Cleveland Business Advisors

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti’s Professional Staffing Group is pleased to announce that it has expanded its professional staffing services. The group now provides services for contract, direct hire or term-to-hire positions, ranging from staff level to C-level executives, within the following areas of specialization:accounting and finance, C-level executives, engineering, human resources, information technology and sales and marketing.

Leading the newly expanding service offerings is Andrew Devore, a...

This month's Special Delivery e-newsletter includes the following articles:

• New Law Extends Favorable Capital Gain Rules
• How to Help Pay for College Education
• The Wrap-up for Wrap Fees
• Aurum Capital Markets Summary
• Repeal of Expanded 1099 Requirements
• Audio Book Club
• College Planning
• Advisor Insights Video Archive
• Delivering on the Promise

New Law Extends Favorable Capital Gain RulesThe tax rules for offsetting capital gains and losses can be confusing, even for experienced investors. Saving grace: The...

April 13, 2011 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm with offices in Cleveland and Akron, is pleased to announce that Robert D. Coode has been appointed to the Lake Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

Lake Health Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Lake Health. On behalf of the health system, the Foundation accepts contributions of cash and appreciated property. Donations are used to enhance patient care, including the support of projects that improve...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce the acquisition of information technology firm Computer Troubleshooters Independence. The acquisition increases the size and capabilities of Skoda Minotti’s rapidly growing Information Technology Services Group.

Computer Troubleshooters’ staff complements Skoda Minotti’s existing service offerings with a wide range of information technology capabilities and expertise, including:

• Managed Services
• VoIP:...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti is pleased to announce one new hire to its Small Business Services Group:
Alexandra Goodrich – Goodrich joins the firm as paraprofessional in Skoda Minotti’s Small Business Services Group. In this role, she will provide outsourced bookkeeping support for the Kidney Foundation and Epilepsy Association in Cleveland, Ohio. Goodrich also currently works as bookkeeper for the Lake Humane Society.

Skoda Minotti’s Small Business Services Group assists small- to mid-size...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti is pleased to announce the launch of its fourth annual survey of the Northeast Ohio real estate and construction industries. The goal of the survey is to provide professionals in the real estate and construction industries in Northeast Ohio with invaluable insight into their industries.

“We received record participation in our 2010 survey and are looking to improve on that number once again in 2011,” said Roger Gingerich, CPA/ABV, CVA, partner-in-charge of Skoda...

This issue of the Real Estate Monitor includes the following articles:

• Understanding the Energy Efficient Tax Deduction
• New Requirements for Asbestos Surveys from the Ohio Department of Health
• Housing: Affordability of Home Ownership
• Deductions: Passive Losses
• Mortgage Loans: New Rules
• Housing: Residential Ground Leases
• Securities: No Liability Under Securities Exchange Act
• Cleveland Market Overview

Understanding the Energy Efficient Tax Deduction

Skoda Minotti, along with CLS Facility Services, invites...

December 20, 2011 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce that Michael Trabert, CPA, CVA, CMAP, a partner with Skoda Minotti’s Transaction Advisory Services Group has recently earned the Chartered Merger & Acquisition Professional (CMAP) credential, awarded by the Middle Market Investment Banking Association (MMIBA) and endorsed by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).

MMIBA is an organization established to...

Advisor Insights

For the past several months, our Real Estate and Construction Group has been authoring a monthly column in Builders Exchange Magazine that offers advice to real estate and construction professionals.

So far this year, the following topics have been covered:

• The Benefits of Subprime Bonding  
• Selecting and Implementing Financial Software  
• The Value of a Niche Marketing Plan
• Lessons Learned From the Construction Industry  
• Cancellation of Debt Income
• Preventing Financial Fraud 
   

Keep...

Click here to view Part 1 of our series and learn more about the stock option landscape or Part 2 to learn more about the accounting and tax ramifications of issuing stock options.

What To Do?

As discussed above, there are significant risks that a company brings upon itself if it decides to issue stock options without properly valuing the options and the equity of the company. Rather than issuing stock options, if a company wants to offer an employee the opportunity to obtain an ownership...

Accounting and Tax Ramifications of Issuing Stock Options

 Click here to view Part 1 of our series and learn more about the stock option landscape.

To give you more perspective, first let us review the accounting treatment for the issuance of stock options (rest easy - this will not be too painful). When stock options are issued, an expense must be recorded based on the value of the option. A stock option’s value is derived from a variety of factors, two of which are the value of the stock as of...

When selling your home, it is common to use an agent to list, promote and show the property. In exchange, you pay a portion of the sales price as a commission to the agent. The benefits of using an agent include: 1) the listing of your home in a database so that homebuyers can access information about it; 2) the agent acting as your middleman during the negotiation process; and 3) the incentive it gives the agent to sell your home quickly (so that her or she can earn their commission). 

Some peop...

Advisor Insights

Skoda Minotti is conducting our 3rd annual survey of the Northeast Ohio real estate and construction industries. Every participant who completes the questionnaire will receive a free copy of the survey results and analysis and have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.

The goal of the survey is to provide professionals in the real estate and construction industries in Northeast Ohio with the invaluable insight into their industries.

As an added bonus, one out...

Advisor Insights

This month, our monthly Advisor Insights column in Smart Business Cleveland Magazine takes a look at lessons learned from the restaurant industry.

The restaurant industry is still feeling the sting of the recession, and the general consensus is that consumers are very pessimistic about 2010.Therefore, restaurants have had to adapt to survive as their longtime patrons trim their dining-out budgets.

What can other industries learn from the restaurant industries struggles? Click here...

Advisor Insights

This month, our monthly Advisor Insights column in Smart Business Cleveland Magazine takes a look at lessons learned from the real estate industry.

Having a finite resource as your business's main asset has proved challenging for real estate companies, but it also has necessitated some creative problem solving.

Click here to read the full article, "Lessons learned from the Real Estate Industry."

Administration Outlines 2011 Tax Proposals 

On February 1, 2010, the Treasury...

With the crash of the real estate market some are looking to capitalize and purchase larger homes for a bargain price. In doing so, they face the problem of selling their current residence to make the move up. With the lack of buyer interest and with some people not willing to take such a large loss people are holding out for the market to rebound. This creates the problem of carrying two mortgages, which the monthly payments on two mortgages can create cash flow problems for many taxpayers in...

Many of us probably remember Harvey Dent, aka “Two-Face,” from our childhoods as one of Batman’s arch enemies. He looked like a normal guy from one perspective, but from the other side, he was a bizarre-looking villain. While normalizing adjustments in business valuation may not be quite as exciting as watching Batman battle Two-Face, they bear a similarity to this comic book character.

The results of many companies as reported in financial statements or tax returns do not always reflect...

While the likely adoption International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a hot topic for accountants, many privately-held small and medium-sized business owners may not be aware of the potential changes on the horizon for financial reporting. The general consensus is that in the coming years, the U.S. will move to adopt IFRS in place of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as the governing standards for financial reporting, although no official date for conversion has been set...

What did Picasso’s paintings look like when he was only halfway finished? How did Michelangelo’s “David” look like after the first few chisels? How livable is a house after the frame has been erected, but no interior work has been done?

A valid answer to all of the preceding questions is, “Something different than the final product.” However, for financial experts who provide opinions on economic damages and other litigated matters involving calculated figures, current rules sometimes allow for...