Category: Small Business
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When QuickBooks is a no-brainer
I ran into an old friend by chance on a Philadelphia sidewalk today. We used to see each other often but now he lives more than an hour away with his three dogs at a rural country place in beautiful upper Bucks Country. He knows that I am an accountant but we’ve never “talked business”…
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Obamacare adviser blues
Some of the telephone and email requests I receive for professional help with Obamacare include phrases like: My theory is … I heard that… My brother-in-law says that … I have a hard time expressing in a socially acceptable manner that as a professional. I cannot and do not have any significant regard for what…
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CPA Tax Rates for 2015
Until now, I have used negotiated flat fees for all accounting services – including tax services – under an approach commonly called “value pricing”. These fees should have some reasonable basis and market rate or competitive pricing may be one input into this basis of pricing. We presume that there is social value in having consumers…
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Small business marketing strategy in 2015: customer-focused content
This passage from “6 Small Business Trends To Watch Out For In 2015” in Forbes: Content Will Be King Content marketing isn’t a new concept, but it will be more important than ever in 2015, particularly for small businesses with limited resources to spend on advertising and media relations. More small businesses will work with…
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What I learned this week ending 12/6/2014
Local issues I learned that the weapon cache firepower of my South Jersey neighbors greatly exceeds the weapons cache of our local police forces. There was never much cause to think about this issue in the past but with all the talk about riots this week… It looks increasingly like something is not right with…
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estimating defined benefit contributions
I was impressed by onepersonplus-for-db.com estimator for maximum defined benefit contribution. The proposal it generates is simple. The discussion that must accompany the planning for this type of strategy is not simple. I know most people who consider a new pension plan are largely unaware of the risks, cost and potential downsides. So A tool…
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Surprise announcement by DOL affects small business health care planning
I didn’t see this one coming either: A small business employer who gives an employee money to help pay for the cost of Obamacare under any circumstances is considered to have set up an illegal group benefit plan that may trigger penalties under the Affordable Care Act. The warning is titled “FAQs about Affordable Care…
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Tax planning engagement letter for individual clients (revised)
Update in September 2015: I am no longer using this letter. The new version is shorter, more segmented, and is in a format intended to be delivered by email and not on paper or PDF. The collaboration section is now simplified and changed. I am working on updating and expanding my tax planning engagement letter for…