How times have changed. In the past eight to 10 years, there has been a significant shift in the general public’s attitude about compensation.
May 15, 2013
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In recent news with the IRS, the policy-maker has reaffirmed that no prohibition exists against a Code Section 501(c)(3) organization using an internet fundraising platform to raise funds.
May 06, 2013
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In this edition, we discuss implementation of IRC section 501(r) and the importance of compliance in order to maintain a hospital's tax exempt status.
April 29, 2013
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The regulations contain tax guidance for determining whether and when a business must capitalize costs incurred in acquiring, maintaining, or improving any tangible property.
April 29, 2013
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There are several key factors that nonprofit boards should be keenly aware of in 2013.
April 22, 2013
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A recent publication from the Ohio Attorney General shared information on the state of non-profits in Ohio.
April 08, 2013
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In a recent NCUA webinar, titled Examination Focus for 2013, the administration discussed a movement towards a greater emphasis on operational and balance sheet risk for 2013 credit union examinations.
March 28, 2013
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Inflation at the end of 2012 hovered steadily at levels that are low by historical standards. In January, inflation remains a non-factor in the aggregate, but prices for several construction products have begun to break upward.
March 28, 2013
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The loudest economic story of the first quarter was the same story that received the most attention in the fourth quarter: the federal deficit deal.
March 25, 2013
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State and local jurisdictions are getting more and more aggressive in pursuing companies they believe have not complied with sales/use tax laws.
March 21, 2013
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With scores of recent high-profile scandals gripping the nonprofit community, investigative due diligence has become more important than ever for nonprofit organizations.
March 21, 2013
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On February 12, 2013, the Ohio House of Representatives introduced House Bill 59. The Governor is proposing substantial changes to Ohio's sales tax structure, which may impact the services provided by the construction and real estate industry.
March 13, 2013
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All charitable organizations that receive donations have certain reporting requirements to their donors.
March 12, 2013
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The Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2012-73 extending the effective date of the Tangible Property Regulations to 2014.
March 01, 2013
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There is always something new related to accounting for non-profit organizations and often it is hard to keep up with new accounting rules and requirements when you are in the trenches of your non-profit organization.
February 26, 2013
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The discounted cash flow analysis (“DCF”) has been a staple valuation and damages method for many years.
February 06, 2013
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CFOs surveyed across 13 countries (including the U.S.) believe that 44% of their revenues will come from sales abroad in three years' time.
February 05, 2013
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Over the past few months the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has indicated several areas of interest and possible audit activity, as well as several interesting announcements on a variety of topics
January 28, 2013
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New Year Brings New Changes, Challenges to Healthcare Industry
January 25, 2013
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The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was passed on January 2, 2013. This law retroactively extended the Research & Development (R&D) credit through December 31, 2013. Read here for examples of potential qualified activites for this credit.
January 24, 2013
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As far back as April of 2012 there began to be a self-imposed moratorium on development and construction that was attributed to the uncertainty of the November election.
January 14, 2013
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For more than a year the confidence-sapping rhetoric of the presidential campaigns progressively weighed down the national economy.
January 14, 2013
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The bill provides greater certainty with regard to income tax rates, which hopefully will allow business owners and individuals an opportunity to plan for the future.
January 02, 2013
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One of the most significant enabling factors for public construction has been the ability of public owners to issue bonds to borrow the cost of capital projects.
November 26, 2012
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Prior to the elections, a battery of economic and construction-related data for the first three quarters of 2012 showed an economy that was continuing to recover from the 2007-2009 recession on many fronts.
November 21, 2012
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Prices spiked for several key construction components in September for the second consecutive month. The producer price index (PPI) for inputs to construction increased 0.9 percent in September and August after several months of declining prices.
November 20, 2012
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Louboutin sued YSL for the alleged infringement of Louboutin’s
trademark covering red soled shoes. Is there a tradmark infringement?
November 06, 2012
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Most 2012 personal income tax rates are scheduled to increase in 2013 due to the sunset of the Bush era tax cuts enacted in 2001, and many tax breaks are set to expire or have already expired.
October 26, 2012
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What will it really take to get your company’s innovations to the market? What you don’t know might surprise you — and waste your company’s time, resources, and reputation.
October 15, 2012
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Manufacturers from all industries have taken advantage of the U.S. R&D credit for decades, reporting billions of dollars annually in such credits.
October 01, 2012
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The mid-August inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an extension of the declining trend in prices associated with non-residential and increasing prices for those driven by residential construction for most of 2012.
September 26, 2012
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For the third consecutive year construction activity fell back to wipe out much of the expansion of spring as summer ended. Like in 2010 and 2011, the root of the problem lies with failing optimism about the direction of the national and global economy.
September 26, 2012
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An improving economy should be good news for manufacturers. Yet many manufacturers scramble to respond to increased demand for innovative new products and miss product launch windows.
September 17, 2012
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Do you have an S corporation with earnings and profits accumulated in C corporation year? Do you have significant S corporation suspended losses?
September 11, 2012
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State and local tax impacts and opportunities for the oil and gas industry.
September 04, 2012
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Reporting Information Regarding Joint Ventures and Other Partnerships on Forms 990 and 990-EZ for Tax Year 2011, making these requirements optional for Tax Year 2011.
August 14, 2012
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With many tax provisions set to expire at the end of 2012, there are unprecedented opportunities to transfer substantial amounts of wealth at little to no tax cost.
August 14, 2012
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Biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel, are clean-burning fuels that are used as alternatives to, or blended with, traditional petroleum-based fuels. This article will cover some of the primary factors driving growth in the biodiesel industry.
August 13, 2012
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For the U. S. economy it’s Ground Hog Day 2012.
August 09, 2012
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While Bly jokes about how similar the outlook for 2012 is to last year, he and other experts are quick to point out that the insurance industry in general, and surety specifically are drifting towards what the business calls a ‘hard’ market.
August 09, 2012
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The 2012 BDO RiskFactor Report for Oil and Gas Businesses examines the risk factors listed in the most recent SEC 10-K filings of the 100 largest publicly traded U.S. oil and gas E&P companies.
July 03, 2012
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The 2012 CERAWeek showcased a tremendous sense of optimism within the U.S. and global energy industry, largely due to the potential for vast new oil and natural gas reserves.
July 03, 2012
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The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has announced its latest program, Project Fresh Start, a tax amnesty program that will allow business taxpayers to catch up on delinquent taxes or to amend reports that underreported taxes.
April 17, 2012
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The global economy can no longer be viewed as a 30,000 foot observation on the long-term direction of things.
March 21, 2012
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2012 is a pivotal year for commercial mortgage recovery.
March 20, 2012
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The last Department of Commerce report on price inflation for 2011 was issued on December 15 and the results turned out to be decidedly unremarkable for the construction industry.
January 31, 2012
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The outlook for the national economy and construction industry could be summed in the one word that was haunting economists all over the globe: uncertainty.
January 30, 2012
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Reinventing Organizations: Four Key Opportunites for Growth
January 17, 2012
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Credit Unions who receive opinion audits are required to provide additional disclosures in the footnotes to their financial statements beginning with their December 31, 2011 financial statements.
November 11, 2011
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Most experts predict that construction inflation will remain in the six to nine percent range for the next couple of years, but that rate of inflation is unlikely to be absorbed by contractors.
November 11, 2011
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For both the construction market and overall economy, 2011 has unfolded in a remarkably similar fashion to the way 2010 played out.
November 11, 2011
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If you’d like to raise the hackles of someone on the advocacy side of green building use that phrase.
September 19, 2011
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After several months of mostly negative news about the economy it is becoming clear that the national construction climate is stuck in neutral for at least the near term.
September 14, 2011
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The insurance industry has a lagging relationship with the overall economy, feeling stresses in its business some six to twelve months after a recession or recovery kicks in.
July 27, 2011
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The Federal Open Market Committee’s release of its opinion on the status of the U. S. economy seemed to confirm widely-held opinions that the modest recovery from the 2007-2009 recession had slowed.
July 20, 2011
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The data at end of the first quarter reinforced a sense of certainty about what is going on in the sub-segments of the national construction market.
May 24, 2011
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What's it cost? Over the past year the progress of price inflation for construction has been progressing like a rising river and some recent events may be pointing to the bank full stage for pricing.
May 24, 2011
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Just two years removed from the ‘black swan’ crash of the financial markets that exposed a deep global recession, the national economy seems to be on its firmest footing since the winter of 2007-2008.
February 07, 2011
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Good times will return to the construction industry – probably sooner than we think – and the good habits developed during lean times should remain in place.
January 26, 2011
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A work breakdown structure is a conceptual approach to subdividing the work in a project into smaller, manageable pieces.
January 04, 2011
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One of the easy parts of forecasting construction is that there are some obvious indicators that begin to turn about six months before that construction that follows.
November 23, 2010
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The recent run in precious commodities in response to the drop in the dollar and better signs of global recovery has missed most of the products and inputs that factor into construction costs.
November 23, 2010
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Ohio Real Estate and Corporate Franchise Tax Update
November 15, 2010
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One of the few benefits of a construction market that is stuck going sideways is the short-term impact on construction inflation.
September 23, 2010
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"Uncertainty reins." That's how Real Estate Roundtable president and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer introduced RER's second quarter real estate executives' survey on August 6.
September 22, 2010
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As we have been meeting with and talking to clients and friends in the U.S. marketplace we continue to see similar symptoms in their sales forces.
September 21, 2010
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Interested in energy cost reductions for your company?
September 21, 2010
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Like the national economy the construction industry at mid-year is at a stage of moving somewhat laterally, trying to find a direction.
August 02, 2010
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Can Europe's problems slow construction in the United States?
July 21, 2010
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Think about your own business and what new needs your customers are going to have as a result of the change in economic times and develop the next Monopoly.
June 08, 2010
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Late last month a Michigan Federal District Court ruled that severance payments that were not connected to the receipt of state unemployment benefits and that were partially paid in a lump sum were not wages subject to Social Security and Medicare tax.
March 30, 2010
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On March 18th, President Obama signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (aka, the Jobs Bill), into law.
March 22, 2010
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The IRS announced on January 26, 2010 (Announcement 2010-9) it is proposing that business taxpayers report their uncertain tax positions.
January 29, 2010
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The end of 2009 brings down the curtain on the most recent seven-year business cycle with a resounding thud.
November 19, 2009
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The FASB has updated the accounting standards to a new accounting codification and we have a quick reference guide to help understand the new codification.
September 28, 2009
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Does Good News/Bad News Mean a Construction Recession Bottom Is In Sight?
July 07, 2009
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Recently, the IRS issued inflation-adjusted contribution limitations into health savings accounts (HSAs) for calendar year 2010.
June 02, 2009
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Many small companies do not have a full force of resources dedicated to collecting accounts receivable. Here are a few simple guidelines for maximizing collections in difficult times...
May 19, 2009
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Often times performing accounting research can feel like a daunting task and leafing through the myriads of information can result in an individual inadvertently relying on one piece of literature when another standard maybe be more relevant.
May 19, 2009
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Often the tightening begins fairly painlessly, but as it progresses many business owners are finding themselves under so much
pressure they can barely run their business. When an owner finds him or herself in this situation, what options to they have?
May 05, 2009
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Winter’s gloom continues to settle in on the non-residential construction market nationally. Compounding the financial issues, widespread downsizing has elevated unemployment to levels not seen since the early 1980’s, further suppressing demand.
April 28, 2009
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This is a crucial time to be concerned and watchful of your employees. It has been shown that the temptation to commit fraud becomes much greater in more troubled economic times.
March 23, 2009
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In September, an Ohio appellate court ruled in Ohio Grocers Assn v. Wilkins, the Ohio Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) is unconstitutional as applied to wholesalers and retailers of food items for human consumption off premises.
March 23, 2009
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We’ve heard your leaders are leaving your company. Would it set you on edge to hear that from a stranger? Worse yet, a recruiter? Is your business prepared for the loss of leadership that will come as baby boomers retire?
March 09, 2009
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Process isn’t just for the accounting department. Executive teams have a process as well. Integrating professional development into this process is critical for success.
February 23, 2009
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Learn more on the first time homebuyers and vehicle deduction tax credits.
February 23, 2009
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The Internal Revenue Service issued new regulations affecting ERISA-covered 403(b) retirement plans beginning with plan years ending December 31, 2009.
February 23, 2009
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Currently, IFRS is only available for publically traded companies;
however, the IASB is developing a less complex version of IFRS for private companies. The private company IFRS are scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2009.
February 10, 2009
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The best-of-the-best lean into the situation and change-up their behavior to account for changes in the environment as opposed to simply assuming that changes will result in a negative impact on them.
February 04, 2009
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Taxpayers are required to report and pay tax on gifts given to individuals during the year. The Internal Revenue Code states that taxpayers receive an annual exclusion amount for a gift of present interest.
January 27, 2009
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In accounting, "going concern" refers to a company's ability to continue functioning as a business entity. Current economic conditions provide particular challenges to all involved with annual reports and accounting.
January 27, 2009
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Often, in our planning and forecasting efforts, we plan to win by a field goal instead of a touchdown. We determine the required goal or
performance level and then plan to produce that result with no margin for error or unexpected events.
January 26, 2009
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As expected, the last 60 days of 2008 revealed one dismal economic report after another in reflection of the stunning crash of the stock markets in early October and the breakdown in the credit markets.
January 13, 2009
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The current state of the economy has pushed many taxpayers into an unfamiliar position for tax year 2008, a loss position. While no business desires to be operating at a loss, there may be some relief in the form of cash refunds.
January 12, 2009
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To help weather the storm during this economic downturn, GBQ suggests managing your business with these six essentials in mind.
December 23, 2008
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On October 31, 2007, President Bush signed a seven-year extension of the moratorium on state and local internet access taxes scheduled to expire on November 1, 2007.
December 14, 2008
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As we enter the rough waters of financial uncertainty, it is important that we don’t take issues like carrier capacity and the financial condition of our service providers for granted.
October 28, 2008
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For an economy that was already running out of steam, the market events of the month between mid-September and mid-October could hardly have been more damaging.
October 24, 2008
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A change is taking place. In the last 3-4 years the interest in pricing management among industry leading firms has skyrocketed.
October 13, 2008
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The keys to driving profits and cash flow lie in addressing pricing at each of three levels: the industry level, the market level and the transaction level.
October 06, 2008
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In today’s world it seems that a crisis can occur at nearly any moment and without warning.
October 06, 2008
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The Economic Espionage Act (EEA) of 1996 was passed by Congress, at the urging of the FBI.
October 01, 2008
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Businesses can experience explosive profitability as a result of industry turbulence. Changes affecting all participants within an industry can result in broad price improvement opportunities.
September 29, 2008
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All organizations are subject to fraud risk. But if you can answer yes to any of the following questions, your organization may be the next one to fall due to fraud...
September 24, 2008
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Recently, a well publicized, Ohio-based, Fortune 100 company documented net profit improvements in the hundreds of percentage points using market level pricing techniques.
September 22, 2008
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How to form a Disclosure Committee has been a common concern for many small public companies ever since the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the SEC’s rules in regards to the implementation.
September 16, 2008
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Transaction level pricing wins cash and profitability battles. However, initiatives at these levels rely on pricing at the transaction level for effectiveness.
September 15, 2008
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Only four tax credits remain in Ohio as the taxing regime shifts from the corporation franchise tax to commercial activity tax.
August 04, 2008
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Professional economists (ones that are paid to forecast rather than profess) are faced with putting their reputations on the line each year by foretelling the future.
August 01, 2008
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Estate tax reform is highly likely, although it probably won’t happen until late summer or fall, 2009.
July 14, 2008
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Many employers have established a pension plan for the benefit of their employees and the majority of these plans have a 401(k) feature which allows employees to contribute a portion of their compensation to the plan on a pre-tax basis.
July 14, 2008
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Two large uncertainties weigh heavily on the construction economy as the first quarter ended, leaving more questions about the direction of the economy.
June 09, 2008
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Risk assessments aren’t an extravagance, nor just for public companies and government agencies.
May 12, 2008
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You may be asking yourself if a certain CPA is “calendar challenged” to write about year-end tax planning in April.
May 08, 2008
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If you are a business owner and are considering gifting shares of your business to your children, now is a great time to take action.
April 07, 2008
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The prominence of brand names is overtly clear when roaming the aisles of a local supermarket or big box retailer.
March 31, 2008
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Implementing better controls over the payroll process in your company.
December 03, 2007
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In order to have a really successful supply chain you need to have a good relationship with your company’s critical partners and suppliers...
April 10, 2007
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Why superior customer service experiences and innovation are the new mantras...
April 02, 2007
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Do you use propane fuel in your business? If so, you may be eligible to claim a federal tax credit of up to $0.50 per gallon.
March 12, 2007
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Is my company’s general and administrative expenses too high?
January 30, 2007
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CEOs and executives see competitive impact of IT as more important than cost.
December 01, 2006
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It is critical to the success of your business that management knows the exact cost of every component of the company’s products and/or services.
January 10, 2006
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