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Most Americans hate receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. Inevitably, they seem to happen at the worst possible times — when you’re sitting down to dinner, tuning in to your favorite television show or drifting off to sleep. Fortunately, the Federal Trade…

Many presume that a sizeable charitable donation to a favorite cause-oriented organization or university should be in the form of cash. Meanwhile, opting to make that contribution instead as appreciated stock could offer tax benefits that would otherwise be missed,…

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released an update on the April 2015 proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-230, Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958) and Health Care Entities (Topic 954): Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities that received significant…

The research credit is back — this time for good — and it’s better than ever for some small companies. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, signed into law by the president on December 18, does…

The IRS issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Background: If you use a vehicle for business driving, you can generally deduct the…

In 2016, the federal gift and estate tax exemption increases to $5.45 million (up from $5.43 million for 2015). But that’s not all that’s changed. In recent months, there have been several significant developments on the estate tax front. Here…

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently proposed some plan changes that could have significant value. Those changes would allow voluntary employer workplace wellness plans to mine health-related information, as well as some genetic data, from the spouses of participating…

Many businesses are uncertain how to account for costs to acquire, produce or improve property, plant and equipment. So, in 2013 the IRS issued regulations on capitalizing versus deducting the costs of tangible personal property. In 2014, the IRS added…

For retailers, manufacturers and many other businesses, a significant amount of working capital is tied up in inventory. But how accurate is the amount reported on the balance sheet? To best answer that question, a physical count of raw materials,…

Buying a gas-guzzling SUV, pickup or van may be frowned upon for environmental reasons. But these vehicles can be useful if your business needs to haul people, materials, inventory or equipment around. They also offer major tax advantages for businesses…