CURRENT EDITION
Is It Time to Hire in Your Firm?
After my second busy season as a solo practitioner, I made a terrible mistake within my firm. I hired my first employee. As a matter of fact, I hired someone who also had tax and accounting experience. You may be thinking, “What? Hiring is the solution if you were feeling overwhelmed.” That is true, if you are assuming that I had the proper systems in place. The mistake I made was hiring an employee before I was ready. The money was there and ready. The work was there and ready. It only took a few weeks to realize that I didn’t have a capacity issue. I had a systems and processes issue. I am not suggesting that you should work yourself to full capacity, absolutely not. I am suggesting that before you attempt to pass along a task to someone else or put in place automation that you have a written-out process.
READ MOREMy Client Stuck with a Mistaken C Corporation Election?
My client formed three limited liability companies (LLCs) to hold his rental properties. Without consulting me, he filed Form 8832, Entity Classification Election, to elect C corporation treatment, effective January 1, 2020, for these LLCs. I want the LLCs to be disregarded entities, which is the most tax-efficient structure for his situation. What is the best way to undo these elections?
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GOFUNDME & KICKSTARTER: TAXABLE? DEDUCTIBLE?
Millions of taxpayers in the United States are using crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter to raise money for important needs, such as paying medical bills, paying legal fees, or funding a new business venture. Both the IRS and the courts have been surprisingly silent on the tax consequences of crowdfunding platforms. The good news is that established tax law provides a clear road map for answering most tax questions created by raising money from a crowdfunding website. By knowing these rules, taxpayers can use crowdfunding to raise cash and minimize their overall tax exposure.
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How Business Owners Can Boost Income by Avoiding the $10,000 SALT Cap
Taxpayers have been whipsawed by confusing rules for the $10,000 limit on deducting state and local taxes (SALT), the most politically charged piece of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. The cap has caused nearly 11 million individuals to lose an annual deduction worth $323 billion. But many owners of private businesses known as passthroughs can avert that financial pain. If you own your company and thus report your business income on your personal federal income tax return, here’s what you need to know.
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Avoiding Passive Loss Limitations Through Short-term and Alternative Rentals
Short-term rentals like AirBnb are becoming increasingly popular with taxpayers who invest in real estate. For many taxpayers, the appeal of these properties is the flexibility and cash flow potential. However, there may be an overlooked third tax benefit. In many situations these short-term rentals may not qualify as a rental activity to the IRS, and that may offer a big tax break. While many rental activities generate losses, this can leave taxpayers facing the frustrations of not always getting to deduct those losses right away due to the passive activity limitations.
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CURRENT EDITION
Is It Time to Hire in Your Firm?
After my second busy season as a solo practitioner, I made a terrible mistake within my firm. I hired my first employee. As a matter of fact, I hired someone who also had tax and accounting experience. You may be thinking, “What? Hiring is the solution if you were feeling overwhelmed.” That is true, if you are assuming that I had the proper systems in place. The mistake I made was hiring an employee before I was ready. The money was there and ready. The work was there and ready. It only took a few weeks to realize that I didn’t have a capacity issue. I had a systems and processes issue. I am not suggesting that you should work yourself to full capacity, absolutely not. I am suggesting that before you attempt to pass along a task to someone else or put in place automation that you have a written-out process.
You Don’t Need a Bigger Stack — You Need a Better Portfolio
In every tax Facebook group or conference session, there’s always that one pro excitedly talking about the latest app they’ve added to their “tech stack.” But here’s the dirty little secret: most of us aren’t running integrated tech stacks. We’re juggling a mix of disconnected tools that may or may not play nicely together. Let’s stop pretending we’re all building perfectly integrated ecosystems. What we really need is a tech portfolio—a curated collection of tools that serve our actual needs, reflect how we really work, and support the kind of client experience we want to deliver. A portfolio recognizes reality: tools don’t have to talk to each other perfectly. They just need to work for you. So let’s explore how to build a smart, efficient, and secure tech portfolio that helps you thrive whether you’re a solo professional or managing a growing team.
Tracking and Measuring Your Business Development Efforts: KPIs for CPAs
As CPAs, we were trained to work with precision, accuracy, and strategy in everything we do. However, business development has not been part of our standard training; therefore, many accounting professionals not only struggle with business development tactics but also shy away from tracking and measuring the impact of their efforts. But here’s the truth: Just as we track and measure other financial data, it is essential to measure business development efforts in order to improve. You can unlock significant growth in your firm by understanding which key performance indicators (KPIs) to track, how you manage your practice, how you acquire new clients, and how to increase your revenue.
