Pull the Plug on Employee Theft
Not all crooks roam the streets at night. Some might be roaming your company hallways, stealing cash, forging or altering checks, and pilfering your inventory and property. Even worse, they may be stealing intellectual property such as confidential documents or trade secrets. What can you do to pull the plug on employee theft? Here are…
Information All Employers Should Know to Protect Their Businesses
Revenge is the most frequent motive for computer sabotage committed by once-trusted company insiders, according to a study issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Startling Examples from the Report A system administrator, angry about his diminished role in a thriving firm centralized the software that supported the company’s manufacturing processes on a single server,…
Executive Terminations: Sever Ties Carefully
Firing someone in a big corporation is hard enough. In a smaller company, it can be a very personal issue. And if you do a bad job handling the firing of an executive in a close-knit company, the results can be disastrous. It’s difficult to get rid of a longtime — but no longer effective…
How Industry Fits Into the Valuation Puzzle
IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 is an essential building block of modern appraisal practice. It identifies “the condition and outlook of the specific industry” as one of the factors to consider when valuing a private business. But how do investors measure industry risk and how does it fit in the valuation paradigm? Value is a function…
Is an Association Health Plan Right for Your Company?
Association health plans (AHPs) are health benefit policies made available to small employers through a group purchasing arrangement for the benefit of association members and their employees. Under the old rules, AHP availability was limited to tightly linked employers (such as parent-child companies). Under new regulations issued by the Department of Labor on June 19,…
Effects of the Tax Law Vary Based on Major Life Events
Change is part of life. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has brought sweeping changes to the federal income tax rules for individuals. But how will you and your family be affected? That depends on your specific circumstances. Major life changes — from marriage and birth to divorce and death — can provide opportunities…
Disaster Planning: How to Weather the Worst
There are any number of crises that can strike without warning and make doing “business as usual” nearly impossible. These include flu pandemics, hurricanes, snow storms, earthquakes, infrastructure breakdowns and terrorist attacks. Do you have an emergency operations plan in place to keep employees in action? If not, what are you waiting for? Plan for…
Good Timekeeping Is Always Worth Your While
Maintaining detailed time records for staff may not be your favorite task. Unfortunately, it’s not negotiable. Timekeeping — for volunteers and individuals paid for their work — is necessary for most not-for-profit organizations. However, there are ways to make the job less onerous. Why Timekeeping Is Critical Understanding why timekeeping matters can help you put…
New ACA Legal Battle Could Affect Individual and Employer Health Coverage
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been controversial since it was enacted in 2010. The latest legal attack calls into question whether insurance carriers will still be required to issue coverage to individuals without regard to pre-existing medical conditions, and the degree of pricing flexibility that carriers will have based on the demographics of a…
Ensure You Qualify for Charitable Donation Deductions
Giving to charity can provide you with a warm feeling as well as a nice tax break. But you’ve got to itemize deductions on your tax return. And, like most tax breaks, charitable deductions come with a number of rules you must follow to actually claim the write-off. Here are the details. 8 Steps to…