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Gross Mendelsohn Blog
A resource to help business owners, nonprofit executives and high net worth families preserve wealth, grow and thrive.
Construction & Real Estate | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
A new Virginia law allows the owners of a pass-through entity (PTE) to shift their income tax burden generated from the PTE away from them personally and instead to the PTE itself.
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Certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) could have a significant impact on technology companies in 2022. Here’s what technology companies need to know about an amendment to Section 174 of the tax code that can affect taxable net income.
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If you’re a healthcare provider and received funding from the Provider Relief Fund, the deadline for reporting the use of funds to the Health Resources & Services Administration is March 31, 2022. Here’s what healthcare providers need to know.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
In dissolution of marriage cases, the valuation of marital property is necessary to ensure fair equitable distribution. But before values can be placed on marital property, the property first needs to be identified. As family law attorneys know, that process is more complicated than ever due to the rise of a new asset class: digital assets.
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Business Valuation | High Net Worth Families
When rock star Prince died on April 21, 2016, he didn’t have a will in place. This rather shocking scenario resulted in one of the most complicated probate hearings ever seen in Minnesota, Prince’s home state. Business owners and high net worth families alike can learn from Prince’s mistake by having a proper estate plan in place to minimize tax liability.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
If your Maryland business is subject to unemployment insurance taxes, be aware of potential changes to your tax rate for the 2022 calendar year.
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Backlog is an important measure of the health of a construction company. Here’s what contractors need to know about backlog and how it can help (or hurt) their profitability.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
The personal and adversarial nature of divorce litigation is a potent combination that can cause emotions to run high, sometimes leading the parties to lash out and punish the other financially. This can take the form of deliberately wasting marital assets, but also concealing marital assets, which we will discuss here.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit
Social Security and Medicare tax As of January 1, 2022, the maximum amount of annual earnings subject to Social Security increases to $147,000 (from $142,800 in 2021). There is no limit on the amount of earnings subject to the Medicare tax.
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Maryland manufacturers, as well as other businesses located in certain geographic areas, may be eligible for a potentially significant tax credit, but the application window closes soon. If you anticipate hiring employees in the first half of 2022 for your business, you can take advantage of the More Jobs for Marylanders Incentive Program. However, the program will close to new applicants on June 1, 2022, so you should get your application in now.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Yesterday, Maryland announced that the deadline for individual income state tax filings and payments will be extended from April 18, 2022 to July 15, 2022.
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If you’re a government contractor and a potential client asked you to fill a position, could you give them a rough price on the spot? What would you charge for that position? What if a fellow contractor who wants to team with you on a proposal asked, “What is your wrap rate?” Just like building a house, laying the foundation may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but it’s the most important part of the entire project and in government contracting, it starts with the chart of accounts.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors
There are several accounting mistakes that government contractors make that can cause major headaches when uncovered during their federal acquisition regulation overhead audit. Here are five of the most common.
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We get a lot of questions from clients about cryptocurrency. Whether you’re new to the cryptocurrency scene or already own it but don’t know exactly what to do with it, it’s important to know the tax and investment ramifications of it. That’s why we asked two members of our team — Charlie Monroe of our tax department and Steve Hannigan of GGM Wealth Advisors — to answer some common questions about cryptocurrency from both a tax and investment perspective.
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Many associations think there’s not much worse than going through a financial audit. Some see it as a “necessary evil,” while a mere few actually look forward to the auditors coming in to check the financial information, processes and controls.
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Construction & Real Estate | High Net Worth Families
Most people know the tax benefits of making charitable donations in the form of cash, stocks and non-cash (goodwill). But donating real estate is something you might not have considered as part of your charitable giving plan. This article describes three different ways to donate real estate, and the tax benefits and nuances associated with each.
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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) gives the United States a generational investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness. According to the White House, this bipartisan infrastructure deal will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, and ensure every American has access to high-speed internet. The legislation is intended to help ease inflationary pressures and strengthen supply chains by making long overdue improvements for our nation’s ports, airports, rails and roads. Members of the construction industry largely applauded the bill's passage, saying it provides much-needed resources to modernize the country's aging and overburdened infrastructure. Let’s take a look at how the infrastructure legislation will affect construction contractors.
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Manufacturers and distributors need to have inventory available to ensure a steady flow of goods to producers and consumers. Selling inventory also keeps a steady flow of capital coming into your business. However, handling and storing materials can be costly.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
If your business is looking for ways to invest to increase accessibility for employees, customers and visitors with disabilities, there are two tax provisions that can help offset the cost of those expenses.
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Many nonprofits see IRS Federal Form 990 as an informational return that they send to the IRS every year, but in reality, the Form 990 is much more than that. Your organization’s 990 is open to public inspection, which means that your current and prospective donors may have access to at least the last three years of your organization’s 990s. Using the Form 990, donors can learn about your organization’s governance (or lack thereof), operations and programs.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law on November 15. While most of the legislation is related to investing in the nation’s infrastructure, there were a couple of tax provisions included in the bill. Here’s what you should know about two of those tax provisions: one affecting businesses and the other affecting brokers of cryptoassets.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
If your business or nonprofit used the fully refundable tax credits to cover the cost of COVID-19-related emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) or expanded family and medical leave (EFML) for employees, there are new reporting requirements for W-2 reporting for 2021.
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Between supply chain hurdles, labor shortages and the pandemic, it’s hard to turn a profit. That’s why it’s more important than ever to take advantage of every tax saving opportunity available to your business. Let’s look at some key tax credits for manufacturers and distributors.
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A reliable valuation is critical in many different contexts, including private sales, divorce, litigation and estate planning — just to name a few. A frequent challenge in valuing privately-owned businesses involves the treatment of non-operating assets and non-operating liabilities. Attorneys will benefit from having a basic understanding of these nuances of valuation, as they can have a significant impact on the conclusion of value. Let’s look at how the treatment of non-operating assets and non-operating liabilities can impact the value of a company.
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The Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376) was introduced in the House of Representatives on September 27, 2021. If this bill is signed into law, it will have broad implications on estate planning, including changes to the unified credit, treatment of grantor trusts for tax purposes, and surcharges for high income estates and trusts. Let’s take a close look at those major changes.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Business entities that sponsor employee benefit plans, and plan administrators with the responsibility for regulatory compliance of their benefit plans should take note. There are significant changes coming for 2021 employee benefit plan audits that will include new requirements for plan sponsors.
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A new lease accounting standard for construction companies and contractors takes effect on December 15, 2021. This article covers the rules of the new standard and how your company can prepare.
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There were several big financial and occupancy changes in Maryland’s skilled nursing industry due to COVID-19. This is especially evident in areas like occupancy percentages, overall costs per patient day and nursing costs. In this article, we’ll discuss why these three areas changed in 2020 and what the data looks like compared to prior years.
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Charity watchdog sites are often resources that current and future donors (as well as volunteers and employees) rely on to evaluate a nonprofit. An optimized, up-to-date profile on a watchdog site can serve as a differentiator for your nonprofit, especially if a donor is deciding between two similar organizations. That’s why it’s so important for your nonprofit to know the information reported about your organization on watchdog sites. The following are among the most popular charity watchdog sites that nonprofits should know.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a long-standing tax benefit that encourages employers to hire employees from ten targeted groups facing barriers to employment.
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Who doesn’t love a good tip? If you have ever worked in hospitality, you know there is nothing better than a customer rewarding your service with a generous tip. For business owners on the other hand, tips can be challenging when it comes to accounting. So, allow us to share some “tips” on tips.
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A primary responsibility of nonprofit directors and officers is to ensure that their organization is accountable for its programs and finances to contributors, its members, the general public and government regulators.
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The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced on September 10, 2021, that an additional $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds will be made available to healthcare providers. Here’s what healthcare providers need to know and how they can apply for the relief.
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Donor support can have complex accounting requirements for private schools. This can lead to schools improperly recording certain types of donor support, which can result in misstatements or reclassifications. The following are just some of the most commonly overlooked or misstated areas of donor support in private school financial reporting.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
When it comes to stock options and deferred compensation in divorce, attorneys typically have many questions. The division of assets in any divorce is often a complicated process, but when stock options are added to the mix, the work becomes all the more difficult. Let’s look at the questions attorneys ask most often — and the answers to each.
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While no one gets excited about estate planning, for your family's sake, it's important to make sure your plan is up to date. This article covers some of the important information I like to share with clients during the estate planning process.
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Construction & Real Estate | High Net Worth Families
We get a lot of calls from people who want to start dabbling in real estate. While real estate can be a lucrative investment over time, those who want to dabble in real estate should be aware of how their investments will impact their taxes. If you are considering getting into real estate investing, there are a few key things you should know in order to increase your odds of making it a lucrative venture.
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One challenge manufacturing businesses face year in and year out is taxes. Even with a good CPA working alongside them, no business owner looks forward to dealing with taxes, let alone paying a tax bill. The good news? There are tax breaks specifically designed for manufacturers to help lower your tax liability. We’re here to tell you about two tax credits and two tax exemptions that every manufacturer should know about.
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Parents and grandparents establish custodial accounts for children for various reasons. For example, grandma might want to set aside $10,000 for her granddaughter, or maybe Mom and Dad want a tax shelter for their child’s savings. However, many folks who establish custodial accounts fail to recognize these accounts have significant legal and tax implications.
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New mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and mask requirements in federal buildings will mean big changes for government contractors.
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There's good news for Maryland residents who have incurred at least $20,000 in undergraduate and/or graduate student loan debt: you may be eligible for a Maryland tax credit.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is in the forgiveness stage for most businesses. Here’s an overview on how to navigate the PPP loan forgiveness process.
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You want board members who can contribute to your mission through their efforts, contacts or money. Stated simply, they need to have a passion for your mission. This ensures a level of interest that will help even if board members have different opinions on how to achieve the mission.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors
If your architecture or engineering firm is looking into working on state department of transportation awards or other federally funded contracts, you may have heard the term “overhead rate” or “indirect cost rate.” Calculating a rate for the first time can seem daunting. No worries. We’re here to answer some FAQs related to FAR overhead rates and audits.
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Hundreds of nonprofits face lawsuits every year, but many nonprofits assume they don’t need directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance. Unfortunately, if your nonprofit doesn’t have a D&O policy, your directors, staff and possibly even your volunteers may be at risk. D&O insurance protects your nonprofit from litigation related to negligence, wrongful termination and asset mismanagement.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Remote employees can complicate taxes for businesses. In most cases, having a remote employee creates nexus or the obligation to file tax returns and pay taxes in the local jurisdiction and/or state that an employee works.
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A real estate waterfall is a term used to describe how real estate partners distribute cash flow. The “waterfall” is a way of visualizing various “pools” in a real estate partnership. Cash flow fills up each pool in succession, which spills over into the next pool. Each step along the way, the waterfall flows based on an agreed-upon methodology for distributing the profits. Once a pool has filled, remaining cash flows to the next pool, divided per the terms of the partnership agreement between the general and limited partners.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
There are many different ways a business owner can transfer a family-owned business to the next generation. Each method comes with its own set of risks and benefits, especially when it comes to tax implications associated with the transfer or sale.
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If your government contracting business doesn’t have its CMMC certification, you could be ineligible for future contracts — causing a hard hit to your revenue stream. With all eyes on cyber security these days, CMMC compliance is a critical issue that government contractors need to tackle. With CMMC compliance being required by many 2022 contracts, now is the time for government contractors to work toward the certification.
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High Net Worth Families | Service Businesses
The U.S. Tax Court recently issued a 271-page opinion, ending the long-running litigation between the Estate of Michael Jackson and the Internal Revenue Service. The court’s ruling was a major win for Jackson’s estate and the decision has the potential to impact future valuation cases.
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While students might be out for the season, summer is often the time when private schools hit the books to prepare for their yearly audit. Here is a quick guide on how to prepare your private school for this year’s audit.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Businesses who are subject to Virginia income tax may need to file a one-time Unitary Business Report by July 1, 2021. If your company is required to file this report but fails to file by July 1, your business will be subject to a $10,000 fine. This new filing requirement affects businesses that are part of a “unitary business.”
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
I was on my way home the other day, talking with a client who was stressed about a major decision she was facing. After years of pouring her heart and soul, not to mention money, into building a successful family-owned business, she was ready to move on and pass it along to two of her children. She called to talk about the tax implications of selling the business, but instead of talking about capital gain, avoiding double taxes and minimizing tax liability, I steered the conversation in quite a different direction.
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As every long term care provider knows, effectively managing accounts receivable is critical to an organization’s financial success.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
There’s no magic bullet for making your family-owned business hum smoothly along from one generation to the next. The good news? You can learn from successful family-owned businesses that have made it to the second, third, fourth and even fifth generations. I took some time to think about my most profitable family-owned business clients and identify what they all have in common. Here’s what I came up with.
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Business Valuation | Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution
A business valuation is often required to accomplish various personal, estate or business goals. There are certain life events that require business owners to get a business valuation.
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Business Valuation | Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know what’s coming around the corner. And like the pandemic, the next thing that comes around the corner will likely be out of your control. But there is something you can control with some careful planning: the transfer of your family-owned business. Let’s talk about business exit plans.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
Economic damages claimed by individuals in cases arising from personal injury, wrongful death, wrongful employment termination and employment discrimination typically include lost earnings and fringe benefits. Attorneys frequently retain CPAs as expert witnesses to determine the amount of those economic damages and to provide expert witness testimony. Let’s look at the role of a CPA as an expert in these cases.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. This $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill contains several tax provisions. Here are the highlights for individuals and businesses.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
A challenging aspect of any divorce proceeding is the division of assets — who gets what and how much?
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed the RELIEF Act into law on February 15, 2021. The RELIEF Act is intended to help reverse some of the adverse economic conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation includes changes to personal and business tax filings, relief payments for certain individuals, a sales and use tax credit, and changes to pass-through entity taxation. Let’s look more closely at some of the key provisions in the $1 billion plus relief package.
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While it’s not necessarily a secret, there may be some real estate companies that aren’t aware that there’s an alternative to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) for maintaining their accounting records and presenting their financial statements. The accrual-based income tax basis of accounting is an acceptable alternative to GAAP for real estate companies. If income tax basis accounting is the right fit for your company, it could save you time and money when it comes to year-end reporting. Let’s take a closer look at the upside of the income tax basis accounting method.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
They are the last words any business owner wants to hear: “You are being audited by the IRS.”
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
In a recession, the most important thing a business can do is take control of its finances, especially when it comes to cash flow.
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Heads up to architecture and engineering firms: the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has released its 2021 National Compensation Matrix (NCM). This is significant for architecture and engineering firms because the NCM is a tool that helps them demonstrate compliance with a regulation that has a huge impact on their profitability.
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As I write this, it’s hard to believe we are in February 2021. It’s even harder to believe that we are almost a year into the pandemic. As much as we all want to forget about 2020 and go full steam ahead in 2021, now is the time for associations, societies and other nonprofits, especially those with calendar year ends, to evaluate the effects that COVID-19 had on one of their most crucial benchmarks / metrics — membership retention.
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Business Valuation | Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Whether you want your company to continue growing after you retire or simply want to turn a profit on the sale of your business, every company owner needs an exit plan. As a CPA who has worked with business owners for decades, I’ve seen several companies unravel simply because they failed to plan ahead. Here’s just one example of a company that lost it all.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
After this article was published in February 2021, the Employee Retention Tax Credit was expanded for the entirety of 2021. Then, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law on November 15, 2021, set the ERTC to expire at the end of the third quarter of 2021. Read more about the tax provisions in the infrastructure bill here. One of the big highlights of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 is the expansion and extension of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). This change is significant because now, under the new law, some businesses can take advantage of both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the ERTC — as long as there is no double dipping with the same funds.
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Business Valuation | Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The sale of a business is often the most significant financial event an owner faces during his or her lifetime. Many times, however, the owner begins negotiating the sale without understanding how critical tax aspects of the deal structure can have a huge effect on the net amount of money they’ll receive. Understanding key factors about your business will result in you being able to negotiate the best deal for you, or at least understand the implications of a deal.
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The spirit of volunteerism runs deep here at Gross Mendelsohn. Recently I sat down for a conversation with Jennifer Rock of our Nonprofit Group. Jenn is a nonprofit auditor and has been an absolute rock star volunteer for several local nonprofit organizations, who I might add, are lucky to have her on their side. I’m excited to share Jenn’s story, and the advice she has for nonprofit leaders from the perspective of both a CPA and a volunteer.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors
Maybe you have a new contract that requires an audit or maybe your bank requested audited financial statements. If you’re a construction contractor, a first-time audit can seem overwhelming and daunting. Because your work in process schedule is crucial to your company’s revenue recognition, we’ve identified the top three things contractors can do when preparing their WIP schedule as part of the financial statement audit.
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It’s normal for high net worth families to have “family offices” that manage banking, investments, bill paying and more. But most of us aren’t born with the name Rockefeller and we don’t have family offices. However, I believe there are lessons to be learned from family offices that are helpful for any family who wants to get a better handle on their financial situation. As a CPA and Certified Financial Planner, I work with high net worth clients who have family offices. I apply some of the principles behind family offices to my other clients. Let’s look at family offices, their purpose and how we can apply their benefits to the financial matters of everyday folks.
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Running a family-owned construction business comes with its own unique set of opportunities and pitfalls. Between managing employees, some of them family members, and identifying a successor to continue your legacy, the dynamics of a family-owned business are far from cut and dry.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
There’s a win-win for business taxpayers and restaurants in the latest round of stimulus legislation, known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Under the new legislation, business meals provided by restaurants in 2021 and 2022 are now 100% deductible. Previously, the deduction of food and beverage expenses associated with operating a business was limited to 50%. The new 100% deduction applies to meals in a restaurant, and takeout and delivery meals provided by a restaurant. Let’s dig into the specifics.
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Legendary musician Prince died on April 21, 2016 without a will. As a result, it created one of the largest and most complicated probate hearings in his home state of Minnesota’s history. The Internal Revenue Service is claiming that the executors of Prince’s estate have undervalued the estate by 50%, or about $80 million. The IRS determined that Prince’s estate is worth $163.2 million, well above the $82.3 million valuation submitted by the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust. No will, no estate plan and a vast difference of opinion among valuation experts. Let’s look behind the curtain at how this is playing out.
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Business Valuation | Construction & Real Estate
Even when you love your work, it's inevitable that you will eventually have to leave your role as the owner of your construction company. The bad news is, there is significant planning to do. The good news is, there are things you can do to leave your construction business in good hands and get real value out of your business in the transaction. Let's take a look at some of those methods.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit
If you are considering ways to manage your workforce to protect the financial viability of your organization, you’re faced with some tough decisions ahead. It’s important to know what your options are, and how each option affects your business and employees.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The year ahead could bring major tax changes for businesses and families. President-elect Joe Biden talked about several big tax changes on the campaign trail. What we don’t yet know is how easy it will be for those proposed changes to become law.
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Construction & Real Estate | Forensics & Litigation Support | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
When a small business has an issue with fraud, it’s usually for one key reason: a lack of internal controls. Internal controls are “checks” a business has in place to deter fraud.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
January is just around the corner and with it comes the beginning of a new annual information reporting cycle. For small businesses accustomed to using Form 1099-MISC to report nonemployee compensation, there are important changes that you should be aware of when reporting nonemployee compensation for the 2020 tax year.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Maryland's RELIEF Act, signed into law February 15, 2021, provides clarification on the taxation of pass-through entities. Read more here. Ever since the sweeping tax law changes brought about by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017, high-tax states like Maryland have been scheming to circumvent the $10,000 cap on state tax deductions. After some trial and error, the U.S. Treasury and the IRS approved one of those schemes. Maryland is now allowing pass-through entities (PTE) to elect to subject themselves to an entity-level tax on behalf of Maryland resident members. The members that had Maryland tax paid on the PTE level will receive a corresponding state tax credit for the same amount. The benefit of this is that a PTE can deduct the tax paid on the PTE level, which will then flow to the member’s K-1. This is effective for any tax payments made after November 9, 2020.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
The story is a common one: the divorce settlement has been finalized. The couple parts ways, with both parties walking away with certain assets. Inevitably, only one of the parties has likely maintained a relationship with their financial advisor. Often, it’s been the husband who has managed the couple’s investment accounts alongside a financial advisor. He most likely will continue that relationship, while the wife, who is walking away with a nice settlement after the divorce proceedings, is left without a financial advisor. It’s important for that spouse to quickly find their own financial advisor who can help manage the money that was obtained through the settlement.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
2020 has been a unique year to say the least. Many people who would otherwise commute to an office or jobsite every day are finding that they need to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions. There may be tax benefits for individuals who find themselves setting up shop at home for an undetermined period of time. Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of those rules.
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Business Valuation | Forensics & Litigation Support
An interest in a closely-held business can often be one of the most significant assets in an individual’s estate. As such, there are many planning opportunities that exist when creating an estate plan for a business owner. A timely valuation prepared by a qualified business valuation professional may be necessary to make informed business and financial decisions. Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of business valuation when there’s a business involved in an estate.
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The Maryland construction industry looks different than it did at the beginning of 2020. While many contractors are working off a backlog, it’s hard to predict what to expect going forward. That’s why we surveyed Maryland construction contractors in July 2020 to get an idea on what the future of the industry holds.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
Calculating income for support purposes, whether it be child support or alimony, can be complicated. For owners of pass-through entities (“PTEs”), it can be especially difficult.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
If you’re a business owner with more than $500,000 of excess business losses, the recently-passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act includes an unexpected tax giveaway you’ll want to know about.
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Construction & Real Estate | Fresh Ideas | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Given how so much in the world has changed in the last few months, we’ve been producing a lot of content for business owners that answers the question “What’s next for my business?” We know that the top can be a lonely place, and many business owners crave insights from other owners on how they deal with the same difficult challenges. In the spirit of sharing, this article is for business owners who are curious to know how other leaders are dealing with the pandemic. I decided to chat with David Goldner, who just finished his tenure as Gross Mendelsohn’s managing partner, to hear first-hand what he has learned as a business owner as he navigates his way through the COVID-19 crisis.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Figuring out how long you need to keep your tax records can be tricky. The easiest (and vaguest) answer is that it depends. The general rule of thumb, according to the IRS, is that you need to keep records that support an item of income, deduction or credit until the period of limitations for that tax return runs out. The period of limitations is the time in which you can A) amend your tax return to claim a credit or refund and B) the IRS can assess additional tax.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Effective July 1, 2020, employees who work in the District of Columbia more than 50% of the time and whose wages are subject to DC unemployment tax are eligible for paid family leave.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
On May 27, 2020 Virginia enacted a biennial budget bill containing various corporate and personal income tax provisions. Here is a summary of six key changes that’ll impact corporate and individual taxpayers.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Taxpayers and tax professionals alike have debated the merits and faults of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) over the last two years. One change that has negatively affected many individuals who itemize their federal deductions is the $10,000 limit on state and local taxes (SALT cap). Maryland recently joined Connecticut, New Jersey, and several other states employing a new strategy to provide a larger federal benefit to individuals for state taxes paid.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) just authorized an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) that will defer the implementation of three accounting standards for private companies. The standards involve accounting for leases, credit losses and hedging.
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The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently approved the use of a revised Voluntary Self‐Identification of Disability Form, also known as Form CC-305. The more streamlined, user-friendly form is intended to increase the response rate of applicants and employees who choose to voluntarily self-identify their disability status.
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The Government Contractors Group at Gross Mendelsohn has been following the COVID-19 related traffic at the Department of Defense and other agencies, including DoD Class Deviation - CARES Act S3610 and DFARS 231.205-79 (CARES Act S3610 Implementation and subsequent FAQs).
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Sharon Paul, CPA, really wants you to install your computer updates. (Seriously, though.) A tech titan and partner in Gross Mendelsohn’s Technology Solutions Group, Sharon has been helping businesses figure out their toughest technology issues for 30+ years. When she stopped by the set of Next Level, Sharon told me about how technology can help a business run more efficiently.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Most small to mid-size business owners have a lot on their plate. Not only are you still involved in much of the day-to-day operations at your company, but you probably also wear the hat of accountant, marketer, recruiter and more. This shifting list of priorities can make it tough to focus on building and growing your business. Here are just some tips for business owners looking to grow their company.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The secret sauce for a great marketing strategy starts with the story you tell about your business. Or at least that’s what Dan Schepleng of the Baltimore creative agency Kapowza told me when he stopped by the set of Next Level to talk about how to market a business.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Outsourced Accounting | Service Businesses
The #1 accounting tip that Ernie Paszkiewicz has for business owners is this: if you’re going to grow, do it profitably. In his 40+ year career, Ernie has seen the full spectrum of challenges and mistakes that trip up growing businesses.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
If Linda Pietras has learned one thing about hiring in her 30+ year career, it’s this: a bad hire will cost you more than waiting for the right candidate. Linda joined me on the set of Next Level to talk about hiring, including common hiring mistakes that growing businesses make.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
Every business wonders how they can pay less in taxes. Or at least that’s what the firm’s managing partner, David Goldner told me when we sat down on the set of Next Level to chat about tax challenges that growing businesses often face.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Computer software drives the world. Businesses use software to account for transactions, communicate with colleagues and customers, and design and manufacture new products. One thing is clear: without software, we’d be lost. Accounting for the costs associated with software acquisition, however, can be less than straightforward. In this article, we’ll outline some things a business will need to consider when acquiring or implementing new software for its own use and how to account for those transactions.
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On December 20, 2019, the “parking tax” for nonprofits was repealed. The parking tax, otherwise known as the taxation of transportation fringe benefits by nonprofit employers under Section 512(a)(7), was first brought into law with the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) at the end of 2017.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
With the holidays over, tax-minded individuals are now focused on gathering their paperwork to file 2019 returns and project what their tax situation will look like in 2020. Each year, Congress decides to extend or let expire various provisions of the tax law. This article summarizes some of the more commonly-used “extenders” so individuals and business owners may understand the impact of various courses of action.
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Nonprofits are required to include a liquidity disclosure in their financial statements. 1 This liquidity disclosure overviews qualitative and quantitative information about how the nonprofit manages its liquid resources. This information can make it easier for someone reviewing a nonprofit’s financial statements to understand the financial health of the organization. Currently, there is no required format on how to present the information in the liquidity disclosure, as long as all of the required elements are included in the disclosure.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota vs. Wayfair continues to have a ripple effect for businesses with interstate sales. With the Wayfair decision adding potentially significant sales tax exposure to some businesses, there is also the potential for increased exposure to the personal liability of unsuspecting business owners, corporate officers and even employees like tax and finance managers. It’s more important than ever for “responsible persons,” which we’ll define in a moment, to understand their responsibility and potential liability in the sales tax process.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
In June 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued their ruling in the case of South Dakota vs. Wayfair, which cleared the way for states to collect sales tax from businesses that do not have a “physical presence” in the state, but do have an “economic presence” in the state. While much attention has been given to the impact on online retailers, the decision potentially impacts the sales tax obligations of any business that makes remote sales to out-of-state customers. While some states are still reacting to the decision, many states have already implemented laws that require remote sellers to collect and remit sales tax on sales to out-of-state customers without having a physical presence in the state. Understanding this new and still evolving sales tax landscape is important for any company that conducts business in multiple states.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
The long awaited new Form W-4 is finally here. Here’s the rundown on the new form, which businesses must start using for new employees hired on or after January 1, 2020.
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The IRS recently announced new rules for e-filing requirements for tax-exempt organizations. The Taxpayer First Act requires all tax-exempt organizations to electronically file Form 990. Currently, only a limited number of nonprofits are required to file electronically. That all changes for tax-exempt organizations starting with tax years that begin after July 1, 2019. Let’s look at the kinds of organizations and tax returns that are affected.
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Our firm has had a strong presence on social media for years, but when our staff asked for tips for using social media tools like LinkedIn to supplement their own networking efforts, we got right to work pulling together an internal training program. We turned to four social-savvy Baltimore area business people for help, and invited them to participate in a panel discussion called “How to Use Social Media to Supercharge Your Networking Efforts.” Our staff was invited to submit questions to the panel in advance of the discussion. Here are just some of the takeaways, which can be used by anyone in any line of work.
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A conflict of interest policy is important for any business, but has greater significance for nonprofit organizations. A good conflict of interest policy helps a nonprofit organization protect its reputation AND its tax-exempt status.
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Construction & Real Estate | Healthcare | High Net Worth Families | Manufacturing & Distribution | Service Businesses
The IRS recently publicized that it will be cracking down on taxpayers for not properly reporting cryptocurrency transactions. In this article, we’ll summarize different types of transactions and how the IRS has recommended they be reported.
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Just as sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie might be staples on your Thanksgiving table, community service days are staples for Gross Mendelsohn every autumn. Individually, our staff members volunteer year-round for organizations they believe in (you’ll see a sampling of them at the end of this blog post), but autumn is when we put our hearts and hands together as a team to help local nonprofits. It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing. This year, we converged on Special Olympics Maryland’s tennis tournament and the Maryland Food Bank to help make the local community stronger through service.
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Business Valuation | Forensics & Litigation Support
Figuring out how to select a business valuation expert can be tough. A quick Google search yields hundreds of so-called valuation experts, but how do you whittle down the list? The good news is there are specific qualifications and certifications attorneys can use when evaluating potential business valuation experts.
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When the IRS revised Form 990 to include several questions regarding governance policies and board members’ roles in performing fiduciary activities, board governance became a hot topic.
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Do you know what you’re signing up for if someone asks you to be on the audit committee of a nonprofit organization?
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Business Valuation | Forensics & Litigation Support | High Net Worth Families
In the recent Tax Court opinion in Estate of Aaron U. Jones v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (T.C. Memo 2019-101), the court came to some surprising opinions that benefit taxpayers valuing businesses for gift and estate tax purposes.
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We recently polled private school heads and financial staff to find out whether their last audit was “stress-free.” Not surprisingly, nearly half of respondents answered “no.” While it’s easy to look at your school’s annual audit as a necessary evil, not to mention time consuming and stress inducing, there are several often overlooked benefits to the annual audit.
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Construction & Real Estate | Government Contractors | Healthcare | Manufacturing & Distribution | Nonprofit | Service Businesses
Business owners and financial executives now have one more thing to keep track of – making sure payroll taxes are actually getting paid to tax authorities. With so many businesses relying on outside parties to process paychecks and pay employment taxes, millions of dollars pass through the hands of payroll companies every day. But are those millions of dollars making it into workers’ paychecks and, just as important, being sent to federal and state tax authorities?
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Forensics & Litigation Support
It’s something that divorce attorneys see fairly regularly – one spouse accusing the other spouse of accessing their private bank accounts during the divorce process. But what happens when one of the spouses is accessing the bank accounts from space? Yes, that’s right – outer space. That’s exactly what Summer Worden has accused her spouse, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, of doing.
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It’s not too often that you hear about an organization losing their nonprofit status. Here’s the story of one that did.
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Government contractors and GSA acquisition personnel will have more time to understand and participate in the Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) pilot. GSA just announced that the TDR pilot has been extended through FY2020.
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When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in December 2017, many taxpayers couldn’t foresee the implications of the legislation on their individual withholding for the coming year.
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This year has brought some big changes for skilled nursing facilities. October will mark the implementation of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM). It’s no secret that this implementation has some facilities feeling skittish. In this year’s 2019 Skilled Nursing Facility Survey, conducted by our Healthcare Group, we surveyed skilled nursing facilities on what they thought about the future of the industry.
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Nonprofit organizations that don’t exercise constant vigilance in adhering to internal controls open the door to fraud.
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Government Contractors | Manufacturing & Distribution
The Maryland Department of Commerce is helping defense contractors grow their businesses, increase profits and find new opportunities. The Maryland Defense Diversification Assistance (MDDA) program seeks to help defense contractors diversify into new markets. Diversification is important for defense contractors given the unpredictability of procurement trends of the United States Department of Defense (DoD).
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Capital campaigns can be a great opportunity for a nonprofit to raise money for a specific project. However, not every nonprofit capital campaign performs as well as it should.
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Forensics & Litigation Support
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has had a significant impact on divorcing couples. Many divorcing couples and their attorneys are aware of the elimination of the alimony deduction under the TCJA, but fewer are aware of the changes related to 529 plan funds.
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It’s hard to believe we’ve been in our new space for six months already. It feels like yesterday that we were packing up hundreds of boxes and decades of memories. We knew that moving a firm our size was going to be an enormous undertaking, but it was necessary. In addition to needing more room to accommodate our growth, all of us at Gross Mendelsohn wanted a space that better reflected who we are as a firm: modern, streamlined and open. After months of looking at existing real estate throughout Baltimore City, we ultimately decided on new construction in an exciting new part of the city called McHenry Row. Despite the massive effort it took to plan for and manage a move of 100+ people, it was worth it. Here’s what we love about our new office, and why.
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Construction contractors often benefit by saying “no” more often. “No” to certain jobs, and “no” to certain customers.
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Financial management can be tricky for private schools, especially when it comes to areas like fundraising, endowments, audits and strategic planning. That’s why we had four private school experts cover each of these topics in a webinar for private schools. Here’s a summary of each segment from panelists…
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