Manage Debts to Protect Bottom Line
Most small business owners realize that paying company debts is just as important as collecting accounts receivable and that these debts need just as much management. What business owners may not realize is that they can actually have a surprising amount of control...
The ABCs of Business Valuation
Many Maine-based small business owners know some of the theory behind business valuation, but they might not know all of the procedures involved in the analysis and preparation of a report. Clients and attorneys who understand how the valuation process works are...
Small Businesses Can Face Big Fraud Losses
Many Maine-based small business owners assume their companies are less susceptible to fraud than large corporations. It seems like their operations are more tightly controlled, with many trustworthy and longtime employees on the payroll. Unfortunately, however, this...
Court Pans Valuation Based on Expert’s Fiction, Not Fact
Ward v. Ward, 2014 W.Va. LEXIS 128 (Feb. 14, 2014) In a divorce case, the husband appealed to the state’s highest court, arguing that the lower courts accepted a valuation of his business interest that did not reflect the company as it was on the valuation date....
Is A Home Office Tax Deductible?
Many Maine-based small business owners start out with an office in their homes. An important benefit to this is being able to deduct the expense of the office on the tax return. It’s key for home-based business owners to know that in order to receive the deduction,...
Business Interruption Insurance: A Lifeline When Disaster Strikes
2014 might not have had a very active hurricane season, but it did have its fair share of other natural and manmade disasters, including blizzards, wildfires, mudslides, and riots. These tragedies serve as sobering reminders to always expect the unexpected. When it...
A Direct Way to Save Time and Money
The term direct deposit does not apply to payroll only. This can be a time and money saving service to businesses in other ways too. What about the checks written for expense reimbursements or commissions? For a corporation, how about depositing the dividend checks of...
When Goodwill Takes Center Stage
According to the International Glossary of Business Valuation Terms, goodwill is defined as: "That intangible asset arising as a result of name, reputation, customer loyalty, location, products, and similar factors not separately identified." The remainder of value...
Court Decisions Make it Easier to Deduct LLC Losses
What happens if you're the owner of a limited liability company (LLC) that generates tax losses, and you don't spend a lot of time in the activities of the business? The losses might be classified as passive, and your ability to currently deduct them might be severely...
Understanding Simplified Employee Pensions
SEP Basics The SEP is a stripped-down retirement plan mainly intended for self-employed individuals and small corporate employers. If you're self-employed, you can make an annual deductible contribution of up to 20 percent of your income to a SEP account. If you're...