Understanding what your business is worth and monitoring the trend in the value of your business can be very helpful in determining if you are reaching your financial and retirement goals.

The Tax Act in 2018 has changed the deductibility of meals and entertainment expenses. Most businesses will now need to track the meals and entrainment expenses in multiple account classifications. Based on public comments from the IRS, and other information, the following is a reasonable understanding of what the deductibility of meals and entertainment, if any, is allowed starting in 2018.

here are times and situations where a business hires independent contractors to address certain business related needs. When the business pays an independent contractor, they receive nonemployee compensation. Nonemployee compensation includes payments of fees, commissions, prizes, and awards for services.

If you are a privately held business, family owned or not, failing to plan for succession can have a significant negative impact on the preservation of the wealth you have built. A solid succession plan can drive growth, reduce taxes, set the stage for retirement and enhance the ultimate value of your business.

Simply put, the Break-Even Point (BEP) can be easily defined, but the calculation can be elusive. BEP can be described as a point where there is no profit on loss, when sales ­covers variable and fixed expenses.

The IRS is on the lookout for S Corporations that fail to pay reasonable salaries to shareholders who preform services for the corporation. The failure to pay adequate salary- or no salary at all – to the shareholder-employee is a “Red Flag” for audit by the IRS. It’s important for a S Corporation to properly compensate working shareholders to avoid a big employment tax bill in the future along with interest and penalty. The key to establishing a reasonable salary is determining what the shareholder does for the S Corporation. Initially, we need to understand the source of the S corporation's gross receipts.