succession plan, because it’s at this time that your successor will take over. Think about a date by which you’ll be ready to let go and will have the financial resources to support yourself for your post-retirement life expectancy.

How much will I need to retire? To maintain your current lifestyle, you’ll likely need a substantial percentage of your current annual income. You may initially receive an influx of cash from perhaps either the sale of your company or a payout from a buy-sell agreement.

But don’t forget to consider inflation. This adds another 2% to 4% per year to the equation. If, like many retirees, you decide to move to a warmer climate, you also need to take the cost of living in that state into consideration — especially if you’ll maintain two homes.

What are my sources of retirement income? As mentioned, selling your business (if that’s what your succession plan calls for) will likely help at first. Think about whether you’d prefer a lump-sum payment to add to your retirement savings or receive installments.

Of course, many business owners don’t sell but pass along their company to family members or trusted employees. You might stay on as a paid consultant, which would provide some retirement income. And all of this would be in addition to whatever retirement accounts you’ve been contributing to, as well as Social Security.

Am I saving enough? This is a question everyone must ask but, again, business owners have special considerations. Let’s say you’d been saving diligently for retirement, but economic or market difficulties have recently forced you to lower your salary or channel more of your own money into the company. This could affect your retirement date and, thus, your succession plan’s departure date.

Using a balance sheet, add up all your assets and debts. Heavy spending and an excessive debt load can significantly delay your retirement. In turn, this negatively affects your succession plan because it throws the future leadership of your company into doubt and confusion. As you get closer to retirement, integrate debt management and elimination into your personal financial approach so you can confidently set a departure date. We can help you identify all the different pieces related to succession planning and retirement planning — and assemble them all into a practical whole.

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If you’re self-employed and don’t have withholding from paychecks, you probably have to make estimated tax payments. These payments must be sent to the IRS on a quarterly basis. The third 2019 estimated tax payment deadline for individuals is Monday, September 16. Even if you do have some withholding from paychecks or payments you receive, you may still have to make estimated payments if you receive other types of income such as Social Security, prizes, rent, interest, and dividends.

Pay-as-you-go system

You must make sufficient federal income tax payments long before the April filing deadline through withholding, estimated tax payments, or a combination of the two. If you fail to make the required payments, you may be subject to an underpayment penalty, as well as interest.

In general, you must make estimated tax payments for 2019 if both of these statements apply:

You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after subtracting tax withholding and credits, and
You expect withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of 90% of your tax for 2019 or 100% of the tax on your 2018 return — 110% if your 2018 adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 for married couples filing separately).

If you’re a sole proprietor, partner or S corporation shareholder, you generally have to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in tax when you file your return.

Quarterly due dates

Estimated tax payments are spread out through the year. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 of the following year. However, if the date falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline is the next business day (which is why the third deadline is September 16 this year).

Estimated tax is calculated by factoring in expected gross income, taxable income, deductions and credits for the year. The easiest way to pay estimated tax is electronically through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. You can also pay estimated tax by check or money order using the Estimated Tax Payment Voucher or by credit or debit card.

Seasonal businesses

Most individuals make estimated tax payments in four installments. In other words, you can determine the required annual payment, divide the number by four and make four equal payments by the due dates. But you may be able to make smaller payments under an “annualized income method.” This can be useful to people whose income isn’t uniform over the year, perhaps because of a seasonal business. For example, let’s say your income comes exclusively from a business that you operate in a beach town during June, July and August. In this case, with the annualized income method, no estimated payment would be required before the usual September 15 deadline. You may also want to use the annualized income method if a large portion of your income comes from capital gains on the sale of securities that you sell at various times during the year.

Determining the correct amount

Contact us if you think you may be eligible to determine your estimated tax payments under the annualized income method, or you have any other questions about how the estimated tax rules apply to you.

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The benefit of owning publicly-traded stock is that its owner can liquidate it without much effort. While shares of a publicly-traded company are liquid and marketable, the sale of a privately-held business can be lengthy and exhaustive. Also, the stock market largely determines that value of shares in a public company, but the value of a private company is not readily determinable. Accordingly, once a business owner has decided to sell his/her business, the business owner must adequately prepare to sell the business and determine whether the company is saleable.

Define the Seller’s Goals and Objectives

The seller should consider the reason for selling the business and the ideal exit strategy. The goals and objectives can help the seller understand which group of buyers to target, the price and timing of the deal, and how to structure the terms of any eventual sale (i.e., tax consequences and the owner’s future involvement in the company). The acquirer can be a trusted employee or another partner, a financial buyer, or a strategic buyer.

An existing partner, employee, or employee pool will generally maintain the company’s character and will involve a less rigorous due diligence process but will result in a lower purchase price for the business. A financial buyer purchases the company to generate cash flow or economies of scale and often use debt to acquire the company. Financial buyers often use debt financing for 50% to 90% of the purchase price, which may involve banks or SBA underwriters in the due diligence process. Strategic buyers are competitors or companies that want to purchase the company to take advantage of financial or operational synergies, introduce complementary goods or services, or expand their product mix or geographic territory.

Establish a Value for the Company

The value of a company will often not determine the price that it will eventually sell for, but determining a realistic and reasonable valuation range can help set expectations about the business value. A valuation can also allow the seller to realistically assess the marketability of the business and establish the minimum price to sell the company. A business can be valued using a multiple of earnings or cash flow, or a discounted cash flow model, but the value must reflect the company’s overall financial health, industry trends, and projected growth. A company can also be valued based on its intellectual property, such as patents, workforce, and licenses. Although the pool of potential buyers will determine the price, the value will increase based on the quality of the business presentation and the nature of the buyers. For example, a strategic buyer will often pay more for a company than its fair market value.

Enhance the Value of the Business

The business owner should consult with professionals and advisory firms to enhance the value of the business before marketing it for sale. The business’s performance should be perfected, and the company’s strategic plan should be reviewed and improved. In addition, the company should make necessary changes to the management team, streamline processes and cut costs, reduce customer concentration, and focus on the business’s core competencies. However, the changes should not require a massive overhaul that is risky and may take too long to implement.

The business owner should also prepare the financials and optimize the financial strategy in a way that increases the value and prepares the company for due diligence. The can seller can boost sales with increased marketing and promotions, liquidate bloated or obsolete inventory, and aggressively collect any aged receivables.

Conclusion

Studies show that 90% of businesses listed for sale don’t sell. The reason for this is that sellers are often unrealistic about the value of the business, are not willing to plan the transition of the business, or do not have adequate accounting records.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

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Among the fastest ways for a business to fail is because of mismanagement or malfeasance by ownership. On the other hand, among the slowest ways is an ineffective or dysfunctional sales department.

Companies suffering from this malady may maintain just enough sales to stay afloat for a while, but eventually they go under because they lose one big customer or a tough new competitor arrives on the scene. To ensure your sales department is contributing to business growth, not just survival, you’ve got to ask some tough questions. Here are four to consider:

1. Does our sales department communicate customers’ needs to the rest of the company? Your sales staff works on the front lines of your industry. They’re typically the first ones to hear of changes in customers’ needs and desires. Make sure your sales people are sharing this information in both meetings and written communications (sales reports, emails and the like).

It’s particularly important for them to share insights with the marketing department. But everyone in your business should be laser-focused on what customers really want.

2. Does the sales department handle customer complaints promptly and satisfactorily? This is related to our first point but critical enough to investigate on its own. Unhappy customers can destroy a business — especially these days, when everyone shares everything on social media.

Your sales staff should have a specific protocol for immediately responding to a customer complaint, gathering as much information as possible and offering a fair resolution. Track complaints carefully and in detail, looking for trends that may indicate deeper problems with your products or services.

3. Do our salespeople create difficulties for employees in other departments? If a sales department is getting the job done, many business owners look the other way when sales staff play by their own rules or don’t treat their co-workers with the utmost professionalism. Confronting a problem like this isn’t easy; you may unearth some tricky issues involving personalities and philosophies.

Nonetheless, your salespeople should interact positively and productively with other departments. For example, do they correctly and timely complete all necessary sales documents? If not, they could be causing major headaches for other departments.

4. Are we taking our sales staff for granted? Salespeople tend to spend much of their time “outside” a company — either literally out on the road making sales calls or on the phone communicating with customers. As such, they may work “out of sight and out of mind.”

Keep a close eye on your sales staff, both so you can congratulate them on jobs well done and fix any problems that may arise. Our firm can help you analyze your sales numbers to help identify ways this department can provide greater value to the company.

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The average company’s balance sheet understates its value by 80%, according to Sarah Tomolonius, co-founder of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council. Why? Intangible assets aren’t recorded on the balance sheet under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), unless they’re acquired from a third party.

Instead, GAAP generally calls for the costs associated with creating and maintaining these valuable assets to be expensed as they’re incurred — even though they provide future economic benefits.

Eye on intangibles

Many companies rely on intangible assets to generate revenue, and they often contribute significant value to the companies that own them. Examples of identifiable intangibles include:

Patents,
Brands and trademarks,
Customer lists,
Proprietary software, and
A trained and knowledgeable workforce.

In a business combination, acquired intangible assets are reported at fair value. When a company is purchased, any excess purchase price that isn’t allocated to identifiable tangible and intangible assets and liabilities is allocated to goodwill.

Acquired goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangibles are tested at least annually for impairment under GAAP. But private companies may elect to amortize them over a period not to exceed 10 years. Impairment testing also may be required when a triggering event happens, such as the loss of a major customer or introduction of new technology that makes the company’s offerings obsolete.

Inquiring minds want to know

Investors are interested in the fair value of acquired goodwill because it enables them to see how a business combination fared in the long run. But what about intangibles that are developed in-house?

At a sustainability conference earlier in May, Tomolonius said that businesses are more sustainable when they’re guided by a complete understanding of their assets, both tangible and intangible. Assigning values to internally generated intangibles can be useful in various decision-making scenarios, including obtaining financing, entering into licensing and joint venture arrangements, negotiating mergers and acquisitions, and settling shareholder disputes.

Calls for change

For more than a decade, there have been calls for accounting reforms related to intangible assets, with claims that internally generated intangibles are the new drivers of economic activity and should be reflected in balance sheets. Proponents of changing the rules argue that keeping these assets off the balance sheet forces investors to rely more on nonfinancial tools to assess a company’s value and sustainability.

It’s unlikely that the accounting rules for reporting internally generated intangibles will change anytime soon, however. In a quarterly report released in August, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) member Gary Buesser pointed to challenges the issue would pose, including the difficulty of recognizing and measuring the assets, costs to companies, and limited usefulness of the resulting information to investors. Buesser explained that “the information would be highly subjective, require forward looking estimates, and would probably not be comparable across companies.”

Want to learn more about your “untouchable” intangible assets? We can help you identify them and estimate their value, using objective, market-based appraisal techniques. Contact us for more information.

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How well do you listen to your not-for-profit’s supporters? If you don’t engage in “social listening,” your efforts may not be good enough. This marketing communications strategy is popular with for-profit companies, but can just as easily help nonprofits attract and retain donors, volunteers and members.

Social media monitoring

Social listening starts with monitoring social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for mentions of your organization and related keywords. But to take full advantage of this strategy, you also must engage with topics that interest your supporters and interact with “influencers,” who can extend your message by sharing it with their audiences.

Influencers don’t have to be celebrities with millions of followers. Connecting with a group of influencers who each have only several hundred followers can expand your reach exponentially. For example, a conservation organization might follow and interact with a popular rock climber or other outdoor enthusiast to reach that person’s followers.

Targeting your messages

To use social listening, develop a list of key terms related to your organization and its mission, programs and campaigns. You’ll want to treat this as a “living document,” updating it as you launch new initiatives. Then “listen” for these terms on social media. Several free online tools are available to perform this monitoring, including Google Alerts, Twazzup and Social Mention.

When your supporters or influencers use the terms, you can send them a targeted message with a call to action, such as a petition, donation solicitation or event announcement. Your call to action could be as simple as asking them to share your content.

You can also use trending hashtags (a keyword or phrase that’s currently popular on social media) to keep your communications relevant and leverage current events on a real-time basis. Always be on the lookout for creative ways to join conversations while promoting your organization or campaign.

Actively seeking opportunity

Most nonprofits have a presence on social media. But if your organization isn’t actively listening to and communicating with people on social media sites, you’re only a partial participant. Fortunately, social listening is an easy and inexpensive way to engage and become engaged.

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The process of selling a business or admitting an investor can be overwhelming and burdensome. However, as with any product, if the company is primed for sale, then the seller can receive a higher value. Realtors always advise homeowners to trim the hedges, update the windows, and declutter the home to maximize its value. In fact, according to a study by the National Association of Realtors, home staging can increase the dollar value of the house by 11-20%. Accordingly, a business owner would be wise to properly plan and prepare for the sale of his/her lifetime of work or a portion thereof. The level of planning will determine the timing, price, and process of the transaction.

A business owner can decide to sell his or her business for various reasons. At times, it results from a change in lifestyle. For example, a business owner may choose to retire and use the proceeds of the sale instead of a retirement plan. Sometimes, the business owner is an innovative individual with an entrepreneurial spirit but does not have the proper management skills to grow or manage a thriving enterprise. Being a business owner is also time-consuming, and some may prefer to be an employee with limited hours rather than an employer with management and financial risks and responsibilities.

A business can also be sold due to regulatory or legal issues, a partnership buyout or estate plan (i.e., when the second generation doesn’t have the passion of the founder). It is also wise for a business owner to know a business lifecycle to sell the business or a portion of the company at its optimal stage. A business lifecycle includes the following:

Beginning Stage

At the launch or establishment of a business, its revenues are increasing slowly but often not enough to generate positive net income. This stage can include startups or companies in early development. A startup is usually less than one year old, and financing may be necessary for product development, prototype testing, and test marketing. A company is considered in early development when the business established a business plan, conducted studies of market penetration, and hired a management team.

At the seed or startup stage, the business owner can be expected to provide a rate of return of between 40% and 70% to an angel investor or venture capitalist. Although it’s better to own a slice of a watermelon than an entire core of an apple, it isn’t prudent to unnecessarily give away equity too early.

Growth Stage

During the expansion stage of a company, the company experiences rapid sales growth. Although the company may initially still be unprofitable, it eventually breaks even and generates a profit. At this time, the company may require capital for equipment and its working capital needs, which can usually be accomplished by obtaining bank financing. However, if the company cannot obtain traditional bank financing, it may be able to raise capital via asset-based or mezzanine Lenders. Conversely, an owner can be expected to provide a rate of return of between 30% and 50% to an angel investor or venture capitalist at this stage.

Maturity Stage

At maturity, a company’s revenue growth and its expenses stabilize, which reduces the risk of investment in the company. At this stage, the company reinvests some working capital but relies on debt financing over equity dilution. Nevertheless, if the company fails to innovate and introduce new services or product, then its growth will plateau and eventually decline. At this stage – often known as post-maturity – a cash infusion is necessary. This is the stage that may result in an initial public offering (IPO) or reliance on debt or additional equity investment. If the owner cannot invest more capital, then it is smart to sell the business before it declines.

Business lifecycle CFI’s FREE Corporate Finance Class

Conclusion

Ronald Wayne co-founded Apple Inc. with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. In 1976, just 12 days after he entered into the partnership, he sold his 10% stake for approximately $2,300. A 10% stake of Apple Inc. would be worth roughly $100 billion today. In fact, the partnership contract was sold in 2011 for $1.6 million – after Wayne sold it earlier for $500.

Window-dressing a home is relatively simple, but preparing a business for sale is more involved. Don’t make the mistake of selling your business or equity interest too soon, but it is equally important not to wait until the value declines.

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Many business owners reach a point where managing the financial side of the enterprise becomes overwhelming. Usually, this is a good thing — the company has grown to a point where simple bookkeeping and basic financial reporting just don’t cut it anymore.

If you can relate to the feeling, it may be time to add a CFO or controller. But you’ve got to first consider whether your payroll can take on this generally high-paying position and exactly what you’d get in return.

The broad role

A CFO or controller looks beyond day-to-day financial management to do more holistic, big-picture planning of financial and operational goals. He or she will take a seat at the executive table and serve as your go-to person for all matters related to your company’s finances and operations.

A CFO or controller goes far beyond merely compiling financial data. He or she provides an interpretation of the data to explain how financial decisions will impact all areas of your business. And this individual can plan capital acquisition strategies, so your company has access to financing, as needed, to meet working capital and operating expenses.

In addition, a CFO or controller will serve as the primary liaison between your company and its bank to ensure your financial statements meet requirements to help negotiate any loans. Analyzing possible merger, acquisition and other expansion opportunities also falls within a CFO’s or controller’s purview.

Specific responsibilities

A CFO or controller typically has a set of core responsibilities that link to the financial oversight of your operation. This includes making sure there are adequate internal controls to help safeguard the business from internal fraud and embezzlement.

The hire also should be able to implement improved cash management practices that will boost your cash flow and improve budgeting and cash forecasting. He or she should be able to perform ratio analysis and compare the financial performance of your business to benchmarks established by similar-size companies in the same geographic area. And a controller or CFO should analyze the tax and cash flow implications of different capital acquisition strategies — for example, leasing vs. buying equipment and real estate.

Major commitment

Make no mistake, hiring a full-time CFO or controller represents a major commitment in both time to the hiring process and dollars to your payroll. These financial executives typically command substantial high salaries and attractive benefits packages.

So, first make sure you have the financial resources to commit to this level of compensation. You may want to outsource the position. No matter which route you choose, we can help you assess the financial impact of the idea.

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After insurance policies expire, many businesses just throw away the paper copies and delete the digital files. But you may need to produce evidence of certain kinds of insurance even after the coverage period has expired. For this reason, it’s best to take a long-term approach to certain types of policies.

Occurrence-based insurance

Generally, the policy types in question are called “occurrence-based.” They include:

General liability,
Umbrella liability,
Commercial auto, and
Commercial crime and theft.

You should retain documentation of occurrence-based policies permanently (or as long as your business is operating). A good example of why is in cases of embezzlement. Employee fraud of this kind may be covered under a commercial crime and theft policy. However, embezzlement sometimes isn’t uncovered until years after the crime has taken place.

For instance, suppose that, during an audit, you learn an employee was embezzling funds three years ago. But the policy that covered this type of theft has since expired. To receive an insurance payout, you’d need to produce the policy documents to prove that coverage was in effect when the crime occurred.

Retaining insurance documentation long-term isn’t necessary for every type of policy. Under “claims-made” insurance, such as directors and officers liability and professional liability, claims can be made against the insured business only during the policy period and during a “tail period” following the policy’s expiration. A commonly used retention period for claims-made policies is about six years after the tail period expires.

Additional protection

Along with permanently retaining proof of occurrence-based policies, it’s a good idea to at least consider employment practices liability insurance (EPLI). These policies protect businesses from employee claims of legal rights violations at the hands of their employers. Sexual harassment is one type of violation that’s covered under most EPLI policies — and such claims can arise years after the alleged crime occurred.

As is the case with occurrence-based coverage, if an employee complaint of sexual harassment arises after an EPLI policy has expired — but the alleged incident occurred while coverage was in effect — you may have to produce proof of coverage to receive a payout. So, you should retain EPLI documentation permanently as well.

Better safe than sorry

You can’t necessarily rely on your insurer to retain expired policies or readily locate them. It’s better to be safe than sorry by keeping some insurance policies in either paper or digital format for the long term. This is the best way to ensure that you’ll receive insurance payouts for events that happened while coverage was still in effect. Our firm can help you assess the proper retention periods of your insurance policies, as well as whether they’re providing optimal value for your company.

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A business plan is not etched in stone and must be reviewed and updated continuously. Likewise, as with any planning, not everything will go according to plan. A business plan may have outlined the heirs that will inherit the business or the leaders in line for succession, but sometimes a company is sold as part of the larger estate plan. The business may be sold because the second generation doesn’t have the passion of the founder or the founder requires the funds as a nest egg upon retirement. As is the case when any business is sold, the retiring founder should properly prepare the company for sale.

The timing of a sale is critical. If the founder sells the company too early, then he or she can lose his/her occupation. Some people cannot imagine themselves being unemployed or no longer the owner of their company. However, if the business owner waits too long to sell the company, then his/her ambition may wane. The founder’s age or health may impact the company’s operations and profits, which will affect the value of the company at the time of sale.

The terms of the sale can also be negotiated to benefit the founder. The business can be sold in an all-cash deal, as part of a seller-financed transaction, and can include an earnout. An all-cash agreement may guarantee the business owner the purchase price of the company – but the due diligence process may be more burdensome. Moreover, the cash infusion should be invested and managed by a capable asset manager so that the funds remain for the duration of the retirement. A seller-financed transaction bears some risk to the seller but allows for a stream of cash flow with a fixed interest rate negotiated at the time of the sale. Finally, an earnout may be the most lucrative if the milestones are met and can provide the seller with an occupation after the sale.

Before deciding to sell the business, the business owner has to determine whether the company is salable. Although a business may be profitable, the company is not valuable if its revenues are generated strictly due to the owner’s creations or personal charm. The business is also not worth much if its processes and technology are obsolete. Business owners may also be unrealistic about the business’s worth. Although the founder may be emotionally attached to the company, sweat equity does not translate into value. The owner’s valuation must be supported by the company’s intrinsic value or cash flows.

Finally, the business owner must be ready to share all the details of the company’s operations and financials with potential buyers, accountants, and banks. A due diligence process may expose transactions that make you uncomfortable. Either tidy it up or get ready to explain its nature.

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Many businesses struggle to turn abstract strategic-planning ideas into concrete, actionable plans. One reason why is simple: ineffective meetings. The ideas are there, lurking in the minds of management and key employees, but the process for hashing them out just doesn’t work. Here are a few ways to run your strategic-planning meetings like they really matter — which, of course, they do.

Build buy-in

Meetings often fail because attendees feel more like spectators than participants. They are less likely to zone out if they have some say in the direction and content of the gathering. So, before the session, touch base with those involved and establish a clear agenda of the strategic-planning initiatives you’ll be discussing.

Another common problem with meetings occurs when someone leads the meeting, but no one owns it. As the meeting leader, be sure to speak with conviction and express positivity (if not passion) for the subject matter. (If others are delivering presentations during the proceedings, encourage them to do the same.)

Fight fatigue

To the extent possible, keep meetings short. Cover what needs to be covered, but ensure you’re concentrating only on what’s important. Go in armed with easy-to-follow notes so you’ll stay on track and won’t forget anything. The latter point is particularly important, because overlooked subjects often lead to hasty follow-up meetings that can frustrate employees.

In addition, if the contingent of attendees is large enough, consider having employees break out into smaller groups to focus on specific points. Then call the meeting back to order to discuss each group’s ideas. By mixing it up in such creative ways, you’ll keep employees more engaged.

Tell a story

There’s so much to distract employees in a meeting. If it’s held in the morning, the busy day ahead may preoccupy their thoughts. If it’s an afternoon meeting, they might grow anxious about their commutes home. If the meeting is a Web conference, there are a variety of distractions that may affect them. And there’s no getting around the ease with which participants can sneak peeks at their smartphones (or smart watches) to check emails, texts and the Internet.

How do you break through? People appreciate storytellers. So, think about how you can use this technique to find a more relaxed and engaging way to speak to everyone in the room. Devise a narrative that will grab attendees’ attention and keep them in suspense for a little bit. Then deliver a conclusion that will inspire them to work toward identifying fully realized, feasible strategic goals.

Make ’em great

Grumbling about meetings can be as much a part of working life as burnt coffee in the bottom of the breakroom pot. But don’t let this occasional negativity sway you from doing the critical strategic planning that every business needs to do. Your meetings can be great ones. We can’t help you run them, but we can assist you in assessing the financial feasibility and ramifications of your strategic plans.

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Failure to collect accounts receivable (AR) in a timely manner can lead to myriad financial problems for your company, including poor cash flow and the inability to pay its own bills. Here are five effective ideas to facilitate more timely collections:

1. Create an AR aging report. This report lets you see at a glance the current payment status of all your customers and how much money they owe. Aging reports typically track the payment status of customers by time periods, such as 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days and 91+ days past due.

Armed with this information, you’ll have a better idea of where to focus your efforts. For example, you can concentrate on collecting the largest receivables that are the furthest past due. Or you can zero in on collecting receivables that are between 31 and 60 days outstanding before they become any further behind.

2. Assign collection responsibility to a sole accounting employee. Giving one employee the responsibility for AR collections ensures that the “collection buck” stops with someone. Otherwise, the task of collections could fall by the wayside as accounting employees pick up on other tasks that might seem more urgent.

3. Re-examine your invoices. Your customers prefer bills that are clear, accurate and easy to understand. Sending out invoices that are sloppy, vague or inaccurate will slow down the payment process as customers try to contact you for clarification. Essentially you’re inviting your customers to not pay your invoices promptly.

4. Offer customers multiple ways to pay. The more payment options customers have, the easier it is for them to pay your invoices promptly. These include payment by check, Automated Clearing House, credit or debit card, PayPal or even text message.

5. Be proactive in your billing and collection efforts. Many of your customers may have specific procedures that must be followed by vendors for invoice formatting and submission. Learn these procedures and follow them carefully to avoid payment delays. Also, consider contacting customers a couple of days before payment is due (especially for large payments) to make sure everything is on track.

Lax working capital practices can be a costly mistake. Contact us to help implement these and other strategies to improve collections and boost your revenue and cash flow. We can also help you with strategies for dealing with situations where it’s become clear that a past-due customer won’t (or can’t) pay an invoice.

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A company’s mission statement determines the objectives of a company, which impacts its value. To illustrate, when Amazon announced that it was buying Whole Foods, the grocery store stock, including Walmart, Kroger’s and Supervalu, plummeted. However, Costco – who experienced a brief dip in value – and privately-held Trader Joe’s were unfazed. Although Costco and Trader Joe’s compete in the same space, they did not employ the same business objectives as Amazon, Walmart, Kroger’s, or Supervalu.

While Amazon, Walmart, Kroger’s and Supervalu focus on cost leadership, Costco and Trader Joe’s emphasize quality and product differentiation. The market believed that Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market endangered some companies more than others. However, since then – despite Amazon’s centralization of Whole Food Market’s purchasing, Whole Foods is eating into Trader Joe’s customers because it is, at this point, maintaining its mission and objective of quality over price.

A mission statement merely summarizes the company’s strategic plan, which defines the firm’s goals and objectives.

As part of the company’s strategic plan, the founder or management can establish its company scope, company plan, and operating plan. The company scope defines the lines of business and geographic areas of the business and determines whether the entity specializes in a narrow range of skill or activity or provide a broad number of good or services. A company plan sets forth specific, achievable goals or the company (e.g., cost leadership or product differentiation) and identifies qualitative and quantitative objectives that operating managers are expected to meet. An operating plan includes the product/service development plan, operations plan, organization plan, and marketing plan and provides management with detailed implementation guidance based on the company’s strategy.

An example of a company’s goals includes the management approach to employees. Some companies employ an authoritative style of leadership, while others opt to empower employees and implement a decentralized structure. The United States Steel Corporation was one of the largest corporations in the United States with more than 340,000 employees when Nucor Corporation began manufacturing steel. However, while U.S. Steel maintained the labor policies of its founder, Andrew Carnegie, the management of Nucor Corporation shared the authority and profits with its employees. This strategy resulted in Nucor Corporation becoming the largest steel manufacturer in the United States and the most profitable in its industry.

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In 2014, Brian Acton and his partner, Jan Koum, sold the popular messaging app WhatsApp to Facebook for approximately $19 billion in cash and stock. However, in 2017, Acton left WhatsApp and thereby left $850 million in unvested options on the table. He paid this price over a dispute he had with Facebook executives regarding users’ privacy. While Facebook understood the need to monetize WhatsApp’s data, its founders did not believe that it was in line with their vision and core values.

Studies show that children are excited about inheriting the family business and taking it to the next level. 75% of the next generation have big plans and energetic ideas on how to grow the family business. However, a founder may often be at odds with the next generation regarding the strategy and goals of the company. Accordingly, to ensure continuity, a business should implement a strategic plan with a company mission and underlying core values to serve as the bedrock of the company for future generations to rely upon. A strategic plan helps determine the long-term goals of a company, its core value, mission, and objectives. Such a plan can safeguard the continuity of a company and maintain the principles and tenets of the original founder.

Core Values

Core values are the underlying beliefs (“credo”) that govern an entity’s operations and relationships with other parties. They represent the fundamental beliefs of what is important to the company, publicize who the company is and what it stands for, and communicate the personal values and beliefs of the founder(s).

The core values are more than just a marketing concept. Instead, it should feed into the vision, purpose, and mission of the company and set the stage for all decisions that will be made as the company grows. Essentially, the core values should be treated as the foundation of the company and used to assist the company in developing and executing its goals and strategies.

For example, Whole Foods Market’s credo states: “We Sell the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Foods.” This will ensure that, although Amazon purchased the grocery chain, Whole Foods will remain a company that focuses on quality and product differentiation rather than cost leadership.

Mission Statement

The mission statement of a company provides an expression of the purpose and range of the entity’s activities, including the overall goals and operational scope and general guidelines for future management actions. A mission statement represents a condensed version of the company’s strategic plan and serves to differentiate the company from its competitors. Effectively, the mission statement ought to provide direction to the company’s executives when deciding on the products or services to offer. Nevertheless, the mission statement should be adjusted to reflect changing business environments and management philosophies.

Conclusion

William Rosenberg opened the first Dunkin’ Donuts store in 1950. Today, there are more than 10,000 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in 32 countries around the world. In order to ensure uniformity and continuity, Mr. Rosenberg created the following mission statement: “Make and serve the freshest, most delicious coffee and donuts quickly and courteously in modern, well-merchandised stores.” Although Dunkin’ – as it re-branded itself – sells beverages and pastries beyond coffee and donuts, the founder’s mission of providing delicious and fresh baked goods is shared by local, small business franchisees around the world.

A strategic plan along with the core values and mission statement assists company leaders in following the objectives of the company to achieve the desired measurable results, including profitability, growth, market share, innovation, etc. while remaining true to the company’s philosophy and its founder’s vision.

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“Gamification.” It’s perhaps an odd word, but it’s a cool concept that’s become popular among many types of businesses. In its most general sense, the term refers to integrating characteristics of game-playing into business-related tasks to excite and engage the people involved.

Might it have a place in your company?

Internal focus

Sometimes gamification refers to customer interactions. For example, a retailer might award customers points for purchases that they can collect and use toward discounts. Or a company might offer product-related games or contests on its website to generate traffic and visitor engagement.

But, these days, many businesses are also using gamification internally. They’re using it to:

Engage employees in training processes,
Promote friendly competition and camaraderie among employees, and
Ease the recognition and measurement of progress toward shared goals.

It’s not hard to see how creating positive experiences in these areas might improve the morale and productivity of any workplace. As a training tool, games can help employees learn more quickly and easily. Moreover, with the rise of social media, many workers are comfortable sharing with others in a competitive setting. And, from the employer’s perspective, gamification opens all kinds of data-gathering possibilities to track training initiatives and measure employee performance.

Specific applications

In most businesses, employee training is a big opportunity to reap the benefits of gamification. As many industries look to attract Generation Z — the next big demographic to enter the workforce — game-based learning makes perfect sense for individuals who grew up both competing in various electronic ways on their mobile devices and interacting on social media.

For example, safety and sensitivity training are areas that demand constant reinforcement. But it’s also common for workers to tune out these topics. Framing reminders, updates and exercises within game scenarios, in which participants might win or lose ground by following proper or improper work practices, is one way to liven up the process.

Game-style simulations can also help prepare employees for management or leadership roles. Online training simulations, set up as games, can test participants’ decision-making and problem-solving skills — and allow them to see the potential consequences of various actions before granting them such responsibilities in the real-world situations. You might also consider rewards-based games for managers or project leaders based on meeting schedules, staying within budgets, or preventing accidents or other costly mistakes.

Intended effects

Naturally, gamification has its risks. You don’t want to “force fun” or frustrate employees with unreasonably difficult games. Doing so could lower morale, waste time and money, and undercut training effectiveness.

To mitigate the downsides, involve management and employees in gamification initiatives to ensure you’re on the right track. Also consider involving a professional consultant to implement established and tested “gamified” exercises, tasks and contests. We can help you identify and assess the potential costs involved and keep those costs in line.

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Whole Foods Market is now famous as the upscale supermarket chain that was acquired by Amazon for close to $14 billion. However, Whole Foods Market began with humble beginnings. In 1978, John Mackey and Renee Lawson borrowed money from friends and family to open a small natural food store in Austin, Texas. As the store expanded to open more locations and Mackey and Lawson admitted two additional partners and designated specific tasks to each partner, such as finance, human resources, and sales. This process continues today where, although Whole Foods Market is a multinational food chain with 500 locations, each regional manager has the autonomy and flexibility to decide on suppliers and pricing.

The proverb “too many cooks spoil the broth” applies to the management of a business. Thus, establishing the sequence of control as part of a succession plan ensures that the company continues to operate effectively and efficiently – especially if the business is bequeathed to children who do not work in the family business.

The sequence of control of a business succession plan outlines the decision-making process of a closely-held, family business once the owner is determined to be incapacitated or deceased. Although this can be emotionally tolling, the sequence of control is essential for the continuity of the business. The following are questions that arise when planning the sequence of control.

What is the definition of incapacitated?

You undoubtedly know of instances in which the patriarch of a family suffered from dementia or a form of memory loss. You are probably familiar with cases in which people took advantage of individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Such undue influence can arise if a business owner can no longer exercise prudent business reasoning and judgment. Accordingly, the business succession plan should define “capacity” and specify who makes the determination, which can be a physician or a member of the clergy.

Who assumes control?

It may seem irresponsible to vest absolute control to the child or children who work(s) in the business; however, it may be imprudent to allow children who do not work in the company to be involved in the decision-making process of the business. A business administrator who requires approval for the day-to-day operational decisions in the ordinary course of business may be unable to perform basic administrative duties of the company, especially if consent is needed from an adverse party. Nevertheless, a proper business plan may require a vote of all members for significant business decisions, or decisions that may alter the business structure or significantly impact the business.

How can I secure oversight over the business administrator?

Proper internal controls are always recommended to promote accountability and prevent fraud, but it is even more critical when one heir controls the family business. The business succession plan can provide for a salary and fringe benefits or performance-based compensation, methods for removing or replacing the administrator, an arbitrator to adjudicate disagreements or disputes among family members, and an exit strategy or process of dissolving the business or partnership.

How can I provide for myself and my spouse while incapacitated?

If you are considered an owner of the business during your lifetime or so long that your spouse is alive, your succession plan can stipulate that you receive periodic distributions. However, a fixed withdrawal may prove to be insufficient for your medical needs or general cost of living. Conversely, the business may be dependent on its working capital that is now being distributed and accumulated in your personal checking account.

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Small businesses may find it beneficial to barter for goods and services instead of paying cash for them. If your business engages in bartering, be aware that the fair market value of goods that you receive in bartering is taxable income. And if you exchange services with another business, the transaction results in taxable income for both parties.

Income is also realized if services are exchanged for property. For example, if a construction firm does work for a retail business in exchange for unsold inventory, it will have income equal to the fair market value of the inventory.

Barter clubs

Many business owners join barter clubs that facilitate barter exchanges. In general, these clubs use a system of “credit units” that are awarded to members who provide goods and services. The credits can be redeemed for goods and services from other members.

Bartering is generally taxable in the year it occurs. But if you participate in a barter club, you may be taxed on the value of credit units at the time they’re added to your account, even if you don’t redeem them for actual goods and services until a later year. For example, let’s say that you earn 2,000 credit units one year, and that each unit is redeemable for $1 in goods and services. In that year, you’ll have $2,000 of income. You won’t pay additional tax if you redeem the units the next year, since you’ve already been taxed once on that income.

If you join a barter club, you’ll be asked to provide your Social Security number or employer identification number. You’ll also be asked to certify that you aren’t subject to backup withholding. Unless you make this certification, the club will withhold tax from your bartering income at a 24% rate.

Required forms

By January 31 of each year, the barter club will send you a Form 1099-B, “Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions,” which shows the value of cash, property, services, and credits that you received from exchanges during the previous year. This information will also be reported to the IRS.

If you don’t contract with a barter exchange but you do trade services, you don’t file Form 1099-B. But you may have to file a form 1099-MISC.

Many benefits

By bartering, you can trade away excess inventory or provide services during slow times, all while hanging onto your cash. You may also find yourself bartering when a customer doesn’t have the money on hand to complete a transaction. As long as you’re aware of the federal and state tax consequences, these transactions can benefit all parties. Contact us for more information.

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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has changed the landscape for business taxpayers. That’s because the law introduced a flat 21% federal income tax rate for C corporations. Under prior law, profitable C corporations paid up to 35%.

The TCJA also cut individual income tax rates, which apply to sole proprietorships and pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, and LLCs (treated as partnerships for tax purposes). However, the top rate dropped from 39.6% to only 37%.

These changes have caused many business owners to ask: What’s the optimal entity choice for me?

Entity tax basics

Before the TCJA, conventional wisdom was that most small businesses should be set up as sole proprietorships or pass-through entities to avoid the double taxation of C corporations. A C corporation pays entity-level income tax and then shareholders pay tax on dividends — and on capital gains when they sell the stock. For pass-through entities, there’s no federal income tax at the entity level.

Although C corporations are still potentially subject to double taxation, their current 21% tax rate helps make up for it. This issue is further complicated, however, by another tax provision that allows noncorporate owners of pass-through entities to take a deduction equal to as much as 20% of qualified business income (QBI), subject to various limits. But, unless Congress extends it, that deduction is available only through 2025.

Many factors to consider

The best entity choice for your business depends on many factors. Keep in mind that one form of doing business might be more appropriate at one time (say, when you’re launching), while another form might be better after you’ve been operating for a few years. Here are a few examples:

Suppose a business consistently generates losses. There’s no tax advantage to operating as a C corporation. C corporation losses can’t be deducted by their owners. A pass-through entity would generally make more sense in this scenario because losses would pass through to the owners’ personal tax returns.
What about a profitable business that pays out all income to the owners? In this case, operating as a pass-through entity would generally be better if significant QBI deductions are available. If not, there’s probably not a clear entity-choice answer in terms of tax liability.
Finally, what about a business that’s profitable but holds on to its profits to fund future projects? In this case, operating as a C corporation generally would be beneficial if the corporation is a qualified small business (QSB). Reason: A 100% gain exclusion may be available for QSB stock sale gains. Even if QSB status isn’t available, C corporation status is still probably preferred — unless significant QBI deductions would be available at the owner level.

As you can see, there are many issues involved and taxes are only one factor.

For example, one often-cited advantage of certain entities is that they allow a business to be treated as an entity separate from the owner. A properly structured corporation can protect you from business debts. But to ensure that the corporation is treated as a separate entity, it’s important to observe various formalities required by the state. These include filing articles of incorporation, adopting by-laws, electing a board of directors, holding organizational meetings and keeping minutes.

The best long-term choice

The TCJA has far-reaching effects on businesses. Contact us to discuss how your business should be set up to lower its tax bill over the long run. But remember that entity choice is easier when starting up a business. Converting from one type of entity to another adds complexity. We can help you examine the ins and outs of making a change.

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Now that most schools are out for the summer, you might be sending your children to day camp. It’s often a significant expense. The good news: You might be eligible for a tax break for the cost.

The value of a credit

Day camp is a qualified expense under the child and dependent care credit, which is worth 20% to 35% of qualifying expenses, subject to a cap. Note: Sleep-away camp does not qualify.

For 2019, the maximum expenses allowed for the credit are $3,000 for one qualifying child and $6,000 for two or more. Other expenses eligible for the credit include payments to a daycare center, nanny, or nursery school.

Keep in mind that tax credits are especially valuable because they reduce your tax liability dollar-for-dollar — $1 of tax credit saves you $1 of taxes. This differs from deductions, which simply reduce the amount of income subject to tax.

For example, if you’re in the 32% tax bracket, $1 of deduction saves you only $0.32 of taxes. So it’s important to take maximum advantage of all tax credits available to you.

Work-related expenses

For an expense to qualify for the credit, it must be related to employment. In other words, it must enable you to work — or look for work if you’re unemployed. It must also be for the care of your child, stepchild, foster child, or other qualifying relative who is under age 13, lives in your home for more than half the year and meets other requirements.

There’s no age limit if the dependent child is physically or mentally unable to care for him- or herself. Special rules apply if the child’s parents are divorced or separated or if the parents live apart.

Credit vs. FSA

If you participate in an employer-sponsored child and dependent care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you can’t use expenses paid from or reimbursed by the FSA to claim the credit.

If your employer offers a child and dependent care FSA, you may wish to consider participating in the FSA instead of taking the credit. With an FSA for child and dependent care, you can contribute up to $5,000 on a pretax basis. If your marginal tax rate is more than 15%, participating in the FSA is more beneficial than taking the credit. That’s because the exclusion from income under the FSA gives a tax benefit at your highest tax rate, while the credit rate for taxpayers with adjusted gross income over $43,000 is limited to 20%.

Proving your eligibility

On your tax return, you must include the Social Security number of each child who attended the camp or received care. There’s no credit without it. You must also identify the organizations or persons that provided care for your child. So make sure to obtain the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the camp.

Additional rules apply to the child and dependent care credit. Contact us if you have questions. We can help determine your eligibility for the credit and other tax breaks for parents.

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To help defray health care costs, many people now contribute to, or are thinking about setting up, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). With these accounts, individuals can pay for certain medical expenses on a tax advantaged basis.

The basics

With HSAs, you take more responsibility for your health care costs. If you’re covered by a qualified high-deductible health plan, you can contribute pretax income to an employer-sponsored HSA — or make deductible contributions to an HSA you set up yourself.

You own the account, which can bear interest or be invested. It can grow tax-deferred, similar to an IRA. Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free, and you can carry over a balance from year to year. So, unlike Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), undistributed balances in HSAs aren’t forfeited at year end.

For the 2019 tax year, you can make a tax-deductible HSA contribution of up to $3,500 if you have qualifying self-only coverage or up to $7,000 if you have qualifying family coverage (anything other than self-only coverage). If you’re age 55 or older as of December 31, the maximum contribution increases by $1,000.

To be eligible to contribute to an HSA, you must have a qualifying high deductible health insurance policy and no other general health coverage. For 2019, a high deductible health plan is defined as one with a deductible of at least $1,350 for self-only coverage or $2,700 for family coverage.

For 2019, qualifying policies must have had out-of-pocket maximums of no more than $6,750 for self-only coverage or $13,500 for family coverage.

Account balances

If you still have an HSA balance after reaching Medicare eligibility age (generally age 65), you can empty the account for any reason without a tax penalty. If you don’t use the withdrawal to cover qualified medical expenses, you’ll owe federal income tax and possibly state income tax. But the 20% tax penalty that generally applies to withdrawals not used for medical expenses won’t apply. There’s no tax penalty on withdrawals made after disability or death.

Alternatively, you can use your HSA balance to pay uninsured medical expenses incurred after reaching Medicare eligibility age. If your HSA still has a balance when you die, your surviving spouse can take over the account tax-free and treat it as his or her own HSA, if he or she is named as the beneficiary. In other cases, the date-of-death HSA balance must generally be included in taxable income on that date by the person who inherits the account.

Deadlines and deductions

If you’re eligible to make an HSA contribution, the deadline is April 15 of the following year (adjusted for weekends and holidays) to open an account and make a tax-deductible contribution for the previous year.

So, if you’re eligible, there’s plenty of time to make a deductible contribution for 2019. The deadline for making 2019 contributions is April 15, 2020.

The write-off for HSA contributions is an “above-the-line” deduction. That means you can claim it even if you don’t itemize.

In addition, an HSA contribution isn’t tied to income. Even wealthy people can make deductible HSA contributions if they have qualifying high deductible health insurance coverage and meet the other requirements.

Tax-smart opportunity

HSAs can provide a smart tax-saving opportunity for individuals with qualifying high deductible health plans. Contact us to help you set up an HSA or decide how much to contribute for 2019.

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Every financial transaction your company records generates non-financial data that doesn’t have a dollar value assigned to it. Though auditors may spend most of their time analyzing financial records, non-financial data can also help them analyze your business from multiple angles.

Gathering audit evidence

The purpose of an audit is to determine whether your financial statements are “fairly presented in all material respects, compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and free from material misstatement.” To thoroughly assess these issues, auditors need to expand their procedures beyond the line items recorded in your company’s financial statements.

Non-financial information helps auditors understand your business and how it operates. During planning, inquiry, analytics and testing procedures, auditors will be on the lookout for inconsistencies between financial and non-financial measures. This information also helps auditors test the accuracy and reasonableness of the amounts recorded on your financial statements.

Looking beyond the numbers

A good starting point is a tour of your facilities to observe how and where the company spends its money. The number of machines operating, the amount of inventory in the warehouse, the number of employees and even the overall morale of your staff can help bring to life the amounts shown in your company’s financial statements.

Auditors also may ask questions during fieldwork to help determine the reasonableness of financial measures. For instance, they may ask you for detailed information about a key vendor when analyzing accounts payable. This might include the vendor’s ownership structure, its location, copies of email communications between company personnel and vendor reps, and the name of the person who selected the vendor. Such information can give the auditor insight into the size of the relationship and whether the timing and magnitude of vendor payments appear accurate and appropriate.

Your auditor may even look outside your company for non-financial data. Many websites allow customers and employees to submit reviews of the company. These reviews can provide valuable insight regarding the company’s inner workings. If the reviews uncover consistent themes — such as an unwillingness to honor product guarantees or allegations of illegal business practices — it may signal deep-seated problems that require further analysis.

Facilitating the audit process

Auditors typically ask lots of questions and request specific documentation to test the accuracy and integrity of a company’s financial records. While these procedures may seem probing or superfluous, analyzing non-financial data is critical to issuing a non-qualified audit opinion. Let’s work together to get it right!

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Can your business become more profitable without venturing out of its comfort zone? Of course! However, adding new products or services may not be the best way for your business — or any company — to boost profits. Bottom-line potential may lie undiscovered in your existing operations. How can you find these “hidden” profits? Dig into every facet of your organization.

Develop a profit plan

You’ve probably written and perhaps even recently revised a business plan. And you’ve no doubt developed sales and marketing plans to present to investors and bankers. But have you taken the extra step of developing a profit plan?

A profit plan outlines your company’s profit potential and sets objectives for realizing those bottom-line improvements. Following traditional profit projections based on a previous quarter’s or previous year’s performance can limit you. Why? Because when your company reaches its budgeted sales goals or exceeds them, you may feel inclined to ease up for the rest of the year. Don’t just coast past your sales goals — roar past them and keep going.

Uncover hidden profit potential by developing a profit plan that includes a continuous incentive to improve. Set your sales goals high. Even if you don’t reach them, you’ll have the incentive to continue pushing for more sales right through year end.

Ask the right questions

Among the most effective techniques for creating such a plan is to consider three critical questions. Answer them with, if necessary, brutal honesty to increase your chances of success. And pose the questions to your employees for their input, too. Their answers may reveal options you never considered. Here are the questions:

1. What does our company do best? Involve top management and brainstorm to answer this question. Identifying your core competencies should result in strategies that boost operations and uncover hidden profits.

2. What products or services should we eliminate? Nearly everyone in management has an answer to this question, but usually no one asks for it. When you lay out the tough answers on the table, you can often eliminate unprofitable activities and improve profits by adding or improving profitable ones.

3. Exactly who are our customers? You may be wasting time and money on marketing that doesn’t reach your most profitable customers. Analyzing your customers and prospects to better focus your marketing activities is a powerful way to cut waste and increase profits.

Get that shovel ready

Every business owner wishes his or her company could be more profitable, but how many undertake a concerted effort to uncover hidden profits? By pulling out that figurative shovel and digging into every aspect of your company, you may very well unearth profit opportunities your competitors are missing. We can help you conduct this self-examination, gather the data and crunch the resulting numbers.

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Is your business hiring this summer? If the employees come from certain “targeted groups,” you may be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). This includes youth whom you bring in this summer for two or three months. The maximum credit employers can claim is $2,400 to $9,600 for each eligible employee.

10 targeted groups

An employer is generally eligible for the credit only for qualified wages paid to members of 10 targeted groups:

Qualified members of families receiving assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program,
Qualified veterans,
Designated community residents who live in Empowerment Zones or rural renewal counties,
Qualified ex-felons,
Vocational rehabilitation referrals,
Qualified summer youth employees,
Qualified members of families in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
Qualified Supplemental Security Income recipients,
Long-term family assistance recipients, and
Qualified individuals who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.

For each employee, there’s also a minimum requirement that the employee have completed at least 120 hours of service for the employer, and that employment begin before January 1, 2020.

Also, the credit isn’t available for certain employees who are related to the employer or work more than 50% of the time outside of a trade or business of the employer (for example, working as a house cleaner in the employer’s home). And it generally isn’t available for employees who have previously worked for the employer.

Calculate the savings

For employees other than summer youth employees, the credit amount is calculated under the following rules. The employer can take into account up to $6,000 of first-year wages per employee ($10,000 for “long-term family assistance recipients” and/or $12,000, $14,000 or $24,000 for certain veterans). If the employee completed at least 120 hours but less than 400 hours of service for the employer, the wages taken into account are multiplied by 25%. If the employee completed 400 or more hours, all of the wages taken into account are multiplied by 40%.

Therefore, the maximum credit available for the first-year wages is $2,400 ($6,000 × 40%) per employee. It is $4,000 [$10,000 × 40%] for “long-term family assistance recipients”; $4,800, $5,600 or $9,600 [$12,000, $14,000 or $24,000 × 40%] for certain veterans. In order to claim a $9,600 credit, a veteran must be certified as being entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability and be unemployed for at least six months during the one-year period ending on the hiring date.

Additionally, for “long-term family assistance recipients,” there’s a 50% credit for up to $10,000 of second-year wages, resulting in a total maximum credit, over two years, of $9,000 [$10,000 × 40% plus $10,000 × 50%].

The “first year” described above is the year-long period which begins with the employee’s first day of work. The “second year” is the year that immediately follows.

For summer youth employees, the rules described above apply, except that you can only take into account up to $3,000 of wages, and the wages must be paid for services performed during any 90-day period between May 1 and September 15. That means that, for summer youth employees, the maximum credit available is $1,200 ($3,000 × 40%) per employee. Summer youth employees are defined as those who are at least 16 years old, but under 18 on the hiring date or May 1 (whichever is later), and reside in an Empowerment Zone, enterprise community or renewal community.

We can help

The WOTC can offset the cost of hiring qualified new employees. There are some additional rules that, in limited circumstances, prohibit the credit or require an allocation of the credit. And you must fill out and submit paperwork to the government. Contact us for assistance or more information about your situation.

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If federal income tax and employment taxes (including Social Security) are withheld from employees’ paychecks and not handed over to the IRS, a harsh penalty can be imposed. To make matters worse, the penalty can be assessed personally against a “responsible individual.”

If a business makes payroll tax payments late, there are escalating penalties. And if an employer fails to make them, the IRS will crack down hard. With the “Trust Fund Recovery Penalty,” also known as the “100% Penalty,” the IRS can assess the entire unpaid amount against a responsible person who willfully fails to comply with the law.

Some business owners and executives facing a cash flow crunch may be tempted to dip into the payroll taxes withheld from employees. They may think, “I’ll send the money in later when it comes in from another source.” Bad idea!

No corporate protection

The corporate veil won’t shield corporate officers in these cases. Unlike some other liability protections that a corporation or limited liability company may have, business owners and executives can’t escape personal liability for payroll tax debts.

Once the IRS asserts the penalty, it can file a lien or take levy or seizure action against a responsible individual’s personal assets.

Who’s responsible?

The penalty can be assessed against a shareholder, owner, director, officer, or employee. In some cases, it can be assessed against a third party. The IRS can also go after more than one person. To be liable, an individual or party must:

Be responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over withheld federal taxes, and willfully fail to pay over those taxes. That means intentionally, deliberately, voluntarily and knowingly disregarding the requirements of the law.
The easiest way out of a delinquent payroll tax mess is to avoid getting into one in the first place. If you’re involved in a small or medium-size business, make sure the federal taxes that have been withheld from employees’ paychecks are paid over to the government on time. Don’t ever allow “borrowing” from withheld amounts.

Consider hiring an outside service to handle payroll duties. A good payroll service provider relieves you of the burden of paying employees, making the deductions, taking care of the tax payments and handling record keeping. Contact us for more information.

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Summer is just around the corner, so you might be thinking about getting some vacation time. If you’re self-employed or a business owner, you have a golden opportunity to combine a business trip with a few extra days of vacation and offset some of the cost with a tax deduction. But be careful, or you might not qualify for the write-offs you’re expecting.

Basic rules

Business travel expenses can potentially be deducted if the travel is within the United States and the expenses are:

“Ordinary and necessary” and
Directly related to the business.
Note: The tax rules for foreign business travel are different from those for domestic travel.

Business owners and the self-employed are generally eligible to deduct business travel expenses if they meet the tests described above. However, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees can no longer deduct such expenses. The potential deductions discussed in this article assume that you’re a business owner or self-employed.

A business-vacation trip

Transportation costs to and from the location of your business activity may be 100% deductible if the primary reason for the trip is business rather than pleasure. But if vacation is the primary reason for your travel, generally no transportation costs are deductible. These costs include plane or train tickets, the cost of getting to and from the airport, luggage handling tips and car expenses if you drive. Costs for driving your personal car are also eligible.

The key factor in determining whether the primary reason for domestic travel is business is the number of days you spend conducting business vs. enjoying vacation days. Any day principally devoted to business activities during normal business hours counts as a business day. In addition:

Your travel days count as business days, as do weekends and holidays — if they fall between days devoted to business and it wouldn’t be practical to return home.
Standby days (days when your physical presence might be required) also count as business days, even if you aren’t ultimately called upon to work on those days.
Bottom line: If your business days exceed your personal days, you should be able to claim business was the primary reason for a domestic trip and deduct your transportation costs.

What else can you deduct?

Once at the destination, your out-of-pocket expenses for business days are fully deductible. Examples of these expenses include lodging, meals (subject to the 50% disallowance rule), seminar and convention fees, and cab fare. Expenses for personal days aren’t deductible.

Keep in mind that only expenses for yourself are deductible. You can’t deduct expenses for family members traveling with you, including your spouse — unless they’re employees of your business and traveling for a bona fide business purpose.

Keep good records

Be sure to retain proof of the business nature of your trip. You must properly substantiate all of the expenses you’re deducting. If you get audited, the IRS will want to see records during travel you claim was for business. Good records are your best defense. Additional rules and limits apply to travel expense deductions. Please contact us if you have questions.

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Companies tend to spend considerable time and resources training and upskilling their sales staff on how to handle existing customers. And this is, no doubt, a critical task. But don’t overlook the vast pool of individuals or entities that want to buy from you but just don’t know it yet. We’re talking about prospects.

Identifying and winning over a steady flow of new buyers can safeguard your business against sudden sales drops or, better yet, push its profitability to new heights. Here are some ideas for better targeting and converting your company’s sales prospects:

Continually improve lead generation. Does your marketing department help you generate leads by doing things such as creating customer profiles for your products or services? If not, it’s probably time to create a database of prospects who may benefit from your products or services. Customer relationship management software can be of great help. When salespeople have a clear picture of a likely buyer, they’ll be able to better focus their efforts.

Use qualifications to avoid wasted sales calls. The most valuable nonrecurring asset that any company possesses is time. Effective salespeople spend their time with prospects who are the most likely to buy from them. Four aspects of a worthy prospect include having:

Clearly discernible and fulfillable needs,
A readily available decision maker,
Definitively assured creditworthiness, and
A timely desire to buy.

Apply these qualifications, and perhaps others that you develop, to any person or entity with whom you’re considering doing business. If a sale appears highly unlikely, move on.

Develop effective questions. When talking with prospects, your sales staff must know what draws buyers to your company. Sales staffers who make great presentations but don’t ask effective questions to find out about prospects’ needs are doomed to mediocrity.

They say the most effective salespeople spend 20% of their time talking and 80% listening. Whether these percentages are completely accurate is hard to say but, after making their initial pitch, good salespeople use their talking time to ask intelligent, insightful questions based on solid research into the prospect. Otherwise, they listen.

Devise solutions. It may seem next to impossible to solve the challenges of someone you’ve never met. But that’s the ultimate challenge of targeting and winning over prospects. Your sales staff needs the ability to know — going in — how your product or service can solve a prospect’s problem or help him, her or that organization accomplish a goal. Without a clear offer of a solution, what motivation does a prospect have to spend money?

Customers are important — and it would be foolish to suggest they’re not. But remember, at one time, every one of your customers was a prospect that you won over. You’ve got to keep that up. Contact us for help quantifying your sales process so you can get a better idea of how to improve it.

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Few businesses today can afford to let potential buyers slip through the cracks. Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help you build long-term relationships with those most likely to buy your products or services. But to maximize your return on investment in one of these solutions, you and your employees must have a realistic grasp on its purpose and functionality.

Putting it all together

CRM software is designed to:

Gather every bit and byte of data related to your customers,
Organize that information in a clear, meaningful format, and
Integrate itself with other systems and platforms (including social media).

Every time a customer contacts your company — or you follow up with that customer — the CRM system can record that interaction. This input enables business owners to track leads, forecast and record sales, assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and evaluate other important data. It also helps companies retain valuable customer contact information, preventing confusion following staff turnover or if someone happens to be out of the office.

Furthermore, most CRM systems can remind salespeople when to make follow-up calls and prompt other employees to contact customers. For instance, an industrial cleaning company could set up its system to automatically transmit customer reminders regarding upcoming service dates.

Categorizing your contacts

Customers can be categorized by purchase history, future product or service interests, desired methods of contact, and other data points. This helps businesses reach out to customers at a good time, in the right way. When companies flood customers with too many impersonal calls, direct mail pieces or e-mails, their messaging is much more likely to be ignored.

Naturally, an important part of maintaining any CRM system is keeping customers’ contact data up to date. So, you’ll need to instruct sales or customer service staff to gently touch base on this issue at least once a year. To avoid appearing pushy, some businesses ask customers to fill out contact info cards (or request business cards) that are then entered into a drawing for a free product or service — or even just a free lunch!

Encouraging buy-in

A properly implemented CRM system can improve sales, lower marketing costs and build customer loyalty. But, as mentioned, you’ll need to train employees how to use the software to get these benefits. And buy-in must occur throughout the organization — a “silo approach” to CRM that focuses only on one business area won’t optimize results.

Establish thorough use of the system as an annual performance objective for sales, marketing and customer service employees. Some business owners even offer monthly prizes or bonuses to employees who consistently enter data into their CRM systems.

Making the right choice

There are many CRM solutions available today at a wide variety of price points. We can help you conduct a cost-benefit analysis of this type of software — based on your company’s size, needs and budget — to assist you in choosing whether to buy a product or, if you already have one, how best to upgrade it.

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Roth&Co is proud to announce the launch of its new Outsourced CFO Services, which provides a full suite of CFO services managed by an experienced and knowledgeable Controller.

Roth & Company prides itself on providing the personalized services of a boutique firm, combined with the experience and expertise of a large organization, and through this new addition, clients will be better equipped to achieve their desired results and reach their business and financial goals.

As part of Roth&Co’s Outsourced CFO Services, a CFO/Controller will work directly with the business, in order to review the accuracy of their financial statements, assist in creating and implementing internal controls and policies and procedures, help them with financial planning, and manage the financial risk of their businesses.

Yona Strimber has joined the Roth&Co team as the lead Controller for this new service. Mr. Strimber has experience managing large client bases within many industries and providing tax and accounting consulting.

“While we are always focused on the numbers, when it comes to taking care of our clients and their businesses, we don’t believe in putting a cap on that,” said Zacharia Waxler, Co-Managing Partner. He continued, “It’s difficult to find someone with the necessary skills who also exhibits the enthusiasm we look for in our team members. When we met Yona though, it was clear that he had the experience and attitude to help our clients grow”.

Carefully guiding businesses through the financial world for over 40 years, Roth & Company continually looks for ways to provide additional resources for its clients, and is excited to offer Outsourced CFO Services to its new and existing clients.

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There are many ways for employers to conduct annual performance reviews. So many, in fact, that owners of small to midsize businesses may find the prospect of implementing a state-of-the-art review process overwhelming.

The simple truth is that smaller companies may not need to exert a lot of effort on a complex approach. Sometimes a simple conversation between supervisor and employee — or even owner and employee — can do the job, as long as mutual understanding is achieved and clear objectives are set.

Remember why it matters

If your commitment to this often-stressful ritual ever starts to falter, remind yourself of why it matters. A well-designed performance review process is valuable because it can:

Provide feedback and counseling to employees about how the company perceives their respective job performances,
Set objectives for the upcoming year and assist in determining any developmental needs, and
Create a written record of performance and assist in allocating rewards and opportunities, as well as justifying disciplinary actions or termination.

Conversely, giving annual reviews short shrift by only orally praising or reprimanding an employee leaves a big gap in that worker’s written history. The most secure companies, legally speaking, document employees’ shortcomings — and achievements — as they occur. They fully discuss performance at least once annually.

Don’t do this!

To ensure your company’s annual reviews are as productive as possible, make sure your supervisors aren’t:

Winging it. Establish clear standards and procedures for annual reviews. For example, supervisors should prepare for the meetings by filling out the same documentation for every employee.

Failing to consult others. If a team member works regularly with other departments or outside vendors, his or her supervisor should contact individuals in those other areas for feedback before the review. You can learn some surprising things this way, both good and bad.

Keeping employees in the dark. Nothing in a performance review should come as a major surprise to an employee. Be sure supervisors are communicating with workers about their performance throughout the year. An employee should know in advance what will be discussed, how much time to set aside for the meeting and how to prepare for it.

Failing to follow through. Make sure supervisors identify key objectives for each employee for the coming year. It’s also a good idea to establish checkpoints in the months ahead to assess the employee’s progress toward the goals in question.

Put something in place

As a business grows, it may very well need to upgrade and expand its performance evaluation process. But the bottom line is that every company needs to have something in place, no matter how basic, to evaluate and document how well employees are performing. Our firm can help determine how your employees’ performance is affecting profitability and suggest ways to cost-effectively improve productivity.

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Roth 401(k) accounts have been around for 13 years now. Studies show that more employers are offering them each year. A recent study by the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) found that Roth 401(k)s are now available at 70% of employer plans, up from 55.6% of plans in 2016.

However, despite the prevalence of employers offering Roth 401(k)s, most employees aren’t choosing to contribute to them. The PSCA found that only 20% of participants who have access to a Roth 401(k) made contributions to one in 2017. Perhaps it’s because they don’t understand them.

If you offer a Roth 401(k) or you’re considering one, educate your employees about the accounts to boost participation.

A 401(k) with a twist

As the name implies, these plans are a hybrid — taking some characteristics from Roth IRAs and some from employer-sponsored 401(k)s.

An employer with a 401(k), 403(b) or governmental 457(b) plan can offer designated Roth 401(k) accounts.

As with traditional 401(k)s, eligible employees can elect to defer part of their salaries to Roth 401(k)s, subject to annual limits. The employer may choose to provide matching contributions. For 2019, a participating employee can contribute up to $19,000 ($25,000 if he or she is age 50 or older) to a Roth 401(k). The most you can contribute to a Roth IRA for 2019 is $6,000 ($7,000 for those age 50 or older).

Note: The ability to contribute to a Roth IRA is phased out for upper-income taxpayers, but there’s no such restriction for a Roth 401(k).

The pros and cons

Unlike with traditional 401(k)s, contributions to employees’ accounts are made with after-tax dollars, instead of pretax dollars. Therefore, employees forfeit a key 401(k) tax benefit. On the plus side, after an initial period of five years, “qualified distributions” are 100% exempt from federal income tax, just like qualified distributions from a Roth IRA. In contrast, regular 401(k) distributions are taxed at ordinary-income rates, which are currently up to 37%.

In general, qualified distributions are those:

Made after a participant reaches age 59½, or
Made due to death or disability.

Therefore, you can take qualified Roth 401(k) distributions in retirement after age 59½ and pay no tax, as opposed to the hefty tax bill that may be due from traditional 401(k) payouts. And unlike traditional 401(k)s, which currently require retirees to begin taking required minimum distributions after age 70½, Roth 401(k)s have no mandate to take withdrawals.

Not for everyone

A Roth 401(k) is more beneficial than a traditional 401(k) for some participants, but not all. For example, it may be valuable for employees who expect to be in higher federal and state tax brackets in retirement. Contact us if you have questions about adding a Roth 401(k) to your benefits lineup.

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Businesses use two types of audits to gauge financial results: internal and external. Here’s a closer look at how they measure up.

Focus

Internal auditors go beyond traditional financial reporting. They focus on a company’s internal controls, accounting processes and ability to mitigate risk. Internal auditors also evaluate whether the company’s activities comply with its strategy, and they may consult on a variety of financial issues as they arise within the company.

In contrast, external auditors focus solely on the financial statements. Specifically, external auditors evaluate the statements’ accuracy and completeness, whether they comply with applicable accounting standards and practices, and whether they present a true and accurate presentation of the company’s financial performance. Accounting rules prohibit external audit firms from providing their audit clients with ancillary services that extend beyond the scope of the audit.

The audit “client”

Internal auditors are employees of the company they audit. They report to the chief audit executive and issue reports for management to use internally.

External auditors work for an independent accounting firm. The company’s shareholders or board of directors hires a third-party auditing firm to serve as its external auditor. The external audit team delivers reports directly to the company’s shareholders or audit committee, not to management.

Qualifications

Internal auditors don’t need to be certified public accountants (CPAs), although many have earned this qualification. Often, internal auditors earn a certified internal auditor (CIA) qualification, which requires them to follow standards issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Conversely, the partner directing an external audit must be a CPA. Most midlevel and senior auditors earn their CPA license at some point in their career. External auditors must follow U.S. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), which are issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Reporting format

Internal auditors issue reports throughout the year. The format may vary depending on the preferences of management or the internal audit team.

External auditors issue financial statements quarterly for most public companies and at least annually for private ones. In general, external audit reports must conform to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or another basis of accounting (such as tax or cash basis reporting). If needed, external auditing procedures may be performed more frequently. For example, a lender may require a private company that fails to meet its loan covenants at year end to undergo a midyear audit by an external audit firm.

Common ground

Sometimes the work of internal and external auditors overlaps. Though internal auditors have a broader focus, both teams have the same goal: to help the company report financial data that people can count on. So, it makes sense for internal and external auditors to meet frequently to understand the other team’s focus and avoid duplication of effort. Contact us to map out an auditing strategy that fits the needs of your company.

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Life presents us with many choices: paper or plastic, chocolate or vanilla, regular or decaf. For businesses, a common conundrum is buy or lease. You’ve probably faced this decision when considering office space or a location for your company’s production facilities. But the buy vs. lease quandary also comes into play with equipment.

Pride of ownership

Some business owners approach buying equipment like purchasing a car: “It’s mine; I’m committed to it and I’m going to do everything I can to familiarize myself with this asset and keep it in tip-top shape.” Yes, pride of ownership is still a thing.

If this is your philosophy, work to pass along that pride to employees. When you get staff members to buy in to the idea that this is your equipment and the success of the company depends on using and maintaining each asset properly, the business can obtain a great deal of long-term value from assets that are bought and paid for.

Of course, no “buy vs. lease” discussion is complete without mentioning taxes. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act dramatically enhanced Section 179 expensing and first-year bonus depreciation for asset purchases. In fact, many businesses may be able to write off the full cost of most equipment in the year it’s purchased. On the downside, you’ll take a cash flow hit when buying an asset, and the tax benefits may be mitigated somewhat if you finance.

Fine things about flexibility

Many businesses lease their equipment for one simple reason: flexibility. From a cash flow perspective, you’re not laying down a major purchase amount or even a substantial down payment in most cases. And you’re not committed to an asset for an indefinite period — if you don’t like it, at least there’s an end date in sight.

Leasing also may be the better option if your company uses technologically advanced equipment that will get outdated relatively quickly. Think about the future of your business, too. If you’re planning to explore an expansion, merger or business transformation, you may be better off leasing equipment so you’ll have the flexibility to adapt it to your changing circumstances.

Last, leasing does have some tax breaks. Lease payments generally are tax deductible as “ordinary and necessary” business expenses, though annual deduction limits may apply.

Pros and cons

On a parting note, if you do lease assets this year and your company follows Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), new accounting rules for leases take effect in 2020 for calendar-year private companies. Contact us for further information, as well as for any assistance you might need in weighing the pros and cons of buying vs. leasing business equipment.

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As the old saying goes, success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. The world is teeming with information and advice meant to help you take your great idea to business startup and onward to prosperity, but in the end success goes to those who don’t tire of tackling obstacles and confronting the inevitable predicaments.

Some mistakes are easier to avoid than others are, and they often involve the expertise of other professionals. The largest percentage of failed businesses have stumbled blindly into the financial abyss. Miscalculating and underestimating just how much money a startup needs is common; being hit with a hefty and unexpected tax bill at year’s end is another.

Confer with an attorney before going into business to decide upon the most appropriate legal structure and set up the appropriate filings, licenses or registrations. Make sure you are aware of all your legal responsibilities and liabilities and you will avoid costly errors and ethical issues down the road.

Sounds obvious, but sometimes it is not our instincts that get us in trouble, but our attachment to them, our belief that we know it all, can do it all and will always be right. Honesty and transparency are recent buzzwords in business marketing and PR, but being honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses and the risks your business faces is an imperative precursor. To be honest with the world, start by being fiercely honest with yourself then your top management. That’s the way to map out a plan, whether it’s your first business plan, or your tenth. Without proper planning, reality will certainly complicate the fantasy.

Some companies and organizations that are still thriving have made the most monumental and infamous mistakes of all time. Others were not as lucky with their blunders.

In 1977, Kodak filed a patent for one of the first digital camera technologies, but never brought it to market. Blinded by the success of their film business they simply failed to keep pace with the trend. Had Kodak only trusted that instinct and acted on it they might still be a leader in their field. Did they lose sight of their vision to be the means by which people capture their memories? Did they run out of steam to take on a major transition?

When the pressure to make money eases, what will motivate you to keep doing all the things you did to become profitable in the first place? The answer requires honesty.

In 1999, NASA and Lockheed Martin, a global aerospace and security company, collaborated on the design and production of a Mars Orbitor. Due to a simple error, that could have (should have!) been caught numerous times, engineers at Lockheed used English measurements while NASA used metric, a 125 million dollar probe malfunctioned and was lost in space. Both continued on to great achievements. Not without some difficult reckoning, certainly. But when you’re faced with your next failure, remember that your next success still lies ahead.

Roth&Co provides that much needed professional and experienced support to set a course for success and keep you on track.

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If you read the Internal Revenue Code (and you probably don’t want to!), you may be surprised to find that most business deductions aren’t specifically listed. It doesn’t explicitly state that you can deduct office supplies and certain other expenses.

Some expenses are detailed in the tax code, but the general rule is contained in the first sentence of Section 162, which states you can write off “all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business.”

Basic definitions

In general, an expense is ordinary if it’s considered common or customary in the particular trade or business. For example, insurance premiums to protect a store would be an ordinary business expense in the retail industry.

A necessary expense is defined as one that’s helpful or appropriate. For example, let’s say a car dealership purchases an automatic defibrillator. It may not be necessary for the operation of the business, but it might be helpful and appropriate if an employee or customer suffers a heart attack.

It’s possible for an ordinary expense to be unnecessary — but, in order to be deductible, an expense must be ordinary and necessary.

In addition, a deductible amount must be reasonable in relation to the benefit expected. For example, if you’re attempting to land a $3,000 deal, a $65 lunch with a potential client should be OK with the IRS. (Keep in mind that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated most deductions for entertainment expenses but retains the 50% deduction for business meals.)

Examples of not ordinary and unnecessary

Not surprisingly, the IRS and courts don’t always agree with taxpayers about what qualifies as ordinary and necessary expenditures.

In one case, a man engaged in a business with his brother was denied deductions for his private airplane expenses. The U.S. Tax Court noted that the taxpayer had failed to prove the expenses were ordinary and necessary to the business. In addition, only one brother used the plane and the flights were to places that the taxpayer could have driven to or flown to on a commercial airline. And, in any event, the stated expenses including depreciation expenses, weren’t adequately substantiated, the court added. (TC Memo 2018-108)

In another case, the Tax Court ruled that a business owner wasn’t entitled to deduct legal and professional fees he’d incurred in divorce proceedings defending his ex-wife’s claims to his interest in, or portion of, distributions he received from his LLC. The IRS and the court ruled the divorce legal fees were nondeductible personal expenses and weren’t ordinary and necessary. (TC Memo 2018-80)

Proceed with caution

The deductibility of some expenses is clear. But for other expenses, it can get more complicated. Generally, if an expense seems like it’s not normal in your industry — or if it could be considered fun, personal or extravagant in nature — you should proceed with caution. And keep records to substantiate the expenses you’re deducting. Consult with us for guidance.

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Many employers prefer to classify workers as independent contractors to lower costs, even if it means having less control over a worker’s day-to-day activities. But the government is on the lookout for businesses that classify workers as independent contractors simply to reduce taxes or avoid their employee benefit obligations.

Why it matters

When your business classifies a worker as an employee, you generally must withhold federal income tax and the employee’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes from his or her wages. Your business must then pay the employer’s share of these taxes, pay federal unemployment tax, file federal payroll tax returns and follow other burdensome IRS and U.S. Department of Labor rules.

You may also have to pay state and local unemployment and workers’ compensation taxes and comply with more rules. Dealing with all this can cost a bundle each year.

On the other hand, with independent contractor status, you don’t have to worry about employment tax issues. You also don’t have to provide fringe benefits like health insurance, retirement plans and paid vacations. If you pay $600 or more to an independent contractor during the year, you must file a Form 1099-MISC with the IRS and send a copy to the worker to report what you paid. That’s basically the extent of your bureaucratic responsibilities.

But if you incorrectly treat a worker as an independent contractor — and the IRS decides the worker is actually an employee — your business could be assessed unpaid payroll taxes plus interest and penalties. You also could be liable for employee benefits that should have been provided but weren’t, including penalties under federal laws.

Filing an IRS form

To find out if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor, you can file optional IRS Form SS-8, “Determination of Worker Status for Purposes of Federal Employment Taxes and Income Tax Withholding.” Then, the IRS will let you know how to classify a worker. However, be aware that the IRS has a history of classifying workers as employees rather than independent contractors.

Businesses should consult with us before filing Form SS-8 because it may alert the IRS that your business has worker classification issues — and inadvertently trigger an employment tax audit.

It can be better to simply treat independent contractors so the relationships comply with the tax rules. This generally includes not controlling how the workers perform their duties, ensuring that you’re not the workers’ only customer, providing annual Forms 1099 and, basically, not treating the workers like employees.

Workers can also ask for a determination

Workers who want an official determination of their status can also file Form SS-8. Disgruntled independent contractors may do so because they feel entitled to employee benefits and want to eliminate self-employment tax liabilities.

If a worker files Form SS-8, the IRS will send a letter to the business. It identifies the worker and includes a blank Form SS-8. The business is asked to complete and return the form to the IRS, which will render a classification decision.

Defending your position

If your business properly handles independent contractors, don’t panic if a worker files a Form SS-8. Contact us before replying to the IRS. With a proper response, you may be able to continue to classify the worker as a contractor. We also can assist you in setting up independent contractor relationships that stand up to IRS scrutiny.

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Many businesses have a life cycle that, as life cycles tend to do, concludes with a period of decline and failure. Often, the demise of a company is driven by internal factors — such as weak financial oversight, lack of management consensus or one-person rule.

External factors typically contribute, as well. These may include disruptive competitors; local, national or global economic changes; or a more restrictive regulatory environment.

But just because bad things happen doesn’t mean they have to happen to your company. To prepare for the worst, identify a business turnaround strategy that you can implement if a severe decline suddenly becomes imminent.

Warning signs

When a company is drifting toward serious trouble, there are usually warning signs. Examples include:

Serious deterioration in the accuracy or usage of financial measurements,
Poor results of key performance indicators — including working capital to assets, sales and retained earnings to assets, and book value to debt,
Adverse trends, such as lower margins, market share or working capital,
Rapid increase in debt and employee turnover, and
Drastic reduction in assessed business value.

Not every predicament that arises will threaten the very existence of your business. But when missteps and misfortune build up, the only thing that may save the company is a well-planned turnaround strategy.

5 stages of a turnaround

No two turnarounds are exactly alike, but they generally occur in five basic stages:

Rapid assessment of the decline by external advisors,
Re-evaluation of management and staffing,
Emergency intervention to stabilize the business,
Operational restoration to pursue or achieve profitability, and
Full recovery and growth.

Each of these stages calls for a detailed action plan. Identify the advisors or even a dedicated turnaround consultant who can help you assess the damage and execute immediate moves. Prepare for the possibility that you’ll need to replace some managers and even lay off staff to reduce employment costs.

In the emergency intervention stage, a business does whatever is necessary to survive — including consolidating debt, closing locations and selling off assets. Next, restoring operations and pursuing profitability usually means scaling back to only those business segments that have achieved, or can achieve, decent gross margins.

Last, you’ll need to establish a baseline of profitability that equates to full recovery. From there, you can choose reasonable growth strategies that will move the company forward without leading it over another cliff.

In case of emergency

If your business is doing fine, there’s no need to create a minutely detailed turnaround plan. But, as part of your strategic planning efforts, it’s still a good idea to outline a general turnaround strategy to keep on hand in case of emergency. Our firm can help you devise either strategy. We can also assist you in generating financial statements and monitoring key performance indicators that help enable you to avoid crises altogether.

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In the course of operating your business, you probably spend time and money “wining and dining” current or potential customers, vendors and employees. What can you deduct on your tax return for these expenses? The rules changed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), but you can still claim some valuable write-offs.

No more entertainment deductions

One of the biggest changes is that you can no longer deduct most business-related entertainment expenses. Beginning in 2018, the TCJA disallows deductions for entertainment expenses, including those for sports events, theater productions, golf outings and fishing trips.

Meal deductions still allowed

You can still deduct 50% of the cost of food and beverages for meals conducted with business associates. However, you need to follow three basic rules in order to prove that your expenses are business related:

The expenses must be “ordinary and necessary” in carrying on your business. This means your food and beverage costs are customary and appropriate. They shouldn’t be lavish or extravagant.
The expenses must be directly related or associated with your business. This means that you expect to receive a concrete business benefit from them. The principal purpose for the meal must be business. You can’t go out with a group of friends for the evening, discuss business with one of them for a few minutes, and then write off the check.
You must be able to substantiate the expenses. There are requirements for proving that meal and beverage expenses qualify for a deduction. You must be able to establish the amount spent, the date and place where the meals took place, the business purpose and the business relationship of the people involved.

Set up detailed recordkeeping procedures to keep track of business meal costs. That way, you can prove them and the business connection in the event of an IRS audit.

Other considerations

What if you spend money on food and beverages at an entertainment event? The IRS clarified in guidance (Notice 2018-76) that taxpayers can still deduct 50% of food and drink expenses incurred at entertainment events, but only if business was conducted during the event or shortly before or after. The food-and-drink expenses should also be “stated separately from the cost of the entertainment on one or more bills, invoices or receipts,” according to the guidance.

Another related tax law change involves meals provided to employees on the business premises. Before the TCJA, these meals provided to an employee for the convenience of the employer were 100% deductible by the employer. Beginning in 2018, meals provided for the convenience of an employer in an on-premises cafeteria or elsewhere on the business property are only 50% deductible. After 2025, these meals won’t be deductible at all.

Plan ahead

As you can see, the treatment of meal and entertainment expenses became more complicated after the TCJA. Reach out to your Roth&Co advisor with any questions on how to get the biggest tax-saving bang for your business meal bucks.

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Once your 2018 tax return has been successfully filed with the IRS, you may still have some questions. Here are brief answers to three questions that we’re frequently asked at this time of year.

Question #1: What tax records can I throw away now?
At a minimum, keep tax records related to your return for as long as the IRS can audit your return or assess additional taxes. In general, the statute of limitations is three years after you file your return. So you can generally get rid of most records related to tax returns for 2015 and earlier years. (If you filed an extension for your 2015 return, hold on to your records until at least three years from when you filed the extended return.)

However, the statute of limitations extends to six years for taxpayers who understate their gross income by more than 25%.

You’ll need to hang on to certain tax-related records longer. For example, keep the actual tax returns indefinitely, so you can prove to the IRS that you filed a legitimate return. (There’s no statute of limitations for an audit if you didn’t file a return or you filed a fraudulent one.)

When it comes to retirement accounts, keep records associated with them until you’ve depleted the account and reported the last withdrawal on your tax return, plus three (or six) years. And retain records related to real estate or investments for as long as you own the asset, plus at least three years after you sell it and report the sale on your tax return. (You can keep these records for six years if you want to be extra safe.)

Question #2: Where’s my refund?
The IRS has an online tool that can tell you the status of your refund. Go to irs.gov and click on “Refund Status” to find out about yours. You’ll need your Social Security number, filing status and the exact refund amount.

Question #3: Can I still collect a refund if I forgot to report something?
In general, you can file an amended tax return and claim a refund within three years after the date you filed your original return or within two years of the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. So for a 2018 tax return that you filed on April 15 of 2019, you can generally file an amended return until April 15, 2022.

However, there are a few opportunities when you have longer to file an amended return. For example, the statute of limitations for bad debts is longer than the usual three-year time limit for most items on your tax return. In general, you can amend your tax return to claim a bad debt for seven years from the due date of the tax return for the year that the debt became worthless.

We can help
Contact us if you have questions about tax record retention, your refund or filing an amended return. We’re available all year long — not just at tax filing time!

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It’s every business owner’s nightmare. Should hackers gain access to your customers’ or employees’ sensitive data, the very reputation of your company could be compromised. And lawsuits might soon follow.

No business owner wants to think about such a crisis, yet it’s imperative that you do. Suffering a data breach without an emergency response plan leaves you vulnerable to not only the damage of the attack itself, but also the potential fallout from your own panicked decisions.

5 steps to take

A comprehensive plan generally follows five steps once a data breach occurs:

1. Call your attorney. He or she should be able to advise you on the potential legal ramifications of the incident and what you should do or not do (or say) in response. Involve your attorney in the creation of your response plan, so all this won’t come out of the blue.

2. Engage a digital forensics investigator. Contact us for help identifying a forensic investigator that you can turn to in the event of a data breach. The preliminary goal will be to answer two fundamental questions: How were the systems breached? What data did the hackers access? Once these questions have been answered, experts can evaluate the extent of the damage.

3. Fortify your IT systems. While investigative and response procedures are underway, you need to proactively prevent another breach and strengthen controls. Doing so will obviously involve changing passwords, but you may also need to add firewalls, create deeper layers of user authentication or restrict some employees from certain systems.

4. Communicate strategically. No matter the size of the company, the communications goal following a data breach is essentially the same: Provide accurate information about the incident in a reasonably timely manner that preserves the trust of customers, employees, investors, creditors and other stakeholders.

Note that “in a reasonably timely manner” doesn’t mean “immediately.” Often, it’s best to acknowledge an incident occurred but hold off on a detailed statement until you know precisely what happened and can reassure those affected that you’re taking specific measures to control the damage.

5. Activate or adjust credit and IT monitoring services. You may want to initiate an early warning system against future breaches by setting up a credit monitoring service and engaging an IT consultant to periodically check your systems for unauthorized or suspicious activity. Of course, you don’t have to wait for a breach to do these things, but you could increase their intensity or frequency following an incident.

Inevitable risk

Data breaches are an inevitable risk of running a business in today’s networked, technology-driven world. Should this nightmare become a reality, a well-conceived emergency response plan can preserve your company’s goodwill and minimize the negative impact on profitability. We can help you budget for such a plan and establish internal controls to prevent and detect fraud related to (and not related to) data breaches.

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Merger and acquisition activity has been brisk in recent years. If your business is considering merging with or acquiring another business, it’s important to understand how the transaction will be taxed under current law.

Stocks vs. assets

From a tax standpoint, a transaction can basically be structured in two ways:

1. Stock (or ownership interest). A buyer can directly purchase a seller’s ownership interest if the target business is operated as a C or S corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company (LLC) that’s treated as a partnership for tax purposes.

The now-permanent 21% corporate federal income tax rate under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) makes buying the stock of a C corporation somewhat more attractive. Reasons: The corporation will pay less tax and generate more after-tax income. Plus, any built-in gains from appreciated corporate assets will be taxed at a lower rate when they’re eventually sold.

The TCJA’s reduced individual federal tax rates may also make ownership interests in S corporations, partnerships and LLCs more attractive. Reason: The passed-through income from these entities also will be taxed at lower rates on a buyer’s personal tax return. However, the TCJA’s individual rate cuts are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025, and, depending on future changes in Washington, they could be eliminated earlier or extended.

2. Assets. A buyer can also purchase the assets of a business. This may happen if a buyer only wants specific assets or product lines. And it’s the only option if the target business is a sole proprietorship or a single-member LLC that’s treated as a sole proprietorship for tax purposes.

Note: In some circumstances, a corporate stock purchase can be treated as an asset purchase by making a “Section 338 election.” Ask your tax advisor for details.

Buyer vs. seller preferences

For several reasons, buyers usually prefer to purchase assets rather than ownership interests. Generally, a buyer’s main objective is to generate enough cash flow from an acquired business to pay any acquisition debt and provide an acceptable return on the investment. Therefore, buyers are concerned about limiting exposure to undisclosed and unknown liabilities and minimizing taxes after the deal closes.

A buyer can step up (increase) the tax basis of purchased assets to reflect the purchase price. Stepped-up basis lowers taxable gains when certain assets, such as receivables and inventory, are sold or converted into cash. It also increases depreciation and amortization deductions for qualifying assets.

Meanwhile, sellers generally prefer stock sales for tax and nontax reasons. One of their main objectives is to minimize the tax bill from a sale. That can usually be achieved by selling their ownership interests in a business (corporate stock or partnership or LLC interests) as opposed to selling business assets.

With a sale of stock or other ownership interest, liabilities generally transfer to the buyer and any gain on sale is generally treated as lower-taxed long-term capital gain (assuming the ownership interest has been held for more than one year).

Keep in mind that other issues, such as employee benefits, can also cause unexpected tax issues when merging with, or acquiring, a business.

Professional advice is critical

Buying or selling a business may be the most important transaction you make during your lifetime, so it’s important to seek professional tax advice as you negotiate. After a deal is done, it may be too late to get the best tax results. Contact us for the best way to proceed in your situation.

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With the year underway, your business probably has a strategic plan in place for the months ahead. Or maybe you’ve created a general outline but haven’t quite put the finishing touches on it yet. In either case, there’s a time-tested approach to refining your strategic plan that you should consider: a SWOT analysis. Let’s take a closer look at what each of the letters in that abbreviation stands for:

Strengths. A SWOT analysis starts by identifying your company’s core competencies and competitive advantages. These are how you can boost revenues and build value. Examples may include an easily identifiable brand, a loyal customer base or exceptional customer service.

Unearth the source of each strength. A loyal customer base, for instance, may be tied to a star employee or executive — say a CEO with a high regional profile and multitude of community contacts. In such a case, it’s important to consider what you’d do if that person suddenly left the business.

Weaknesses. Next the analysis looks at the opposite of strengths: potential risks to profitability and long-term viability. These might include high employee turnover, weak internal controls, unreliable quality or a location that’s no longer advantageous.

You can evaluate weaknesses relative to your competitors as well. Let’s say metrics indicate customer recognition of your brand is increasing, but you’re still up against a name-brand competitor. Is that a battle you can win? Every business has its Achilles’ heel — some have several. Identify yours so you can correct them.

Opportunities. From here, a SWOT analysis looks externally at what’s happening in your industry, local economy or regulatory environment. Opportunities are favorable external conditions that could allow you to build your bottom line if your company acts on them before competitors do.

For example, imagine a transportation service that notices a growing demand for food deliveries in its operational area. The company could allocate vehicles and hire drivers to deliver food, thereby gaining an entirely new revenue stream.

Threats. The last step in the analysis is spotting unfavorable conditions that might prevent your business from achieving its goals. Threats might come from a decline in the economy, adverse technological changes, increased competition or tougher regulation.

Going back to our previous example, that transportation service would have to consider whether its technological infrastructure could support the rigorous demands of the app-based food-delivery industry. It would also need to assess the risk of regulatory challenges of engaging independent contractors to serve as drivers.

Typically presented as a matrix (see accompanying image), a SWOT analysis provides a logical framework for better understanding how your business runs and for improving (or formulating) a strategic plan for the year ahead. Our firm can help you gather and assess the financial data associated with the analysis.

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