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10.09.17
Worker Classification Matters
Many employers mistakenly believe that the misclassification of employees as independent contractors does not really matter, so long as contractors satisfy all of their tax obligations. This could not be further from the truth. This article explains the stakes involved when employers classify workers as employees or independent contractors.
09.13.17
Loan or Lease: What Is the Smartest Way to Finance New Asset Purchases?
Manufacturers that need to expand their facilities or update equipment may be weighing the pros and cons of financing versus leasing. This article explains tax, financial and practical considerations to help business owners make informed decisions.
08.15.17
Deciphering and Combating Cyber Risks
Data breaches can cause safety issues, negative publicity, lost productivity, and compromised personal and corporate data. This article explains the cost of data breach and outlines ways to help prevent attacks from inside and outside an organization
07.27.17
Carefully Weigh the Pros and Cons of Automation
Manufacturers and distributors face rising costs of labor and benefits, burdensome government regulations and a shortage of skilled workers. Investing in automated equipment may seem like a cost efficient alternative to relying on people, but automation can sometimes end up being more expensive and time consuming than management expects. This article presents the pros and cons of automation and explains why it is important to crunch the numbers to assess all the costs and benefits.
06.20.17
E-Verify Helps Confirm Employment Eligibility
Immigration and legal residency are hot topics in today’s environment, and, as a result, closer scrutiny is being paid to employment eligibility. Federal law requires employers to verify employment status; however, dishonest workers sometimes use fake or stolen IDs to get hired. The E-Verify system helps employers comply with the law. This article explains how E-Verify works and why the requirements for using it might change in the future.
05.30.17
How Manufacturers Can Reduce Waste
Look around most shop floors, and you will see evidence of waste. Piles of scrap materials can be found around production and assembly areas, leading to safety issues and cleanup costs. If you look deeper into the operations of manufacturing companies, you will see that waste extends beyond trash. This article explores the concept of waste and provides creative solutions for reducing it with preventive maintenance, routine physical inspections and effective quality control.
05.17.17
Combining Liquidity and Efficiency Metrics: Cash Conversion Cycle Can Be a Useful Management Tool
The cash conversion cycle is a financial metric that evaluates the time it takes your company to convert raw materials to cash collected from customers. This article tells how it is calculated and what it means.
03.21.17
Spotlight on the Research Credit
After being continually renewed since the 1980s, the research credit was finally made permanent under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act. This change allows manufacturers to plan (with certainty) for their research and development (R&D) expenditures. And, it is expected to survive any tax reform legislation that will pass in 2017. This article provides an overview of the current rules on how to claim credits for R&D spending, including how the break has been expanded for certain small manufacturers.
02.14.17
Use Management Letters to Improve your Business
Audited financial statements typically come with a surprise bonus that business owners might not be aware of: the management letter. This article describes what is required to be reported in the management letter, how a company can use it and the types of comments a CPA may voluntarily opt to report to demonstrate his or her commitment to the client’s success.
01.06.17
Waste Not, Want Not: Audit Warehouse Operations for Inefficiencies
Management can never be too busy to review how warehouses are laid out and how employees move around the space. Small adjustments can make a big difference in the bottom line. This article offers three steps toward more efficient warehouse management.