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  • New Year-End Tax Provisions

    Posted Date February 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readIn late December, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which in addition to providing COVID-19 relief provisions also included many tax provisions and extenders. The Act contained many COVID-related tax provisions, as well as a slew of extenders ranging from one year to permanent. This article will focus on the miscellaneous tax and disaster relief provisions, which are more applicable to most taxpayers. Miscellaneous Provisions Charitable Contributions – For tax years 2020-2022, starting in 2020 non-itemizers can deduct $300 in charitable contributions, and starting in 2021 non-itemizer can deduct $600 for married couples filing jointly. Full Business Meals... View Article

  • How to Budget During a Pandemic

    Posted Date February 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readRight now with everything that’s going on, navigating your finances might feel overwhelming. However, there are some strategies that will help you manage cash shortfalls. Mariel Beasley of Duke University’s Common Cents Lab offers ways to help you manage during these trying times. Use Mental Accounting Translated, this means prioritizing what’s most important and cutting back in those areas that aren’t. While pretty obvious, the finer point according to Beasley is this approach will help you stick to your spending plan by reminding you of your opportunity costs — i.e. what trade-offs you might be making... View Article

  • How Firms Can Restore Balance Sheets to Better Health

    Posted Date February 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readAccording to the World Bank Group, for businesses in emerging markets and developing economies, the bottom fourth percentile of the non-financial corporate (NFC) sector saw their balance sheets deteriorate. Looking at these businesses’ Interest Coverage Ratio, the average figure dropped to 0.06 from 0.35 between the fourth quarter of 2019 and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic’s ongoing effects. The ICR is a measure of a firm’s ability to repay their debt in accordance to existing obligations, whereby a higher ratio indicates a better ability to do so. This is calculated by dividing earnings before... View Article

  • While Many Suffer Financially, Some Manage to Profit off Pandemic

    Posted Date February 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readThe Federal Reserve recently reported that the 50 richest people in the United States increased their net worth by $339 billion during the first half of 2020. There are two primary contributors to this near-unprecedented level of growth. The first is that many either owned or were heavily invested in tech companies that thrived during the pandemic. Increased technology demands for remote work, online shopping, streaming entertainment, and socially-distanced socializing created a lucrative COVID-19 economy in some sectors. Another reason is that the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve proactively infused the economy with stimulus capital. That... View Article

  • Standalone 5G Networks: Potential Vulnerabilities that Could Result in Denial of Service for Customers

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min read5G networks promise high speeds, lower latency, and more robust security compared to its predecessors – and this has created a lot of buzz. As a result, there is a lot of competition among operators to roll out the network while manufacturers are already producing 5G devices. The deployment of 5G around the world has also been facilitated by a need for always-connected computers, widespread internet of things (IoT), and dependence on smartphones. All of this is constraining the 4G LTE technology. With the current uptake in remote working due to COVID-19, 5G is expected to... View Article

  • Prosecution for Use of Performance Enhancement Drugs, Modernizing Government Technology, and Enhancements for Veterans and Their Caregivers

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readRodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 (HR 835) – This bill was introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) on Jan. 29, 2019. The purpose of this legislation is to give U.S. officials the power to prosecute individual athletes who used performance-enhancing drugs at international sports competitions involving American athletes. The legislation has been criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as undermining the global anti-doping movement based on international cooperation, and because no other nation has extra-territorial jurisdiction in this field. The bill passed in the House in October, the Senate in November, and was signed... View Article

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Employers

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readLooking at a 2009 letter from the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers may be able to require their employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine, with a few exceptions (such as the likelihood of a life-threatening reaction to it). With the COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out, how can employers balance workplace safety, maintain productivity and stay within the law? According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the early vaccination stages will likely focus on those who are at particular risk of severe and life-threatening complications from COVID-19. This... View Article

  • What To Know About Filing For Bankruptcy

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readAbout one million Americans file for personal bankruptcy each year, with one in 10 households having filed at some point. Given the loss of jobs, reduced income, and the coronavirus recession in 2020, those numbers could increase this year if the economic recovery is not both swift and omnipresent. There are two main types of personal bankruptcy: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7, which is the more common option, will liquidate the filer’s assets in order to discharge all or a portion of the outstanding debt. People generally choose this route because they are in... View Article

  • Deciding if a Roth IRA Conversion is For You

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 2 min readRoth IRAs can be a powerful tax tool, but they are often misunderstood and misused. Investment income in Roth IRAs compound tax-free and most distributions are tax-free as well. Another benefit is that there are no required minimum distributions (RMDs) throughout the original owner’s life. Long-term Roth distributions are tax-free to the beneficiaries who inherit the IRA as long as they fully distribute the Roth within 10 years of inheriting. As the annual contribution limits are rather small, most Roth IRA contributions are made by converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. The downside to... View Article

  • Paying the Price for Vice: The Evolving Landscape of Excise Taxes in America

    Posted Date January 1, 2021 Posted Time 12:00 am Published in

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readWhile excise or vice taxes have long been a part of the American tax landscape related to alcohol and cigarettes, the recent invention of vaping and legalization of marijuana and other substances is changing the landscape. What Are Excise Taxes? Excise taxes are taxes on specific types of consumable products such as alcohol or tobacco for one of two reasons. First, as vice taxes in order to raise revenue to cover the costs related to consumption; and second, to deter consumption itself. Unlike other types of consumption taxes such as sales tax, these are specific to... View Article

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