Fredrick James-Educating the Masses to Help You Save On Taxes

Posts Tagged ‘accounting’

Business failure can leave you feeling totally de-railed

In the last part of this series, we covered the consumer side of bad debt charge-offs and how the IRS handles that from a tax perspective. Today I want to delve into the business side of bad debt charge-offs. This side of things is usually quite complex and hard to generalize but I will attempt to keep my “tax guru” side in check and you on board. Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier we discussed the tax implications of discharged debt and that the tax code, at face value, considers discharged bad debt (absent of any special exceptions) as taxable income. But of course, nothing is as simple as that in the world of Federal tax laws, so let’s delve into a few of the different ways this debt is viewed by our government.

There are two general categories for discharged debts: consumer loans (credit cards, automobile loans, mortgages) or business related loans (bonds, commercial mortgages, equipment loans). Each type is treated slightly differently when it comes to income tax recognition and/or exclusion. Today we’re going to cover the personal or consumer related loans.

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More Americans are headed back to school, Federal tax deductions help with the expense

So far we’ve discussed the American Opportunity Tax Credit (modified Hope Credit), the Lifetime Learning Credit and even Tuition & Fee Deductions. Today though, we’re going to cover the last in our 4 part series on education tax incentives—Student Loan Interest Deduction. The great thing about this deduction is that you can take this deduction even if you qualify for the other tax credits or deductions! Read the rest of this entry »

Holy Cow! I'm Not Equipped to Make These Decisions Yet!

Accrual Method or Cash Method Accounting?

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Yes, we are back, rested and ready to hit the road running after a little break over the Holiday season!  To start off the new 2010 tax year, I wanted to cover a topic that will affect most taxpayers in a positive way , the Making Work Pay Tax Credit.

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Today people have more choices than ever before when it comes to making a living. Even those who keep their regular full time positions as employees are taking on side work as independent contractors and some are choosing to make the leap to full time self employment or starting their own small business.

Make sure you have your “parachute” packed when making the leap from employee to sole proprietor!

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You know you need an accountant to help you figure out your financials and you’re worried about the looming possibility of being hit with a big tax bill in the spring. The problem is, you’ve heard horror stories from friends and family about awful accountants. So now you’re left wondering, how do you know what you’re getting yourself into?

Last week I went over the different types of accountancy services generally available to business owners. This week I wanted to follow up with some advice on an even more individual level: finding an accounting professional you can get along with, communicate with and work with. Yes, that’s a big deal.

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I’ve noticed there has been quite a lot written about finding a good accountant but most of it tends to generalize rather than offering detailed advice to help consumers base their decisions on. So I will do my best to keep it brief, but I will also aim to provide you with some meaty information that can really help you in choosing an accounting service for your business. I should mention here that this post is mainly geared toward business owners, but the same principles generally apply to individuals as well. I should also mention that this discussion is full of generalities when I describe the different types of accountants and accounting solutions available.

Waiting until tax time to hire your accountant / bookkeper / accounting firm is is akin to waiting until labor begins to choose the doctor who’s going to deliver your baby!

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the time for putting off your business tax return is over. But, of course, you’ve already turned in your paperwork to your Accounting professional and you’re all set to go because you know corporate and partnership tax returns are due September 15, 2009 (assuming an extension was filed), right? So there’s no need to also mention that individual tax returns are due October 15, 2009 (again assuming an extension was filed)? Uhhh, riiiggghht…

Doh! I forgot to file my taxes!

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In our previous blog we began exploring the benefits of changing your invoicing policy and how that one small change can effectively save you from becoming a casualty of your clients cash flow problems. Today we are looking at the specifics as to how to go about putting that plan into action.

Very few business owners start their company with the goal of becoming collection agents, so being put in that position can lead to avoidance. You have a personal relationship with your clients and it can become an emotional issue for many small business owners—who wants to add stress to people you know are already struggling? So let’s take the emotional baggage out of the equation by setting up some simple guidelines that communicate your expectations and provide more up to date information for your clients that will help them better budget their payments so you get to avoid being “the bad guy”.

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