The benefits are simple. You save time, certainly. But the bigger benefit is you no longer have a monthly deadline to get your documents to your accountant – at least for all the documents that can be automated in this way.  This reduces stress and eliminates minutiae from your day.
 
Accountants benefit too.  No accountant likes to spend their time asking clients for documents over and over again.  We know you have better things to do with your time, and we know you probably hate doing the paperwork.  Receipt fetching is an easy way to get the job done.
 
To take advantage of receipt fetching, the first step is to select a receipt-fetching app. Some of these apps do receipt fetching only, and others have many more functions. There are a multitude of apps available so please let us know if you’d like some recommendations - some can even be found on our Resources page.
 
The second step is to determine which vendor accounts are supported, and to connect with them. Generally speaking, the connection is based on your account credentials, so if those change, the connection will need to be updated. When many of your documents can be pulled into one place, you don’t have to spend time logging into each vendor portal to pull receipts. 
 
If you’re curious about how to benefit from receipt fetching in your business, please feel free to contact us.  

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

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If you either received or are expecting a tax refund, you may be feeling the temptation to splurge and enjoy the money immediately. After all, you worked hard for that money.
 
While enjoyable, is the splurge you are considering as valuable as investing in your future financial security? While everyone’s needs are different, consider some optional uses of your refund that may work for you:

• Contribute your refund to your employer’s 401(k) plan. If your employer offers a matching contribution, that’s an immediate return on your money in addition to deferring taxes on your contribution. And, funds in the plan grow free of tax until withdrawal.
• Use your refund to pay down credit card balances – you’ll earn a guaranteed double-digit return.
• Consider investing your refund in your child’s education. Both Section 529 college savings plans and education savings accounts offer tax-advantaged ways to save for college costs.
• Take full advantage of your IRA options for retirement savings. Both Traditional and Roth IRAs are great ways to save for retirement.
• If you’ve maximized your retirement and education savings, and your credit cards are under control, put your refund in diversified investments that make sense for your age and financial situation.
• Ask yourself if getting a big refund every year is a smart idea. Would you rather invest your money during the year instead of making an interest-free loan to the government? If so, consider filing an updated Form W-4 with your employer.

Longer term planning generally requires a vision of where you'd like to be in the future? Do you have such a vision? 

If you'd like to review the effect of any of the above choices on your financial situation, please reach out to a trusted financial adviser for additional assistance.

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

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Owning a business can be emotionally and physically taxing. When we are tired or stressed over our business, our entire life may be negatively affected. What is a quick and easy – but effective – way to bring more positivity and less negativity into your work and life?
 
Being grateful.
 
This may sound a bit trite, but gratitude is the number one, hands down, fastest way to bring more positivity and less negativity into your work and life.
 
Acts of gratitude are selfless and done unconditionally. You can use gratitude as a private exercise of reflection, or you can express your gratefulness to show people that they are appreciated.
 
You don’t have to wait to feel gratitude; you can invoke it proactively. 
 
If you don’t have a gratitude practice, consider starting one. Science has gotten involved in studying gratitude, especially in the field of positive psychology, and the benefits to health and well-being are enormous. It can benefit your business, too, when you show appreciation for business partners, employees, customers, and vendors.  

Here are five easy ways to bring more gratitude into your work and life:

1. Think of five clients you can send thank you notes to. You can write them by hand or send a greeting card with a thank you message. 
2. On your customer service email templates, add a line before the closing that says, “We appreciate your business.” It does make a difference.  
3. Quick, right now, think of five things you are grateful for and list them off the top of your head. After you’re done, you should feel a little bit happier than you did a few minutes ago.  Use this tool after you feel a negative emotion to move you back into positivity faster.
4. Find part of your day that you don’t love, such as your commute to work. Change it to your gratitude commute, finding things along the way to be grateful for. You might be surprised how great you feel when you arrive at work. 
5.  Let one of your employees know that you’re grateful for the work they do for you. You can do this verbally, with a note, or with a gift. 

​When you practice gratitude, you can’t help but feel happy for the things you have in your life.  Try these five things on a regular basis to bring more gratitude and positivity into your work and life.  

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