November 1, 2018 -- Volume 17, No. 11
Challenges and Rewards of Having an Intergenerational Staff
In today’s workplace, you’re likely to have employees of all ages. Understanding your staff and maximizing what each employee has to offer is the key to creating a great company culture that benefits your business. Read More
Deducting Business Meals
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated any deduction for entertainment costs, so taking a customer to a ballgame or an associate to the theater is not deductible after 2017. Fortunately, the IRS has clarified the rule and it's favorable to businesses. Read More
Your 2019 Budget
Your 2019 Budget
Now that we’re in the fourth quarter of 2018, it’s time to nail down your budget for the coming year. Be sure to consider the following projections: Read More
How Does Your State Measure Up Taxwise?

The Tax Foundation released its 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index. The index explores these state-level taxes: state income tax, unemployment insurance taxes, property taxes, sales tax, and corporate income tax. If you are thinking of relocating or are considering expansion of your business into another state, you need to check out the impact that taxes have on your business as well as your employees. Read More
Payment Card Security Revisited

Nearly half of all data breaches are aimed at small businesses and occur through the acceptance of credit cards. Last year we posted a blog on this topic and want to update it in light of the Verizon 2018 Payment Security Report (you have to give your name, email, and company in order to download it); here’s an executive summary of the report. Read More
Colors Count
Colors Count -- Make Yours Fit Your Business

Some colors have become synonymous with certain big companies: red is part of CocaCola’s brand, IBM is “Big Blue,” and McDonalds is identified by the golden arches. Make colors work for you when you’re redecorating your office, designing a logo, or creating advertising material. Read More
Helping Employees with Student Loan Debt

One of the biggest financial challenges facing many employees these days is student loan debt. It may be millennials with their own loans, or it may be older employees with loans they’ve taken to put their children through school. According to the Federal Reserve and Make Lemonade, there are currently more than 44 million borrowers who owe $1.52 trillion in student loan debt. As an employer, what does this mean to you? Read More
What's the Scariest Thing for Your Business?

Halloween has become a national obsession, with all things spooky, creepy, and ominous. Perhaps it would be a good exercise at this time of the year to consider what scares you the most so you can prepare accordingly to the greatest extent possible. Here’s a list of 10 terrible things that can so easily happen to just about any business: Read More
When NOT to Elect First-Year Expensing

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act dramatically increased the dollar limit on first-year expensing (the Section 179 deduction) for the purchase of equipment and other qualified property. For 2018, you can elect to deduct immediately the cost of these purchases up to $1 million (compared with the $510,000 limit in 2017). This generous write-off can be used whether you pay cash or finance your purchase in whole or in part. However, you may not want to elect this generous write off in some situations: Read More
SBT 2019
Presenting J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2019
Maximize your bottom line with the nation's most trusted small business tax guide!

J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2019  is the small business owner's ultimate guide to a money-saving, stress-free tax season. Updated to cover changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other legislation, this edition includes an e-supplement covering additional developments from Congress and the IRS to keep you fully up-to-date.
5 Business Tax Breaks for Disasters

On the heels of Hurricane Florence, businesses should be aware of tax breaks to help them through weather disasters resulting from nature or humans. Tax relief can help ameliorate the financial cost from the damage or destruction to your business property.
The Qualified Business Income Deduction is part of the recently revised business tax code. In this guest post, leading author and tax expert, Barbara Weltman, shares how business owners with multiple businesses can approach the QBI deduction.