Author: Tony Novak
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Pricing variation of tax preparers based on community size
The National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) found that the national average hourly rate charged by tax preparers varied greatly by the size of the community where they worked. Those in rural areas charge much less than those in mid-sized towns and cities. This trend was revealed in NATP’s annual member survey. Of course, I…
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Due dilligence and compliance checklist of nonprofit organizations
When associating with a nonprofit organization an accountant, attorney, prospective board member, partner of major business associate should perform a due diligence check of the organization. Additionally, management should undertake a periodic review occasionally just to check to ensure that the organization’s records are up to date. This checklist is prepared to help make that…
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Management disfunction of a nonprofit organization: what it means to the external accountant
Two years ago I was the external accountant in a nonprofit organization (a church) with an internal conflict between the President and the Treasurer. My engagement specified that I was to report to the Treasurer. Yet the President had the power to end my contract. The predictable outcome was for either party to blame the…
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ESG Reporting for small businesses
The purpose of this post is to overview the topic of ESG reporting for small businesses in simple, brief Q&A format. What is ‘ESG’? ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. What is ‘ESG Reporting’? ESG Reporting is the preparation and communication of data about the organization’s environmental, social and governance actions, impact and plans.…
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Pandemic reopening update
The mess we’ve created in society’s response to this pandemic re-opening hit me hard yesterday. My wife was required to attend a training for managers charged with overseeing their office reopening. Apparently she will be in charge of approving the scheduling plans of her staff that largely want to continue to work from home vs…
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Evolution of my small business communication systems
About a month ago I launched a project to update my basic business communication systems. I took my time and looked at options and was surprised how complicated it was to accomplish these basic tasks. The goals were: Simplify and improve voice telephone quality integrate SMS and MMX texting for desktop use and automatic inclusion…
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Disowning the IRS disaster
This week I created a form letter email to set the background expectations before scheduling a talk with a current or prospective client on a tax resolution issue. It is certainly not something that I ever imagined would be necessary in almost four decades of tax practice. But it is critical, I think, to set…
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Business tax problem resolution
The most typical course of action of business tax resolution: Problem Proposed solution New problem Revised solution New problem Revised solution New problem Revised solution New problem Revised solution Business closes The take home lessons: The statistical fact is that the majority of business tax resolution plans do not succeed as envisioned. We are working…
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Choosing a telephone system for a micro business
This is actually my self-help note that may have value to other small businesses or self-employed people: Facts underlying my decision about a small business telephone system: Small business phone systems today include a lot more today than manage calls. The market is highly fragmented. The complexity that I mostly do not need actually creates…