Blogging Beyond the Numbers

The rules for accounting for leases in a set of financial statements in accordance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) will change significantly starting in 2020. The logic for making the change is that balance sheets are currently very different for businesses that own a building compared to businesses that rent a building. To enhance comparability between businesses the Financial Accounti...

President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act (the Act) on December 13th which allows small employers to provide Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) for their employees without facing penalties for failing to satisfy certain Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements. Furthermore, the Act retroactively grants penalty relief for plan years beginning on or before December 31, 2016. HRAs are esse...

One of the most important financial statements for a business is the cash flow statement. The cash flow statement is the best resource for testing a company's liquidity and short-term viability. It records the inflows and outflows of a business's cash and cash equivalents, therefore showing how a company spends and receives cash. This article will explain how a cash flow statement is prepared based...

More than 90 percent of businesses in the United States are family owned, but fewer than 30 percent make it to the second generation. And less than 12 percent make it to the third generation. The key reason cited for failure is that they had a poor - or worse yet - no business succession plan. In fact, recent surveys show that only 30 percent of business owners have a succession plan. Whether yo...

What is your business worth and why does it matter? Valuations can be used for a variety of reasons including: business sale and purchase price analysis, establishing value for estate and gift taxation, obtaining financing, succession planning, and matters tied to divorce and ownership disputes. In addition, one of the best reasons to obtain a business valuation is to use it as a management tool. ...

If you go on a business trip within the United States and tack on some vacation days, you can deduct some of your expenses. But exactly what can you write off? Transportation expenses Transportation costs to and from the location of your business activity are 100% deductible as long as the primary reason for the trip is business rather than pleasure. On the other hand, if vacation is the primary reason fo...

No matter what stage your business is in, it is important to create and manage a budget.  By creating a budget, your business will be able to plan for both future growth and unexpected decline. In today's economy, a business must always be prepared for the unexpected and should never be without a working budget. Why a budget is important Budgets allow a business to create a financial roa...

Cell phones are such a normal daily part of our lives that it is hard to remember a time when we didn't have them around. Today, we use our cell phones to talk, text, check work and personal e-mail, read the news, record the kids' latest soccer game - the list goes on and on.   Not just cell phones anymore - smart watches and tablets are also commonly used for both personal and business matters. Unfo...