Do you have investments outside of tax-advantaged retirement plans? If so, you might still have time to shrink your 2018 tax bill by selling some investments — you just need to carefully select which ones you sell. Try Balancing Gains and Losses If you’ve sold investments at a gain this year, consider selling some losing… Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m back again with Annjeanette Yglesias, one of our tax managers and a member of our not-for-profit team. Annjeanette, welcome back to the playbook. Annjeanette: Hi, Jen, it’s nice to be here. Jen: So, we’ve talked a lot about different not-for-profit topics, and… Continue Reading
Churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious congregations aren’t required to file tax returns, so they might not regularly hire independent accountants. But regardless of size, religious organizations often are subject to other requirements, such as paying unrelated business income tax (UBIT) and properly classifying employees. Without the oversight of tax authorities or outside accountants, religious… Continue Reading
With the dawn of 2019 on the near horizon, here’s a quick list of tax and financial to-dos you should address before 2018 ends. Check your FSA balance. If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for health care expenses, you need to incur qualifying expenses by December 31 to use up these funds or… Continue Reading
You can’t serve the needs of your not-for-profit’s members unless you know what those needs are. Many organizations take the pulse of their membership with regular surveys but fail to conduct them strategically — and end up with useless information. Instead, maximize your next survey’s effectiveness by focusing on your objectives during every stage of… Continue Reading
Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the first quarter of 2019. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact your advisors to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements…. Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m back again with Annjeanette Yglesias, one of our tax managers and a member of our not-for-profit team. Annjeanette, welcome back to The Playbook. Annjeanette: Thanks, Jen. It’s good to be here. Jen: So, tax manager, tax reform is a hot topic this… Continue Reading
Communication breakdowns between a not-for-profit’s accounting and development departments can lead to confusion, embarrassment and even financial problems. Here are three ways your organization can facilitate cooperation between these two critical functions. 1. Recognize Differences Accounting and development typically record their financial information differently, which is why they can produce numbers that vary but nonetheless… Continue Reading
Prepaying property taxes related to the current year but due the following year has long been one of the most popular and effective year-end tax-planning strategies. But does it still make sense in 2018? The answer, for some people, is yes — accelerating this expense will increase their itemized deductions, reducing their tax bills. But… Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m back again with Annjeanette Yglesias, one of our tax managers and a member of our not-for-profit team. Annjeanette, welcome back to the Playbook. Annjeanette: Thanks, Jen. It’s good to be here. Jen: So, not-for-profit… you work with different organizations, and I think… Continue Reading
The commerciality doctrine was created along with the operational test to address concerns over not-for-profits competing at an unfair tax advantage with for-profit businesses. But even business activities related to your exempt purpose could fall prey to the commerciality doctrine, resulting in the potential loss of your organization’s exempt status. Several Factors Considered The operational… Continue Reading
Will you be age 50 or older on December 31? Are you still working? Are you already contributing to your 401(k) plan or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) up to the regular annual limit? Then you may want to make “catch-up” contributions by the end of the year. Increasing your retirement plan contributions… Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m here with Martin Euson, a director on our tax team. Martin, welcome back to the Playbook. Martin: Thanks, Jen. I’m glad to be here. Jen: So, I’ve heard a little bit about the Opportunity Zone Program. What is it? Martin: The Opportunity… Continue Reading
Under the amendments in Accounting Standards Update 2018-17, a private company will be able to elect not to apply Variable Interest Entities (VIE) guidance to legal entities under common control (including common control leasing arrangements) if both the parent and the legal entity being evaluated for consolidation are not public business entities, simply by adopting… Continue Reading
Done well, delegation allows not-for-profit executives to focus on their most important tasks, helps to build bench strength and gets staffers out of the office before midnight. But done poorly, it can create more burdens than it eases. Here are five practices all not-for-profit leaders should adopt. 1. Choose Tasks Wisely Always try to devote… Continue Reading
It’s Fraud Week, everyone! For the week of November 11 – 17, supporters around the globe are promoting anti-fraud awareness and education to minimize the impact of fraud. There’s a lot of information and resources out there, but what is imperative to know about fraud, how to detect it and what to do if there… Continue Reading
As we approach the end of 2018, it’s a good idea to review the mutual funds holdings in your taxable accounts and take steps to avoid potential tax traps. Here are some tips. Avoid Surprise Capital Gains Unlike with stocks, you can’t avoid capital gains on mutual funds simply by holding on to the shares…. Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m back with Ryan Istre, an Audit Director and a member of the PKF Texas SEC team. Ryan, welcome back to the Playbook. Ryan: Thanks for having me, Jen. Jen: So, I’ve heard that the SEC has made some amendments about the definition… Continue Reading
Fiscal sponsorships occur when an established charity provides a kind of legal and financial umbrella to a charitable project that lacks 501(c)(3) status. This type of arrangement can benefit both groups. But before agreeing to be a sponsor, be sure you understand how these arrangements work and the risks involved. Mutually Beneficial In a fiscal… Continue Reading
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has enhanced two depreciation-related breaks that are popular year-end tax planning tools for businesses. To take advantage of these breaks, you must purchase qualifying assets and place them in service by the end of the tax year. That means there’s still time to reduce your 2018 tax liability… Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m here today with Ryan Istre, an audit director and a member of the PKF Texas SEC team. Ryan, welcome back to the Playbook. Ryan: Thanks, Jen. Appreciate it. Jen: So, I’ve heard FASB is making some changes to share-based payment accounting. What… Continue Reading
How efficient is your not-for-profit? Even tightly run organizations can use some improvement — particularly in the accounting area. Adopting the following six tips can help improve timeliness and accuracy. Set cutoff policies. Create policies for the monthly cutoff of invoicing and recording expenses — and adhere to them. For example, require all invoices to… Continue Reading
A tried-and-true year end tax strategy is to make charitable donations. As long as you itemize and your gift qualifies, you can claim a charitable deduction. But did you know that you can enjoy an additional tax benefit if you donate long-term appreciated stock instead of cash? 2 Benefits From 1 Gift Appreciated publicly traded… Continue Reading
Jen: This is the PKF Texas Entrepreneur’s Playbook. I’m Jen Lemanski, and I’m back once again with Annjeanette Yglesias, one of our tax managers and a member of our not-for-profit team. Annjeanette, welcome back to the Playbook. Annjeanette: Thanks, Jen. It’s nice to be here. Jen: So, we’ve talked before about the Donor Bill of… Continue Reading
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