The holidays can be a joyous time of year, but also very chaotic. It’s easy to forget to spend any remaining funds in your Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) before New Year’s Day while you’re juggling shopping for gifts, decorating your home and planning get-togethers with friends and family. However, if you fail to observe the “use-it-or-lose-it  Continue Reading »

Giving Tuesday, known on social media as #GivingTuesday, was on November 29, 2016. Never heard of it? The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has grown into one of the biggest fundraising drives for the not-for-profit industry. Similar to Cyber Monday, it’s a day when charities encourage people to make year-end donations using their computers and mobile devices. Blackbaud,  Continue Reading »

In re Mercury Cos., 2015 Bank. LEXIS 3443 (Oct. 9, 2015) (In re Mercury II) After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the plaintiff claimed the sale of certain subsidiaries to the defendant entities was an avoidable fraudulent transfer. The Bankruptcy Court considered the valuations the parties’ experts presented at trial for the subsidiaries “useful but  Continue Reading »

When valuing a business, there are three approaches: the cost, market and income approaches. In this article, we focus on the market approach, which the International Glossary of Business Valuation Terms defines as: A general way of determining a value indication of a business, business ownership interest, security, or intangible asset by using one or more methods  Continue Reading »

Thanks to recent legislation, the due dates have been changed for some information returns and related statements and for some business tax returns. Here’s what you need to know. Earlier Due Dates for Forms 1099-MISC and W-2 A business must file a Form 1099-MISC to report payments to the IRS when a business pays non-employee compensation  Continue Reading »

You must comply with complex rules established by the IRS and the Department of Labor when your company sponsors a qualified retirement plan. Your firm could face costly penalties from federal regulators if you ignore the rules, and then you plan participants might sue you for mishandling trust assets. It’s best to not handle this  Continue Reading »

It’s not too late for small Maine businesses to take steps to significantly reduce 2016 business income tax bill and lay the groundwork for tax savings in future years. Here’s a summary of some of the most effective year-end tax-saving moves for small businesses under the existing Internal Revenue Code. The tax laws could change after  Continue Reading »

Lane v. Lampkin, 2015 Miss. LEXIS 503 (Oct. 8, 2015) (Lampkin II)  It’s not uncommon for a trial court to decide a valuation issue by “splitting the baby”—that is, reaching a compromise somewhere in the middle of the opposing figures. Often the decision, however puzzling, stands because the appeals court is reluctant to find an  Continue Reading »

The IRS recently announced its “nonacquiesence” with a federal appeals court decision that held a retailer that issued loyalty discounts to its customers was entitled to deduct its liabilities attributable to discounts, which were accrued but hadn’t yet been redeemed. (IRS Action on Decision 2016-03) Case Background Information A deduction or credit must be taken for  Continue Reading »

GOP tax reform appears likely in 2017 with Donald Trump as the president elect and Republicans holding a majority in the U.S. House and Senate. Mr. Trump promised big tax changes while campaigning. According to his website, here is a digest of his proposals. Changes for Business Tax Major changes to the taxes paid by businesses  Continue Reading »