Succession Planning for Your Employees and Knowledge Transfer

It’s been reported that about 4.4. million Americans will attain age 65 this year—12,000 people a day. While those attaining age 65 in 2024 won’t be eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits until they’re 66 years and 10 months, these numbers should still make employers think about workers retiring—now or soon.Yes, many seniors are staying in the workforce, but not all. Small business owners may have done planning for their own retirement and what that means for their companies, but don’t overlook planning for employees’ departure because of retirement or other reasons. Read More

Growing Your Business: Offer New Products and Services

Is a Worker an Employee or an Independent Contractor?

That’s the question, and the way in which you arrive at an answer can be very challenging. ...From your company’s perspective, whether you hire employees or engage independent contractors greatly affects your responsibilities…and your budget. Simply slapping on an independent contractor label to a worker won’t cut it. You need to know the rules and apply them correctly to ensure that the worker classification you’re going for will stick. Read More

Business Trends: Future Shock?

In 1970, Alvin Toffler’s book Future Shock described what he thought would be the post-industrial age and what it would mean. ...That was more than 50 years ago and he was certainly prescient. What will the next 50 years look like and how will anticipated changes impact businesses? Read More

5 Tax Traps for Claiming a Home Office Deduction

Last year, Fundera reported that 50% of all businesses in the U.S. operate from home, and that 60% of home-based businesses are "nonemployer" businesses. What’s more, 69% of start-ups begin at home. Many small business owners may be able to take a tax deduction for business use of their home. ...But there are situations that prevent the write-off. Read More

Employee Benefits for Part-Timers: What You May or Must Offer?

Many small businesses rely on part-time employees to help them operate efficiently. They don’t require full-time employees, at least not for all positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 27 million part-timers in the third quarter of 2023. Federal laws may require you to offer some benefits and you may choose to offer others. Here’s what you need to know. Read More

Buying an Electric Vehicle in 2024? What You Need to Know

If you’re in the market for a plug-in electric vehicle, you’re probably familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of this type of vehicle versus one powered by fossil fuel (see an earlier blog that details the factors to keep in mind). Some of the rules related to federal tax credits are different in 2024 as compared with 2023. Read More

4 Ways to Help Employees with Student Loan Debt

About 43 million Americans have federal student loans totaling more than $1.77 trillion. In December 2023, the Administration proposed a limited student loan forgiveness program. If and when it will be implemented and who it will help remains to be seen, but the vast majority of those repaying loans now likely will have to continue their repayments. Why does this matter to employers? Read More

Creating or Revising Your Employee Handbook

Employee handbooks may seem like something used only by large companies. However, last year Azure found that there’s a strong correlation between having an updated handbook and experiencing growth. What small business doesn’t want that? If you don’t have an employee handbook, even if your staff is small, you probably should (see the reasons that follow). If you already have one, be sure it’s up to date. Here are the why’s and the how’s. Read More

How to Encourage Healthy Eating in the Office

by Jack Shaw

The new year is a time when many people attempt a health reset, whether that means getting a gym membership or committing to a diet. However, resolutions rarely last through the year when the bar is set too high. To help your team stay on the right track, you can bring healthy eating habits into the workplace.  Read More

How Small Businesses Can Close the Pay Gap

by Chamber of Commerce

Nationwide, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. That adds up to a difference of $11,165 between the average salaries of working men and women. Despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has been in effect for 60 years, a pay gap persists. What can small business owners do about it?  Read More

Excellent help for this tax season and beyond!

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Tax Rules for Cryptocurrency in Your Business

According to one source, over 6,300 businesses accepted Bitcoin as payment in 2023, which was triple the number in 2022. The writing is on the wall: acceptance of digital currency as a payment method is growing. What does this mean for your business from a tax perspective?

Small Business Tax Planning: 8 Ways to Save on Taxes in 2024

Check out these business tax-saving tips employers can use in 2024 to reduce taxes and help guide their employees.

Filing Your Business Tax Return: What to Know for 2024

It's an annual challenge: filing tax returns for your business. Business tax returns include filing federal income tax returns, state returns, and local returns for businesses and owners. There is no way to avoid this responsibility. The best way to handle this task is to prepare and start as soon as possible.

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