Perhaps you operate your small business as a sole proprietorship and want to form a limited liability company (LLC) to protect your assets. Or maybe you are launching a new business and want to know your options for setting it up. Here are the basics of operating as an LLC and why it might be appropriate for your business.
As we discussed in the first post in our 3-part 401(k) plan audit blog series, companies that have an employee benefit plan with 100 or more participants are required by ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) to have an annual audit by an independent public accountant. However, in many cases plan managers may choose to engage in a limited-scope audit instead of a full-scope audit. In this last post in our series on 401(k) audits, we’ll discuss the differences between limited scope and full scope audits, and how to tell which is right for your company.
Life as we know it is trending back towards normal, but the professional landscape is forever changed. Employers are allowing employees to permanently work from home, which will change their respective technology needs. Developing a suitable set of technology solutions—often called a “technology stack”—helps businesses streamline operations and empowers employees to work efficiently and effectively in multiple work environments. Below we outline common examples of various business processes and applications that can be integrated with your accounting products, to help you custom-build your own technology stack.
When a business reaches a certain number of eligible participants for their 401(k) Plan, federal law requires an independent audit of the Plan. While larger companies may be familiar with this process, many small business owners may find themselves in uncharted territory the first time their number of eligible participants increases above the threshold amount. In this second blog in our 3-part series, we’ll discuss what auditors review during a 401(k) Plan audit.
The Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) recently released a new lease accounting standard, which took effect for public firms on January 1, 2020, and will take effect for private firms on January 1, 2021.
The new lease accounting standard will require companies to record operating leases as both liabilities and assets on their balance sheets to give a more complete picture of a company’s financial obligations.
The subject of payroll has been top-of-mind for business owners this year. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered economic changes that caused considerable fluctuations in the size of many companies’ workforces. Employees have been laid off, furloughed and, in some cases, rehired. There has also been crisis relief for eligible businesses, including the Paycheck Protection Program and the payroll tax credit.
What gets measured, gets done. KPIs—or Key Performance Indicators—are an essential measurement tool used by successful businesses across all industries to track performance against benchmarks and achieve short- and long-term goals. For contractors, incorporating the right KPIs into your management toolkit can improve both your business and your bonding capacity.
The results are in, and regardless of which side you were rooting for, now is a good time to prepare for changes ahead in the new year. While President-elect Joe Biden has not yet provided concrete details on his plans to modify estate taxes, he has indicated that he supports raising estate taxes and changing the taxation of capital assets upon death.
Are your financial planner and CPA working together as a team on your behalf? For many people, this isn’t the case—but it should be. By incorporating tax planning into your investment strategy, you can make better informed decisions to maximize your dividends while maintaining tax efficiency.
Many employers have been forced to implement some form of workforce reduction in order to continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. While furloughs and layoffs have a significant and immediate impact on a company’s operations, plan sponsors also need to understand the longer-term effects that workforce reductions may have on participants’ benefits and retirement accounts.
