A good credit history is nearly indispensable. Without it, you’ll have trouble buying a car, renting an apartment, and perhaps even getting a job, since some employers order job applicants’ credit reports. Here are ways to establish a good record: Start by ordering free credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. What’s the point…
Maximize Tax Breaks for your Vacation Home
Are you making summer plans for visiting your vacation home? If so, do you have to schedule your stay around dates reserved by paying guests? When you use your vacation home personally and also rent it during the year, you may need to be aware of special tax rules. But there’s a benefit to knowing…
Let Uncle Sam Help You Become Energy-Efficient
If getting more energy efficient at home or work is on your to-do list, let Uncle Sam help get things kick-started with some timely tax incentives. One example: you can claim a tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of a qualified solar-electric system if the system is installed this year. In some cases,…
Boost Employee Productivity with Paid Time Off
A good employee is a valuable company asset, and no doubt you want your employees to be as productive as possible – which is why a suggestion to boost productivity with time off might sound counter-intuitive. Paid time off (PTO) can be a critical component of your employee benefits package. Besides the obvious perk to…
Hiring for the Summer? Know the ACA Rules
If you’re an employer, what you have to do to comply with Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules depends on the size of your workforce. When you have 50 or more full-time employees – a total that can include seasonal workers – you have to deal with additional reporting and coverage requirements known as the “employer…
Speak Up About Your Finances
How often do you take time to talk about your finances? Once a year while preparing your tax return? Only when a financial emergency pops up? Or are money matters a topic you avoid entirely? If discussing financial goals makes you uncomfortable, you’re certainly not alone. Surveys by a national financial company found that money…
Real Estate Matters: Know the Tax Rules
Taxes are an important part of the decision to own real estate. Here’s a brief overview of tax benefits you can realize while you own real property, as well as when you sell or otherwise dispose of the property. Current expenses. As a rental property owner, you can deduct current expenses to offset the tax…
Use Your Computer to Improve Your Bottom Line
Regardless of the current economic outlook or the size of your organization, as an astute business manager, you’re always searching for ways to reduce expenses and increase the bottom line. Here are suggestions for using your computer to reduce marketing and operational expenses and help achieve that goal. Take advantage of free advertising. Consider listing…
Manage Your Tax Refund with Direct Deposit
Will you be receiving a tax refund this year? If so, you have the opportunity to make some smart financial choices – and best of all, you can make them painlessly. Here’s how: Direct deposit your refund. That way, all or part of your tax refund will automatically be deposited via electronic transfer system into…
Owe the IRS and Can’t Pay? You Have Options
What happens if you owe the IRS – and you can’t pay? First, be sure to file your return anyway to avoid penalties for nonfiling. Then consider the following options, and choose the one that fits your financial situation. Can you pay off the balance within 120 days? If so, apply for a short-term payment…