05.02.17

Communicating Your Financial Performance to Get Noticed By Investors

It is not easy communicating financial performance for investors. Inc. recently published an article titled, “Seven Horrifying Mistakes Founders Make in Their Pitches,” and that got me thinking about what the best approach is, specifically when communicating financial performance to investors. This article provides a few considerations business founders should take into account in order to best convey their business’ financial performance to investors.

04.28.17

City of Chicago Extends Amusement Tax to Satellite TV Services

Over the past few years, the City of Chicago and Cook County have enacted two new taxes that directly impact restaurants and bars. Last fall, we reported on Cook County’s penny-per-ounce tax on sales of sugary drinks, which will take effect on July 1, 2017. On the entertainment front, the City of Chicago’s “Amusement Tax,” originally implemented in 2015, left many restaurateurs and bar owners less than amused, as a tax was placed on streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and Spotify, as well as cloud computing services to which many subscribe. Now, the City has extended that same Amusement Tax to cover satellite TV services. This article provides a play-by-play on how the tax works.

04.28.17

Five Best Practices for Improving Collections
Jacqueline N. Janczewski

Unlike other businesses, which often stop providing goods and services until clients pay their bill, attorneys generally cannot withdraw representation while waiting for a client to remit an invoice. This article suggests other ways to improve collections, including billing promptly, checking invoices for accuracy and following up with clients as soon as a payment is late. A Sidebar helps attorneys avoid the conditions that lead to late payments.

04.26.17

What Can You do to Prevent Employee Fraud?
Greg Koelling

It is important for medical professionals to be aware of the potential for employee fraud in their practices and to ensure that their internal controls are designed to provide maximum protection. This article explains the most common types of employee fraud and lists several steps management can take to keep it from happening, such as conducting a risk assessment, separating staff duties and monitoring employee behavior.

04.24.17

A Founder’s Decision to Sell: Considerations for Obtaining Sustained Value for a Life’s Work
David E. Weiss

Many of the most successful businesses are the product of the investment of its founder’s time, energy and money. Often, this investment may be the most significant source of their retirement income or personal wealth. Yet, at some point, whether due to political or market conditions, or more personal reasons, it may become time to sell the business and unlock the value of this investment. This article provides a few considerations business owners should take when it comes time to sell their closely held business, especially for those founders who have never been through a sales process, to achieve a successful exit.

04.21.17

Eight Tips for Writing, or Revising, a Whistleblower Policy
James Quaid

Whistleblower policies encourage staff, volunteers and others to discreetly provide credible information on concerns of illegal practices or violations of organizational policies. They protect individuals who risk their careers to report illegal or unethical practices. This article offers eight suggestions for writing or refining an organization’s whistleblower policy.

04.04.17

Be Prepared for Your Next — or First — QDRO

In the settlement of divorce cases, it is frequent to have the courts order that a portion of one spouse’s pension benefits be assigned to the other (soon to be former) spouse. However, it is up to the plan sponsor or administrator to determine whether the order qualifies as a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). This article discusses common errors that plan sponsors encounter when qualifying a domestic relations order and how to handle the rejection of an order.

03.31.17

The Power of Delegating: Improving Practice Efficiency

From a business perspective, spending too much time on non-medical concerns can reduce a practice’s efficiency and profits in the long run. This brief article points out that physicians need to delegate responsibilities so that they spend less time taking care of financial, recordkeeping or other functions unrelated to their medical responsibilities, and more time performing the duties of a physician.

03.31.17

Looking Ahead: Is Your Succession Planning Up to Speed?

Millennials’ emergence as a prominent demographic highlights the need for many workplaces to prepare for a generational shift. Law firms are no exception, particularly those founded by dynamic Baby Boomer rainmakers. If firms are going to survive and thrive, they must think about how to transfer management and primary client relationship responsibilities from senior partners to their younger colleagues. This article highlights the need for law firms to engage in comprehensive and formal succession planning. A Sidebar discusses replacement of a managing partner.

03.30.17

Is There Unclaimed Property with Your Name on It?
Adam M. Levine

State unclaimed property programs are holding nearly $42 billion in assets, just waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners. This brief article explains how to search databases for unclaimed property and how to prove ownership.