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  • Wishing on a Star: Investors Pour Billions in to SPACs

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readA SPAC is a special purpose acquisition company. It is typically sponsored by a venture capitalist or a private equity firm that has expertise in a specific sector or industry, such as green technology. A SPAC launches as an IPO, but it is nothing more than a shell company that raises money from investors. Post-IPO, it has a limited amount of time (one to two years) to merge with an existing company, where the capitol is deployed. Once that happens, the private operating company trades publicly under the SPAC name. While SPACs have been around for... View Article

  • 5 Tips for Going Back to the Office

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readSlowly, our world is changing. A percentage of the population has been vaccinated and many employees are headed back to the office. However, this may cause a bit of anxiety – and understandably so. Here are few ways to help take the edge off of returning to the workplace. Wake up Earlier For some of you, working from home might have caused you to shift your office hours. Maybe you’re starting later and staying up later. Whatever your routine, it’s safe to say that generally, office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A few days,... View Article

  • Recognizing the Abolishment of Slavery and Compensating Law Enforcement, Overseas Federal Employees and Disaster Relief Victims

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readJuneteenth National Independence Day Act (S 475) – This bill authorizes Juneteenth National Independence Day on June 19 as a legal public holiday. The bill was introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) on Feb. 25. It was passed by both the House and the Senate on June 16 and signed into law by the president on June 17. Protecting America’s First Responders Act (S 937) – This bill was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on April 29. The legislation ensures that certain law enforcement and first responders who have become permanently and totally disabled as... View Article

  • The Biggest Winners and Losers in President Biden’s Proposed Individual Tax Plan

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readPresident Biden presented his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which focuses on expanding benefits for education, children and childcare. The Biden administration intends to pay for the plan with a series of tax hikes on certain individual taxpayers. Depending on your income and source of wealth, there are some clear winners and losers of this proposal, so let’s look at each and start with those who lose. Losers Under the Plan High Earners: The proposed plan would increase the highest individual tax rate from 37 percent up to 39.6 percent. Currently, this tax bracket starts with... View Article

  • Vaccine Hesitancy: Why We Have It and How It Affects Employers and Employees

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 6 min readAccording to a Tufts University survey, six in ten of those surveyed are now vaccinated against COVID-19. However, almost 40 percent of the unvaccinated respondents said they won’t get the vaccine. Only 28.5 percent of the remaining unvaccinated respondents said they will get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the future, with the remaining unvaccinated respondents unable to decide whether they will take the vaccination. With vaccine hesitancy a concern, how can employers encourage more people to get the vaccine? It is important to understand why some view vaccines skeptically in order to overcome vaccine hesitancy among employees.... View Article

  • Real Estate Opportunities in 2021

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readEven before the pandemic began, the U.S. residential real estate market was short on houses, with more people looking to buy than those who were selling. And yet, unlike the 2008 recession, any economic woes related to the pandemic did not undercut housing prices. If anything, real estate had a banner year as home prices continued to rise. In April of this year, the median sale price of existing homes rose by 19.1 percent to a record high of $341,600. There are several reasons we haven’t seen a repeat of the housing crisis that we experienced... View Article

  • How to Choose the Right Accounting Software for your Business

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readBusiness accounting activities can be tedious when performed manually and are prone to errors. For these reasons, many businesses have shifted to accounting software that offers numerous benefits, including data accuracy, time savings, easier auditing and on-demand reports. With so many available options, it’s overwhelming to choose the right fit for a particular business. As more software vendors join the market with different enticing offers, it’s wise to be equipped with the right information. Making a Decision Between Different Accounting Software Each business is different and varies with industry. For efficient accounting operations, you cannot afford... View Article

  • Addressing Hate Crimes, Banks Serving the Cannabis Industry and Unilateral Power to Restrict Immigration

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readComprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act (HR 2547) – This bill would expand financial protections and restrictions on debt collection activities for consumers, in particular for private student loans and medical debt. The legislation would require lenders to discharge private student loan debt if the borrower dies or becomes permanently disabled. It would prohibit consumer reporting agencies from adding any information related to certain situations, such as debt arising from a medically necessary procedure, and restrict certain debt collection practices. The bill was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) on April 15. It was passed by the... View Article

  • 6 Ways to Make Saving Money Fun

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readLet’s face it. Saving money is a challenge at best – and really hard the rest of the time. But what if you made it a fun game to inspire yourself to save? Here are a few ways to do just that. Keep the Change Challenge Anytime you receive or find loose change in your pockets or house, put it in a jar. Don’t touch it for a year, and then see how much you save. But here’s a great plus-up for this habit: download a money-saving app like Acorns and watch your savings grow. Anytime... View Article

  • Advancing Healthcare Initiatives, Small Business Funding and Protecting the Elderly from Scams

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

    🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readFASTER Act of 2021 (HR 578) – This bill expands the definition of major food allergens for food-labeling purposes to include sesame. It is designed to protect Americans with food allergies and related disorders that could be affected by anaphylaxis, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, and eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. It also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to report on food allergy research and data collection activities. The bill was introduced by Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC) on March 3. It was passed by Congress on April 14 and is currently awaiting enactment by the president.... View Article

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