For most business owners, determining income from one year to the next can be tricky. Interest, dividends, alimony, pensions and annuities, rental property income, royalties, income from the sale of assets and business income can all raise your annual gross income and, therefore, your taxes. That’s why it’s important to monitor your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). AGI is gross income minus certain “above the line” deductions (retirement account contributions, self-employed health insurance

and domestic production activities, just to name a few) and it can lower your tax liability. Your AGI is a primary figure on which other deductions are computed.

Remember the “Soup Nazi” from the Seinfeld television show? Thanks to its popularity on the show, that small soup shop turned into Soupman, Inc. and its CFO, Robert N. Bertrand, was recently indicted on 20 counts of failure to pay both payroll and federal income taxes. You could

say he’s in very hot…soup? His story is a cautionary tale of what can happen when you fail to pay or try to avoid (using “independent contractors” who are actually employees or paying non-reported “wages”) payroll taxes.

While President Trump’s new administration works vigorously to unravel many of the programs put in place by President Obama, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 remains intact. In fact, the IRS only recently released guidance for those interested in taking advantage of laws like Section 179 for real estate improvements (see Revenue Procedure 2017-33).

Celebrities can certainly make mistakes with their money. Two of the most common mistakes that involve the IRS are tax evasion and poor estate planning. One is a failure to assume responsibility and hope the IRS doesn’t notice while the other is based more on ignorance of what can truly happen to your assets (and how much can be lost to the IRS) after you’re gone. Marilyn Monroe, Willie Nelson, Wesley Snipes and others have fallen victim to these mistakes and they (or their families) have paid the price. 

Most businesses normally keep only one set of books, usually maintained to present financial statements to stakeholders (shareholders, financial institutions or government regulators such as the IRS and SEC). Their CPAs, whether internal or from an outside firm make “tax adjustments” to convert “book income” to “taxable income” and then complete the appropriate forms notifying the IRS of the differences. However, if a business has two sets of books, the IRS becomes very skeptical very quickly. 

Out of 74.9 million baby boomers, many are actively transitioning out of the business world right now either by retiring, selling their businesses, or taking alternative employment such as consulting. The number of small businesses for sale nationwide is at a six-year high and it’s not expected to decrease soon. Nearly 7 out of every 10 business owners

want to retire in the next 10 years. Many of these business men and women have moderate retirement funds set aside except for one elite group of CEOs who are set for life.

Doing well with your March Madness brackets? The IRS is happy for you…as long as you remember their cut of the winnings. Here’s what you should know about how you need to report earnings as well as tips to offset the tax burden (such as claiming other gambling losses). 

One of the executive orders signed by President Trump in the first few days of his administration deals with federal regulations. Essentially, government agencies like the IRS must identify two regulations to repeal for every new regulation they wish to add.

Data breaches can ruin businesses of all sizes. Most are caused by innocent employee mistakes: clicking on a phishing email, losing a laptop; or misplacing a smartphone with company data in it. Assuming your business is too small or too low-tech to fall victim to data theft could be a devastating mistake. The truth is that more than 70 percent of attacks target small businesses. What’s more, about 60 percent of those suffering major breaches never recover, ultimately going out of business within six months

The IRS is proving that, once again, just because it’s possible to borrow money from a retirement account to fund a business, you shouldn’t do so without sound advice. A March 29, 2016, U.S. Tax Court decision has brought this issue back to light and it serves as a reminder to handle self-directed IRA investments very carefully