Hey Alexa. Are you Making Me Dumb? 3 Concerns To Consider While Living With A Smart Speaker

Smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home are popping up everywhere. According to a Nielsen study from last September, nearly one of every four U.S. households has a smart speaker – 40 percent of those homes have more than one. For some, the speaker is an easy way to play music, for others…

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Early Warning Signs of a Tax Problem

There are many factors that can cause an unfavorable tax swing leaving you with a surprising tax bill in the spring. Here are six warning signs that you might have some unexpected taxes waiting for you. You didn’t update your W-4 You may have noticed a change in your tax withholdings earlier this year. These…

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Give your Credit Score a Boost

Your credit score is one of the most important aspects of your financial health. It is used by potential lenders, landlords and even employers to analyze your financial situation in one way or another. Here are some tips that might help you improve your score: Review your credit report and, if necessary, fix errors. You…

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Education: Tax Changes You Need to Know

As students gear up to head back to school, there are some changes to education deductions that could save or cost you more in taxes and even raise college tuition costs. Here is what you need to know to get up to speed: What is gone Continuing Education as an itemized deduction: In previous years,…

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Customizing QuickBooks Online Forms

QuickBooks Online

Make a good impression on your customers by sending them well-designed sales forms. QuickBooks Online helps you create them. Your company’s “brand” can be composed of many things (and has many definitions), but it’s really about what pops into your customers’ minds when they think of you. Key components include your logo, your color scheme,…

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Business Planning: The Hourglass Approach

Business Planning: The Hourglass Approach

When it comes to annual planning, businesses often spend too much time on the planning process or too little because they are busy with day-to-day operations. There’s a simple method called the “Hourglass Approach” that can help you efficiently focus on your goals and create a plan to achieve them. Top of the glass In…

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7 Best Practices for QuickBooks Online

Even if you’ve been using QuickBooks Online for a long time, it’s good to step back and evaluate your actions. “Best practices” aren’t enforceable rules. They’re simply guidelines businesses commonly follow in one area or another. If you’re in retail, for example, one best practice might be to always ask customers checking out if they…

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Zombie Payer – Keep Your Automatic Payments In Control

Zombie Payer - Automatic Payments

  When it comes to paying bills, many people can’t imagine returning to paying and sending bills via the U.S. Postal Service. But, the “turn it on and forget it” nature of automatic payments can create zombie payers who no longer challenge or review the details and amounts of bills. Here are some ideas to…

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Tax-Free Income

Yes, that’s correct, there are some forms of income you receive that may be tax-free. Here is a list of ten common sources of tax-free income. Gifts. Gifts you receive are not taxable income to you. In fact, they are not subject to gift tax to the person giving the gift as long as the…

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Donate Stock to Lower Your Tax Burden

Donate Stock to Lower Your Tax Burden

  With U.S. equity valuations near historically high levels, now might be an opportune time to take advantage of the tax benefits of donating long-term appreciated stock to a qualified charity. Directly donating a winning stock you’ve held for at least one year provides greater tax benefits than writing a check to your favorite cause.…

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