Keeping Current
As a complimentary service to our clients and friends, we offer a variety of newsletters and publications covering the latest topics of interest to you.
Forget net income and book net worth. When it comes to monitoring creditworthiness, cash is king. Every business experiences occasional cash shortfalls — that’s why they need lines of credit — but borrowers with chronic cash deficits may be on the brink of default. Read More »
As a business valuation professional, I regularly appraise the value of privately-held companies. Difficult economic conditions require that we carefully study the unique facts and circumstances of the subject-company. Not every business can be “painted with the same brush”.
Sophisticated charitable giving techniques can allow donors to accomplish a number of philanthropic, family and tax objectives. The tools available include:
- Charitable remainder trusts
- Charitable gift annuities
- Testamentary gifts
- Family foundations
- Charitable lead trusts
For most individuals, social security retirement benefits can play a key role in figuring the right age for retirement, and maximizing income during later years. While social security will not usually be the only source of retirement income, the benefits can be substantial. Read More »
With news headlines announcing multi-million dollar jury awards in lawsuits, it’s easy to understand why asset protection strategies might be needed.
Individuals may be interested in asset protection planning to protect against:
- unknown future creditors,
- current creditors,
- potential ex-spouses, and
- the IRS and other taxing authorities. Read More »
As we have reminded you periodically, taxpayers are required to file form TD F 90-22.1 (FBAR) annually if the U.S. person or entity has a financial interest in or signature authority over any foreign financial account, including a foreign bank or brokerage account, if the aggregate value of all such accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. This filing is due by June 30 of the year following the reporting year. Read More »
With the current credit crisis and economic downturn, finance departments of most companies, regardless of size, are preoccupied with “cash in, cash out”. Being caught in a tug-of-war between accounts receivable and payable, between customers and vendors, creates increased difficulty in preserving trade credit – the largest source of capital for small and medium businesses in the U.S. and the world. Trade credit in the U.S. exceeded bank credit by almost 20% in 2007. Read More »
Chief financial officers are increasingly pessimistic about economic conditions, according to a recent Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey. For the first time in the survey’s 13-year history, bears outnumbered bulls nine to one. In fact, many CFOs don’t expect the recession to end until 2010 or later. Read More »
Although borrowers often pledge inventory as loan collateral, the amount shown on their balance sheets isn’t always accurate. In fact, inventory can be a source of mistakes because its accounting is complex and the volume of transactions that flow through the inventory ledger is high. If management is lax about inventory, problems can easily spiral out of control. Read More »
The corporate finance world is in a state of flux: Banks continue to retrench after a disastrous 2008, tightening credit standards and following borrowers more closely. Borrowers also are rethinking their capital structures and lending decisions. For now, conservatism is the name of the game.
Examining the supply side
Last year many financial institutions were hurt because they’d made poor lending decisions. The credit market was overheated, but now the pendulum has shifted and banks are re-evaluating risk and finding ways to prevent future losses. New policies include: Read More »