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From the category archives:

Small Business

First-Time Homebuyer Program Rife With Fraud, Four-Year-Olds File For Credit

October 25, 2009

I have been asked numerous times whether congress will vote to extend the home buyers credit.  It is situations like this that help to make the point that the more people try to game the system, the more difficult the IRS is to deal with.
Government investigators revealed today that fraud is rampant in the First-Time [...]

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IRS Retirement Plans Navigator Unveiled

October 15, 2009

The IRS to the rescue!  Yes, the IRS has published a website, the  IRS Retirement Plans Navigator, which takes all the retirement plan choices and presents them in various comparison formats that make it easy to … well … navigate the complicated world of retirements plans
As I go around the city, talking to my fellow [...]

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Politicians don’t seem to understand this….

August 30, 2009

Taxes are meant to raise revenue, not micromanage a complex economy. Tax policy should not add unnecessary and discriminatory market distortions. In general, political efforts to manipulate the economy make markets less efficient by influencing consumers, retailers, and manufacturers to consume, sell, and produce more or less of a product than they otherwise would. While [...]

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I thought we were trying to stimulate the economy?

August 28, 2009

Low inflation has made food and gas more affordable during the recession, but there’s a downside: Social Security beneficiaries probably won’t get a raise next year, and the IRS may reduce the amount workers can contribute to their 401(k) plans.
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This is why you need good monthly Financial Reports

August 25, 2009

A simple quiz for smart marketers:
Let’s say your goal is to reduce gasoline consumption.
And let’s say there are only two kinds of cars in the world. Half of them are Suburbans that get 10 miles to the gallon and half are Priuses that get 50.
If we assume that all the cars drive the same number [...]

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G-20 is coming our way!

May 28, 2009

The White House announced Thursday that Pittsburgh will host the next G-20 summit on Sept. 24 and 25, a spokesman confirmed.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs made the announcement during a press briefing at the White House.
“Hosting a global economic summit will allow the world to see that Pittsburgh is a great, progressive city with a distinguished [...]

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A little more on Invoicing….

May 16, 2009

With so many invoicing web apps available choosing one can be a daunting task. Even limiting your options to the most popular services doesn’t help that much, as the costs of the various plans vary so little.
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Watch Obama’s inauguration here….

January 19, 2009
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“You don’t even know what a ‘write-off’ is”

December 6, 2008

Many people are upset that the mileage rate (from the IRS) has decreased. The mileage rate decreased because fuel costs have decreased.
(All of you conspiracy theorists might want to note that the same thing happened last year at this time too. Hmmm, just in time for us to drive around and do Christmas [...]

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IRS Announces 2009 Standard Mileage Rates

November 29, 2008

IRS Announces 2009 Standard Mileage Rates
IR-2008-131, Nov. 24, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2009 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2009, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, [...]

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Everytime I hear a business owner tell me how disorganized their paperwork is, I think of this scene:

October 31, 2008

In my experience with Small Business Owners, I have seen some pretty messy finances. And many times a Small Business Owner will tell me “Oh, no…you haven’t seen anything this bad.”
It always reminds me of this scene from Blade Runner (sans the “time to die” part):

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The credit crisis as Antarctic expedition

October 24, 2008
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Succesful Business Owners take care of their Accounting!

October 22, 2008

Two early mistakes, she said, were an accounting system that wasn’t equal to the mazes of welfare billing and failure to consult with a lawyer. “You need it in writing,” she says with a smile.
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Crisis? What Crisis?

October 21, 2008

People have been asking me about the “Financial Crisis” recently. What I have found is that Good Business Ownership trumps tough economic conditions. Business Owners who were struggling before are struggling now. Business Owners that were making money before are making money now.
A Small Business Owners investments are largely on Main Street, [...]

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Bartering — is it worth the trouble

October 20, 2008

Recently Beth posted the following question on the FAQ’s page:

Hi Jim,
I have belonged to a bartering organization for some time. The fees are being raised, and since my business is growing, I am rethinking my need for a bartering group. Jim, can you tell me the pros and cons on taxes for bartering? I always [...]

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