Category: New Jersey
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Activism revisited
I became a civic activist in my early 30s, about the same time I became a father. Like the planning for other aspects of my life, I try to approach it with a clear 5 step process: vision, mission, goals, strategy and plan B. Now is a good time to review, clarify and focus on…
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Head’s up to New Jersey small contracting businesses
NJ Department of Revenue ramped up audits of small contracting businesses. This week I’ve seen or heard of more than a dozen audits case notices. The actions started last month. The initial audit notice is for sales tax. But my concern is that sales tax is not the real risk for these businesses. Many of…
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Cumberland County NJ bayshore real estate update
Short term profits and losses in the real estate market are primarily based on inaccurately valued information. Every buyer or seller has the opportunity to value real estate based on their own opinion. Most opinions are inaccurate. This the opportunity for short term profits (and losses). I expressed concern over local pandemic era home purchases…
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Avoiding SALT tax deduction limitation
Yesterday a financial advice column in NJ.com carried a Q&A from a guy who contemplated leaving New Jersey and moving to Florida because he could not deduct all of his state and local taxes. The post went methodically through all the pros and cons and associated calculations of the question posed. But it missed the…
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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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NJELEC clarifications
I called the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission help line for clarification on the following issues related to small local election campaigns: A school board candidate does not need to file an A1 Form. The candidate must sign Form A1 and form D1. The candidate electronic signature can be after the treasurer starts these…
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Updated professional payroll services agreement (New Jersey)
I am adding two new small New Jersey organization payroll services this week so it was appropriate to review and update my generic payroll service agreement. This confirms that I offered to establish and administer payroll services for xxxxxxxxxxx. Payroll service includes the following: Timing: The service will start within 1 to 2 business…
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2021 New Jersey election: what it means for our small rural depressed communities
30 days from today is the New Jersey election. The anti-incumbent feeling is strong, as usual, but not strong enough to really make a difference. I’ve come to conclude over the years, sadly, that almost nothing at state level elections has much impact on our lives locally in rural South Jersey. Many of our local…
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NJ election campaign committee no fee banking services
Purpose This page is meant for candidates for political office who elect to use my no fee services as a volunteer campaign committee treasurer. This is not meant for candidates who pay for services. (If you are paying for campaign banking services then you can design banking services however you want). The service is designed to…
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Charity focus: Conflict of Interest and Compensation of Board Members
We commonly observe misunderstandings about small nonprofit organizations, even among CPAs, related to the topic of conflict of interest and compensation of board members. Perhaps one reason for confusion is that rules may vary by state. This post focuses on New Jersey law. To the limited extent that I’ve viewed other states’ laws, the basic…