Most people make New Year's resolutions centered around self-improvement. While you may decide you want to lose a few pounds or perhaps take up a new hobby, you might want to also make some resolutions regarding your finances. If you're ready to make 2023 your best year ever from a financial standpoint, here are some ideas you should consider adding to your list of resolutions.
1. Create an Emergency Fund
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Now that 2023 is right around the corner, it’s a good time to look ahead at planning for a brighter financial future. You can review your financial moves in 2022 and consider what worked well and what didn’t. For many people, 2022 was a year to recover financially from the troubles caused by the pandemic. Hopefully, your household was able to make some strides toward getting back on track. The following ideas may help you make even more progress in 2023.
Create a Budget
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Working from home offers tremendous benefits. If you’re a person who has longed to work from home, it may be possible to make this scenario a reality. Before approaching your boss with the idea, take some steps to see if this would actually be practical for you.
List Your Responsibilities
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Whether you're trying to reclaim your credit score, or simply looking for a way to reduce your credit utilization, a balance transfer credit card can be a great solution. Depending on the terms of your balance transfer, you can potentially enjoy low interest rates, as well as a long promotional period that will allow you to pay off your debts in a shorter amount of time.
Beware of High Variable APR After Introductory Period
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Investing in pet insurance can be a great way to protect the quality of life of your pet. It could save you money on pet medical bills. It would also give you the assurance that you would be able to pay for pet medical emergencies down the line. However, if your pet ends up being healthy and strong, you could end up paying those monthly premiums for no reason.
However, there are a few factors to keep in mind before you make a decision.
Consider the Age and Breed of your Pet
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If you’ve ever wondered why they don’t teach teens about money in school, you’re not alone. Chances are, either you or your friends have asked this same question. Until the school curriculum changes, teaching teens about money in the real world remains in the domain of parenting. And this isn’t something that should be left up to “life’s lessons.” If your young adult goes off not understanding how to handle money, their financial missteps will eventually come back to haunt you.
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How many times in the past have you been strapped for cash during the holidays? Do holidays always seem to come at the worst times, when you have a month of unexpected expenses or cash emergencies? Have you repeatedly wished that you could turn back the clock and plan ahead for the extra costs related to gifts and holidays? Managing the extra expenses is totally achievable. Here are some ideas to consider for smart ways to budget for gifts and holidays.
Be Aware of Developing Situations
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As a small business owner, you realize just how important your employees have been to your company's success. Since the holiday season is fast approaching, this is a perfect time to show your appreciation for their hard work. But like many business owners, you may be unsure as to the best ways to express your appreciation. If so, here are some great ideas you could implement during the holiday season to say thanks for another year of hard work.
Throw a Party
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As an employee who has been loyal to your company, shows up on time day after day, and puts your heart and soul into your job, you know when the time has come to ask for a much-deserved raise in pay. Yet while most employees have this idea in their heads at some point during their careers, surveys have shown that less than 40 percent actually follow through with this request. If you've decided your hard work and dedication merit an increase in your paycheck, here are some useful strategies for how to ask for a raise and actually get it.
Pick the Best Time to Ask
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If you have been fortunate enough to receive a cash windfall, you may be tempted to do something frivolous with your new riches, such as take an exotic vacation or splurge on new clothes. While these things are great, the fact is you will not be putting your money to excellent use by choosing these options. If you want to make the most of your cash windfall, here are some possibilities you should be discussing with your CPA.
Start Your Own Business
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Most people keep a copy of their tax returns after they file. And, if they don’t retain a copy themselves, they may rely on their CPA to keep a copy. But sometimes, you may need a tax return from many years ago and a copy isn’t immediately available. Another situation might arise where the third party that’s requesting your old tax return won’t accept it directly from you. The reasoning behind that is that they need verification that the document has not passed through your hands into theirs. This helps to ensure that the return is authentic and hasn’t been tampered with.
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The IRS grants tax exempt status to certain types of organizations in order to give relief of some financial burden. This status must be applied for. Once granted, your organization will be able to have business income that is free from federal taxes. This can greatly improve an organization’s chances of success, thereby enabling it to do the most public good possible. It’s easier to get and maintain tax exempt status than to lose it and try to get it back.
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In today's world, you need to work smarter, not necessarily harder. To accomplish this, you should take a closer look at generating passive income. Rather than always struggling to earn a few dollars here and there, it pays to find ways that will have your money working for you, rather than the other way around. If you're ready to be anything but passive about earning more income, here are nine ways to generate passive income.
1. Invest in Rental Properties
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Negative items on your credit report can stay there up to seven years. That’s a long time to pay for a financial mistake, especially if you’ve since improved your financial habits. Your credit report directly impacts your credit score. This helps creditors to determine if you are a good risk. But negative items could keep you from getting the best interest rates on loans and credit cards. They can even count against you when you’re trying to rent a house or get a job. Sometimes it’s possible to remove negative items from your credit report before the seven years have elapsed.
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When you own a small business, every dollar counts. Unfortunately, many business owners don't take this philosophy to heart, leading them to make various budgeting mistakes. While some mistakes are relatively small and can be easily corrected, others can have a devastating impact on a business. If you want to make sure you don't make budgeting mistakes with your business, listen to your CPA and work hard to not make the following budgeting mistakes that could hurt your bottom line.
Not Having a Budget at All
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When you own a small business, every dollar counts. Unfortunately, many business owners don't take this philosophy to heart, leading them to make various budgeting mistakes. While some mistakes are relatively small and can be easily corrected, others can have a devastating impact on a business. If you want to make sure you don't make budgeting mistakes with your business, listen to your CPA and work hard to not make the following budgeting mistakes that could hurt your bottom line.
Not Having a Budget at All
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As a business owner, you know it's important to not only bring in revenue, but also limit your company's expenses. Yet, since there are so many expenses associated with your business, you know it can sometimes be hard to keep track of everything. Should tracking expenses fall by the wayside, you and your CPA know this can take you from having a very profitable business to one that is barely surviving. To keep your business moving forward, here are some of the best strategies you can use to keep track of your business expenses.
Open a Business Bank Account
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Owning your own business has significant tax advantages. Ask anyone who has gone from being an employee to being their own boss and they’ll tell you the deductions alone make it all worthwhile. Still, many business owners are missing out on a fair number of deductions. This may be for a combination of reasons. Maybe they don’t use a CPA, they don’t completely understand how to track expenses, or something else. The IRS is happy to let you take as many legitimate business deductions as you qualify for. But you need to be aware so you keep track of those expenses.
1. Research
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In the wake of the pandemic, more employees are returning to the workplace. Although we may be in for more as far as new virus variants, it’s looking like the swell of returning to the office environment isn’t going to withdraw any time soon. Making the workplace safer for returning employees isn’t just a courtesy; it’s the best way of doing business. A safer workplace offers numerous benefits to both employers and employees, such as:
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Firing an employee is never a pleasant task. No matter what the history is, it’s challenging to make sure you’re firing the employee the right way. Doing so will help to ensure that there is no aftermath to the firing beyond the need to replace that employee. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has established guidelines as to the legal way to fire an employee, but there are also personal concerns about letting an employee go that need to be considered. Firing an employee the right way will address all the different aspects.
Aspects of Firing an Employee
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Gas prices across the nation have surged almost 50% this year. The “award” for highest price for gas in the nation goes to Mendocino, California, where it hit a record-setting $9.60 per gallon. State averages for regular gas prices are $5.26 in Alaska, $5.55 in Hawaii and $5.18 in Nevada.
Recently, gas prices have cooled down a bit, partially because the White House administration requested a gas tax holiday for three months. So far, six states (and counting) have suspended state gas taxes. After that three months is up, you can reasonably expect gas prices to go back up, too.
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Bankruptcy is not only financially embarrassing; it can make a person feel like there is no future, at least in the money sense. Those who file for bankruptcy are often required to face their debtors in open court. Their whole finances are on display for others to critique. Unlike some online bankruptcy articles may insinuate, filing for bankruptcy does not bring on a feeling of relief; instead, it can make you feel as though you are a failure. But there is life after bankruptcy, and you can recover - emotionally and financially.
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If you were a small business owner years ago, the only methods of payments you were likely accepting from customers were cash, checks, and credit cards. However, today's business world includes cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin and many others, and crypto is quickly becoming popular with many consumers. In fact, statistics show that as of 2022, 30% of small businesses in the U.S. accept crypto as payment. Should your business be one of them? Here's what you need to know when speaking with your CPA and making your decision.
Your Sales May Increase
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Whether you are starting a new business or have a business that is already established and in need of additional financing for new equipment or something else, obtaining a business loan can be the perfect solution. However, wanting a business loan and actually getting the loan can be two different things entirely. If you are considering a business loan and want to increase your chances of success in obtaining one, here is what you should talk over with your CPA as you begin your journey.
Ask Yourself Some Questions
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Like many people, you may be facing credit card bills that have overwhelmed you, medical bills that are simply too high to pay, or other debt that continues to accumulate. Unfortunately, when unpaid debt accumulates long enough, creditors may take the step of suing you in an attempt to collect their money. When this occurs, don't panic. Instead, consult with your CPA and keep the following things in mind.
Lawsuits are Common
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Unfortunately, identity theft has become far too common, especially at tax time. Once an identity thief has your social security number, chances are they will waste no time in filing a fraudulent return in hopes of getting a large tax refund. However, you probably won't be aware of this until you try filing your own tax return, only to have the IRS kick it back on the basis of being a duplicate return with the same social security number. If you ever find yourself to be a victim of tax return fraud, here are some critical steps you should take immediately.
Contact the IRS and FTC
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If you are like many people in recent years, you may have chosen to toss aside the 9-5 job and become a gig worker. Whether you are driving for Uber, writing freelance articles or performing other services as your own boss, being a gig worker offers you flexibility and personal satisfaction. Unfortunately, it can also be harder for you to obtain a mortgage. Since gig workers are not usually issued W-2 forms, you may have little idea how to organize your finances so that you gain loan approval from a lender. If so, here's what you need to know.
Qualifying Criteria
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If you own a business, you often find the summer months are the busiest. Thus, you need as many employees as possible to help shoulder the workload. If your children are looking for summer work and the chance to earn extra money, this can present a win-win situation for everyone. However, if you have never before hired your kids to work at your business, you probably have questions about taxes and other related areas. To make sure you take the right steps along the way, here's what you need to know about hiring minor children for a summer job.
Issue Your Kids a W-2 Form
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In today's world, it sometimes seems as if everyone is in debt to some degree. Between car payments, mortgage payments, credit cards, student loans, and other types of debt, it's easy to see why the average person is nearly $90,000 in debt. If you are determined to put debt behind you in 2022, the good news is that you've got plenty of viable options at your fingertips. As you begin discussions with your CPA as to the best ways to tackle your debt, keep the following tips in mind.
Pay More than the Minimum
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If there is one thing you as a business owner don't want to deal with, it is a cash flow crisis. Occurring when your business has more money going out than it does coming in, it can result in not being able to cover your company's payroll or pay for other operating expenses. In fact, over 80% of small businesses fail due to cash flow problems. If you want your business to continue thriving, speak to your CPA about implementing the following strategies to survive a cash flow crisis.
Figure Out Why it Happened
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