Finances
Make Your Cash Worth More!
Banking tips to help you cash in Your cash is parked in a bank account. Do you know if it’s making or losing you money? Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your banked cash: Understand your bank accounts. Not all bank accounts are created equal. Interest rates, monthly fees, minimum balances,…
Read MoreUnderstanding Tax Credits Versus Deductions
Tax credits are some of the most valuable tools around to help cut your tax bill. But figuring out how to use these credits on your tax return can get complicated very quickly. Here’s what you need to know. Understanding the difference To help illustrate the difference between a credit and a deduction, here is…
Read MoreSix Simple Ideas to Help Your Small Business
Here are six ideas to help your business grow and thrive this summer. Understand your cash flow. One of the biggest causes of business failure is lack of understanding cash flow. At the end of the day, you need enough cash to pay your vendors and your employees. If you run a seasonal business you understand…
Read MoreDebt: Gone But Not Forgotten by the IRS
With the ups and downs of our economy over the last 2 years, you may have had a loan or credit card balance forgiven or cancelled by a financial institution. You would think that the cancellation of debt by a credit card company or mortgage company would be a good thing for you and your…
Read MoreMake Payroll Taxes Easy in 2022
Handling employment taxes can be complicated, especially when you’re required to file important tax documents throughout the year. Here’s a quick recap of the most vital payroll tax forms and what you can do to make your payroll life easier heading into 2022. Important Payroll Tax Forms Form 941 — Employer’s quarterly federal tax…
Read MoreJUST THE FACTS: Borrowed Money Must Be Paid Back
In the back of every Form 1040 instruction booklet there’s a section that shows where our federal government gets its money and where it is spent. As taxpayers, it makes sense to know this information. Here is the data for the government’s fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, as reported by the IRS in the…
Read MoreTips to Maximize the Value of a Car Donation: A little mistake could cost you plenty
At the end of the year you will be inundated with commercials to donate a vehicle to charity. While it is one of the biggest contributions a taxpayer can make, if not done carefully, the tax deduction of a donated vehicle could be a lot lower than you think. The Rule When you donate a…
Read MoreThe Power of Comparative Financial Statements
Your business has a story to tell. One of the ways to hear your business’s story is by reading through comparative financial statements. The importance of comparative financial statements An up-to-date balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows are essential financial reports you should consistently analyze. But these financial statements by themselves don’t…
Read MoreFake Products (and Money!) Are Big Business
How to protect yourself from modern-day counterfeiter Counterfeiters are getting better at tricking you. They do this by using fake images, creating realistic websites and promising low prices. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), fraudsters hold an estimated 3.3% of world trade, up from 2.5% in 2016. Here are some commonly…
Read MoreFive Tax-Loss Harvesting Tips
Though the markets have been up strongly this year, your investment portfolio could have a few lemons in it. Using the tax strategy of tax-loss harvesting, you may be able to turn those lemons into lemonade. Here are five tips: Tip #1: Separate short-term and long-term Your investments are divided into short-term and long-term buckets.…
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