Year: 2025

6 Reasons for Mid-Year Tax Planning

Mid-Year Tax PlanningRight smack dab in the middle of summer might seem like the worst time to think about your taxes, but it’s actually the perfect time. Here’s what taking a pause in July allows you to do.

Get Organized

Do you have all your receipts? Are your records up to date? Did you move, get married, or change your name? If so, you’ll need to notify the IRS. In fact, you can create an individual IRS online account to look at your tax records, manage communication preferences, make payments, and more.

Take a Financial Snapshot

When was the last time you looked at your checking, savings or investments to see if you’re where you want to be? If you take the time now, you can start with January and analyze the big picture. You can see if you’re happy with the growth of your investments and discover where you can make adjustments. Taking time to do this now will pay off in the long run.

Examine Your Paycheck

Are your earnings correct? Are you withholding enough taxes? As mentioned at the top, any big life event (divorce, having a child, buying a home) can affect your taxes. If you need help, the IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator that can help you figure out your income tax, credits, adjustments, and more. If you need to change anything, the Estimator will show you how to update your withholding with your employer or direct you to where you can submit a new W-4. Taking time to review could help you avoid an unwanted large tax bill and/or penalty come tax season.

Double-Check Deductions and Credits

Are you maximizing these? Early planning allows you to identify and leverage available deductions and credits, reducing your taxable income and potentially increasing your tax refund. 

Increase Your 401K Contribution

Are you happy with your contribution? Can you increase it and still make ends meet? When you contribute more from each paycheck, you’ll decrease your taxable income for the year. Since employers usually have matching programs, it’s a great way to get free money and build your nest egg. Make sure you’re in it if your company offers this.

Convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA

If you think you’ll be in a higher tax bracket when you’re in retirement, converting a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA is one way to reduce your tax payments in the long run. Here’s how it works. The money you contribute to a Roth IRA is taxed the moment you contribute, unlike a traditional IRA, which is taxed at the moment of withdrawal. When you convert to a Roth IRA, you’ll be paying taxes at your current rate instead of the (probably) higher tax rate in the future. Translated: You’ll pay taxes up front, which might be a big savings. Finally, Roth IRAs are not subject to the same Required Minimum Distributions as traditional IRAs are. That means more freedom when you want it most – when you retire.

Getting a handle on your finances by being proactive now gives you a great opportunity to take a breath, assess, and change direction if you need to. If anything, it will help prevent stress and scrambling in tax season. It’s safe to say that nobody wants that.

Sources

https://fsa1.com/why-its-smart-to-start-tax-planning-in-july/

Mid-Year Tax Checkup

Job Shopping: What’s New in Company Benefits

Company BenefitsIf you are in the market for a new job or are interested in extracting more value from your current one, consider some of the newer trends in company benefits. The following is a primer on what might be available to help supplement your income with your current employer or benefits to look for when considering a position with a new company.

The standard employee benefit package usually includes insurance (healthcare, dental, disability, life), retirement plans, and paid time off. In addition, federally mandated employee benefits include unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and family and medical leave, plus employers are required to deduct and submit Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes to fund the Social Security and Medicare programs.

However, some companies also offer an array of free and/or voluntary benefits (which you can purchase via payroll deductions). Many employers offer discounted “group rates” on items people normally buy anyway, or perhaps wouldn’t otherwise consider due to the extra expense. It’s smart to review the full breadth of benefit options during open enrollment to see what types of benefits you could use and how they can save you money.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Most EAPs offer a plethora of benefits you can and should use right now, and the plan is generally paid for by the employer. These programs connect employees to specialists who offer free or discounted services. For example:

  • Legal advice and services (making it a good time to get your will and estate plan in order, or seek consultation if you’re considering a divorce or suing your neighbor)
  • Financial advisors who specialize in areas such as investment management, taxes, budget and debt management, bankruptcy, and other financial concerns
  • Identity theft insurance coverage and services
  • Mental health counselors and therapists
  • Dependent caregiving resources (for children, disabled, or elderly family members)
  • Employee discounts on common household goods and services, such as electronics, cell phone/internet services, office supplies, restaurants, gyms, yoga studios, salons, entertainment venues, access to exclusive deals and discounts on products, service,s and experiences like theme parks, hotel,s and entertainment

Voluntary Benefits

Even if your company does not offer an EAP, it may offer the opportunity to buy some of those benefits at lower group-rated prices. For example:

  • Vision plans
  • Dental plans
  • Supplementary life insurance
  • Supplementary disability insurance
  • Pet insurance or a discount plan
  • Travel insurance
  • Auto insurance
  • Homeowner’s insurance
  • Identity Theft insurance
  • Critical Illness insurance
  • Hospital Indemnity Insurance
  • Long Term Care insurance

Financial Wellness

Given recent high inflation and market volatility, many workers are understandably worried about making ends meet and saving for the future. That is why many employers have introduced multifaceted financial wellness programs. Unfortunately, some employees are reluctant to use these benefits because they don’t want their employer to know anything about their financial situation. However, these benefits are outsourced to third-party professionals who are emboldened by confidentiality laws that do not allow them to release personal information to your employer.

Some common financial wellness benefits include free access to counselors on topics like creating and following a budget, paying down and avoiding debt, saving for short and long-term goals, and making investment decisions. Some programs offer educational opportunities, such as college and retirement planning seminars. There are also some newer, non-traditional benefits designed to help cash-strapped workers make ends meet, like diverting (and sometimes matching) paycheck income to an emergency fund, and enabling faster access to pay through an on-demand system in which employees can request pay for hours worked in lieu of waiting until the end of the pay period.

Housing Assistance

Considering the huge jump in home prices over the last few years, some employers have implemented benefits to help fund a down payment, facilitate access to low-interest rate mortgage loans, and offer group rates for home warranty and homeowner insurance policies.

Family Planning Benefits

If you’re considering using fertility programs to help you have children, be aware that this can be very expensive. That’s why many larger employers offer monetary assistance to help offset some of the expense of intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), gestational surrogacy, and egg freezing.

Portability

While company benefits can be valuable while you work for that employer, be wary of paying into policies that end when you leave your job. Some volunteer benefits are portable, meaning you can keep them when you leave. However, you may lose your employer discount rate and wind up paying a higher premium for the same policy.

Bear in mind that one of the key questions to ask before enrolling in new benefits is whether the policy is transferable should you leave the company. Be sure to read the policy information and talk to HR or the policy’s insurance broker to understand the portability and group rate conditions. If it’s a benefit you can use right away (e.g., gym membership, even pet insurance), it might be worth buying. But if it’s a benefit you may not use for years down the road, AND you lose the benefit (or group premium) when you leave, you may be better off buying a similar plan on the individual market.

Examining Differences Between Liquidity And Solvency

Differences Between Liquidity and SolvencyLiquidity looks at how well a company can handle paying wages, inventory, and lending repayments via measuring its cash or quasi-cash levels. Put another way, it looks at the health of a company’s cash flow to satisfy short-term financial obligations.

It’s important to be mindful of different sectors and what’s normal or healthy based on the time of year. For example, retail and manufacturing feature functionally focused companies, which means seasonality impacts their dynamic working capital requirements.

1. Current Ratio

The current ratio looks at the ratio of current assets divided by current liabilities. It measures how well a company is projected to pay its present obligations. If the result is 1.0 to 3.0, it’s considered financially well. However, if it’s higher than 3.0, suboptimal asset utilization may be incurred by the company, with a lower than industry average suggesting financial concern. It’s calculated as follows:

Current Ratio = Current Assets/Current Liabilities

The resulting current ratio can signal many things. For a growing current ratio, debt could be growing or cash levels falling. When the current ratio is falling, but not too low, and it’s a smooth downward trend, it can indicate the company is getting more efficient at moving inventory, collecting invoices, and reducing debt levels.

2. Quick Ratio or Acid Test

This is determined by taking the current assets and deducting inventory from them. Once that’s calculated, that number is divided by current liabilities. By looking at the business’ on-demand liquid assets without factoring in inventory, it’s calculated as follows:

Quick Ratio or Acid Test = (Current Assets – Inventory)/Current Liabilities

Resulting calculations above or equal to 1.0 show a company’s stable short-term fiscal health. It’s important to be mindful that a very high result can indicate there’s idle cash that’s not being reinvested, distributed to shareholders, or otherwise put to better use.

Defining Solvency

Solvency refers to the ability of a business’ complete assets to satisfy its complete long-term financial obligations and loan repayments. It’s especially helpful when the business is analyzed internally or externally to determine if the business can survive and thrive during challenging economic times (industry-specific or macro challenges). It helps determine the company’s creditworthiness, whether it’s a good bet for an investment, and/or the risk for companies to take on additional debt. It looks at not only the debt on the company’s financial statements, but also how it relates to equity, tangible assets, and EBITDA.

Debt to Equity

This measures how a company relies on debt versus its equity. It’s used when comparing one company against its industry competitors and how the company’s own ratio has trended over time. Looking at companies within the same industry, companies with a higher ratio indicate a riskier financial situation. Similarly, a ratio that’s too low can indicate a business not using debt to expand its operations effectively.

While liquidity and solvency are different, they are complementary for both owners and managers, along with external parties such as investors analyzing for the next potential investment.

Navigating Worker Classification: The Critical Difference Between Employees and Independent Contractors

Difference Between Employees and Independent ContractorsRunning a small business often means working with a mix of people: some full-time staff, part-time helpers, seasonal workers or project-based contractors. While this flexibility helps manage costs and workload, it creates a crucial decision point that many business owners underestimate: properly classifying each worker.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Companies like FedEx have paid nearly half a billion dollars for getting this wrong, and even tech giants like Microsoft and Lyft have faced costly legal battles over worker misclassification.

Why Classification Matters More Than You Think

The difference between an employee and an independent contractor goes far beyond semantics; it fundamentally changes your legal and financial obligations.

When someone is your employee, you must:

  • Withhold income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare taxes
  • Pay the employer portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes
  • Potentially provide benefits like health insurance and retirement plans
  • Consider offering stock options or other incentive programs
  • Pay severance or unemployment compensation when appropriate
  • Comply with wage and overtime requirements

When someone is an independent contractor, you:

  • Simply pay them for their work
  • Issue a 1099-NEC form at year-end
  • Have no tax withholding obligations
  • Owe no employment benefits
  • Face no severance obligations

The Control Test: Your North Star for Classification

The Internal Revenue Service uses one primary principle: control. The more control you exercise over how, when, and where work gets done, the more likely that person is your employee.

Think of it this way: if you’re micromanaging the work process, you’re probably dealing with an employee. If you’re only concerned with the end result, you’re likely working with a contractor. The 20 factors identified by the IRS in Revenue Ruling 87-41 can be found in full here.

The IRS Three-Factor Framework

Rather than getting lost in complicated checklists, focus on these three core areas:

1. Behavioral Control – Do you dictate not just what work gets done, but how it’s performed? Employees typically receive training, follow company procedures, and work within established systems. Contractors bring their own methods and expertise.

2. Financial Control – Who controls the business aspects of the work? Independent contractors typically:

  • Invest in their own tools and equipment
  • Handle their own business expenses
  • Have multiple clients or income sources
  • Set their own rates and payment terms

3. Relationship Type – What does your working relationship look like? Employee relationships typically feature:

  • Written employment contracts
  • Ongoing work arrangements
  • Benefits packages
  • Work that’s central to your business operations

Beyond Taxes: The Broader Impact

Worker classification affects more than your tax bill. The Department of Labor’s 2024 updates to the Fair Labor Standards Act mean misclassification can trigger wage and overtime violations. State labor departments are also cracking down, with some states presuming workers are employees unless proven otherwise.

When Things Go Wrong: Your Options

If you realize you’ve made a mistake, don’t panic. You have several paths forward:

  • Get an Official Determination: File Form SS-8 with the IRS for an official ruling on a worker’s status. While it takes at least six months, you’ll have certainty going forward.
  • Claim Safe Harbor Protection: If you had a reasonable basis for your classification and treated similar workers consistently, you may qualify for tax relief under Section 530.
  • Use the Voluntary Settlement Program: The IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program lets you reclassify workers prospectively while receiving some tax relief.

The Bottom Line

Your worker classification isn’t just an administrative detail – it’s a fundamental business decision with major financial implications. When in doubt, err on the side of caution or consult with employment law and tax professionals.

The cost of getting expert advice upfront is minimal compared to the potential cost of getting it wrong.

Decoding Net Realizable Value (NRV)

Decoding Net Realizable Value (NRV)Whether it’s maintaining compliance with accounting standards or ensuring asset values are not overvalued for internal stakeholders or external existing or potential new investors, looking at net realizable value (NRV) is an important concept to understand and discuss how it’s implemented.

Defining NRV

Net realizable value examines what an asset can be sold for after accounting for selling or disposal costs. This results in the final value of inventory or accounts receivable. Used by both the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), it embodies the concept of accounting conservatism that compares NRV to the inventory’s cost. This notion leads accountants to value assets to produce lower profits and not overvalue assets when expert analysis is mandated for the deal review.

NRV is used in the lower-cost or market method of accounting reporting. The market method reporting approach requires a business’ inventory must be reported on the balance sheet at a lower value than either the historical cost or the market value. If there’s no known market value of the inventory, the NRV value can be used to approximate the market value.  

Calculating NRV

Step 1: The asset’s projected selling price or market value must be determined.

Step 2: The manufacturing and sales expenses connected with the asset must be determined. This also includes advertising and conveyance fees, for example, when factoring in costs.

Step 3: Determine the gap between the asset’s projected asking amount and the fees the company incurs to finish the goods and sell it.

This is calculated via the following formula:

NRV = Expected Selling Price – Total Production and Selling Costs

If a company is looking to sell a percentage of its inventory, it needs to figure out the NRV of the inventory that will be sold.

Assuming the selling price is $10,000, it needs to spend $1,500 on finishing costs and another $750 in transportation expenses. Therefore, NRV is calculated as follows:

NRV = $10,000 – ($1,500 + $750) = $7,750

When it comes to valuing current assets such as accounts receivable (AR), this approach can similarly determine the NRV of the unpaid invoices from their clients. This is accomplished by summing their ARs and then subtracting the uncollectible accounts. For example, if there’s $100,000 in outstanding invoices, but $20,000 is uncollectible due to clients’ inability to pay or otherwise cannot be collected. In this type of calculation, instead of determining the production and sales amounts, a business’ allowance for doubtful accounts is substituted. 

Conclusion

While these calculations assist investors and business owners in determining accurate costs of current assets, there are some considerations. For example, in periods of inflation or deflation, businesses must continually evaluate the net amount of the resulting calculation instead of the gross figures. Along with the increased and continual updating of NRVs, since the future price discovery of asset prices is unknown, there’s always room for uncertainty, which investors are constantly trying to determine how efficiently the market is presently pricing things.

While NRV is a single type of calculation, it’s an important one that can help businesses make the most of their inventory, accounts receivable, and similar accounting entries.

New Tax Cut & Spending Bill, Protecting Law Enforcement, VA Benefits and Semiconductor Supply Chains

New Tax Cut & Spending BillOne Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR 1) – Introduced by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) on May 20, this tax bill supports the president’s tax and immigration agenda. The legislation includes:

  • Making permanent the income and estate tax cuts passed in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
  • Waiving income taxes on cash tips, overtime pay and interest on some auto loans (ends 2028). The tip waiver would be a tax deduction of up to $25,000/year on cash-only tips for workers making less than $160,000/year; FICA taxes would still apply to tips.
  • Temporarily increasing the standard deduction (ends 2028)
  • Reducing the amount of income subject to income taxes
  • Temporarily increasing the child tax credit to $2,500 (ends 2028)
  • Increase the estate tax exemption to $15 million and adjust for inflation going forward
  • Increase the SALT cap to $40,000 for incomes up to $500,000, phasing downward for higher incomes, but increasing the cap and income threshold by 1 percent a year over 10 years

To offset the tax cuts, the bill proposes the following spending cuts:

  • Repeal or phase out clean energy tax credits
  • Reduce Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) funding by $267 billion over 10 years (and shift a higher percentage of program benefits and administration costs to states)
  • For able-bodied, food-aid beneficiaries without dependents, work requirements would increase from age 54 to 64
  • Increased work requirements for aid to parents based on the child’s age, from 18 down to 7
  • Reduce funding for Medicaid by $700 million
  • Require able-bodied Medicaid beneficiaries without dependents to engage in work, education, or service for at least 80 hours a month beginning in 2026
  • Revamp the student loan program to yield $330 billion in savings
  • Repeal the regulation that allowed students to cancel loans if their college defrauded them or closed suddenly
  • Increase leasing of public lands for drilling, mining, and logging

Additional components of the bill include:

  • Imposing stricter eligibility and income verifications for ACA exchange customers
  • Shortening the ACA enrollment period by one month
  • Prohibiting Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood
  • Canceling a current regulation for minimum staffing in nursing homes
  • $46.5 billion to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
  • $6.1 billion to fund Border Patrol agents, customs officers, and investigators
  • Impose a $1,000 fee on migrants seeking asylum
  • Remove 1 million immigrants a year and house 100,000 people in detention centers
  • Eliminate the $200 tax on gun silencers
  • $150 billion in new funding for the Defense Department and national security, such as building a missile defense shield (Golden Dome), restocking the nation’s ammunition arsenal and expanding the Navy’s fleet of ships
  • New parents will receive $1,000 from the federal government via a “Trump” account for each baby born during Trump’s second term. Parents may contribute an additional $5,000 a year to the account, earnings would grow tax-deferred in a broad stock index, with qualified withdrawals (higher education, starting a business or purchasing a home after age 18; any purpose after age 30) taxed at the long-term capital-gains rate; nonqualified withdrawals taxed as ordinary income.

The House bill was passed on May 22 and now undergoes scrutiny in the Senate, where there will likely be considerable changes.

Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (S 97) – This bill would enable state-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production. It was introduced by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) on Jan. 15 and passed in the Senate on May 20. The legislation is currently under review in the House.

VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act (HR 1823) – Introduced on March 4 by Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), this act would instruct the secretary of the VA and the U.S. comptroller general to report on Veterans Benefits Administration funding shortfalls for fiscal year 2024 and expected funding shortfalls of the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025. The bill passed in the House on May 19 and is under consideration in the Senate.

Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act (HR 2240) – This bill would require the attorney general to provide regular reports on violent attacks perpetrated against law enforcement officers, as well as for other purposes. Introduced by Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) on March 21, the bill passed in the House on May 15, and its fate currently lies in the Senate.

Quantum Computing: Separating Hype from Real-World Business Value

Quantum ComputingLately, there has been a lot of talk about quantum computing, drawing interest from many, including business leaders. Quantum computing promises to solve previously unsolvable problems and revolutionize entire industries. As a result, excitement around its potential is rapidly growing. However, it is important to first ask where the hype ends and the real business value begins.

What is Quantum Computing?

Simply put, quantum computing is a new way of processing information. Unlike classical computers that use bits that are either 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits (quantum bits). Qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously as enabled by the principles of superposition and entanglement. This allows quantum computers to process vast amounts of information in parallel. Hence, quantum computers can theoretically tackle certain classes of problems that would take classical computers years to solve.

The Hype: Quantum’s Promised Revolution

Quantum computing is said to have the potential to perform tasks such as cracking encryption, revolutionizing drug discovery, optimizing global supply, and transforming artificial intelligence. Forecasts like one from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) project that quantum computing could unlock up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040. As a result, major industries are investing heavily and hoping to be among the first to benefit from a potential industrial revolution.

The Reality: Technical and Practical Challenges

The reality tells a different story. Today’s quantum hardware is still in its infancy, with most of these computers having fewer than 100 reliable qubits. They face issues such as noise and error rates that make large-scale practical applications elusive. Unlike classic chips that can be stacked for scaling needs, quantum systems can’t be easily scaled and need major advances in architecture and interconnects. Specialized expertise is also required to develop software for quantum machines. Besides, the algorithms that fully exploit the quantum advantage are still being researched. McKinsey estimates that while there may be many operational quantum computers by 2030, their ability to solve complex problems will take more time to mature.

This isn’t to say there is no hope as more improvement is made to quantum computing every day. Consider Google’s Willow, a 105-qubit processor introduced in December 2024. Willow addresses the error correction challenge and performs certain computations in under five minutes, which would take a supercomputer 10 septillion years.

Real-World Business Applications

Despite these challenges, quantum computing has demonstrated potential in real-world use cases. One example is Volkswagen who partnered with quantum computing firms to optimize traffic flow in Lisbon. This demonstrated how quantum algorithms can improve urban mobility. In finance, quantum-inspired algorithms are being tested for portfolio optimization and risk analysis by companies like JPMorgan Chase. Pharmaceutical companies are also testing molecular interactions with quantum simulation to potentially accelerate drug discovery. It’s worth noting that these applications are mainly hybrid solutions that use both quantum and classical computing. Even so, it signals there is potential in future breakthroughs.

Cloud-based quantum computing availed by platforms like IBM, Microsoft and Google have greatly contributed to this venture. These resources have made experimentation possible without the need for in-house quantum hardware. Therefore, businesses have a chance to innovate solutions to complex problems more affordably.

An example of a strategic framework that can help business leaders is the “quantum economic advantage” developed by MIT and Accenture. It requires two conditions: a quantum computer capable of handling the problem’s size (feasibility) and a quantum algorithm that outperforms a similarly priced classical solution (algorithmic advantage). Only when both conditions are met does quantum computing become economically beneficial.

How Businesses Should Get Ready for Quantum Computing

Preparing for quantum computing doesn’t require immediate transformation; however, it does call for strategic foresight. Here’s how businesses can begin laying the groundwork today.

  • Create a Quantum Strategy: Identify potential long-term use cases where quantum could offer an edge, and develop a roadmap aligned with industry trends and business goals.
  • Invest in Collaboration and Research: Partner with universities, quantum startups, and industry groups to stay updated and explore early-stage innovations.
  • Start Quantum-Proofing Security: Begin evaluating quantum-resistant encryption methods to safeguard future data as quantum threats to cybersecurity emerge.
  • Experiment Safely: Use cloud-based quantum platforms to run small pilots or simulations, gaining hands-on experience without major commitments.
  • Build Internal Capability: Upskill current staff in foundational quantum concepts to ensure your team can engage with this evolving technology when the time is right.

Final Thoughts

Quantum computing is in its early stages, but its disruptive potential and rapid development give businesses a reason to start planning on its adoption, or risk falling behind. Integrating quantum has the potential to boost efficiency, cut costs, and enable innovative products and services. To stay competitive, businesses should start building a quantum-ready workforce through training, hiring, and academic partnerships.

How to Navigate Money Before Saying ‘I Do’

How to Navigate Money Before Saying 'I Do', wedding finances, marriage finances,According to a Bankrate Financial Infidelity Survey, 28 percent of couples said they considered financial cheating as bad as physical cheating. Furthermore, money is one of the top reasons for divorce, says Rahkim Sabree, counselor and financial therapist with the Financial Therapy Association. With these facts in mind, it makes good sense to get all your financial cards on the table (literally and figuratively) before you tie the knot. Here are a few ways to navigate this often thorny subject and create a healthy relationship with money as a couple.

Have a Money Date

Be intentional and carve out dedicated time to discuss the big issues that you both might have questions about.

  • How will we handle student loans?
  • How many children will we have, if any? Will they go to public or private schools?
  • Where will we live? Close to or far away from family?
  • Where would we like to be in our careers in 5, 10, or 20 years?
  • When do we want to retire? How will we spend our retirement?

If talking about these things is difficult, you might consider premarital financial counseling. When you can get on the same page before you get that other page – your marriage license – you’ll be way ahead of the game.

Set Up a Financial Plan, Pre-Marriage

While this conversation probably won’t be romantic with flowers and candlelight, it’s a time where you can share the excitement of your future. While you may not see eye-to-eye on everything, set up short-term goals, long-term milestones, and seek the middle ground when disagreements arise. Remember, life happens. Goals may change. There will be job losses, health issues, and unexpected expenses like HVAC going out or plumbing problems. The idea is to remain flexible and tuned in to each other’s spending habits by using apps like YNAB (You Need a Budget), Empower, or Tiller. When you’re transparent and can see who is spending on what, you can maintain an open dialogue about your cash flow.

Decide if You Want a Prenup

Depending on your resources and if you have children from a previous marriage, you might want to consider a prenuptial agreement. Again, it’s not the most comfortable topic to discuss because it implies that there’s an end to what is ostensibly just beginning. That said, it can pre-empt future problems that might otherwise cause a divorce. It’s also important in the case of death because if you don’t have a prenup, a judge, not the couple, gets to decide who gets what, which might result in an unsatisfactory distribution.

Figure Out Your Checking Accounts

Joint or separate? This is totally up to you, but according to Bankrate, 24 percent of couples have separate accounts; 38 percent have both joint and separate; and 39 percent have a joint account. This topic should be part of your money date.

Consolidate Debt

If you both have debt, consolidate and start paying it off. If you’re thinking about buying a home, lenders will look at debt-to-income ratio to see how much of your total income is being used to pay off debt. If your debt is too high, you might have trouble getting a mortgage. Be honest about it. Have the tough conversations before you say, “I do.” You probably don’t want to surprise your future spouse when you’re in the already emotional process of putting a bid on a house.

Bottom line, figuring out a financial plan for your marriage can be challenging, if not downright tough. But the best time to sort through all of this is before you walk down the aisle. When you have a roadmap, the chances for a successful financial future together increase exponentially.

Sources

Money And Marriage: What To Consider Before Tying The Knot | Bankrate

Responsibilities of Being the Executor of a Will

Responsibilities of Being the Executor of a WillThe appointed executor of a will is the person responsible for paying the debts and taxes of the will’s owner once he dies and then distributing what is left in the estate to named beneficiaries according to instructions of the will. While it might feel like an honor to be asked to be the executor, keep in mind that the responsibilities are far more onerous than being the best man at a wedding.

An executor takes on both legal and fiduciary responsibilities that can have aggravating and even punitive ramifications if not handled properly. The following outlines the responsibilities of being the executor of a will.

Probate

Many formal assets may already have a named beneficiary (e.g., insurance policies, retirement plans, bank and investment accounts); these distribution instructions are outside of and supersede any instructions in a will. All other assets that do not have a separate beneficiary assignment and are not held in a trust must go through the probate court process. It is important to start the process as soon as possible post-death in order to have the legal authority to discharge estate assets. You may require the services of an estate attorney to enter court filings, particularly if you do not live near the departed.

Documentation

First and foremost, you must have the original copy of the will. Ensure you have this or know how to access it when you accept the responsibility as executor. Next, assemble the decedent’s documents to identify all his assets and liabilities, including real estate and personal property. You will be responsible for paying off any outstanding bills and debt, as well as filing tax returns.

Mediator

If the beneficiaries are unhappy with the will’s instructions, the executor is expected to mediate disputes to represent the best interests of all beneficiaries based on the intent of the deceased.

Creditor Claims

The probate process may require or recommend a period of time, possibly six months or longer, during which you may need to place a notice in a local newspaper to alert creditors and debtors that the deceased’s estate has entered probate. This offers ample time for debtors to file claims before the estate assets are disseminated to beneficiaries.

Due Diligence

If the will instructs you to manage the estate’s invested assets, such as money held in a trust, you are required to make prudent investment decisions. For example, just because you personally invest in Bitcoin doesn’t mean that is a fiduciary responsible investment for the decedent’s assets. You must conduct due diligence and have a reasonable rationale for all investment decisions; otherwise, a beneficiary could take you to court for mismanaging the assets. One way to protect your investment decisions is to request that beneficiaries give their approval in writing for any major investment changes you make while managing the assets.

Recordkeeping

Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of all your actions and back-and-forth communications with beneficiaries, investment managers, lawyers, and judicial filings. Record keeping is not just for your benefit; it is considered part of your fiduciary duty as the executor of the will.

Be aware that should your actions as executor come under scrutiny and/or a beneficiary files a court claim that you have been negligent, you could be removed as executor and even be liable for personal restitution and/or punitive damages if a court determines you have been self-dealing. Although unfortunate, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Responsibilities like this are why many people, particularly those with sizeable estates, choose to name an estate attorney or professional administrator as executor of their will. This allows for a degree of professional distance that can help protect beneficiaries from mismanagement of assets without the emotions associated with naming a close friend or relative as executor.

The executor for a smaller estate is more likely to be administered with ease and can give the owner peace of mind that he’s leaving this responsibility to a trusted friend or family member.

Understanding the Goodwill to Assets Ratio

Understanding the Goodwill to Assets RatioThe goodwill to assets ratio measures how much of a company’s total assets come from goodwill – an intangible asset like brand value or customer loyalty – and it plays a role in assessing the company’s overall value. It provides a ratio or percentage of the amount of intangible versus tangible assets. Understanding what the ratio represents, how it is calculated, and how to interpret it is essential for effectively applying it to business operations and investment decisions.

Goodwill Defined

Goodwill can be defined as an intangible asset that comes about when the acquiring firm obtains such assets from the acquired firm at a higher value. When it comes to accounting standards, both International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), intangible assets must be evaluated for impairment, but don’t need to be amortized. Based upon IFRS 38, goodwill is generated solely during an acquisition and is defined as the amount of the acquisition price for the acquired company over its book value. IFRS 38 does not recognize goodwill generated by the company internally.

Calculating Goodwill

Goodwill = Liabilities – Assets + Purchase Price

If a company looks at acquiring another company for $750,000, and the company being acquired has assets of $900,000 and liabilities of $450,000, the net assets would be $450,000. Based on the goodwill formula:

Goodwill = $450,000 – $900,000 + $750,000 = $300,000

Once the goodwill has been established, the Goodwill to Assets Ratio Formula is used as follows:

Goodwill to Assets Ratio = Unamortized Goodwill / Total Assets

If one company is putting itself up for sale with a selling price of $75 million, it would have to establish its book value, based on recent financial statements, along with its goodwill value. Factors that go into calculating a company’s goodwill include if the company has prime real estate, a well-known brand, a rich list of clients, or intellectual property that sets itself apart from competitors in the industry that won’t expire for years. For example, if its intangible assets are $15 million, subtracted from its selling price of $75 million, its tangible assets or book value would be $60 million.

Based on the ratio, it’s calculated as follows:

$15 million / $75 million = 20 percent

Therefore, the ratio is 20 percent for the company’s goodwill as part of the company’s valuation. Otherwise, if the purchase goes through, whoever buys the company spends 20 percent on the company’s goodwill.

Analyzing the Goodwill to Assets Ratio

This ratio gives an overview of a business’s financial health. The lower the ratio, the more tangible or physical assets that can be sold. Conversely, the higher the ratio, the fewer intangibles a company has. Much like assets that can be written down, so can a company’s goodwill.

This ratio is not one-in-all and should be measured against businesses within the same industry. Based on this analysis, if a company has a large amount of goodwill on its financial statements, if it’s written down, it could still result in a lower valuation despite the company having a large amount of assets.

Looking over time, it shows the importance of ongoing evaluations. In 1975, according to the University of California, Los Angeles, companies on the Standard and Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) had $122 billion of intangible assets and $594 billion of tangible assets, or about a 21 percent intangible to tangible assets ratio. These companies included most industrial and energy sector names like GE, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Exxon Mobil, along with IBM, based on market capitalization. However, in 2018, the ratio increased to 84 percent of intangible to tangible assets. Intangible assets accounted for $21.03 trillion and $4 trillion when looking at most of the companies on the S&P 500, which included Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook, based on market capitalization.

While the growth of technology and communication services has risen and skewed the tangible to intangible ratio, it shows the importance of evaluating companies and sectors individually, not just with a broad brush.

Sources

Boom of Intangible Assets Felt Across Industries and Economy