Educated Staff Key to Service, Fundraising
Nonprofits have faced a challenging situation during the Great Recession. Contributions have declined for the majority of organizations, but demand for services has skyrocketed as more people than ever are in need. The question is, how do you improve productivity while maintaining client service standards – a concern for many nonprofits that don’t want to…
Fraud Threats Facing Today’s Businesses
It’s fascinating to watch people traveling today. As you walk through an airport, every piece of technology is on display – laptops, tablets, smartphones, notebooks, Kindles, iPods and more. Most business travelers are in direct contact with their offices or co-workers. People have anything from their boarding passes to their credit cards with them via…
Tread Carefully Before Opening Branch Law Office
Law firm branch offices seem to open and close on Main Street with some regularity. Small firms want to branch out and grow, but their efforts are often unsuccessful. What should a law firm consider before opening a branch office? Like any business opening a new division, the law firm should analyze its reasons for…
Plan to Mitigate Impact of New Medicare Tax
Early planning may lessen or eliminate the effects of the new surtax that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, to help pay the costs of the healthcare act, popularly known as Obamacare. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act imposes a 3.8 percent surtax on net investment income above certain statutory amounts. This surtax…
Bucket List: Boomers Find Many Ways to Travel
Baby Boomers blaze trails. They had children later, got more education, retire later (or earlier and launch a second career), work out, live longer and expect to travel. Travel is not a luxury but a necessity in their lives. So when Boomers choose a vacation, it can be all over the map – literally and…
Zuckerberg Donation Signals Hope For Community Groups
Mark Zuckerberg’s $500 million donation to the Silicon Valley in December also gave hope to community foundations nationwide. The Facebook founder and his wife Priscilla Chan donated 18 million shares of Facebook stock (valued at nearly $500 million) to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a nonprofit that works with philanthropists to manage their donations. Zuckerberg…
Beware of Hidden Liabilities when Selling your Business
You are ready to put out feelers for selling your company. Perhaps you have contacted your CPA to have some preliminary due diligence begun. As you prepare to finalize your asking price, issues arise that you hadn’t planned on. Hidden liabilities – those unplanned-for nuisances that can depress the value of your company – can…
Nagging Estate Questions Answered … For Now
Uncertainty about estate taxes has been settled – at least for now – by the American Taxpayer Relief Act, signed into law by President Obama in January 2013. For decedents who die after Dec. 31, 2012, the top estate tax rate is 40 percent on estates valued at $5 million, indexed for inflation. The exempt…
College Students and Money: There’s an App for That
Today’s teenagers are all about apps. They live and breathe by their electronic devices. They use apps for everything from taking pictures to playing games with friends. Parents can use this addiction to their advantage when it comes to money and spending habits, especially when the teenager leaves home for college. Here are just a…
When Should a Nonprofit Become a For-Profit
As a nonprofit organization, you hold coveted IRS tax-exempt status, can accept grants and donations, and enjoy the public perception of benefiting the community. Why would you give that up and become a for-profit business? Some nonprofits are finding that their particular field and constituents are better served by a for-profit status. Reasons may be…