Do you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a low tax cost? The easiest way is to distribute cash as a dividend. However, a dividend distribution isn’t tax-efficient, since it’s taxable to you to the extent… Read More
Blog
New Business Travel Per Diem Rates Announced for 2020
Recordkeeping for reimbursing business travel expenses can be cumbersome. Instead of reimbursing employees for the actual costs they incur for out-of-town lodging, meals and incidentals, some employers opt to pay fixed travel per diems. These amounts are based on IRS-approved… Read More
Reap Tax Rewards from Year-End Harvesting
The stock market has experienced plenty of ups and downs this year. So some investors are poised to make significant gains for 2019, while others are currently showing losses, and many have both. What are the tax consequences if you… Read More
New Overtime Pay Rules Finalized for 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued the long-anticipated final version of its overtime eligibility rules. The changes will take effect on January 1, 2020. As a result, the DOL estimates that 1.3 million workers will be newly eligible… Read More
The Chances of an IRS Audit Are Low, but Business Owners Should Be Prepared
Many business owners ask: How can I avoid an IRS audit? The good news is that the odds against being audited are in your favor. In fiscal year 2018, the IRS audited approximately 0.6% of individuals. Businesses, large corporations and… Read More
Corporate Governance in the 21st Century
What’s the purpose of a corporation? For the last 50 years, the answer was “to maximize shareholder value.” But, on August 19, CEOs of 181 leading U.S. businesses, including Amazon, Apple, General Motors and Walmart, pledged to broaden the scope…. Read More
What to Expect During a Franchise Audit
It’s important for franchisors to periodically audit individual franchisees. These routine “check-ups” are especially valuable in a store’s early years of operations or if performance starts to deteriorate. They can be used to detect symptoms of unhealthy performance and treat… Read More
Why Do Companies Restate Financial Results?
Every year, research firm Audit Analytics publishes a study about financial restatement trends. In 2018, the number of public companies that amended their annual reports increased by 18%. Many of these amendments were due to minor technical issues, however. Of… Read More
Reporting Discontinued Operations
Financial reporting generally focuses on the results of continuing operations. But sometimes businesses sell (or retire) a product line, asset group or another component. In certain situations, such a disposal should be reported as a discontinued operation under U.S. Generally… Read More
Let’s Find a Better Way to Manage Your Receivables
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… Read More