This spring, companies who sponsor 401(k) plans can expect their inbox to be full of new information.  The Department of Labor’s plan fee disclosure rules are set to take effect April 1, 2012.  Service providers of 401(k) plans will then be required to provide employers with figures for the direct and indirect compensation they receive to service plans.  They will now need to disclose recordkeeping fees separately from all other fee disclosures. They also must detail indirect compensation, such...

In Parts 1 and 2 of our trade show marketing blog we touched on the importance of pre-show planning and at-show strategies that can make or break trade show success. In Part 3 we will cover some post-show activities that are imperative to meeting the show objectives spelled out in your Pre-Show planning. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, click here to review pre-trade show planning and at-trade show strategies.

The show is over, your display is packed and shipped, and your sales team is at the...

In Part 1 of our Trade Show Marketing Strategy blog, we highlighted the importance of quality pre-show planning to maximize return and objectives for show attendance. In Part 2 we will discuss some things you can do while at the show to meet your objectives and improve your visibility. If you missed Part 1, click here to learn more about pre-trade show planning.

While a big part of pre-show marketing strategy is to develop a meaningful show message and outreach program to drive traffic to your...

Whether they're snatching your purse, diving into your dumpster, stealing your mail, or hacking into your computer, they're out to get you. Who are they? Identity thieves. Click here to read part one of this article which looks at four additional preventative measures.

When you toss it, shred it

Before you throw out any financial records such as credit or debit card receipts and statements, cancelled checks, or even offers for credit you receive in the mail, shred the documents, preferably with a...

Not-for-profit organizations face many challenges in attracting and retaining executive talent. Compensation programs (types and amount) that can be offered to these executives are much more limited than those which are offered to private sector executives.  Many organizations do not have in-house capabilities to analyze and propose programs that provide competitive compensation. Donors may perceive that executives are overpaid, and are therefore the organization is providing fewer services....

Trade shows are a unique form of marketing that generally gets sales teams licking their chops at the thought of hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of pre-qualified prospects in the same room for three solid days. And to a large degree this is true. Trade show marketing presents an extremely targeted venue in which to further your marketing strategy - be it to drive sales, generate leads, increase brand awareness, or all of the above.

However, it is important to note a few caveats to this banquet...

New Tax Credit

Are you ready to take advantage of the new InvestOhio tax credit?  The registration period is now open and registration must be completed before you can apply for the credit. The application date is expected to be the first full week in December and now is the time to ensure that you are ready to apply.
 
What is InvestOhio?

InvestOhio is a tool for helping Ohio small businesses gain the capital they need to succeed and create jobs.  Through the program, individuals who invest up to...

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

• Year-End Tax Planning
• InvestOhio Tax Credit REgistration Now Open: Quick Action Required
• Make 2012 a "Record Year" for Taxes
• Happy Trails: Getting Ready for Retirement
• How to Put Time on Your Side
• Group Workers' Compensation Programs
• Skoda Minotti Professional Receives Certified Exit Planning Advisor Credential

Year-End Tax Planning

Once again we find ourselves with the Holidays upon us and we wish you and your family all the...

November 28, 2011 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, is proud to announce that Michael Trabert, CPA, CVA, CMAP, CEPA recently earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation, after completing the Institute’s intensive CEPA program. With this designation, Trabert joins an exclusive group of business advisors worldwide who have received this credential.
 
Leading Skoda Minotti’s Exit Planning Services Group, Trabert helps clients by creating a...

• IRS Changes Postion on Who Must Approve Governance Policies
• IRS Releases New Form 8940, Request for Miscellaneous Determinations
• AICP Comments on Revised For 99-0
• Navigating Through the Acounting for Joint Activities
• Executive Compensation: Is it reasonable?
• Updates From the IRS
• Private Foundation Foreign Giving

There’s one word that can be used to describe the stock market as well as estate and gift tax laws over the past few years and that is “volatile”  Unfortunately, volatility often scares clients into taking the “wait and see” approach but in reality, there’s no time like the present to do some estate planning and make lifetime gifts.

What are the current laws:

• Beginning January 1, 2011, the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions were all set at $5 million with a top...

• Key Threats and Mitigation Steps
• Regulatory Compliance Issues
• Technology and Staff Resources
• Cloud Computing Concerns
• Business Continuity Planning

The survey shows improving regulatory compliance efforts ranks as the No. 1 information security priority for the year ahead....

I think we’ve all heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as something for nothing.”  I think it is possible to take that a step further and say, “There’s no such thing as a lot for almost nothing.”  With the current economic downturn, consumers have become far more judicious with their purchases and are doing all they can to squeeze as much out of every dollar spent as possible.  Me personally, I’m still using a flip-phone without internet, I pretty much only get new clothes on my birthday or...

In the wake of MF Global Holdings LTD’s bankruptcy, clients, regulators, and creditors are all attempting to untangle the defunct investment company’s financial accounts to determine what remains to be distributed to MF Global’s stakeholders.  The billions of dollars lost by MF Global on its investments in European sovereign debt left its clients scrambling to salvage any part of MF Global’s assets to recoup their diminished account balances.  But what about the other secured and...

Click here if you missed part one of “Developing a Marketing Budget for 2012.”

How much should I budget for marketing?

This is the big question and one we get a lot. Typically marketing budgets are measured as a percentage of sales. The percentage will vary by industry. Both the Counselors to America's Small Business (SCORE) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) define the variable for a proper marketing budget to be between 2% and 10% of sales, noting that for B2C, retail and...

Several tax breaks are on the books for 2011 but may be gone next year unless they are extended by Congress. One of those is the option to deduct state and local sales and use taxes instead of state and local income taxes.

• What it is:  Currently, taxpayers have the ability to deduct, as an itemized deduction, either State and Local sales tax or State and Local income tax.
• Who it applies to: Although this deduction usually applies to our snow birds that have moved their residency to Florida,...

As you may remember from our July e-newsletter, Ohio recently created a new small business investment tax credit. New details of the program have now emerged and quick action may be required to take advantage of this tax credit which begins Monday, November 14^th.

What is InvestOhio?

Through the program, individuals who invest up to $10 million in eligible small businesses

may receive a 10 percent income tax credit if the investment is held for two years.

The credit is a non-refundable personal...

Have you put together your 2012 marketing plan? There is still time.

The Coming Year

Moody’s, Goldman Sachs, the Economist and other sources point to 2012 as another year of stagnate growth for the U.S. economy. Most of these sources point to less than 2% growth in GDP. As you know, anything can happen but it appears to be another tough year to grow your business. You need to plan for more of the same and hope for better. 

Part of this planning should include developing your marketing programs and...

If this has ever happened to you then you know first hand how traumatic the loss can be.  The loss of cash. No credit cards. I can’t make debit card purchases.  Not my driver’s license!  Oh no, and the social security card??  Not my child’s baby pictures??? My paycheck? And the list goes on and on.   Think for a minute what you think is in your wallet.  Here one minute, gone the next.

I know first hand as I’ve been carjacked and lost my wallet and recently a family member had her wallet fall into...