Accurate bookkeeping is essential to operating a successful small business. The problems created by inadequate bookkeeping practices can have significant, long-lasting consequences. Here are four common pitfalls — and how to avoid them with the right knowledge and tools. 1. Commingled Bank Accounts It’s important to maintain a separate dedicated
After experiencing a downturn in 2023, merger and acquisition activity in several sectors is rebounding in 2024. If you’re buying a business, you want the best results possible after taxes. You can potentially structure the purchase in two ways: Buy the assets of the business, or Buy the seller’s entity ownership
Many people dream of turning a hobby into a regular business. Perhaps you enjoy boating and would like to open a charter fishing business. Or maybe you’d like to turn your sewing or photography skills into an income-producing business. You probably won’t have any tax headaches if your new business
Inventory is a key balance sheet item for many companies. Depending on the nature of your operations, inventory may include raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP) inventory and finished goods. While you need to have enough inventory on hand to meet your customers’ needs, carrying excessive amounts can be costly. Here are some smart
The qualified business income (QBI) deduction is available to eligible businesses through 2025. After that, it’s scheduled to disappear. So if you’re eligible, you want to make the most of the deduction while it’s still on the books because it can potentially be a big tax saver. QBI Deduction Basics
Your business should generally maximize current year depreciation write-offs for newly acquired assets. Two federal tax breaks can be a big help in achieving this goal: first-year Section 179 depreciation deductions and first-year bonus depreciation deductions. These two deductions can potentially allow businesses to write off some or all of their
If your business has significant inventory on its balance sheet, it can be costly. The carrying costs of inventory include warehousing, salaries, insurance, taxes, and transportation, as well as depreciation and shrinkage. Plus, tying up working capital in inventory detracts from other strategic investment opportunities. Reducing these costs can help
Most people are happy to receive an inheritance. But there may be situations when you might not want one. You can use a qualified disclaimer to refuse a bequest from a loved one. Doing so will cause the asset to bypass your estate and go to the next beneficiary in
Open enrollment for most health care plans is many months away. That makes now a good time for businesses to consider changing their employer-sponsored coverage for next year, or perhaps to think about launching a plan for the very first time. If you’re going to do either, you’ll have many details
If you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a low tax cost, the easiest way is to distribute cash as a dividend. However, a dividend distribution isn’t tax efficient since it’s taxable to you to the extent of your corporation’s “earnings and profits,” but it’s not
