Goodwill is one of the most valued assets for many small businesses. It exists among many different types of companies, from professional service firms to retailers to manufacturers. To place a value on this important piece of a business’ puzzle requires a valuation professional. Typically, goodwill has been broken down into two parts: Business (or  Continue Reading »

It happens. Even the most efficiently run small business can run into delinquent accounts, and be faced with the unpleasant task of trying to collect on past-due accounts. Most small businesses have their own internal debt collection process, but may need to turn to a professional credit collection agency when additional help is needed. Small  Continue Reading »

Often a Maine-based small business will be asked by staff members if they can be exempt from federal withholding. There are a few different things to keep in mind when considering this question: If the staff member had no liability the previous year, i.e., they received a refund of all federal income tax paid, they  Continue Reading »

Diez v. Davey, 2014 Mich. App. LEXIS 2041 (Oct. 23, 2014) How does the law treat undistributed income from a parent’s S corporation for purposes of determining child support? This was the central question in a recent child custody case. The lower court relied on expert testimony that attributed to the owner parent income based  Continue Reading »

It may seem like checks are less common for Maine-based small businesses than they used to be. However, check fraud continues to cost individuals and small businesses billions of dollars every year. Even though forged checks have always been a problem, inexpensive laser printers and easily obtained check-quality paper make check fraud more of a  Continue Reading »

Many Maine-based small business owners are involved in the food service industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes a Food Code for restaurants to protect the public from diseases that are transmissible through food. Owners of food service establishments need to make sure that any employees who handle food are not infected with the  Continue Reading »

Small business owners often prepare a projected cash flow statement. These set a prediction of the company’s available funds over a specified period of time. The primary goal is to determine whether the business will have enough cash to pay the bills. These statements show, ahead of time, whether it will be necessary to find  Continue Reading »

Small business owners want their companies to grow. An efficient way to do this may be to acquire and merge with another company. But it’s not a sure thing, and usually when it doesn’t pay off, it’s because of management issues, and not market conditions. Read these eight key strategies that could make the difference  Continue Reading »

Cavallaro v. Commissioner, 2014 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 189 (Sept. 17, 2014) So much for professional help! Hardworking taxpayers who built a successful business relied on estate planning professionals to effect a transfer of wealth that would minimize their tax liability. The resulting merger of two family businesses led to an IRS deficiency notice alleging  Continue Reading »

As a Maine-based small business owner, you’ve probably spent a lot of time and money developing unique ideas, products, and services. But the more people who are in on your plans, the more you risk losing your secrets. To help protect your vital assets, it’s important to require confidentiality agreements. Sometimes referred to as non-disclosure  Continue Reading »