by Karla Dennis | Dec 19, 2019 | Blog
Lights, heat, cooking and wrapping gifts are just some of the ways energy use gets amped up during the holidays. Review our Eco-friendly holiday tips below to make your holiday greener. Choose LED lights.LED lights can use up to 90 percent less energy than standard lights. This translates into energy savings, cost savings and a reduced risk of fire. Limit the time your lights are on.Try to limit the amount of time you have your lights on to 6 hours or less. To help, use a timer. If you don’t have a timer, simply turn your lights on after the sun goes down and turn them off before you go to bed. read...
by Karla Dennis | Dec 12, 2019 | Blog, Money
If you’re a small business owner, there are things you may already be doing that can save you cash. The following tips are aimed to help you see how your business is currently running and how these actions can help save you money in the long run when it comes to write-offs for your taxes. Your cellphone: Everyone uses a phone for day to day activities; however, as a small business owner, have you stopped to ask yourself how much of that time goes towards your small business? You may be using your cell phone for business calls, text messaging potential clients, and more. Cellphones are a vital resource for every business person, yet it is something that we do not think when tax season comes along. Emailing on your cell phone or at home device: Emailing on your phone or home device due to your business can be yet another reason why you can save money when it comes to doing your taxes. As a small business owner, our cell phone is a necessary device that helps elevate our business by being able to reach clientele. Even emailing at home requires the use of your home wifi network. Social media marketing on your devices: As small business owners in this day and age, social media is a must-have if you want your business to succeed. Many of us use apps such as Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and more. If you are using these apps for your business, it is something that is included under your cellphone bill. Yet another reason why it can be a resource that can...
by Karla Dennis | Dec 6, 2019 | Blog
Is your to-do list already a mile long this holiday season? If so, you might be setting yourself up for serious holiday overload. These simplifying strategies can help you avoid excess on every level—financial, physical and mental—so take a few minutes and trim your list a little. Give yourself the gift of less, which is actually moreIf you say yes to all holiday parties, events, and obligations, you will quickly burn out. Instead, give yourself the gift of doing less and enjoying it more. Be selective about what you agree to, and be sure to block out some time for doing absolutely nothing or doing something that you really want to do. The holiday overload can come quicker than ever, the busier your 25 days are. Be selective and let yourself enjoy the occasions you want to, and not the ones you don’t. read...
by Karla Dennis | Nov 28, 2019 | Blog, Financial Planning
All estates must go through the probate process. Probate is the legal process of determining if a will is valid, paying any qualifying debt and estate taxes, and distributing whatever assets remain. It is potentially a very complicated legal process, and an attorney should be involved in any estate planning activities. Using these strategies will help you design your estate to avoid some common challenges of the probate process and save you money: Have a valid will. Probate can last up to a year in many cases; typically this is due to a protracted process of validating the will. Probate is a legal process, so the longer it takes, the more money the attorneys make. Be sure to draw up your will with an attorney and review it annually for anything that needs to be addressed. Avoid having your assets pass through probate. Create one or more trusts. Assets and property within a properly drafted trust avoid the probate process. They are simply transferred to the beneficiaries of the trust. This also has the effect of providing greater protection of the assets from creditors. Name beneficiaries for your 401(k) account. This will allow the account to avoid having to pass through the probate process. Again, this can provide protection from creditors. Name beneficiaries for your IRA. As with the 401(k), naming at least one beneficiary will avoid probate and can shield the assets from creditors. Just call your IRA firm and they can help you out. Name beneficiaries on your life insurance policies. This is the same situation as above. If you don’t name a beneficiary, then the proceeds...
by Karla Dennis | Nov 21, 2019 | Blog
The holidays are a great time to gather family and friends for a holiday meal. However, as your guest count multiplies, so might your worries—unless you use these tips to keep your cool as you cook for a crowd this holiday season. 1. Avoid stress over a high-cost menuWe don’t like to think about it or say it out loud, but sometimes the most stressful part of cooking for a crowd is the cost. Ingredients add up quickly, which can put a strain on your budget during the most expensive time of the year. It’s okay to put a budget on your holiday meal, and even ask others to bring dishes to pass. read...
by Karla Dennis | Nov 14, 2019 | Blog, Business
Before the holidays completely take over, check out this list of tips for taking care of end-of-year business tasks. Doing so will help you stress less during EOY and better prepare you for 2020. Connect with our firm for a year-end reviewNow is the time to meet with us to review your financial standing and plan for next year. Year-end reviews can include your profit and loss report, year-end financial statements and projections for next year. Update your payroll and benefitsIf our firm is handling your payroll, let us know about corrections that need to be made before the end of the year. If you handle payroll in-house, make sure you have all taxable fringe benefits, payroll deductions and changes in benefits and reimbursement accounted for. Also, don’t forget to take care of payroll taxes and other compliance tasks. read...
