The straight line

There can be negative tax consequences when purported loan payments are recast as corporate distributions to shareholders. In some cases, the courts have ruled that withdrawals from two closely held corporations were constructive corporate distributions rather than loan proceeds and repayments. As such, the withdrawals triggered taxable dividends and capital gains for the shareholders. Corporate Distribution Basics...

A new law closes loopholes in the Social Security rules that have allowed married couples to receive more benefits over their lifetimes by following certain strategies. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, signed by President Obama on November 2, 2015, shuts down loopholes that Congress said will “prevent individuals from obtaining larger benefits than Congress intended.” Here’s...

Virtually all small business owners are frustrated with our current tax system. In fact, five out of today’s Top 10 small business concerns relate to state and federal tax issues, according to the Small Business Problems and Priorities survey released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a small business advocacy group. Small businesses are...

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced some important news. Rumors about a benefits freeze had surfaced in the summer. Finally, on October 15, the SSA formally announced that the consumer price index it uses to gauge inflation wasn’t high enough to trigger cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the upcoming year. Although the announcement is generally good news...

By nature, most people avoid planning for crisis situations. After all, there is so much to do in the here and now without trying to second guess the future. Business leaders are no exception when it comes to the often thankless task of crisis planning. Unfortunately, disaster can strike any company, at any time. Even more difficult than actually...

Have you seen the Chevrolet commercial where the boss tells a group of employees to “take a knee, team?” One young man drops into a quarterback kneel and the boss asks, “What’s he doing?” With the rest of the group looking confused, the employee responds, “You said ‘take a knee.‘” The boss responds: “That’s what that means?”...