The straight line

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides employees with the security of job protection for up to 12 weeks for a qualified leave. But when does the clock on the 12-week period begin to run? And what requirements must the employee fulfill to officially notify the employer? These are the issues presented in two cases that illustrate...

Along with warm temperatures, summer can bring natural disasters. It’s currently hurricane season along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, severe storm season in the Midwest, flood season along the Mississippi River, and wildfire season in the Southwest and West. When disaster strikes, affected individuals and businesses may incur substantial financial losses. However, some losses can...

Chances are, your business can benefit from a well-written sales email. But hiring someone to put together an effective email message can be expensive. So your company may decide that the most cost-effective way to start an email sales campaign is to write your own material. As you prepare, remember that a poorly written ad can...

Efficient sales mean bigger margins, which improve the bottom line. Here are five steps to beef up your sales program: Consolidate sales routes.Reorganizing your sales circuit can let your staff visit more than one customer on each trip. Focus on trophy customers.If your top customers haven’t bought anything for, say, 90 days, find out why. Offer...

A recent U.S. Tax Court decision drives home the important point that current deductions aren’t allowed for most expenses incurred while a new business is still in the start-up phase. Other decisions have dealt with the same issue in recent years. So, the proper federal income tax treatment of start-up expenses remains an ongoing source of confusion...

In a highly anticipated decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain residents of Maryland are double-taxed on income earned in other states because the state doesn’t provide a full credit for the taxes paid on that income. Accordingly, the state’s tax structure violates interstate commerce law and was found to be unconstitutional. The high...