One Option to Finance a Business Sale
Structured settlements are commonly associated with the payment of personal injury damages because of their advantageous tax-free treatment, but some business purchases and buyouts can also benefit from structured settlements using annuity payments from an insurance company. While payments from these non-personal injury cases are not tax-exempt, the recipient only owes taxes on the amount…
Claiming Your Parent as a Dependent
If you pay over half the cost of supporting a parent, he or she is considered your dependent for federal income tax purposes — which may qualify you to some significant tax breaks. Here are the details. New Credit for a Dependent Parent For 2018 through 2025, your dependent parent may qualify you for a…
Expanding Retirement Plan Options for Small Businesses
A new final rule from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) clarifies some of the ins and outs of multiple employer plans (MEPs). These are defined contribution retirement plans — such as 401(k) plans — that are sponsored by an association or employer group on behalf of member employers. Clarifying the Rules Existing DOL rules…
D&O Insurance: Protect Directors and Officers from Personal Loss
The volume of corporate litigation is an ongoing concern. In recent years, there has also been a global trend to hold individuals accountable for their actions. For stockholders, employees, customers and clients who feel they have been wronged, finding the guilty party and holding them accountable can often be accomplished by filing a lawsuit. Given…
The Use of Quick-Closeout Procedures
Do you have U.S. government cost-reimbursable or time-and-materials contracts, task orders or delivery orders that are physically complete awaiting audit and establishment of indirect rates for your final fiscal year of contract performance? If so, you may qualify for use of quick-closeout procedures. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 42.708, Quick-closeout Procedure, requires the contracting officer…
Why Have a Business Valued?
Most business owners are reactive when it comes to having their businesses valued. But it sometimes pays to be proactive. Some valuations are necessities, such as for determining the value of the business interest in an estate. Others are obtained for more elective reasons but are helpful to business owners nevertheless. It is a good…
Update on the New Business Interest Expense Limitation
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) imposes a new limitation on deductions for business interest expense. The IRS recently issued guidance in the form of proposed regulations. The business interest expense limitation is a permanent change for tax years that began in 2018. Thankfully, many businesses are unaffected. Here’s what you need to know….
Is a New Individual Health Plan in Your Future?
First the old news: Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers with at least 50 employees (or full-time equivalents) are required to provide health benefits and pay for a good portion of the cost. And many smaller employers that aren’t required to offer health coverage do so anyway. Why? They may do it to compete…
How Does Your Business Handle Fringe Benefits?
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-6(m) states that, except as provided otherwise (in FAR Subpart 31.2), fringe benefits are allowable to the extent that they are reasonable and required by: Law; An employer-employee agreement; or An established contractor policy. An example of a fringe benefit cost that is not allowed is the cost of a…
Helping Your Kids Achieve Future Financial Security
Young adults who start their careers weighed down by college debt have a tough time buying a home or initiating a retirement savings plan. That’s why, in 1996, Congress added Section 529 to the Internal Revenue Code, creating a new tax-advantaged college saving vehicle. More than two decades later, “529 plans” now collectively hold around…