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.

03.28.17

Alternative Financial Metrics to Consider in Real Estate Purchases
Kathy Z. Jeziorski

When approaching each transaction, real estate professionals anticipate to achieve the best possible outcome. The property’s net operating income (NOI) is often the first metric they will assess in determining whether an investment is going to generate cash inflow. However, this metric will not be enough for a savvy investor. In most cases, investors need to evaluate the property’s highest and best use. This article discusses the fallbacks of NOI, as well as introduce two alternative financial metrics worth considering when investing in real estate property: Net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR).

03.24.17

Joining the ORBA Team
Frank L. Washelesky

ORBA acquired Red Granite in 2016. This blog is meant to provide an overview of additional services and benefits that we can provide to our Red Granite clients who may not yet be familiar with our service model. Over the next few months, we will highlight both the traditional and unique services that we can provide to Red Granite clients and their owners and executives.

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.