The advantages of a living trust for your estate plan
June 5, 2025 | Megan Kosciolek, MST
Are you thinking about a living trust vs a will? Here are some advantages of a living trust for you estate plan.
Read MoreBusinesses can show appreciation and gain tax breaks
November 17, 2021 | Brian Hare, CPA, CGMA
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the holiday season will soon be here. At this time of year, your business may want to show its appreciation to employees and customers by giving them gifts or hosting holiday parties again after a year of forgoing them due to the pandemic. It’s a good time to brush […]
Remember to use up your flexible spending account
November 17, 2021 | Paula Kennedy, EA
Do you have a tax-saving flexible spending account (FSA) with your employer to help pay for health or dependent care expenses? As the end of 2021 nears, there are some rules and reminders to keep in mind. An account for health expenses A pre-tax contribution of $2,750 to a health Flexible Spending Account is permitted […]
4 red flags of an unreliable budget in 2022
November 17, 2021 | Brian Hare, CPA, CGMA
Every business should prepare an annual budget. Creating a comprehensive, realistic spending plan allows you to identify potential shortages of cash, possible constraints on your capacity to fulfill strategic objectives, and other threats. Whether you’ve already put together a 2022 budget or still need to get on that before year end, here are four red […]
Factors when choosing a business entity
November 11, 2021 | Brian Hare, CPA, CGMA
Are you planning to launch a business or thinking about changing your business entity? If so, you need to determine which entity will work best for you — a C corporation or a pass-through entity such as a sole-proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC) or S corporation. There are many factors to consider and proposed […]
Charitable contributions and gifts
November 11, 2021 | Paula Kennedy, EA
As we approach the holidays, many people plan to donate to their favorite charities or give money or assets to their loved ones. Here are the basic tax rules involved in charitable contributions and gifts. Donating to charity Normally, if you take the standard deduction and don’t itemize, you can’t claim a deduction for charitable […]
Competitive intelligence the marketing edge
November 11, 2021 | Brian Hare, CPA, CGMA
It’s understandable and indeed critical to focus a marketing campaign on the strengths and distinctive benefits of the products or services in question. However, something that’s easy to overlook is how your business and its offerings differ from — and are preferable to — the competition. Making this distinction isn’t as simple as, “Well, we’re […]
Establishing Health Savings Account for your business
November 3, 2021 | Brian Hare, CPA, CGMA
With the increasing cost of employee health care benefits, your business may be interested in providing some of these benefits through an employer-sponsored Health Savings Account (HSA). For eligible individuals, an HSA offers a tax-advantaged way to set aside funds (or have their employers do so) to meet future medical needs. Here are the important […]
The Social Security wage base is increasing for 2022
November 3, 2021 | Paula Kennedy, EA
The Social Security Administration recently announced that the Social Security wage base for computing Social Security taxes will increase to $147,000 for 2022 (up from $142,800 for 2021). Wages and self-employment income above this threshold aren’t subject to Social Security tax. Background information The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) imposes two taxes on employers, employees […]
Factor in taxes if you relocate at retirement
November 3, 2021 | Megan Kosciolek, MST
Are you considering a move to another state when you retire? Perhaps you want to relocate to an area where your loved ones live or where the weather is more pleasant. But while you’re thinking about how many square feet you’ll need in a retirement home, don’t forget to factor in state and local taxes. […]
Participating in your employer’s 401(k) plan
November 3, 2021 | Ryan Burke, CPA, MSF
Employers offer 401(k) plans for many reasons, including to attract and retain talent. These plans help an employee accumulate a retirement nest egg on a tax-advantaged basis. If you’re thinking about participating in a plan at work, here are some of the features. Under a 401(k) plan, you have the option of setting aside a […]