-
Shareholder advances: Debt or equity?
From time to time, owners of closely held businesses might need to advance their companies money to bridge a temporary downturn or provide funds for an expansion or another major purchase. How should those advances be classified under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)? Depending on the facts and circumstances of the transaction, an advance…
-
Facing a future emergency? Two new tax provisions may soon provide relief
Perhaps you’ve been in this situation before: You have a financial emergency and need to get your hands on some cash. You consider taking money out of a traditional IRA or 401(k) account but if you’re under age 59½, such distributions are not only taxable but also are generally subject to a 10% penalty tax.…
-
Tips for a faster month-end close
Does your company struggle to close its books at the end of each month? The month-end close requires accounting personnel to round up data from across the organization. This process can strain internal resources, potentially leading to delayed financial reporting, errors and even fraud. Here are some simple ways to streamline your company’s monthly closing…
-
Contributing to your employer’s 401(k) plan: How it works
If you’re fortunate to have an employer that offers a 401(k) plan, and you don’t contribute to it, you may wonder if you should participate. In general, it’s a great tax and retirement saving deal! These plans help an employee accumulate a retirement nest egg on a tax-advantaged basis. If you’re thinking about contributing to…
-
Accounting for M&As
Business merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions have significant financial reporting implications. Notably, the company’s balance sheet will look markedly different than it did before the business combination. Here’s some guidance on reporting business combinations under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Allocating the purchase price GAAP requires a buyer to allocate the purchase price to…
-
Business automobiles: How the tax depreciation rules work
Do you use an automobile in your trade or business? If so, you may question how depreciation tax deductions are determined. The rules are complicated, and special limitations that apply to vehicles classified as passenger autos (which include many pickups and SUVs) can result in it taking longer than expected to fully depreciate a vehicle.…
-
Update on depreciating business assets
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act liberalized the rules for depreciating business assets. However, the amounts change every year due to inflation adjustments. And due to high inflation, the adjustments for 2023 were big. Here are the numbers that small business owners need to know. Section 179 deductions For qualifying assets placed in service in…
-
Life insurance can be a powerful estate planning tool for nontaxable estates
For years, life insurance has played a critical role in estate planning, providing a source of liquidity to pay estate taxes and other expenses. It’s been particularly valuable for business owners, whose families might not have the liquid assets they need to pay estate taxes without selling the business. Because the federal gift and estate…
-
Make fundraising a year-round commitment
If your not-for-profit focuses all of its fundraising energy on the holiday season and end of the year, it’s not misguided. After all, 26% of charitable giving to nonprofits occurs in December, according to the 2023 M+R Benchmarks Study. But that means almost three quarters of annual donations need to be obtained during the rest of…
-
Did your spouse’s estate make a portability election? If not, there may still be time
Portability helps minimize federal gift and estate tax by allowing a surviving spouse to use a deceased spouse’s unused gift and estate tax exemption amount. Currently, the exemption is $12.92 million, but it’s scheduled to return to an inflation-adjusted $5 million on January 1, 2026. Unfortunately, portability isn’t automatically available; it requires the deceased spouse’s executor…
