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Repost: The Perfect Match: 3 Pairings to Optimize Your Business

3/30/2016

This is a short but information post from Bill.com highlighting three ways you can improve the effectiveness of your business operations:

https://www.bill.com/blog/perfect-match-3-pairings-optimize-your-business/

If you would like to learn more about utilizing Bill.com with QuickBooks, please contact us at info@hartassoc-consulting.com or by phone at 760.415.2587 to schedule an appointment.

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Cool Tech Tools: Automate Your To-Do List

3/30/2016

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Keeping a to-do list is a great way to be productive, avoid having things fall through the crack, and unclutter your brain.

How you maintain your to-do list varies: some people use pen and paper because they love the feeling of crossing tasks off, others use Excel or Google documents. Still others might try Evernote.

If all of those still have you feeling unorganized, then relax. There’s a whole new genre of apps to automate your to-do list.

Here is a list of things to consider when selecting a tool:

Would it be great to access your to-do list from any device?
Do you need subtasks?
Would you like to set priorities and due dates?
Do you want notifications or reminders?
Do you want to share tasks with others?
Do you have repeating tasks that need to be handled differently?
Do you need to be able to make comments or notes for each task?
Would it be nice to forward an email to your to-do list and just have it logged?
Do you want to be able to print your to-do list?
Do you want to be able to set hash tags, filters, and labels for each task?

Once you’ve thought about your requirements, now you can look for an app that meets it. Here are a few to get you started:

If those don’t work out, Google “to-do list apps” and you’ll have a bevy of selections to choose from. These to-do lists will work for not only business projects but also major life projects like weddings, vacations, and more.

Try these new to-do list apps and please let us know what you think.

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Will Rising Interest Rates Affect You?

3/23/2016

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Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For almost the entire past decade, interest rates held steady at near-zero levels.

Then, in mid-December 2015, the Federal Reserve raised rates by one-quarter percentage point. Market watchers and economists expect further rate increases in the coming months.

How will you be affected?

Technically speaking, only the federal funds rate was adjusted in December. That’s the short-term rate that credit-worthy banks and credit unions use to lend each other money.

But any interest rate revisions can cause a ripple effect throughout the economy.

Accordingly, the Federal Reserve’s actions probably will exert at least a moderate influence over financial choices you make at home and in your business in 2016 and beyond.

For example, as a consumer, you stand to gain from rising interest rates because you’ll likely earn a better return on your deposits. Over the last ten years, placing your money in a certificate of deposit or passbook savings account has been hardly more profitable than stuffing it under a mattress.

On the other hand, the cost of borrowing money will likely increase. As a result, mortgages, car loans, and credit cards will demand higher interest rates. That’s not a big deal if you’re already locked into low-interest fixed-rate loans.

But if you have a variable rate loan or carry balances on your credit cards, you may find your monthly payments climbing upward.

On the investment front, market volatility may increase because rate increases are not completely predictable.

Market sectors will likely exhibit varied responses to changes in interest rates. Those sectors that are less dependent on discretionary income may be less affected. After all, you need to buy gas, clothes, and groceries regardless of changes in interest rates.

Rising interest rates can also affect your business.

If your company’s balance sheet is loaded with variable-rate debt, rising interest rates can affect your bottom line and your plans for growth. As the cost of borrowing increases, taking out loans for new equipment or financing expansion with credit may become less desirable.

These changes can lead to many questions about the best course of action on both personal and business fronts. To help you decide the most beneficial response to current and potential future changes in interest rates, please contact your CPA or financial advisor.

This is general information and should not be acted upon without first determining its application to your specific situation. Please contact your CPA or tax advisor for additional details.

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The myRA: A New Simplified Roth IRA is the Latest Retirement Plan

3/16/2016

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Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you have not yet begun saving for retirement, a myRA may be a reason to start. “myRA” is an acronym for “my Retirement Account.”

Some advantages to myRAs are that they:

Cost nothing to open
Have no fees
Let you start saving with any amount that fits your budget
Can be opened even if you have other retirement accounts
Belong entirely to you and can be moved to any new employer that offers direct deposit capability

myRAs generally follow Roth IRA rules. That means the maximum contribution for 2015 and 2016 is $5,500 ($6,500 when you’re over age 50).

Contributions to your myRA are invested in a U.S. Treasury savings bond. The balance in your account earns interest and is guaranteed to retain its value.

The Department of the Treasury recently added new ways to fund myRAs. As before, you can choose to fund your account from your paycheck by completing a direct deposit authorization form and giving it to your employer.

In addition, you now also have the option of making direct deposits from a checking or savings account or from your federal income tax refund.

To learn more about myRAs and/or to see if one would be a good fit for you, please contact your financial advisor.

This is general information and should not be acted upon without first determining its application to your specific situation. Please contact your CPA or tax advisor for additional details.

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Major Tax Deadlines for March

3/10/2016

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Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Here is a list of tax deadlines during the month of March to remember:

March 15 – 2015 calendar-year corporation income tax returns are due

March 15 – Deadline for calendar-year corporations to elect S corporation status for 2015

March 31 – Payers who file electronically must submit 2015 information returns (such as 1099s) to the IRS

March 31 – Employers who file electronically must submit 2015 W-2 copies to the Social Security Administration

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Tax Extender Act Renews Tax Breaks

3/3/2016

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In mid-December, Congress renewed a list of tax breaks known as “extenders” that have been expiring on an annual basis. This year many of the rules are retroactive to the beginning of 2015, and you may benefit from them as you prepare your 2015 federal income tax return.
In addition, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which was signed into law on December 18, 2015, makes some of the rules effective through December 31, 2016. Others are effective through 2019, and some are effective permanently. Provisions in the Act also make changes to existing tax rules that were not part of the extenders. All of these changes will affect your tax planning for 2016 and future years. Here’s an overview of selected provisions.

When you are age 70½ and over, you can make a tax-free distribution of up to $100,000 from your IRA to a charity. This provision was reinstated for 2015 and is now permanent.

The deduction for up to $250 of out-of-pocket eligible educator expenses is available for your 2015 return. It is now permanent and will be indexed for inflation beginning with 2016 tax returns.

You can choose to claim the itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes in lieu of deducting state and local income taxes on your 2015 return. This break is now permanent.

The tuition and fees above-the-line deduction for qualified higher education expenses is available for 2015 and 2016.

If you’re a homeowner, you can exclude mortgage debt cancellation or forgiveness of up to $2 million in 2015 and 2016. Discharges of qualified mortgage debt can also be excluded after January 1, 2017, if you have a binding written agreement in effect before that date. This tax break is only available for your principal residence.

The maximum Section 179 deduction for qualified business property, including off-the-shelf software, is available for 2015 and is now permanently set at $500,000 (subject to a taxable income limitation). The deduction is phased out above a $2 million threshold. Both thresholds will be indexed for inflation beginning in 2016.

The additional first-year depreciation deduction, known as “bonus depreciation,” is available for 2015 when you buy qualified business property. The deduction is extended through 2019.

You can claim the work opportunity tax credit for 2015 if you hired eligible individuals last year. This credit is extended for five years (through 2019).

Because the Act was passed so late in the year, you will need to review your 2015 transactions to take advantage of applicable breaks and claim them on your 2015 federal income tax return. Also, with the rules now extended through 2016 (and in some cases beyond), you can begin to update your current tax plan with some measure of certainty.

Please note: This is general information and should not be acted upon without first determining its application to your specific situation. Please contact your CPA or tax advisor for additional details.

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Repost: The Perfect Match: 3 Pairings to Optimize Your Business

Cool Tech Tools: Automate Your To-Do List

Will Rising Interest Rates Affect You?

The myRA: A New Simplified Roth IRA is the Latest Retirement Plan

Major Tax Deadlines for March

Tax Extender Act Renews Tax Breaks

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