Tax Alert | Protective Claim for Refund
July 9, 2020 Knowledge Center
Tax Alert | Protective Claim for Refund

On March 2, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) in the matter of California v. Texas (known as Texas v. United States in the lower courts). Oral arguments have not been scheduled yet, but the Court will hear the matter during the […]

SBA reopens EIDL program to small businesses and nonprofits
July 8, 2020 Knowledge Center
SBA reopens EIDL program to small businesses and nonprofits

The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced that it has reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program to eligible applicants still struggling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EIDL program offers long-term, low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits. If your company hasn’t been able to procure financing […]

Main Street Lending Program
July 8, 2020 COVID-19
Main Street Lending Program

By Kaveh Imandoust, J.D., M.B.T., CPA; and Nicholas Sanchez, J.D., LL.M. Taxation   Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are integral to the U.S. economy and create jobs for a large share of the U.S. workforce; however, the spread of COVID-19 has substantially disrupted economic activity in many sectors of the economy – especially for SMBs. […]

Using Personal Machines is High Risk | LABJ
July 7, 2020 In the News
Using Personal Machines is High Risk | LABJ

by David Lam | This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Business Journal.   We get it, you reacted quickly to respond to COVID. You learned about how COVID spreads, how to protect yourself and your family from getting sick, and how to keep your business afloat. Now we are in an emerging new normal and […]

Re-evaluate your company’s competitiveness in a changed economy
July 2, 2020 Knowledge Center
Re-evaluate your company’s competitiveness in a changed economy

Just about every business owner’s strategic plans for 2020 look far different now than they did heading into the year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the economy in profound ways, forcing many companies to recalibrate suddenly and severely. As your business moves forward in this uncertain environment, it’s important to re-evaluate competitiveness. You may have […]

Avoid pitfalls when splitting gifts with your spouse
July 2, 2020 Knowledge Center
Avoid pitfalls when splitting gifts with your spouse

The annual gift tax exclusion allows you to transfer up to $15,000 per beneficiary gift-tax-free for 2020, without tapping your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. And you can double the exclusion to $30,000 per beneficiary if you elect to split the gifts with your spouse. It’s important to understand the rules surrounding gift-splitting to […]

How are you going to find your nonprofit’s next executive?
July 2, 2020 Knowledge Center
How are you going to find your nonprofit’s next executive?

Every nonprofit needs an executive search plan. Even if you aren’t facing an imminent vacancy, your organization is smart to prepare for what can be a long process. In fact, executive searches generally take several months — even if you end up hiring someone already known to your nonprofit. So make plans now. Focusing energy […]

Fraud in the family business
July 2, 2020 Knowledge Center
Fraud in the family business

Family businesses make up the vast majority of companies in the United States and produce 62% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the Conway Center for Family Business. Generally defined as companies that are majority owned by a single family with two or more members involved in their management, family businesses can be […]

How smart software can help you find fraud
July 2, 2020 Knowledge Center
How smart software can help you find fraud

Machine learning increasingly is being used to discover fraud schemes. With this type of artificial intelligence (AI), the technology learns or improves in accuracy through experience, rather than through additional programming. If you already use AI in your business, you’re probably somewhat familiar with how machine learning works. But here’s a quick overview of its […]

How HIPAA applies to COVID-19-related temp checks and info gathering
June 26, 2020 Knowledge Center
How HIPAA applies to COVID-19-related temp checks and info gathering

To cope with the COVID-19 crisis, many employers are taking employees’ temperatures and asking them general health-related questions as they report to work. A cogent question that often arises in light of this activity is: How do the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) apply to the information gathered? Covered entities […]

What qualifies as a “coronavirus-related distribution” from a retirement plan?
June 26, 2020 Knowledge Center
What qualifies as a “coronavirus-related distribution” from a retirement plan?

As you may have heard, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allows “qualified” people to take certain “coronavirus-related distributions” from their retirement plans without paying tax. So how do you qualify? In other words, what’s a coronavirus-related distribution? Early distribution basics In general, if you withdraw money from an IRA or eligible […]

Asset impairment is expected to hit 2020 financial statements
June 25, 2020 COVID-19
Asset impairment is expected to hit 2020 financial statements

Some companies are expected to report impairment losses in fiscal year 2020 because of the COVID-19 crisis. Depending on the nature of your operations and assets, the pandemic could be considered a “triggering event” that warrants interim impairment testing. Examples of assets that may become impaired include long-lived assets (such as equipment and real estate), […]