If you’re charitably inclined, it may be desirable to donate assets held in a trust. Why? Perhaps you’re not ready to let go of assets you hold individually. Or maybe the tax benefits of donating trust property would be more attractive than making an individual donation. Before moving forward, it’s important to understand the differences, […]
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler spoke during a recent webcast to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Gensler recommended that the SEC take a “fresh look” at its rules on the issue of auditor conflicts of interest. He also asked the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to add auditor […]
An interesting tool called Benford’s Law can be effective in detecting fraud. But it also can be used during external auditing procedures to test journal entries for unusual numeric patterns. Here’s what you should know about this statistical technique, including its potential limitations. Random data sets According to Benford’s Law, in sets of random data, […]
Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842, Leases, requires organizations to report the full magnitude of their long-term lease obligations on their balance sheets — a historic first. For private companies and nonprofits, the changes take effect this year. Public entities adopted the rules in 2019. While the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) conducts its post-implementation review of […]
Any form of identity theft can be costly, unsettling, and take months — sometimes years — to fully recover from and repair. But tax-related identity theft can be particularly disturbing because it involves the IRS, about which many people already harbor suspicion and anxiety. Although the IRS has taken significant steps in recent years to […]
When President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law in August, most of the headlines covered the law’s climate change and health care provisions. But the law also enhances an often overlooked federal tax break for qualifying small businesses. The IRA more than doubles the amount a qualified business can potentially claim as […]
High-income taxpayers face two special taxes — a 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) and a 0.9% additional Medicare tax on wage and self-employment income. Here’s an overview of the taxes and what they may mean for you. 3.8% NIIT This tax applies, in addition to income tax, on your net investment income. The NIIT […]
Goodwill is one of the most confusing aspects of valuing a business interest for divorce cases. In many states, goodwill needs to be valued and then divided into two pieces: business and personal goodwill. Unfortunately, significant differences in methods and theories exist on this complex issue, as recent case law demonstrates. Key definitions According to […]
According to Family Enterprise USA, 87% of U.S. companies are family businesses, which are responsible for 54% of gross domestic product or $7.7 trillion. Although family businesses are an economic pillar of strength, several studies have found that they’re more vulnerable to occupational fraud than other companies. Here’s what you need to know if you […]
The popularity of telehealth grew exponentially when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020. Many people have now returned to in-person appointments with their physicians, though virtual visits remain a convenient option under some circumstances. The situation has motivated many employers to formally offer telehealth as an employee benefit. As a result, a […]
Agreed-upon procedures engagements provide limited assurance on a specific aspect of an organization’s financial or nonfinancial information — which can cover various items. For example, a CPA could provide a statement about the reliability of a company’s accounts receivable, the validity of the sales team’s credit card payments, the effectiveness of the controls for the […]
Intangible assets — such as patents, copyrights and trademarks — are essential to the operations of many companies, but they’re rarely reported on the balance sheet. And even when they are reported due to an acquisition, book value is often based on historical cost under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). However, historical cost may […]