06.11.14

Tips for Preventing Fraud in Your Organization
Charles J. Burke

Fraud does not just hurt a not-for-profit profit’s bottom line — it also could do devastating damage to its reputation. This article discusses how, by implementing some simple controls, an organization can help protect itself from these risks. These controls involve segregation of accounting duties, fraud awareness training for all employees, establishment of a fraud hotline and risk assessment.

06.10.14

New Patent Office Procedures May be of Interest to Manufacturers
Tanya Gierut

Since 2013, American inventors have faced new rules for filing and challenging patents on their products and systems. These new rules are part of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011, a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s patent system. This article examines how many of these rules may be of interest to manufacturers.

06.09.14

New Illinois Law: Are Your Restaurant Employees Certified to Handle Food?
Brian R. Israel

Effective July 1, 2014, individuals working in the state of Illinois who handle food must receive or obtain a food handler’s certificate. The certificate is obtained after the individual passes an accredited or approved training course in basic food handling principles within 30 days of employment and every three years thereafter. This article explains what you need to know about this new state law.

06.06.14

When Valuation Does Not Matter

We enjoyed this article written by Mark MacLeod and wanted to share.  The article highlights that we must find our own growth engine:  “As soon as you find a repeatable and scalable growth engine, you can raise pretty much as much as you want on the terms that you want to mine that engine.” Read […]

06.04.14

Will Your Employees Have Enough to Retire?

While many American investors may be confident about their financial prospects, they may also be underestimating their retirement needs. Additionally, investors often admit to their lack of investment knowledge, admitting to spending more time planning home improvements and vacations or researching big purchases rather than planning for retirement. This article provides employers with suggestions for promoting financial literacy among employees.

06.02.14

Cutting Costs: Get Real About Your Real Estate Needs

Next to salaries, real estate typically is the largest expense item on a law firm’s income statement, making it a critical target for cost reduction efforts. This article examines how savings come not only from having smaller offices, but also from standardizing offices and adopting telecommuting options.

05.29.14

Fundraising 101: Rule 1 – Not All Funds Are Created Equal
Harry Fox

Types of funding vary greatly in how they can — or cannot — be used. This article discusses the differences between permanently restricted funds, temporarily restricted funds and unrestricted funds, and how to beef up donations of the latter.

05.22.14

What to Know About Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA) and Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) Custodial Accounts

Many parents are looking to find the best way to gift and save money for their children. There are various options, including 529 Plans, trusts and custodial accounts. This article addresses the advantages, and sometimes significant disadvantages, of custodial accounts.

05.21.14

Valuation Comparables in a Slow Market
Peggy Vyborny

The unstable real estate market over the past several years has posed many appraisal challenges. In particular, low purchase prices — often resulting from “distressed” sales — and a relatively small number of transactions in some markets can make it difficult for appraisers to locate comparable transactions (or comps), a critical element in many valuations. Qualified appraisers, however, have ways of dealing with such situations; this article discusses some of the adjustments they can make.

05.20.14

Interest Rates Must Be More Than Interesting
James Quaid

Plan loans are governed by many IRS and Department of Labor (DOL) rules and regulations. Even though they are an optional plan feature, if you choose to offer plan loans to your participants, your plan document must comply with the current laws, including the interest rate charged on these loans. Some plan documents stipulate an interest rate, while others do not. This short article discusses the rules pertaining to plan loan interest rates.