Can employees “cash out” their fringe benefit transit passes?
June 15, 2021 Knowledge Center
Can employees “cash out” their fringe benefit transit passes?

Although optimism is high that the pandemic may be gradually drawing to a close in the United States, not everyone will be heading back to the office. Many employers intend to allow certain employees to continue working remotely and, in fact, some employees are demanding the option to do so. Among the many issues raised […]

Retiring soon? 4 tax issues you may face
June 14, 2021 Knowledge Center
Retiring soon? 4 tax issues you may face

If you’re getting ready to retire, you’ll soon experience changes in your lifestyle and income sources that may have numerous tax implications. Here’s a brief rundown of four tax and financial issues you may deal with when you retire: Taking required minimum distributions. This is the minimum amount you must withdraw from your retirement accounts. You […]

Accounting estimates present challenges in times of uncertainty
June 14, 2021 Knowledge Center
Accounting estimates present challenges in times of uncertainty

In today’s unprecedented market conditions, it can be challenging to predict metrics that underlie your company’s accounting estimates. Examples of key “unknowns” include how much longer certain pandemic issues will continue, how federal stimulus spending will affect the economy over the long run, and the extent to which tax laws and environment regulations may change […]

Estate planning in the FAST lane
June 10, 2021 Knowledge Center
Estate planning in the FAST lane

Traditionally, estate planning has focused on more technical objectives, such as minimizing gift and estate taxes and protecting assets against creditors’ claims or lawsuits. These goals are still important, but affluent families are increasingly turning their attention to “softer,” yet equally critical, aspirations, such as educating the younger generation, preparing them to manage wealth responsibly, […]

Preventing ransomware attacks on manufacturers
June 9, 2021 Knowledge Center
Preventing ransomware attacks on manufacturers

The world’s largest meat production company was recently sidelined by a ransomware attack. The hack forced the company to temporarily shutter plants in the United States, Canada and Australia, affecting the U.S. meat supply and even hurting commodity prices. If it seems like cybercriminals often target manufacturing (including food processing) and distribution companies, that’s because […]

Plan ahead for the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax
June 8, 2021 Knowledge Center
Plan ahead for the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax

High-income taxpayers face a 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) that’s imposed in addition to regular income tax. Fortunately, there are some steps you may be able to take to reduce its impact. The NIIT applies to you only if modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds: $250,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly and surviving spouses, […]

Michael Kaplan featured in Wealth Management & Estate Planning Roundtable | L.A. Times
June 7, 2021 In the News
Michael Kaplan featured in Wealth Management & Estate Planning Roundtable | L.A. Times

“There are 1,042,027 millionaire households in California – 7.7% of all households – according to Phoenix Marketing International. About 270,000 of those millionaire households are based in L.A. County, more than any other county in the nation.”

David Lam Shares Security Insights with TechBuillon
June 7, 2021 In the News
David Lam Shares Security Insights with TechBuillon

“Miller Kaplan has a department dedicated to information security; how specifically do you ensure security from this department? The secret sauce to an Information Security Management Program is threefold…”

EEOC addresses requiring and incentivizing COVID-19 vaccination
June 4, 2021 COVID-19
EEOC addresses requiring and incentivizing COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccines for COVID-19 have been available for months now. As of this writing, about half of adults in the United States are fully vaccinated, and many more than that have had at least one shot. Yet, in all this time, employers haven’t received much guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding the […]

How to strengthen your internal controls
June 3, 2021 Knowledge Center
How to strengthen your internal controls

Internal controls are a system of policies and procedures organizations put in place to protect assets and improve operating efficiency. Effective internal controls are critical to accurate financial reporting. A solid system of controls can help prevent, detect and correct financial misstatements due to errors and fraud. Internal and external risk factors evolve over time. […]

The long and short of succession planning
June 2, 2021 Knowledge Center
The long and short of succession planning

For many business owners, putting together a succession plan may seem like an overwhelming task. It might even seem unnecessary for those who are relatively young and have no intention of giving up ownership anytime soon. But if the past year or so have taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. Owners who’ve built […]

Determining eligibility for HIPAA administrative simplification
June 1, 2021 Knowledge Center
Determining eligibility for HIPAA administrative simplification

A health care plan with fewer than 50 participants that’s administered by a sponsoring employer may have fewer compliance hassles. That’s because it’s excluded from the definition of a “group health plan” under administrative simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These provisions include privacy and security requirements. This can be […]