Want to File an Amended Tax Return?
It happens all the time. Shortly after filing their tax returns, many taxpayers discover a deduction they overlooked or some income that should have been included. You might find yourself needing to change things on your tax return; maybe due to a discovery of a...
Transfer Business Ownership or Remain Boss?
Estate planning can be a challenge for many Maine family business owners. Often times, wealth is tied up in their companies, which creates a conflict between the desire to transfer ownership to the next generation and the desire to stay in control. Recapitalizing the...
New Overtime Rules Issued: What it Means for You
A sneak preview of proposed modifications to the rules governing overtime was provided last year, but a change has been coming for two years. On May 18, the Department of Labor (DOL) came out with its new final rules, which take effect on December 1, 2016. The rules...
Divorce Valuations: Active versus Passive Appreciation
In divorce cases it’s common for an interest in a closely held business or professional practice to be the marital estate's most valuable asset. In many states, a valuator may be called upon to distinguish between active appreciation in the business's value (which is...
Expert’s Application of Asset Approach ‘Defies Common Sense’
In re Marriage of Hartung, 2015 Iowa App. LEXIS 688 (Aug. 5, 2015) Valuation methodology also was at the center of an Iowa divorce case in which the trial court found one method entirely inappropriate for the situation at hand and the other flawed in the way the...
Strict Tax Rules for Swapping Intellectual Property
The exchange of intangible property involves a two-part test. Yes, you can arrange a tax-deferred exchange of your company's intellectual property -- for example, copyrights, patents or trademarks -- with another company. However, the IRS imposes strict requirements...
The Current State of Minimum Wage Laws
Since 1991, the $7.25 per hour federal minimum wage has been in place. The inflation-adjusted wage would have to be $12.68 to have the same purchasing power today, according to the CPI Inflation Calculator from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. President Obama has...
Save Taxes with Employer-Provided Transportation Fringe Benefits
Some worthwhile tax breaks for transportation-related employee fringe benefits are being allowed by the Internal Revenue Code. They're intended to persuade you to “go green” and give up your gas-guzzling vehicle when commuting to work. If your employer offers these...
New Study Confirms the Prevalence and Cost of White Collar Crime
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) has been publishing studies every two years for the past 20 years to raise awareness of occupational fraud, and the role strong internal controls can play in limiting these schemes. The 2016 Report to the Nations on...
Appraiser Lacks Necessary Valuation Expertise, Dissent Says
Shaffer v. Visaggio’s, Inc., 2015 Pa. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 2403 (July 29, 2015) A Pennsylvania dissenting shareholder case raised questions about who is qualified to resolve valuation issues as well as what constitutes competent financial evidence. Valuators may find...