Looking for a Business Loan? Be Prepared
If you’re building up a small business but haven’t yet needed to borrow funds to expand or smooth out cash flow irregularities, you’re doing something right. Or if you have borrowed and everything went smoothly, kudos again. Otherwise, keep in mind that anticipating the need for credit well in advance will put you in a much…
Thinking about Starting Your Own Law Firm?
Once you get some legal experience under your belt, you may think about opening your own firm. Setting up and running a law practice can be a daunting prospect, but taking certain steps will help to ensure that your firm grows and remains profitable. Here are some guidelines to help accomplish the task successfully: Develop a…
Employers: Consider Telemedicine and Make Sure Employees Use It
Telemedicine continues to change the way that medical professionals and patients interact. In a survey by the Mercer consulting firm, nearly three-quarters of employers with at least 500 workers said they make telemedicine services available. Yet employers with programs in place reported that only 7% of eligible employees used telemedicine at least once. And despite its wide…
Keeping Good Records Is Good Business
Maintaining good records is important to help meet your tax and legal obligations. The right record-keeping system not only helps satisfy these obligations, but it may save you money and time. Here’s what to consider for your record-keeping system. What Records Do You Need to Keep? The first step is identifying the records you need to…
The Lure of the For-Profit Subsidiary
For-profit subsidiaries of not-for-profit organizations are strikingly diverse. Consider these real-life examples: In one part of the country, a not-for-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) creates a for-profit subsidiary to offer health insurance unavailable through HMOs. Elsewhere, a university business school starts a venture capital company to fund worthy startups and give students a first-hand look at…
Find Balance in Your Time
Every business owner finds it difficult to separate business and family time, but it’s even more critical when you’re involved in a family-run company. The business is your family’s livelihood and several generations might be counting on you to keep the company thriving. Some business owners not only deal with that pressure, but find that immediate…
Handle Payroll Taxes With Kid Gloves
If you operate a business that collects payroll taxes from employees, here’s a warning: Regardless of what your corporate financial situation is, don’t borrow from the withholding tax fund. If that money isn’t there when it’s due, Uncle Sam will crack down hard. All businesses face downturns when cash flow dries up. It may be tempting…
To Franchise or Not to Franchise
When you consider going into business for yourself, you have three basic choices: Start from scratch, buy an existing business, or look for opportunities to purchase a franchise. A franchise gives you the licensed right to use a service mark, trademark, or business concept. Each franchisee signs an agreement that governs how the business is operated….
Calculating W-2 Wages for Limitations on the QBI Deduction
Recently proposed IRS regulations on the new deduction for qualified business income (QBI) provide guidance on how to compute limitations on the deduction based on W-2 wages. As you’ve probably heard, the QBI deduction is complicated, and numerous rules and restrictions apply. Important note: While new QBI deduction regulations are in proposed form, taxpayers can rely on them until final…
Tax-Exempt Organizations: IRS Provides Guidance on New UBTI Rule
The IRS recently issued much-needed guidance on how tax-exempt organizations should calculate unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) for each separate trade or business they operate. This requirement was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was signed into law in December 2017. The new UBTI requirement generally applies to tax years beginning after 2017….