Author: Tony Novak
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Goodbye to the decade of disillusion
I am happy to say goodbye to the decade that lowered my expectations of the future of humanity. I had allowed past events to create the illusion that we were advancing beyond ignorance as the standard of society. Ten years ago I believed that more information would inevitably lead to enlightenment. That proved wrong. We…
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2021 plans
I won’t be saying “Happy New Year” today but I will be sharing my plans to make it a better year ahead. Hoping you do the same. There is strength in community. My plans to make 2021 a better year:1) Focus on improving the level of my personal communications that will lead to deeper relationships…
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Are small Paypal or Venmo payments reported to IRS?
Paypal and Venmo are clear in explaining their legal requirement to report to the IRS amounts over $20,000 or 200 transactions. But what about amounts under $20,000 and less than 200 transactions? The common questions are: “What if I don’t remember? How will the IRS even know?”. The key issue is that business taxpayers who…
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Big tax change for small businesses
The IRS reminds employers that starting in tax year 2020, payers must complete the new Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation, to report any payment of $600 or more to a payee. This is likely the biggest change that affects a large number of small businesses this year. Generally, payers must file Form 1099-NEC by January 31.…
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Simple bookkeeping systems for sole proprietors
In general, I try to have a coaching conversation with new clients and prospective clients about the reasonable time and cost allocation for bookkeeping in relation to other business factors. We hope to see this allocation consistent with others who are successful within a business niche and, if a significant difference exists, look more closely…
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New Jersey Taxes 4th Highest in U.S.
Kiplinger’s Magazine, November 2020, ranked New Jersey as the 4th worst state for total taxes paid by middle income residents. This poor ranking was triggered solely by our high property taxes. Kiplinger’s wrote: “For middle-class families in the Garden State, income taxes are relatively low when compared with other states. New Jersey checked with the…
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2021 Tax and Financial Planning
Why do many people pay more than on dollar out of every four that they earn in some type of tax while a few people legally pay little or no taxes? What is the most practical way for you to reduce taxes while increasing your net wealth over the long term? This is the essence…
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Low Income Taxpayer Clinics
Time and again we see that taxpayers who run into trouble should not attempt to resolve the problem themselves. It almost always makes sense to rely on professional representation. A professional will usually reduce the tax liability by far more than their fee. But tax professionals can be expensive and not all taxpayers can afford…
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TAX ALERT: Non-employee compensation
SIGNIFICANT TAX NEWS CHANGE ABOUT NON-EMPLOYEE COMPENATION: The IRS revived the use of Form 1099-NEC for use in reporting non-employee compensation for 2020. This form was last used in 1982 but now will be used to report 2020 non-employee compensation. Corresponding changes were made to the old 1099-MISC form. The due dates are also changed.…
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2020 IRS Report on its Operations
IRS just released the 195 page “General Report of the 2020 Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council“. I read the applicable sections on small business and nonprofits that affects me and my clients. The key relevant concepts are: 1) IRS currently lacks the funding to operate effectively to collect the taxes necessary to run federal government.…