Category: Employee Benefits
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Small business employee benefits under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act
This is the one version of an opening to a group of articles that I am preparing for specific industry or professional groups in my area of concentration: small business employee benefits planning. This version is for CPAs but other versions of the article will be appropriate for small business audiences. In the final weeks…
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Top 7 EASY Tax Saving Strategies for 2018
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought many changes and new opportunities to legally cut the amount of tax that we pay. Just as before, the largest savings are available to those who take deliberate tax saving actions designed to arrange their financial and legal affairs to lower taxes. The tax planning strategies considered…
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Graduate students outraged by tax change
The tax reform process has triggered uncertainly and angst while final negotiations are worked out. Many groups, including graduate students, have good reason to be concerned. The proposals that passed by Republicans in both the House and Senate change the tax treatment of employer-provided educational benefits. Scholarships that are now tax-free for employees would be…
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How to save money on workers compensation insurance costs
Three primary and effective strategies are available to help small business owners reduce the cost of workers compensation insurance: Qualify for an exemption from coverage Qualify employees for a better rating category Arrange employee benefits to be specifically excluded from taxable wages. (This strategy reduces both wage taxes and workers compensation insurance costs). The details…
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Odd experience with employee benefit documents
Over the years I’ve collected sample employee benefit documents from former employers, the IRS, insurance and investment companies, members of Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc., and my own clients. They’ve been loaned back and forth and changed, mashed, updated and reviewed many times. They used to be posted in an online library but I don’t…
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Effect of election on NJ small businesses
New Jersey is now the seventh state where Democrats control both the executive and legislative branches. What does that mean for us with small businesses here? This is more than just a local wall against trumpism. It directly translates to increased tension and a lack of coöperation between the federal and state government. The news…
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How can I save real money on health care?
If you run a business, are self-employed or otherwise pay the full cost of your own health care expenses then you know that the price is too high. We are quickly approaching the point where one out of every five dollars of income will be spent on health care. This week the federal government took…
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All Tweets are not created equal
My top tweet @tonynovak this month got 60% of all impressions. the #2 had 15%, the next four most popular got about 5% each, leaving only 5% total for the many other tweets. I see that cross-posting a popular tweet into other conversations boosts it further. The hot topic: health care reform of course. My…
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Retirement saving basics for small businesses
Most working people today say that they expect to continue working past age 65. Yet the real world statistics tell a different story. At least half of us end our working career sooner than we expected, usually for medical reasons. My two related comments to small business owners are: It is simple and inexpensive to…
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Features of Freedom Benefits Small Business Benefit Plan 2018
The new 2018 Small Business Employee Benefit Plan, available now, includes more features and options than ever before to allow your small business to offer big company benefits. Features include: · Easy, fast and inexpensive · Allows for inclusion of a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account(FSA), dependent care plan,…