Business Owners Ask Us

Top 100 Questions

Selling

  1. Am I Ready to Sell?
  2. How Much $$ Do I Need?
  3. Which Path Do I Take? Inside Sale? Outside Sale?
  4. What's the Process/How do I even start?

Transition to Family

  1. Should I sell to family?
  2. Should I gift to family?

Transition to an Employee or My Existing Partners / ESOPS

  1. What does a deal Look Like?
  2. What the heck is an ESOP?
  3. What does an ESOP deal Look Like?

Transition to Private Equity (PEG) or Strategic Buyer

  1. What does a deal look like?
  2. How long will it take?
  3. What really kills the value of my company in the eyes of PE?
  4. What can I expect during the deal process?

Cash Flow 101

  1. What Is Cash Flow and How Do I "Figure It Out"?
  2. What Drives Cash Flow?
  3. How Do I Predict and Project Cash Flow?
  4. What Do Banks Look For and How Should I Use Debt?
  5. How Much Cash - or Working Capital - Do I Really Need?

Finding Cash in Your Balance Sheet

  1. How do I fix problems in my balance sheet – and avoid them in the future?
  2. How do I figure out Working Capital?
  3. How do I manage Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable?
  4. How do I manage inventory?

Finding Cash in Your P&L

  1. How can I fix (and avoid) problems with my P&L?
  2. How do I Manage and Measure Gross Profit?
  3. How do I manage labor costs?
  4. How do I manage overhead costs?
  5. What about Benchmarking, Budgeting, and Forecasting?

Tax Strategy: Reduce Your Liability - Owner Fringe Benefits

  1. How can I own and expense owner automobiles?
  2. Are meals and entertainment deductible?
  3. Education & Child Care: Can Deduct That Too?
  4. Pay the Kids? (And My Spouse?)
  5. Can I Deduct my Beach House?
  6. I Really Would Like A Boat (Plane, RV) How Would I Deduct That?
  7. Are Life and Disability Insurance Deductible?
  8. How can I get my employees tax free “income” and still get a deduction?

Tax Strategy: Reduce Your Taxable Income - Retirement Planning

  1. Where do I start? Introduction To Retirement Planning
  2. Getting Personal – What’s an IRA and ROTH IRA?
  3. What about Employer Sponsored Plan (defined contribution) – SEP, Simple IRA, 401K, 403B, & 457B plans?
  4. What about Employer Sponsored Plan (defined benefit) – Cash Balance and Defined Benefit Plans?
  5. Can I use life insurance as retirement?

Tax Strategy: Reduce Your Taxable Income - Charitable Giving

  1. Should I gift stock / Other Appreciated Assets?
  2. Will a Charitable Remainder Trust provide a big deduction?
  3. Will Donor Advised Funds and Foundations provide a big deduction?
  4. What about Conservations and Conservation Easements?

Tax Strategy: Reduce Your Taxable Income - Estate Taxes and Gifts

  1. What can I expect from estate taxes?
  2. Can I avoid estate taxes?
  3. I Can Do What? Use of Valuation Techniques to Reduce Value!
  4. Can I give away A LOT without filing a tax return?
  5. But My Kids Are Young (Crazy) How Do I Make Sure They Don’t Blow It? (Use of Trusts)
  6. But I Still Need Money. How do I maintain some income and control?

Tax strategy: Lower Your Tax Rate - Going from Ordinary Income to Capital Gain

  1. How do I lower tax in real estate transactions?
  2. What’s Phantom Equity versus “Real” Equity?
  3. Royalty Payments - A Legal Loophole?

Tax strategy: Lower Your Tax Rate - Getting Cash Out of Your Company

  1. What Do I Pay Myself? S-Corps and Partnerships
  2. How do I use dividends in C-Corps?
  3. Can I use S-Corp Holding Companies?

Tax Strategy: Lower Your Tax Rate - Selling Your Company

  1. I need help understanding an offer - Price, Terms, and Taxes
  2. What’s the best way to sell? Private Equity, Strategic Buyer, or Third Party / Competitor
  3. Should I sell to an Employee / Family / Existing Owner? Avoid Tax and Get More $$!
  4. Tax implications of ESOP?
  5. Can I defer or avoid my gain? C-Corp Stock Sale
  6. When Does My Holding Period Start and What's My Gain?

Tax Strategy: Pay Taxes On Your Time

  1. Cash Versus Accrual? Writing Down Inventory, and other Variables?
  2. Should I Move to Florida/SC/NV/You Name It to avoid state tax?
  3. How Do I Not Pay Taxes Like Big Companies?
  4. Is depreciation really a timing difference?
  5. Tax implications of Real Estate Transactions - 1031s and QOZs?
  6. I’ve got a lot of cash lying around. What are the best ways overall to avoid taxes?

Tax Strategy: Get Every Credit Due! What do I need to know about…

  1. R&D credits?
  2. "Green" Credits?
  3. Jobs / Employment Credits?
  4. Real Estate Credits?
  5. Employee Benefit Credits?

Avoiding Pitfalls

  1. How can I plan amid tax policy changes/uncertainty?
  2. How do I get/keep my house in order so I’m ready for any questions the IRS may have for me?
  3. I’ve been audited. Now what?
  4. What are the “right” state and local taxes?

COVID-related challenges/life in the “new normal”

  1. I received a PPP loan. What’s forgivable?
  2. What are some strategies I can implement to keep my people during the Great Resignation?
  3. How do I keep up with demand for rising wages?
  4. My customer base hasn’t returned. What are the top 3 things I can do to hold me over?
  5. COVID was a boom for my business. How do I scale up for now while assuming things will go back to normal?

Personal/basic questions

  1. Are expenses I incur personally on behalf of my corporation deductible?
  2. Can I deduct expenses for my home office?
  3. Can I deduct living expenses on temporary assignment away from the area where I live and work?
  4. Can I deduct the cost of meals on days I call on customers or clients away from my office?
  5. Can I recover a previously deducted item on my taxes?
  6. Do I really need to keep track of old tax records? If so, how?
  7. Getting married, divorced, or re-married. What do I need to know?
  8. How are life insurance dividends taxable?
  9. How are life insurance policies taxed?
  10. How do I pay taxes for the people working in my home?
  11. How does turning 70 affect my taxes?
  12. I am turning 70 soon. Do I need to start taking distributions from my IRA?
  13. I do volunteer work with a charity. Do I get a tax break for doing so?
  14. I just inherited property. How do I determine the value?
  15. I own a business. How can I protect myself legally from my employees?
  16. I own an incorporated business. What’s the best compensation strategy?
  17. I own rental properties. Does that make me a real estate professional?
  18. I plan to sell or trade my business property. What is recapture?

BONUS Questions!

  1. I think it’s time to split with my business partner. How can I protect myself as we part ways?
  2. I want to buy a franchise. What should I consider?
  3. I want to buy an existing business. How do I secure the most value and avoid hidden liabilities?
  4. I would like to give my children a substantial amount of money. How can I avoid paying the gift tax?
  5. I’m thinking about starting a business. What issues should I consider?
  6. Is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust good strategy?
  7. Is Married Filing Separately ever a good idea?
  8. Is the scholarship my child received taxable?
  9. My business is expanding. What do I need to know about adding another partner?
  10. My business is fine, but I need cash. What kinds of loans are out there and how can I get the best rates?

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