Small Business
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is the attempt by Congress to reduce the economic dislocation caused by the current pandemic. Taxes play a key role in the Act, along with several economic stimulus policies.
Normally a new tax law requires time to figure out all the details. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 is still looking for clarifications on several issues, some of which are addressed in the CARES Act. COVID-19 had pushed economic decline into overdrive. The American economy has never declined at such a pace. Businesses and individuals went from good economic conditions to millions unemployed and many businesses forced to close. A draconian stimulus package was required.
The CARES Act is $2.2 trillion of federal stimulus. With no time to iron out the details, rumors are flying. Normally reputable sources of information are struggling to get facts out. Misinformation is rampant. This post, along with the accompanying Facebook Live event, will outline the facts as they currently stand. The facts might change is some situations. I will correct those errors in this post periodically so you have a reliable resource. There are many instances where the only answer is: I don’t know. Because nobody does, even the people in charge of the programs.
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The stock market is down, reflecting the dim prospects for companies trying to turn a profit in a quickly declining economy. Decisions need to be made while you are under heavy duress. Should you sell an investment, or maybe buy? Is early retirement or collecting Social Security early a good move? How does your business survive if it has been deemed non-essential? The financial decisions you make today will have consequences for years to come.
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Fear is the most powerful weapon in war. Hitler deployed buzz bombs against London in an attempt to destroy resolve and heighten fear during World War II. It nearly worked, if not for the even greater resolve of the British people and their leader, Winston Churchill.
Fear is such a powerful weapon that nations will go to great lengths in war to manipulate the news reaching the people. During World War I, only Spain had a reliable free press reporting the deadly flu ravaging troops and populations. No army wanted the world to know they were taking heavy causalities from what would later be called the Spanish Flu. Yet every nation, on the battlefield and at home, were taking a hard hit from the disease. The U.S. was particularly hard hit. But when the absence of daily news on the deadly flu was only to be found in Spain, it was felt it the virus originating there. The truth was far from it.
Today we are facing a similar, though less deadly, threat, and the disinformation machine is in high gear. This time the media seems to want fear cranked to the highest level.
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All too often we install the security cameras after we are burglarized; start carrying pepper spray after an assault. Business owners, large and small, face heightened risks in our modern world and reactive security plans do not cut it. A proactive plan can prevent the breech before it ever happens.
Small business owners, income property owners and even people with a side hustle need to have a security plan. It’s not only a big business problem. Some businesses are required by law to have a security plan. For example, the IRS requires tax professionals to have a written security plan that is updated annually. Those selling securities or insurance, banks and other financial institutions have similar requirements.
Whether your industry requires a security plan or not, you must have one. In this post we will start with a short discussion on security plans for tax professionals and accountants because that is the demographic this blog serves. I will then share where the detailed security plan nearly failed in my office and how we shored up our procedures to protect employees and clients. Then we will discuss implementing a security plan for your business, regardless the field you are in. I will point out the benefits of a security plan for even as innocent a side hustle as dog walking. If you never need to test your security plan in real life, all the better. But if fate comes knocking I want you, kind readers, to be prepared so risk is reduced.
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Two major tax increases are about to crush middle class Americans. The first tax increase has already been passed into law and will soon go into effect. The second massive tax increase is more sinister. The amount of the increase has yet to be determined, but we can get a good idea how much will be pried from your wallet if you don’t take steps to defend your wealth.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) lowered taxes for the vast majority of individuals and regular corporations. There were a few losers. Taxpayers with high state and local taxes (SALT) found their deductions declining faster than rates fell causing a sharp pain behind their left eye on April 15th.
Other taxpayers feeling the pain of a tax increase include truckers, sales people, artists and others with work related expenses. Unreimbursed employee business expenses were eliminated. Truckers (and others) no longer can deduct their work expenses. The TCJA hurt a large number of hard working Americans. Even the mortgage interest deduction was slightly curtailed. Not as many felt that sting, but all the same, the TCJA was uneven in reducing taxpayer liabilities.
Regular corporations saw the biggest benefit. Corporations now have a flat 21% tax rate. Except for corporations with less than $50,000 in profits, this was a tax cut.
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Since most roofers are good at roofing and poor at keeping accurate records, you have a powerful side gig opportunity to make a difference in your community while earning above average income.
All business eventually need funding. Your ability to read financial statements allows you to consult with clients at a higher level and to gain desired result. You can handle the raw data entry if you want or farm it out to a bookkeeper. Regardless, you lead and give directions.
Done right, you and your clients will profit.
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Now that tax season is under way it is time to consider audit proofing your tax return. Small steps you take today can save you time, money and headaches later.
First, the good news. Audit rates have been falling the past decade by a substantial amount. For 2018, the IRS audited .45% of individual returns, down from .59% in 2017. IRS funding cuts between 2011 and 2017 cost the IRS 27% of its enforcement staff (an 18% decline in tax examiners and a 40% reduction in revenue officers), according to the Government Accountability Office.
The reduction in IRS enforcement efforts does not mean the IRS doesn’t have the authority to aggressively deal with tax scofflaws. The IRS still carries a big stick and focuses on certain problem areas. Taxpayers claiming the earned income credit faced an audit rate in excess of 1% in 2018, compared to the overall audit rate of individual tax returns the same year.
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In 1968 Nick Murray had to sell investments the hard way. He met most clients in their home. The tool of choice was the mutual fund. Most people he sat with were hard working people, but unsophisticated investors. Fee-based advisors were rare in those days for the small accounts families had. Fees were high and people were risk adverse. To top it off, the market was having bouts of volatility, suffering a noticeable decline even to those who didn’t follow the market on a regular basis.
It was in this environment Nick Murray had to convince his clients and potential clients the best course of action for them. Investing in mutual funds came at a steep cost. Loads (aka sales fees) were as high as 8.75%. 91.25% of your money went to work right out of the gate trying to get back to the even water mark.
Young families had to consider equities for at least a portion of their portfolio if they were ever to have enough money for a comfortable retirement, and Nick Murray knew it. The high fees were one issue; the market another. The question was always the same:
“Do you think the market will go up?”
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