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Back to Business Basics

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Hand drawing a conceptual diagram about the importance to find the shortest way to go from point A to point B, or a simple solution to a problem.It’s reassuring to remember that downturns are a normal part of the business cycle. And, just as there are strategies that help businesses thrive during profitable times, there are basic survival tactics that businesses can employ when the outlook is less than rosy.

Control Spending

Finances should be your fundamental concern when economic conditions are unsettled. When sales are slow, it’s time to preserve your cash. Look closely at how you can reduce overhead. Make certain that all your operating expenses are necessary. Even if you’ve recently made cuts, see if there are other measures you can take. Unless absolutely necessary, consider putting plans that call for capital investment on the back burner until conditions improve.

Maintain Customers

While containing costs is essential, maintaining your customer base is also crucial. So, when you’re deciding how to trim spending, make sure you don’t make cuts in areas that deliver real value to your customers. At the same time, watch your receivables. Make sure your customers’ accounts stay current.

Think Short Term

Plan purchases for the short term, keeping a minimum of cash tied up in inventory. At the same time, however, make sure you’ll be able to restock quickly. Your suppliers may be able to suggest ways you can cut costs (perhaps by using different materials or an alternative manufacturing process). See if you can negotiate better credit terms.

Plan for Contingencies

There’s a big difference between imagining that you might have to seriously scale back your business and having an action plan in place that you can quickly execute. To develop a realistic contingency plan, prepare a budget based on the impact you imagine an extended downturn would have on your business. Then outline the steps you would need to take to survive those conditions. For an added level of preparedness, draw up a second, “worst case scenario” budget and chart the cost-cutting steps you’d need to take to outlive those more dire circumstances.

Many businesses will survive challenging economic times by being informed about their financial condition and by planning ahead to succeed.

Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Under the Corporate Transparency Act

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Serious millennial man using laptop sitting at the table in a home office, focused guy in casual clothing looking at the paper, communicating online, writing emails, distantly working or studying on computer at home.What is Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting?

Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting is a federal requirement by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). BOI reports include information about all the company’s beneficial owners.

Who is considered a Beneficial Owner?

A beneficial owner is any individual who, directly or indirectly, exercises substantial control over a reporting company or owns or controls at least 25 percent of the company’s ownership interests.

What is the Corporate Transparency Act?

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is a United States federal law that aims to increase transparency in corporate ownership. The law requires that individuals considered beneficial company owners in the U.S. provide the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) with specific information.

For individuals, that includes:

  • their full name
  • date of birth
  • current residential address
  • a federally issued identification number from a driver’s license or passport

For companies, that includes:

  • legal entity name or DBA name
  • business address
  • state jurisdiction of formation of registration
  • IRS TIN

Any changes to the above reporting information must be updated with the FinCEN within 30 days of the change.

What is considered a Reporting Company?

Companies required to report a BOI are referred to as reporting companies. There are two types of reporting companies: domestic and foreign. They are defined as follows:

  1. Domestic reporting companies are corporations, limited liability companies (LLC), and other entities created by filing a document with a secretary of state or similar office in the U.S.
  2. Foreign reporting companies are entities (including corporations and LLCs) formed under a foreign country’s law and registered to do business in the U.S. by filing a document with a secretary of state or similar office.

There are 23 types of entities that are exempt from the reporting requirements. Those entities can be found on the FinCEN website.

What is the Reporting Process?

The reporting process takes place via an online portal on the FinCEN’s website. Filing begins January 1, 2024, with an initial filing window of one year (i.e., initial BOI reporting can be done from January 1, 2024, through January 1, 2025). The FinCEN will not accept BOI reporting before January 1, 2024. There is no fee for submitting this information.

New entities established after December 31, 2023, must report within 90 days of establishment.

Hefty civil ($500/day) and criminal penalties (up to $10,000) can be imposed on companies that fail to file a complete report.

To be sure that you and your firm comply with BOI reporting requirements, check with your trusted tax accountant or CPA.

Keeping It SIMPLE

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Investor information graph. Careful forex trader make money revenue, sell stock indicator with diagram profit information crypto analysis professional marketing vector illustration of investment graphA SIMPLE IRA is an option for small business owners who do not currently have a retirement plan in place but would like to have one. This particular type of retirement plan has several attractive features that deliver significant benefits to both employers and their employees.

What It Is

The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) is a retirement savings plan targeted at employers with 100 or fewer employees who earn $5,000 or more in compensation. With fewer reporting and administrative requirements than other retirement plans, the SIMPLE plan is designed to appeal to employers with limited resources and personnel to handle benefit administration and compliance issues.

With a SIMPLE IRA, employees may make tax-deferred contributions through payroll deduction to traditional individual retirement accounts set up under the plan. In 2023, the contribution limit is $15,500 ($19,000 if age 50 or over). All account earnings are tax deferred until the plan participant begins withdrawals. Withdrawals from a SIMPLE IRA are taxed at regular income tax rates.

Employers appreciate the fact that a SIMPLE IRA is relatively easy to set up and operate. An annual report is not required, although certain documents must be distributed to inform employees about the plan.

Employers are required to contribute to the plan, either by matching employee contributions up to 3% of pay or by contributing 2% of each eligible employee’s compensation. The matching percentage may be lowered in some years.

Plan Benefits

  • Employee contributions are tax deferred
  • Employer contributions to employees’ SIMPLE IRAs are tax deductible
  • Account earnings are tax deferred
  • No annual filing requirement or discrimination testing

Potential Drawbacks

  • Employer contributions are required
  • No Roth contributions are permitted
  • Full immediate vesting (employee has ownership of all SIMPLE IRA money)
  • No loans permitted

Your financial and tax professionals can help you assess your retirement plan options

Your Plan Account Statement Can Reveal Valuable Information

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Crop hand of cartoon employer with magnifier looking through candidates resume in searchIt’s smart to make a point of reviewing your retirement plan account statement in detail at least once a year. You’ll want to ensure that the information in your statement is accurate and assess whether you should make any changes in your contribution level or investments going forward.

Ensure Personal Details Are Correct

To start your review, check the following for accuracy:

  • Personal information (e.g., name, address, phone, etc.)
  • Hire date (since it can affect vesting)
  • Contribution amounts (yours and your employer’s, if applicable)
  • Investment instructions
  • Beneficiary designation

Review Your Investments’ Performance

Any large change — up or down — in one investment market can impact your portfolio’s overall asset allocation.* Consider rebalancing** your portfolio at least once a year so that the percentages you have invested in stocks, bonds, and cash alternatives remain in line with your desired asset allocation.

As a retirement plan investor, your investment goals are typically long term. As such, you may decide to allocate a greater percentage of your portfolio to stock funds*** since a longer investing horizon gives your portfolio more time to recover from any short-term declines in the stock market. However, if there have been changes in your financial situation — for example, you have experienced a job loss, or you have had to deal with large, unexpected expenses — you may have less tolerance for investment risk than before. If that’s the case, you may choose to lower your exposure to higher risk investments in your portfolio.

One of the best ways to measure your portfolio’s performance is to compare your investments to benchmarks. Benchmarking helps put performance in perspective. For example, it can be disturbing when a fund you own has a negative return. However, it doesn’t seem so bad if the fund’s comparable index dropped by a similar percentage.

Likewise, if the overall market fell 10% while your fund only fell by 5%, you would understand that your fund did well in the circumstances. However, if your fund earned returns of 5% during a period when its benchmark rose by 15%, then you may want to examine whether continuing to hold that fund makes sense.

Portfolio Turnover Rate

The term portfolio turnover rate refers to the percentage of a mutual fund’s holdings that changes over a given period of time. Certain types of stock funds may have high turnover rates because they pursue aggressive or growth strategies. Other types — value funds, for example — may have lower turnover rates.

It can be a red flag if a fund’s portfolio turnover rate is much higher than that of other funds in the same style category and the fund consistently underperforms similar funds and its benchmark. Portfolio turnover rate is just one of the many factors investors should review when assessing funds in their portfolios.

Management Fees

Mutual funds charge management fees to help cover the expenses of operating the fund. Typically, management fees are used to compensate the investment managers who select and monitor the fund’s investments. Deciding whether to continue owning a mutual fund based on how much it charges in annual management fees is a subjective judgement. If the management fees are higher than those of other comparable funds and the fund’s performance demonstrates no appreciable difference, then it might be worth looking deeper into the issue.

Work With a Professional

Reviewing your retirement plan account statement can help identify strengths as well as deficiencies in your retirement planning and allow you to respond accordingly. Your financial professional can also be a valuable partner in ensuring that you are on the right track to a financially solid retirement.

Tax Tips for Businesses

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Tax Form, Tax, Income Tax, Savings, VectorAs a business owner, you should familiarize yourself with your federal, state, and local tax requirements. Understanding what your obligations are will assist you in filing returns and paying taxes accurately and on time. Whatever taxes you are required to pay, you have to be very aware that there are deadlines for remitting them and any delays on your part could result in penalties. Here are some tips that can help you avoid tax trouble with the IRS.

Employment Taxes

The IRS requires employers to withhold federal income tax and FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes from their employees’ wages. The IRS also wants you to remit these employment taxes, along with your company’s FICA contributions, to them in a timely manner. Failing to remit these taxes can lead to serious penalties for noncompliance. This is one issue you absolutely must stay on top of.

Remember, sole proprietors, general partners, and, usually, members of limited liability companies do not have Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld like employees do. Instead, they must pay self-employment taxes, which typically cover Social Security and Medicare.

Estimated Taxes

You must generally make quarterly estimated tax payments to cover self-employment taxes and income tax on income that is not subject to withholding. If you do not make required estimated payments on time, you may owe the IRS an underpayment penalty.

Misclassifying Workers

Employees and independent contractors are treated differently for income tax withholding and employment tax purposes. Generally, the more control you have over a worker’s tasks and hours of work, the more likely that individual is an employee. In the case of employees, you must withhold federal income tax and FICA taxes, pay your share of FICA taxes, and pay unemployment taxes. You are not required to withhold income or FICA taxes from an independent contractor. Independent contractors pay income taxes and self-employment taxes on their own. If the IRS determines that your business has misclassified employees as independent contractors, it could prove to be costly.

Keep Business and Personal Transactions Separate

Personal bank and credit card accounts should always be kept separate from business accounts. Doing so makes it easier to identify all appropriate business expenses at tax time. That, in turn, simplifies things when it comes to claiming business tax deductions.

Substantiating Business Expenses

Like every business, your company will incur various expenses that are simply the cost of doing business. Many of these business expenses will be deductible. You should have proof of purchase for those expenses that you intend to deduct. Proof can be a cancelled check (or a legible image of the check), or a credit card, debit card, or electronic funds transfer (EFT) statement that shows the payee, amount of purchase or transfer, and the date of the transaction.

It’s also important that you can provide an invoice or receipt that identifies the purchase. If it’s not clear what the business purpose for the purchase is, then you should attach a note of explanation or write directly on the invoice or receipt. This can be helpful if the deductibility of the purchase is ever questioned by the IRS. Deductions for business travel expenses have very specific substantiation requirements, so be sure you are familiar with them before claiming these expenses.

Determining what taxes your business is subject to and when those taxes must be remitted is complex. Unfortunately, errors can be costly to your business. A professional who specializes in small business tax and accounting matters can help your business put systems and procedures in place so that it can claim all the deductions it is entitled to and meet its tax obligations in a timely and accurate manner.

What Is Your Most Valuable Asset?

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Happy businesswoman using a digital tablet. Young leading businesswoman using a wireless tablet. Creative designer working in her agency. Designer standing in her office using an online appYour most valuable asset isn’t your real estate or the tech stocks you bought in the 90s that have done well. It isn’t even your business per se. Your most valuable asset is you — specifically your ability to run a profitable company and make money.

Are you protecting that asset from the risk that a disabling illness or accident might prevent you from working? If you don’t have disability income insurance, you’re not protected.

What Are the Odds?

People generally think the odds of becoming disabled are low. But the numbers say otherwise: More than one in four 20-year-old workers become disabled before reaching retirement age. Here’s another reality check: Serious accidents are not the leading cause of long-term disability; chronic conditions are. Muscle and bone disorders (such as a back disorder or joint or muscle pain) are responsible for more than one in four disabilities.

How Long Could You Go Without an Income?

Even a short period of disability could be devastating. The average group long-term disability claim lasts 2.6 years. Even if you have reserves you 3 could tap, your personal finances would take a hit. If and when you were able to start earning an income again, you might have to start all over.

What Would Happen to Your Business?

Your involvement is vital to your company’s financial success. If you’re unable to work, you might have to hire someone to take your place and borrow money to pay the bills until you’re back on the job. Bottom line? If you’re sidelined by a long disability, it could jeopardize the success or even the survival of your business.

What Can You Do?

Call your financial professional to review and discuss this important issue.