Itemized Deductions from A to Z, Part 6: Feeling Charitable and Making Contributions
This is part six in our series on Itemized Deductions. To read the rest of the series, click here. For additional information regarding 2014 tax planning, you can download our 2014 Tax Planning Guide from the Resources tab on our website. First, let’s look at what type of organization qualifies to receive deductible contributions. The…
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Itemized Deductions from A to Z, Part 5: Investigating Deductions and Investment Interest
This is part five in our series on Itemized Deductions. To read the rest of the series, click here. For additional information regarding 2014 tax planning, you can download our 2014 Tax Planning Guide from the Resources tab on our website. Interest paid on debts to acquire investment assets is deductible but limited to net…
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Itemized Deductions from A to Z, Part 1: The Basics
For additional information regarding 2014 tax planning, you can download our 2014 Tax Planning Guide from the Resources tab on our website. All qualifying taxpayers are allowed a standard deduction regardless of actual deductions. For those under 65 years of age, the basic standard deduction for 2014 is $12,400 if married and filing jointly…
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Itemized Deductions: From Common and Easy to Unusual and Tricky
For additional information regarding 2014 tax planning, you can download our 2014 Tax Planning Guide from the Resources tab on our website. For most taxpayers, questions about what is deductible far outnumber the questions about what is taxable. Why? Most income is reported to you and the IRS shortly after year-end on standard documents…
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Tax Extenders – What You Need to Know
In addition to being unnecessarily complex, another frustrating aspect of tax compliance is that the rules change every year. 2014 is no exception. Each year, Congress and the President review the tax rules slated for expiration in the upcoming year and, for the most part, enact legislation to extend those rules for the next year….
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How Much Cash Should be in Your Practice?
As a practice owner, you get paid last. If you have any cash left over after meeting the payroll and paying your bills, only then can you consider taking a paycheck yourself. But how much should you pay yourself and how much cash should be in your practice? I typically suggest that a practice keep…
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Hiring the Right Financial Professional: Be Vigilant
Part One: The Bookkeeper Part Two: The Controller Part Three: The CFO Regardless of the degree of financial oversight your company requires—whether you need a bookkeeper, a controller or a CFO—vigilance is vital when it comes to finding the right person for your job. I advise following prudent, proven practices when placing someone in the…
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Financial Performance Measures: A Checklist for Tracking your Practice Performance
Part 1: Goodwill and the Sale of a Dental Practice Part 2: The Taxation of Goodwill Part 3: Building Practice Goodwill Consistent with the thinking that activities that get scheduled get done, I recommend a checklist of practice performance goals and measures to which you refer at least monthly. This checklist ought to reflect what…
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Hiring the Right Financial Professional: The Controller
Part two of four in a SmartMoney series Read Part One: The Bookkeeper The recent recession was a grim reminder that we simply can’t be too careful when it comes to the company’s finances. But what type of financial professional does your company really need? A small operation might do well to hire an experienced…
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Building Practice Goodwill
Read Part 1 and Part 2 in this Goodwill Series. In my previous two posts, I have discussed how goodwill is the driver of value in your practice and how goodwill is taxed at more advantageous rates than regular income. And if that isn’t enough, the byproducts of building superior goodwill in your practice benefit…
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