Returning Value Blog

Whatever 2021 holds, these tips can help lower your tax liability.

2020 has been an unpredictable year. Businesses have faced all-encompassing challenges ranging from protecting employee health and safety to managing unexpected costs to dealing with severe fluctuations in supply and demand for products and services. Some businesses were able to enter new markets and achieve fresh levels of growth, while others had to make tough choices just to endure.

Although vote counting continues and legal challenges to the election endure, many news media organizations are projecting that former Vice President Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021.

If you recently launched a business, you may want to set up a tax-favored retirement plan for yourself and your employees. There are several types of qualified plans that are eligible for these tax advantages:

Cash flow is a top concern for most businesses today. Cash flow forecasts can help you predict potential shortfalls and proactively address working capital gaps. They can also help avoid late payments, identify late-paying customers, and find alternative funding sources when cash is tight. To keep your company’s cash flow positive, consider applying these four best practices.

The Persevere stage of economic recovery is also known as “the dip” immediately following a crisis, or in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession. During this time, businesses of all sizes are in triage mode, taking immediate action to protect their employees and keep the lights on. Achieving these goals requires agility, strategy, and resilience, but it also requires another key element: liquidity.

The U.S. presidential election is just over a month away, yet neither candidate has released a formal, detailed plan addressing his vision for the tax code. We can, however, gain a sense of how their approaches differ through casual mentions of some aspects of tax policy on the campaign trail.

Today, many banks are working with struggling borrowers on loan modifications. Recent guidance from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) confirms that short-term modifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be subject to the complex accounting rules for troubled debt restructurings (TDRs). Here are the details.

There’s a bright side to today’s unprecedented market conditions: Agile people may discover opportunities to start new business ventures. Start-ups need a comprehensive business plan, including detailed financial forecasts, to drum up capital from investors and lenders. Entrepreneurs may also use forecasts as yardsticks for evaluating and improving performance over time.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many employers to implement some form of workforce reduction to continue operating. While furloughs and layoffs have a significant and immediate impact on a company’s operations, plan sponsors also need to understand the longer-term effects workforce reductions have on participants’ benefits and retirement accounts.

Businesses are emerging from various pauses and lockdowns, some in better shape than others. Many businesses continue to grow and prosper, and many likely are doing so through a merger or acquisition. Others are looking to merge into or be acquired by other businesses.