Paying the Price for Vice: The Evolving Landscape of Excise Taxes in America
While excise or vice taxes have long been a part of the American tax landscape related to alcohol and cigarettes, the recent invention of vaping and legalization of marijuana and other substances is...
View ArticleProtecting American Ports, Federal Buildings, Allies, Oceans, and Whistleblowers
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (S 1982) – This bill was introduced by Sen. Alan Sullivan (R-AK) on June 26, 2019. The purpose of the legislation is to improve efforts to clean up marine debris, encourage...
View ArticleBusiness Process Management Systems Provide Variety of Benefits to Owners
All businesses have one thing in common, and that is processes. Business processes – whether direct or indirect – are crucial when it comes to providing products or services to customers. Business...
View ArticleHow to Budget During a Pandemic
Right now with everything that’s going on, navigating your finances might feel overwhelming. However, there are some strategies that will help you manage cash shortfalls. Mariel Beasley of Duke...
View ArticleWhile Many Suffer Financially, Some Manage to Profit off Pandemic
The Federal Reserve recently reported that the 50 richest people in the United States increased their net worth by $339 billion during the first half of 2020. There are two primary contributors to this...
View ArticleHow Will Single Party Governing Impact the Markets in 2021?
About four in 10 Americans (41 percent) look positively toward single-party control at the national level, according to an October 2020 Gallup annual governance survey. This is compared to 23 percent...
View ArticleHow Firms Can Restore Balance Sheets to Better Health
According to the World Bank Group, for businesses in emerging markets and developing economies, the bottom fourth percentile of the non-financial corporate (NFC) sector saw their balance sheets...
View ArticleNew Year-End Tax Provisions
In late December, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which in addition to providing COVID-19 relief provisions also included many tax provisions and extenders. The Act contained many...
View ArticleEconomic Stimulus, Making the Post Office Solvent Again, Gun Control, Voting...
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (HR 1319) – This $1.9 trillion relief bill provides stimulus money to address the continued impact of COVID-19. Provisions include issuing $1,400 checks to taxpayers,...
View ArticleHow Cloud Accounting Helps Small Businesses Gain Competitive Edge
In a continuously changing business environment, small businesses have a challenge to keep up. It’s especially expensive to keep pace with ever changing technology. Luckily, with affordable cloud...
View Article3 Best Ways to Save for College
What if you could save enough for your child to go to college debt-free? It might sound impossible, but with dedication, hard work, and careful planning, you can do just that. According to Dave Ramsey,...
View ArticleRoth Conversion in 2021?
In 2020, a year when all income brackets benefited from lower tax rates, the stock market took a nosedive at the beginning of the pandemic. For investors sharp enough to see the opportunity, this was...
View ArticleHow Will the Projected Commodity Super-Cycle Impact Investors in 2021?
As the January 2021 World Bank Pink Sheet documented, prices increased month-over-month from November 2020 to December 2020. Highlights include the price of oil jumping by 15 percent. The cost of...
View ArticleHow Companies Can Become More Nimble During the Product Lifecycle
The majority of U.S. industrial product company CFOs have shared concerns that COVID-19 would impact their businesses negatively. For companies that develop and manufacture products, understanding the...
View ArticleTax-Free Student Loan Forgiveness is Part of the Latest Covid-19 Relief Bill
The recently passed American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 includes a provision making nearly all student loan forgiveness tax-free, at least temporarily. Before the ARP, student loan forgiveness was...
View ArticleAdvancing Healthcare Initiatives, Small Business Funding and Protecting the...
FASTER Act of 2021 (HR 578) – This bill expands the definition of major food allergens for food-labeling purposes to include sesame. It is designed to protect Americans with food allergies and related...
View ArticleE-Invoicing Presents Opportunities for Businesses to Save
Invoicing is an important process in any business. Unfortunately, it’s also a laborious process that requires accuracy. With technology advances, businesses have tried to use various means to ease the...
View Article7 Ways to Save 10K a Year
If you’re scratching your head and wondering if we’ve lost our minds, please keep reading. You can do this. All you need to do is plan your steps – and stick to it. After all, Confucius says, “A...
View ArticleNew Rules and Ways to Use HSAs/FSAs
People who own a high-deductible health insurance plan may have the ability to open a health savings account (HSA). They can contribute pre-tax income to an HSA and invest the money for tax-free growth...
View ArticleHow Will a Steepening Yield Curve Impact Markets?
Based on data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the spread between the 10-year and two-year constant maturity Treasury rates increased by 66 basis points – from 0.48 percent in July 2020 to...
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