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Social Media For Your Small Business

Keep these tips in mind when promoting your business online.

PLATFORM SELECTION

Define the demographics of your audience (age, income, education, interests, etc.) and the type of content that will motivate them to want more information about your products or services. Various platforms describe their users online so you can make a good match. Start slow and set goals for followers or the number of posts before you consider adding more networks.

USERNAME CHOICE

Choose a name that communicates what your business does. Because social media has been around for a while, you might find that your name is already taken, so get creative by adding a city or state to your name.

WRITE A COMPELLING DESCRIPTION

All platforms give you a small space to provide information about your company. This is a perfect place to provide prospective customers with a link to your website and a benefit-oriented statement about what you do. Keep it simple and don’t overthink it.

DON’T FORGET A PHOTO

Remember to add a professional profile photo and professionally designed logo. Don’t skimp on this step because you need a professional image for your brand.

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Nuts and Bolts of Exchange-Traded Funds

An exchange-traded fund (ETF) can add diversity to your investment portfolio.

STOCK BUNDLES

An ETF is created to track the value of an underlying asset (like gold) or index (like the S&P 500). It purchases and bundles together the appropriate stocks, bonds, commodities or currencies and then sells shares of this package to investors.

NOT A MUTUAL FUND

Unlike mutual funds, which are bought and sold at the end of the day, ETFs can be traded throughout the day. And while actively managed mutual funds can see more turnover of the underlying assets, creating capital gains, ETFs are generally passively managed. They don’t incur much buying and selling. Also, ETFs usually have lower fees than mutual funds and lower investment minimums.

ETFs VERSUS STOCKS

When you buy stock, you’re investing in one company. But with an ETF, you’re investing in a basket of securities providing greater diversification. And because ETFs are professionally managed, you can spend less time researching and selecting individual investments.

Consult your financial professional to discuss whether ETFs are suitable for your portfolio.

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November 2021 Client Profile

Tiffany started a t-shirt company and she needs to inventory her remaining stock for the end of the year. How can she determine a value for her remaining shirts?

Tiffany will want an accurate year-end tally so that her inventory and costs are correct for the year. After she has physically counted the shirts she has on hand as of December 31, she has a few methods to choose from to determine their dollar value.

LIFO

Short for “last-in, first-out.” This implies that the remaining shirts are the oldest because the last ones she received were the first ones out the door when a customer made a purchase. Therefore, she assigns the oldest price to each shirt.

FIFO

The opposite of LIFO, “first-in, first-out” means that the inventory is sold in the order it was received. This means the newest shirts remain in stock at the more recent cost.

Specific Identification

This method groups pieces of inventory together based on when they were purchased, how much they cost and any additional costs that are incurred until sold.

Client Profile is based on a hypothetical situation. The solutions we discuss may or may not be appropriate for you.

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The Advance Child Tax Credit

When Congress enacted the American Rescue Plan in early 2021, it increased the child tax credit and required half of it to be paid in advance via monthly payments. While it’s intended to help families with everyday expenses, there are tax considerations to keep in mind.

RECEIVED TOO MUCH?

Advance payments are based on the IRS’ estimate of your 2021 child tax credit using your most recent tax return. Generally, if the total payments received are more than the actual 2021 credit, you’ll need to repay the excess. There are repayment exceptions for some lower-income taxpayers.

Repayment could happen if you have a child you’ve previously claimed but who is now no longer your dependent or if your income increased and it’s now above the limits. The child tax credit begins to phase out for single taxpayers with adjusted gross income above $75,000 ($150,000 for married filing joint).

OPTED OUT?

If you opted out of the advance payments, you’ll still be able to claim the credit on your 2021 tax return as you have in the past.

BREAK EVEN OR NO REFUND?

If you historically break even on your tax return, either owing very little or receiving a small refund, receiving advance payments may cause you to have to pay when you file your 2021 return.

For example, with a 10-year-old child, the credit was worth $2,000 in 2020, which lowered a family’s tax bill by that amount when they filed their return. In 2021, the credit will be $3,000 for the same child, but half was paid in advance. When the family files their 2021 taxes, there will only be $1,500 left of the child tax credit to lower their tax bill. Everything else being equal, they will owe $500 more in 2021 than they did in 2020.

Reach out to your tax professional to discuss how the advance child tax credit will impact your 2021 taxes.

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Understanding Form 1099 For Your Business

In January, your company may need to send 1099s to certain individuals and some businesses. And you might receive a few. Learn about the common Form 1099 that companies send and receive.

TAX ID NUMBERS

All 1099s are called informational returns and require a tax identification number (TIN), which could be a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Employer Identification Number (EIN), depending on how the company is structured. Ask your vendors to complete Form W-9 before making any payments to them. This document provides all the information you’ll need for tax reporting, including company name, address, TIN and tax classification.

NON-EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION

Form 1099-NEC is the most common informational return, and it’s sent to anyone you paid $600 or more for services in 2021. This excludes employees who will receive a Form W-2 for their wages. A 1099-NEC is sent to sole proprietors, partnerships and most limited liability companies who worked for your business. Examples include independent contractors, janitors, attorneys, and anyone you paid who’s not on your payroll.

MISCELLANEOUS PAYMENTS

You may have made other reportable payments during the year that you’ll need to include on Form 1099-MISC. This may include rent, royalties, medical and health care expenditures or funds you paid to an attorney for a settlement agreement. But don’t include the attorney’s fees for the legal service and advice they provided. Those are reported on 1099-NEC.

CREDIT CARD PROCESSING

If your business accepted credit card payments during the year, you might receive a Form 1099-K from your merchant processor. However, if you use a third-party payment network like Paypal, they must provide one to you if you received more than $20,000 and had more than 200 transactions in the year.

CHECK THE CALENDAR

Generally, 1099s must be provided to the recipient by the last day of January with copies sent to the IRS by February 28 if filing paper forms, or March 31 if you submit them electronically. However, there is an exception for the 1099-NEC, which is due to the recipient and the IRS by January 31.

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November 2021 Client Line

Understanding Form 1099 For Your Business – learn about the common Form 1099 that companies send and receive.

The Advance Child Tax Credit – the child tax credit is intended to help families with everyday expenses but there are tax considerations to keep in mind.

November 2021 Client Profile

Nuts and Bolts of Exchange-Traded Funds – an exchange-traded fund can add diversity to your investment portfolio.

Social Media For Your Small Business – keep these tips in mind when promoting your business online.

November 2021 Questions and Answers

November 2021 Short Bits

Form 1099 For Individuals – common 1099s an individual may receive

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October 2021 Short Bits

AUDIT DECREASES

For 2020, the IRS audit numbers dropped, continuing a downward trend. The Service concluded nearly 510,000 audits resulting in taxpayers paying an additional $12.9 billion in taxes, with a focus on those who didn’t file and those with certain abusive transactions. Last year’s audit count is down from 2019 figures, where 771,000 audits were wrapped up, resulting in an additional $17 billion in tax revenue. These recent numbers reflect another downward trend at the IRS—staff size. In 2020, the Service had nearly 76,000 full-time equivalent positions, down from over 90,000 in 2010.

ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS

Fewer taxpayers are itemizing deductions on their personal tax returns. Using data from 2019 federal tax returns, nearly 17 million returns claimed $637 billion in itemized deductions, while over 140 million returns took $2.4 billion of standardized deductions. This large disparity is primarily caused by the 2017 tax reform laws that hiked the standard deduction and pared down itemizations. Taxpayers with adjusted gross income (AGI) of $250,000 and above had the highest average itemized deductions amount—more than $75,000, while taxpayers with under $15,000 of AGI had the lowest—just over $22,000.

AMBULANCE RIDES

In December 2020, Congress passed the “No Surprises Act,” prohibiting most surprise out-of-network billing for plan years starting in 2022. But it excludes ground ambulance services. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, ambulances bring three million privately insured people to an emergency room each year. Local fire departments and governmental agencies provide nearly two-thirds (62%) of the rides. About half (51%) of emergency and 39% of non-emergency ambulance rides included an out-of-network charge that may put privately insured patients at risk for getting a surprise bill.

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Employer Essentials for Open Enrollment

Here are some tips that may help your open enrollment go smoothly.

Be Concise

Employees can be overwhelmed with information overload about options. Provide a summary in easy-to-understand language about the different types of benefits you offer. Keep it simple by answering common questions like how much it will cost per paycheck and the key features.

Engage Employees

Develop a communication strategy that will reach all of your staff. This could include presentations or an FAQ page on your company’s website that addresses common questions to keep your team in the loop.

Provide Assistance

Designate a contact person or team in your human resources department trained to answer questions and assist employees with enrollment. Keeping the process centralized reduces the chance of incorrect information circulating among your workforce.

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Negotiate a Raise

Asking for a raise can be nerve-wracking. You’ll need confidence, professionalism and an effective strategy when the time comes.

RESEARCH FIRST

Before you ask for a raise, look online to learn what the average salary is for your position and experience level in your location. It’s essential to make sure that the increase you’re asking for is within the appropriate range.
Also, know how well your company is performing. Is business booming, or struggling? Recognizing if your employer is in a financial position to increase your salary will impact how much of a boost you request.

REVIEW YOURSELF

The best way to convince your boss you deserve a raise is to bring up your specific accomplishments that helped the company achieve its goals. Demonstrate, if possible, how you add value to your team, and, if you’ve been asked to take on additional responsibilities, be sure to point that out too.

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October 2021 Client Profile

Erin is a full-time employee and tutors her neighbor’s 2nd grader in her home once a week. The neighbor generally pays Erin in cash but sometimes gives her tickets to sporting events or concerts instead of money. How much taxable income from her tutoring work does Erin need to report on her tax return?

The money Erin receives for her tutoring services is taxable income. The real question is whether the event tickets she receives are taxable. The IRS states that any payment received for services performed is taxable. This includes payments that take the form of goods instead of cash.

Erin needs to include the fair market value of the tickets she receives in her taxable income. And since Erin is considered self-employed in regard to her tutoring services, she’ll be able to deduct all of her business-related expenses, including study materials and office supplies. If Erin meets specific criteria, she may include a portion of her mortgage and utilities with the home office deduction.

Client Profile is based on a hypothetical situation. The solutions we discuss may or may not be appropriate for you.