The straight line

At the first sign of a southbound economy some companies rush into panic mode. They slash the staff and hope for the best. Certainly, labor is the biggest expense for most businesses, which is why many managers believe there is no faster, more efficient way to improve the bottom line than by cutting staff. But when...

If your company wants to improve cash flow, you might consider leasing equipment, vehicles and facilities, rather than buying. The primary advantage of leasing used to be the tax advantages. But the fact that leasing allows you to conserve cash makes it a form of financing. It’s not an alternative that works for every company so you...

The new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) significantly changes some parts of the tax code that relate to personal tax returns. In addition to lowering most of the tax rates and increasing the standard deduction, the TCJA repeals, suspends or modifies some valuable tax deductions. As a result, millions of Americans who have itemized deductions...

On January 22, President Trump signed into law a short-term government funding bill. It ended the brief government shutdown by funding the federal government through February 8. It also suspends the following Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes, which were designed to help fund health care coverage provided under the ACA. Cadillac Tax Under prior law, for...

Human resources (HR) departments face some complicated and unique challenges during difficult economic times. For example, a business facing financial cutbacks may decide to cut the benefits budget in HR, and then require the department to motivate employees who are feeling the results of those budget reductions. Such a challenge may seem impossible to meet, but...

As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” To derive valuable knowledge from your company’s operating data requires the development of an effective business intelligence (BI) program. Simply put, BI is a technology-driven process for analyzing data and presenting actionable information to help corporate executives, managers and others make more informed decisions. For example, if you’re clear...