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As a business owner, you're entering into transactions potentially on a daily basis. Suppose you enter into a transaction with someone, hurrying to get the deal closed as you're set to rake it in. It comes around to December, and your accountant is preparing a projection of what your tax liability will likely be for the year.

Then you get a call that you're going to owe a boat load of money to the government for that transaction you failed to consult with your accountant about beforehand. What do you do now?

Did you know that small businesses that fail to file their annual retirement plan returns can face hefty fines of up to $15,000 per return? Our tax team has helped small businesses plan and prepare their annual plan returns. 

Fortunately, the Internal Revenue Service recognizes that some businesses may not even realize that this requirement applies to them. As a result, a tax penalty relief program allows them to pay $500 per return for late filings, up to a maximum of $1,500. The relief is aimed at small businesses whose plans cover a 100% owner or partners in a business partnership, and their spouses.

The U.S. Department of Labor also has a relief program for businesses that have employees. If you’re not sure whether the requirements—or the relief programs—apply to you, be sure to contact us. We can offer advice on how to remain in compliance with critical regulations and minimize your tax outlays. 

September 30 marks another key date on the calendar regarding action needed to properly manage your own or an inherited IRA.  

If a loved one has passed, the final determination of who the “designated beneficiaries” of a that individual's IRA are must be completed by September 30 of the year following that person's death.

Related read: Important Considerations for Non-Spouse Beneficiaries

This determination is required for purposes of calculating the Required Minimum Distributions ("RMD") from a decedent’s IRA. A “designated beneficiary,” (a term defined in the Internal Revenue Code) is one who is set to receive IRA assets when the account owner dies and to any trusts that may list specific requirements.
 

The October 1st deadline is fast approaching...

If you have less than 100 employees, you have until October 1 to set up a SIMPLE IRA plan for you and your employees.  Keep in mind that you can't have another qualified retirement plan (example: a 401(k), 403(b), profit sharing, or defined benefit plan) and a SIMPLE IRA.

So through some miracle, you ended up with enough healthy players at the end of your season to triumph in your fantasy football championship.  Although you may still be riding that high, like yours truly, it’s good to know how this may or may not affect your tax return for this year.  With fantasy football becoming ever more popular year after year, it’s becoming a larger target to the IRS.

 As busy professionals, caregivers, and the like, we tend to put off until tomorrow that which isn't deemed critical today.  One such item that we cannot afford to delay is the filing of a beneficiary designation form.

Recently, pop star Iggy Azalea discovered (the hard way) that even though you might an iconic pop star, you still have to pay your fair share of taxes on earnings.

With school just a few weeks away, many parents are in the thick of back-to-school shopping. The thought of spending countless hours in the stores and comparing sale prices online to save on pencils, paper, book bags and school clothes can be daunting.

Fortunately, the State of Ohio has renewed legislation allowing for a second sales tax holiday, August 5 – 7, 2016.  This sales tax holiday only applies to certain types of goods purchased from 12:01 am August 5^th through 11:59 pm August 7^th. 

So you’ve finally had enough of the hype and are determined to score a pair of tickets to see “Hamilton” for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s final performance as the lead.  Tickets selling through ticket brokering sites are going for outrageous prices, and you’re a bit short on cash.  Should you embark on a personal revolution and loot your retirement accounts to go?

In a recent article, we addressed the exceptions to the early withdrawal penalty on IRA distributions taken prior to an individual reaching age 59 1/2.  In such a case, the IRA distribution would still be subject to federal income tax and, potentially, state income tax, and would result in permanently removing those assets from the IRA, having a negative impact on the availability of future retirement income. 

So, if you need a quick cash infusion and do not want to suffer the income tax ramification of an IRA distribution, what can you do?  One option would be to take a loan from your retirement account.  While an advisor may not typically recommend that an account owner borrow from their retirement account, a loan from one’s retirement can have both benefits and costs, as discussed below:

It goes without saying that the death of one's spouse is typically an extremely difficult emotional trauma.  When one loses a spouse, the last thing on the surviving spouse’s mind is the tax issues to be addressed.