If you are like many people, you may be involved in cryptocurrency trading, such as Bitcoin. If this is the case, don't assume that you have found a Shangri-La that means any money you earn is not sought after by the IRS to be taxed. In fact, the opposite is true, since the IRS has for several years been on an all-out offensive to track down those who may have unreported cryptocurrency transactions. If you are curious about how your involvement in cryptocurrency will impact your taxes, here is everything you need to know.
Crypto Transactions are Not Anonymous
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Brainstorming is a fun and effective way to stimulate the creative side of your brain. If you want to leverage the post-pandemic surge in business, you may be thinking about starting a business. But ideas can be hard to come by; especially when you feel that time is of the essence. The pressure to come up with a viable business idea within a certain timeframe can make it even harder to think creatively. Thankfully, there are tools available to help you brainstorm your next business idea.
What Does It Mean to Brainstorm?
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If you are a business owner and have thousands of customers buying your product or service on a daily basis, this sounds like a great formula for success. However, there’s more to the success formula than sales. You need to pay attention to your customer acquisition cost. If it costs too much to acquire your customers, this will cut into your profits. If your customer acquisition cost is too high, you and your business have a serious problem that needs to be corrected as quickly as possible.
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As a business owner, you have put in many long hours making sure your business is successful. But if you want to keep it growing in the years ahead, you will need to develop a brand strategy that will keep your business and its products or services appealing to both new and existing customers. Contrary to what many may think, defining and managing your brand will allow you to project the image you desire, which is especially important in today's age of social media. If you are preparing to develop a brand strategy for your business, follow these steps to turn your vision into reality.
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If you have a specific societal problem you would like to address, such as a charitable cause, educational issue, or even helping unwanted dogs and cats find their forever homes, you may be thinking about starting a non-profit organization. While you will be able to do much good, it is important you know all the major steps involved in your project. Though certain disadvantages exist, just as there are with any venture, the pros outweigh the cons. Now that you know what you want to do, here are some of the biggest benefits to forming a non-profit.
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If you are an employer and want to gain instant popularity with your employees, hand out bonuses at the end of the year, or any other time, for that matter. Along with showing your appreciation for their hard work, bonuses also demonstrate that you are willing to share your company's success with all those who are making it happen. According to recent surveys, almost 80% of all businesses in the U.S. plan to give their employees some form of a bonus during a typical year. But before handing out employee bonuses, here are some things you and your employees should know.
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Now that you are close to retiring, you need to decide where you wish to spend your post-work life. Even if you have planned well and have plenty of financial resources at your disposal, you also realize that money doesn't go as far as it did years ago. Therefore, you need to find a place to live that has low tax rates and other benefits that will make your retirement much more secure from a financial standpoint. If you are ready to find your retirement haven, keep these common tax considerations in mind as you make your retirement destination choice.
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While most people are accustomed to being in debt for homes, cars, and other things, being in debt to the IRS is a different matter altogether. Since the federal government does not appreciate it when folks don't pay the amount of taxes they owe, the penalties for tax debt are often severe. Unfortunately, many people try to ignore their tax debt problems, hoping they will magically disappear. Instead, they only get worse. If you are in trouble with the IRS, here are some tips for how to deal with your tax debt.
Make It Your Top Priority
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As the COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the U.S.
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Financial fraud is rampant around the world, but citizens of the U.S. have arguably experienced more than their fair share due to our reputation as a wealthy country. Simply by being a U.S. resident, your odds of being targeted for financial fraud may be higher than if you lived in a second or third world country. And, while technology has added much to our lives, it’s also opened doors to hackers and other nefarious criminals whose sole mission is to come up with devious plans to part you from your money.
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The volume and importance of your accounts receivables balance varies significantly by business type. A hair salon where customers pay at the time of service likely doesn’t have a large amount of accounts receivable. A manufacturing company that ships product before payment, and extends generous payment terms, likely has a
If extending terms, sending invoices, and waiting for payment impacts your cash flow, it’s important that you develop a system to manage your accounts receivable.
Creating a System
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Whether you are a business owner or an individual, meeting with your CPA is of course important when it comes to your taxes or other financial matters. However, even if you consider yourself to be well-versed in accounting, there are usually a few terms tossed your way that may leave you confused. Rather than sit there and continue to wonder what it is your CPA is talking about and how it will impact your situation, here are 15 of the most common accounting terms explained in easy-to-understand language.
1. Book Value
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If there is one thing you as a taxpayer want to avoid, it is being audited by the IRS. While the chances of it are usually very slim, there are certain red flags that do get the attention of IRS officials now and then. Whether it is tax returns for individuals or those connected to a business, an IRS audit will be very detailed, time-consuming, and could potentially lead to criminal charges being filed against you, depending of course on the alleged violations.
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People become small business owners through several methods. Some inherit a family business when a parent or relative retire. Others launch an innovative new product and find themselves running a company without ever planning on it. But for some, those with money to invest upfront, they intentionally enter the small business world by becoming a franchise owner.
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For some businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic changed things overnight. Employees went home with their laptops and some haven’t returned to the office in over a year. What people thought would be temporary is looking very permanent.
Corporations have closed headquarters and terminated their leases early, and one survey of small business owners found that only one in five plans to reopen their physical store. As you think about the future, do you need an office?
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Your customers are the lifeblood of your business. You exist to provide them with the products and services that fulfill their needs, and your success depends on how well you identify and meet those needs. But your customers are not a monolith.
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Parents and guardians who care for one or more children should know how valuable the child tax credit is. This tax credit is available for qualified filers who have a child under the age of 17. Since it was enacted in 1997 and since then has helped millions of people with the costs of rearing a child. Up to $2,000 is now available per child. The new administration is hoping to expand the child tax credit, on a temporary basis as part of a COVID-19 relief plan.
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Many businesses are still struggling due to the financial restrictions imposed due to COVID-19. The severely reduced income combined with ongoing payroll responsibilities has led to many businesses having to shut down entirely. Those that are left standing are hanging on by a thread. Yet, hope is on the horizon. The “Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act” was recently passed by Congress. This Act reauthorizes the original PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans that came to an official end in August of 2020.
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Your business’ assets are one of its greatest strengths. They support your day-to-day operations, can collateralize a loan, and could manufacture inventory. It’s important to track and account for them accurately.
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Maximizing customer value is an important part of maintaining and growing your business. Your customer value proposition is what keeps existing customers happy and brings in new business. Without a clear value proposition, you may have difficulties marketing yourself to new customers.
So, what if your customer value proposition? And how do you maximize it for better results?
What is your Customer Value Proposition?
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If you are like many people, you are thinking about what may be ahead as you near retirement. Whether you are within a few years of retirement or still have decades to go, contributing as much as possible to your retirement plans can pay off big in the years ahead. But as you know, the contributions to various plans can change from year to year, so it's important to know what you can or cannot do regarding your 401(k), IRA, or other plan. As we now get 2021 underway, here are the contribution limits for various plans of which you should be aware.
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If you own a small business, you know how important it is to support various charitable causes, both within your own community and throughout the world. But as you know, there are always changes related to your taxes and how your charitable donations may be done from one year to the next. As 2021 begins, it is important for you to be aware of several changes to charitable donations, some of which have been done so via the CARES Act passed by Congress in 2020. If you are a small business owner and make it a priority to provide charitable donations each year, here is what you
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According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, businesses lose 5% of their annual revenue to employee fraud and abuse. Businesses with fewer than 150 employees—are the most vulnerable to employee fraud. They lack the resources to absorb losses.
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Its year-end review time at many companies. Instead of dreading it, or worrying about giving negative feedback, why not turn it into a chance to improve morale and engagement? You can do this by including a professional development plan with your review.
Losing employees impacts your bottom line. You could have to hire a recruiter to find their replacement, there will be lost productivity while you train the new person, and if they have been disengaged for a while you may find that their past work wasn’t up to par.
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As a business owner, tax season is probably not a time of year you look forward to each time it rolls around. However, you also know that getting your taxes completed and filed as easily and quickly as possible will make your life much easier in the months ahead. Unfortunately, many business owners get so caught up in other activities during the year that they fail to have their records properly organized prior to meeting with their CPA. As a result, tax filing becomes more difficult than necessary. Without various receipts and other documentation, you as a business owner could ultimate
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When the time comes and you decide to hire someone to work for you as a housekeeper, nanny, caregiver, or similar job at your home, it’s vital that you understand the tax implications associated with such arrangements. While some people who are employers in these situations don’t pay attention to the tax side of things, this is a mistake that may lead to stiff penalties from the IRS. Rather than create this situation for yourself, here is what you need to know when hiring household help.
Employee or Self-Employed?
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As any bookstore owner who’s heard a customer say, “That’s okay, I’ll order it on Amazon,” when a book is out of stock can tell you - supply chain management can make or break a small business. Supply chain management is the flow of input materials, finished goods, or services, through your business. It’s particularly important for businesses that produce or carry physical inventory.
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It can be difficult to attract talent during the start-up phase when you can’t necessarily offer the larger salaries and bonuses of a more-established company. Many start-ups turn to offering employee equity plans that increase the attractiveness of working for them. But there are downsides to diluting your equity and managing an equity plan.
If you’re a startup struggling to build the professional team you need to succeed, here are some of the pros and cons of launching an equity plan.
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Webinars are more popular than ever, thanks to restrictions on in-person social gatherings. You may be planning on hosting a webinar for your own business or as an employee. Whatever the reason for your business webinar, there are some things you can do to ensure that it’s a success. Success would mean that you looked professional while hosting the webinar, that the webinar itself went off without a hitch and that others found the content useful. Here’s how to make that happen.
Do a Dry Run
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With every business decision that you make, you probably try to calculate how much money you’ll need to spend versus how much money you could save. If you’re considering finally hiring a CPA, you should know that a CPA helps to save you money in many different ways. And, if you already have a CPA, you should know that they are definitely earning their keep. Following are nine ways that a CPA helps save you money, no matter what size business you have.
1. Avoiding IRS Penalties
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