Mergers and acquisitions can feel overwhelming, whether you are considering your first purchase or preparing to sell a company you built. A little planning early on makes a big difference. Here are four things worth thinking through before you buy or sell a business. Can You Afford to Buy a Business? Start with the numbers. …
The cost of sending your child to college can be overwhelming. Tuition rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Add housing, food, books, supplies, transportation, and other expenses, and the total climbs even higher. Many students receive at least some financial aid, and your child’s chances to qualify for financial aid may be better than you …
Read more “Does College Financial Aid Count as Taxable Income?”
Year-end is a great time to think about equipment purchases, and two tax rules shape that decision more than any others: bonus depreciation and Section 179. Understanding how they work and how they differ helps you plan ahead instead of scrambling in December. Plan Your Timeline for Bonus Depreciation and Section 179 Before you decide …
Read more “Bonus Depreciation and Section 179: What to Know Before You Buy Equipment”
Rising costs and staffing shortages have pushed many businesses to hire independent contractors instead of employees. It’s a smart way to control expenses, but only if you classify those workers correctly. Get it wrong, and the IRS can reclassify your contractors as employees, triggering audits, back taxes, penalties, and even lawsuits. Why Worker Classification Matters …
Read more “Hiring Independent Contractors? Get the Worker Classification Right”
Business owners often use the terms tax planning and tax preparation interchangeably. They are related, but they serve very different purposes. Understanding the difference can help you make better decisions about your money, your business, and your future. What Is Tax Preparation? Tax preparation is a backward-looking exercise. It involves compiling everything that happened in …
Read more “Tax Planning vs. Tax Preparation: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters”
Falling behind on your books is one of the most common sources of stress for business owners. It creeps up quietly. A few weeks of missed categorizing turns into a few months, and before you know it, you are staring at a stack of statements and receipts, wondering where even to start. If that sounds …
Read more “Behind on Bookkeeping? How to Get Back on Track By Year-End”
Opening an envelope from the IRS is enough to make anyone’s stomach drop. Before you let your imagination run wild, know that there is a clear, manageable process for handling an IRS notice. Understanding what to do (and what not to do) can make all the difference in how smoothly the situation gets resolved. Read …
An audit is designed to give reasonable assurance that a company’s financial statements are fairly presented and free from material misstatement. Finding fraud isn’t the primary purpose of an audit, but if an auditor comes across signs of fraud during the engagement, they are required to bring it to your attention. What Does Fraud Risk …
Read more “Fraud Risk Assessment: What Auditors Look for During Your Audit”
The U.S. economy is still growing, but the picture looks different depending on where you sit. Businesses are pouring money into artificial intelligence, data centers, and other tools that boost productivity. Meanwhile, households are feeling the squeeze from high energy costs, slow income growth, and inflation that won’t quite let up. The result is an …
Missed deductions. Unexpected tax bills—a CPA who only calls you once a year. For closely-held business owners, these aren’t just minor annoyances. They are signs that your tax strategy isn’t working. If you’re a closely-held business owner in Schaumburg or the surrounding communities–Naperville, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Barrington, Bloomingdale, or anywhere across the northwest suburbs–and …