New Benefits Study: How to Fill Risky Gaps in Coverage, Knowledge

December 21, 2021 | Business Plans

Employers and employees may not see eye-to-eye on many topics, including the adequacy of their paychecks. When it comes to wages and salaries, the amounts are relatively cut-and-dried. However, the value of contingent compensation elements — such as health benefits — can be harder to evaluate until claims are filed. New research by supplemental employee  Continue Reading »


Plaintiff Fails to Convince the Court That Physical Loss or Physical Damage Has Occurred; Virus Clause Applies and Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Is Granted

December 13, 2021 | Court Rulings, Valuations

Family Tacos, LLC v. Auto Owners Ins. Co. Summary In this business interruption case resulting from mandatory shutdowns to control COVID-19, the court grants a motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s claims. Plaintiff operates two restaurants in Ohio, which has incurred losses due to the pandemic. Because the policy, as a matter of law, does not  Continue Reading »


Turn Customer Complaints Into Value-Building Opportunities

December 7, 2021 | Business Plans

Have your customers been complaining about such issues as service disruptions, back-ordered products, unreturned phone calls, curtailed business hours, and unexpected price increases? Thanks to labor shortages, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions for many organizations, complaints are becoming ubiquitous. Even with “help wanted” signs posted everywhere and constant news about business challenges, customers often  Continue Reading »


Court Grants Insurance Company’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint That It Suffered Covered Loss of Income Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

November 29, 2021 | Court Rulings

Equity Planning Corp. v. Westfield Ins. Co. Case Digest  COVID-19-related damages cases are making their way through state and federal courts. Plaintiffs typically are businesses that have suffered economic losses because of various mandatory shutdowns. They file claims with their insurance agency, which frequently denies coverage for business interruption losses. However, more often than not,  Continue Reading »


Deciding When to Raise Your Prices…and by How Much

November 22, 2021 | Business Plans, Financial Planning

A price increase is sometimes unavoidable — and now might be one of those times as many businesses are dealing with cost increases, supply chain bottlenecks, and labor shortages. The key to implementing a price hike with minimal loss of customers is timing. It’s hard to be the first one in your industry to raise  Continue Reading »


The District Court Refuses to Throw Out Experts Under Daubert Motions, Citing Differences in Admissibility and Scrutiny Under Cross-Examination

November 16, 2021 | Court Rulings

Innovation Ventures, L.L.C. v. Custom Nutrition Labs., L.L.C. This case involves a consideration of motions by both the plaintiff and the defendant to exclude the testimony of the other party’s expert witness based on Daubert and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Plaintiff’s expert testified on how to calculate lost profits based on the plaintiff’s market  Continue Reading »


Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Small Businesses

November 8, 2021 | IRS Regulation, Tax Planning, Tax Preparation

You may still have time to significantly reduce this year’s business federal income tax bill even with all the uncertainty about proposed tax law changes. Congress is currently considering some tax changes. Here are five possible moves to consider — but stay tuned for developments.    Claim 100% First-Year Bonus Depreciation for Last-Minute Asset Additions Thanks  Continue Reading »


Why Cost Codes Are Critical to Construction Business Success

October 27, 2021 | Business Plans

No matter the size of your construction business, cost codes are essential for tracking where and how you incur project costs. Although a job’s overall cost will tell you what was spent and how much was made, it won’t tell you why you spent the money or earned that profit. Cost codes provide an easy  Continue Reading »


Court Rejects Creditor’s Objection to Discharge Based on Debtor’s Alleged Concealment of Client List from Accounting Business Client

October 26, 2021 | Court Rulings

Case digest The case implicates section 727 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which concerns a Chapter 7 debtor’s request for discharge. Objections to discharge are challenging to prove because the denial of discharge is the “death penalty” in bankruptcy. The objector has the burden of proving the debtor failed to disclose property, including a customer  Continue Reading »


In Buyout Dispute, ‘Downward Bias’ Sinks Expert’s Fair Value Determination

October 19, 2021 | Court Rulings

Ryan Trust v. Ryan  In a bitter buyout dispute involving a thriving private family business and featuring two veteran appraisers, the Nebraska Supreme Court recently affirmed the district court’s decision to unreservedly credit the valuation testimony of the expert for the late majority shareholder. In contrast, the district court found the company’s expert’s valuations under  Continue Reading »