Equifax Data Breach- CompassPointCPA Tax Services in Arizona

In recent days the world has become familiar with perhaps the largest data breach event ever known to humanity. I’m referring, of course, to the Equifax data breach.

The incident, as summarized by Equifax Security, potentially impacts personal information relating to 143 million U.S. consumers – primarily names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. In addition, credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers, were accessed.

Information potentially stolen by the hackers, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth and names, could put people at risk of identity theft for the rest of their lives, credit experts warn. 

So how did such a massive breach happen?

USA Today notes that hackers took advantage of an Equifax security vulnerability two months after an industry group discovered the coding flaw and shared a fix for it, raising questions about why Equifax didn't update its software successfully when the danger became known:

"The Equifax data compromise was due to (Equifax's) failure to install the security updates provided in a timely manner," The Apache Foundation, which oversees the widely-used open source software used by Equifax, said in a statement.

At the time of USA Today’s article publication, Equifax had not responded to questions about when the patches were used to fix the security weak point, or if the patches were used at all.

It only made this statement: "We continue to work with law enforcement as part of our criminal investigation and have shared indicators of compromise with law enforcement.”

Tax Tip – Adoption Tax Credit

n adoption tax credit is a tax credit offered to adoptive parents to encourage adoption. Section 36C of the United States Internal Revenue code offers a credit for “qualified adoption expenses” paid or incurred by individual taxpayers.

The tax code provides an adoption credit of up to $13,570 of qualified expenses (in 2017) for each child adopted, whether via public foster care, domestic private adoption, or international adoption.

As the Tax Policy Center notes: 

The adoption credit is available to most adoptive parents, with some exceptions. The credit is not available to taxpayers whose income exceeds certain thresholds. In 2017 the credit begins to phase out at $203,540 of modified adjusted gross income and phases out entirely at income of $243,540. The credit also is not available for adoptions of stepchildren. The adoption tax credit is nonrefundable but can be carried forward for up to five years. The credit is thus of little or no value to low-income families who pay little or no income tax over a period of years. In fiscal year 2015, credit claims reduced tax liability by $300 million, according to the US Department of Treasury.

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2017 Adoption Tax Credit-None Special Needs Adoption

As this report observes, the amount allowed in 2017 for the Adoption Tax Credit for non special-needs adoptions, both domestic and international, is $13,570 for “qualified adoption expenses.” The definition of what IRS considers a qualified adoption expense has not changed, and families must be able to document these expenses, if requested by the IRS. This amount is up slightly from 2016 ($13,460).

2017 Adoption Tax Credit-Special Needs Adoption

Families who adopt a child with special needs from US foster care are eligible to claim the Federal Adoption Tax Credit in 2017 of $13,570 whether or not they actually incurred any adoption expenses. A child is considered to have “special needs” if they receive an adoption assistance/subsidy benefits from the state. Children adopted internationally, even if they have diagnosed special needs, are not considered as a “special needs adoption” by the IRS and parents can only claim the credit for qualified adoption expenses.

Will the Adoption Tax Credit Be Refundable In 2017?

The Adoption Tax Credit for taxes filed in 2017 is not refundable. A refundable tax credit is one you get back regardless of what you owe or paid in taxes for the year. When the credit is not refundable, you receive only what you have in federal income tax liability.

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Trump Tax Reform – Pass Thru Update

Trump administration officials and congressional Republican leaders are negotiating the terms of a tax reform bill. While they have not introduced legislation or a detailed plan, here are some of the latest news items detailing what we know so far about their goals and possible intentions with respect to taxation of income flowing through pass-thru entities—and only applying to pass-thru entities. The following update is based on what they have said so far, as published in a July 27, 2017 report by the Washington Examiner.

However, to gain a more up-to-date overall perspective of what has transpired up to this point with tax reform, please refer to the article at the CPAGardens website entitled Trumps Tax Plan Unleashed, category “Tax Strategies,” posted on January 11, 2017.

Focusing On Pass-Thru Taxation

Perhaps one of the most significant reforms noted has to do with the policy question of “Pass-Thru Taxation.” This term is more accurately described as “taxation of income flowing through pass-thru entities”:

1.  Pass-throughs are businesses that pay their taxes through the individual income tax code rather than through the corporate code.

2.  In contrast, traditional C corporations can retain earnings without distributing them immediately to any particular shareholder.

3.  However, there are multiple interpretations of the proposed tax plan because the plan is not finalized.

Currently, the clearest understanding of the current plan is as follows:

• Pass-throughs are not eligible for a single 15 percent tax rate on the individual income that their owners report.
• At best, they may be allowed to adopt some kind of tax status similar to that of C-corporations, either on a temporary or permanent basis.

As noted, some of the latest news has the House Republicans favoring a new special top tax rate for businesses that file through the individual side of the tax code. The House Republican plan would set that rate at 25 percent, while the Trump plan would make it even with the corporate rate at 15 percent.

A joint statement between the Republication House and the President didn't specify where the rate would be. However, the special tax rate would ensure that mom-and-pop businesses get tax cuts with giant C-corporations. A significant portion of pass-through income goes to big businesses, and about half flows to the top 1 percent of income earners.

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Common Bookkeeping Mistakes

Before getting into a discussion of common bookkeeping mistakes, it is worthwhile to address the importance of sound bookkeeping in general.

The importance of sound bookkeeping is frequently lost and ignored by management. It is apparent that the main reason management tends to ignore the bookkeeping function is because it is focused on the “big picture.” What management fails to recognize is that there is no “big picture” to look at without bookkeeping first doing its thing in the details.

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping can help keep your business organized and able to yield a profit. Many small businesses fail due to poor financial management. By applying sound financial principles, you may be able to prevent this fate from befalling your business.

The following are some of the benefits that are generated by an accurate bookkeeping environment, as noted by QB Express:

1.   Improved financial analysis and management

Cash flow management is something that your business should start focusing on right away. Once your invoices are delayed, there will be zero follow-ups on customer payments. With accurate bookkeeping, you can systematize your follow-ups and be invoicing, while making on-time payments to suppliers.

2.   Fulfil your tax obligations on time 

Bookkeeping can help you keep a track on all the information required to accomplish your tax obligations. When the time for tax comes, you will no longer need to rush everywhere to hunt for your bills or try to remember your expenses. An organized Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss, and Cash Flow also make filing your Tax Returns a lot easier. Your tax advisor can also finally give you some sound tax advice instead correcting incorrect entries in your financial statements.

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3.   Enjoy easy reporting to your investors

With regular and accurate bookkeeping, you will no longer need to worry about reporting to your investors and sharing the financial status of your company. From graphs to charts and the lists of data, you can easily present everything to your investor right from your accounting books.

4.   Make informed business plans

With the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss statements, you can check if your company is on the right track financially. Based on your financial status, you can make informed and effective business plans.

5.   Keep a proper record, as required by the Law 

With bookkeeping, you can keep a record of all your financial dealings and keep everything organized right from your big to small invoices.

Common Bookkeeping Mistakes

The foregoing section above focused on a discussion of the benefits that can flow out of a sound bookkeeping system. Such a system shouldn’t be taken for granted, however. Frequently, bookkeeping mistakes can creep in and weaken the bookkeeping infrastructure as well as the systems in the organization that relies on the bookkeeping system.

The following is a list of common bookkeeping mistakes that bookkeepers and others should always be on the lookout for.

1.   Skipping an Accounting System

As Business2Community notes, your business may be so small that you decide to save money by not using software that is specifically designed for accounting.

However, even if you use spreadsheets and a well-organized file system to keep track of where your money goes, you are missing out. As Doug Boswell, an accounting expert, points out: “…before having your taxes done, the tax preparer needs to cobble together some sort of makeshift system that will allow your tax return to be prepared, but it almost surely won’t capture all your deductions.”

2.   Not Double Checking Everything

Not Double Checking Everything

Another good point from Business2Community: adopt the habit of double-checking everything and be consistent about it. As their report notes, a mistyped number, a lost receipt, and other human errors can result in inconsistent figures. Prevent such problems from piling up by reconciling your records with your bank account statements every month. Keeping track of your businesses money will be easier if you try to use cash as little as possible. Credit and debit transactions will show up on your statements so you know where every penny goes.

3.   Jumbled Invoices

Some small businesses miss out on money because they have an inefficient system for filing invoices. Number your invoices and keep them in order so it is easier for you to find out which invoices have been paid and which still have outstanding balances.For Accounting services and Financila plan read here  Accounting Services Arizona

4.   Not reconciling your accounts

As this analysis of sound bookkeeping observes, after the end of each month your bank, credit cards and even merchants like PayPal will release statements showing your beginning and ending balances as well as all of the transactions that occurred in that month. Take those statements and reconcile your accounts in your bookkeeping software. Not reconciling your accounts each month can lead to errors that copy over month after month.

5.   Not tracking Mileage

Business2Community

Remember: you can be reimbursed for the miles that you drive for your business. The IRS sets a mileage rate for businesses each year that covers your gas, maintenance to your car and general wear. Use an app like MileIQ that will track all of your drives and then you can categorize them as the business or personal. At the end of every month, they’ll send you a report showing how many business miles you drove and what that amounts to. You can take that amount and reimburse yourself from your business account while categorizing it as a business expense. Not doing this prohibits you from claiming this eligible deduction on your taxes.

In addition to the previously noted mistakes, the following links point to additional common bookkeeping mistakes.

Believing you have to do your bookkeeping yourself

Leaving bookkeeping to the last minute

Not using bookkeeping software properly

Using the wrong accounting method

Not separating business and personal bank accounts and transactions

Inadequate filing systems (for bank statements, invoices, receipts)

Lack of documentation or systems regarding cash

In conclusion, it’s fair to say that the fewer bookkeeping mistakes there are in your organization the smoother your organization will operate. It is human nature to seek short cuts and avoid pain points, but this is a crucial area where you can’t afford that approach: you must take a long way and endure the strain of the process, otherwise much bigger pain points could arise down the road.

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Do You Have An Effective Disaster Recovery Plan?

One of the most significant, if not the most significant function within any secure business is that of risk management. Risk Management equates to having a set of policies and procedures in place that are designed to mitigate losses caused by a myriad of circumstances including natural disasters (floods, tornados, hurricanes, etc.).

It is incumbent on business owners and management to be prepared for the threats from the fore-mentioned types of disasters. Risk management and Disaster planning, in general, is concerned with minimizing the impact on the company’s operations and IT functionality caused by disaster.

As Search Disaster Recovery notes, a disaster can be anything that puts an organization's operations at risk, from a cyberattack to equipment failures to natural disasters. The goal of Disaster Recovery is for a business to continue operating as close to normal as possible. The disaster recovery process includes planning and testing, and may involve a separate physical site for restoring operations. For Accounting services and Financila plan read here  Accounting Services Arizona

In addition, a disaster recovery plan provides a structured approach for responding to unplanned incidents that threaten a company's IT infrastructure, including hardware and software, networks, procedures and people. The plan provides step-by-step disaster recovery strategies for recovering disrupted systems and networks to minimize negative impacts to company operations. A risk assessment identifies potential threats to the IT infrastructure; the DR plan outlines how to recover the elements that are most important to the company.

As this disaster recovery report observes, an IT Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is created to ensure a business and more specifically their technology department can recover quickly and efficiently should they lose their data centre or have a major IT software or hardware failure. Prior to developing an IT DR plan it is critical that a Risk Assessment and Business Impact Analysis is carried out. These two prior phases will clearly highlight where a potential disastrous event may occur and also establish important factors such as the time frame and recovery order in which the business needs to re-establish their systems.

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According to Yatsish Mishra: “Ninety four percent of businesses that suffer a large data loss go out of business within 2 years”

As this disaster recovery report further observes:

Preparing for a disaster requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses hardware and software, networking equipment, power, connectivity and testing that ensures DR is achievable within targets. While implementing a thorough DR plan isn't a small task, the potential benefits are significant.

Not the following elements to an effective disaster recovery plan published by CIO:

1. Let employees know where to go in case of emergency – and have a backup worksite. “Many firms think that the DR plan is just for their technology systems, but they fail to realize that people (i.e., their employees) also need to have a plan in place,” says Ahsun Saleem, president, Simplegrid Technology. “Have an alternate site in mind if your primary office is not available. Ensure that your staff knows where to go, where to sit and how to access the systems from that site. Provide a map to the alternate site and make sure you have seating assignments there.”

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2. Make sure your service-level agreements (SLAs) include disasters/emergencies. “If you have outsourced your technology to an outsourced IT firm, or store your systems in a data center/co-location facility, make sure you have a binding agreement with them that defines their level of service in the event of a disaster,” says Saleem. “This [will help] ensure that they start working on resolving your problem within [a specified time]. Some agreements can even discuss the timeframe in getting systems back up.”

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Asset-Based Financing – Basics

For companies experiencing temporary cash shortages, asset-based financing may be an alternative that makes sense as a viable way of meeting its cash shortfalls. With this method of financing, a cash-strapped business can use the assets that they have to overcome its cash flow shortages.

As noted by FinWeb, there are two primary means of asset-based financing, as follows:

1) asset-based loans

2) factoring.

As FinWeb explains, to obtain an asset-based loan, a business must apply for a secure loan from a lending institution, collateralized by pledging one or more assets. Asset-based loans are used generally by companies with somewhat spotty credit. As such, the fees and interest rates for these loans will typically be higher than market prices. Accounts receivable and business inventory are the most common assets used as collateral, but any asset might be accepted by the lender.

 Secondly, there is a method of asset-based funding known as factoring. It is often used by rapidly-growing companies in need of immediate cash. Using this process, the business will actually sell its accounts receivable to a factoring company for cash (as opposed to pledging them as collateral for an asset-based loan). For newer invoices, the company could receive up to eighty percent of their value up front. The factoring company assumes all credit risk for the outstanding accounts.

The principal disadvantage of asset-based financing is its expense. Using assets to bolster cash flow increases a business's cost of funds, thereby significantly affecting its bottom line: the profits.

REVOLVING LINES OF CREDIT (REVOLVERS)

As noted by the Journal of Accountancy, a revolver is a line of credit established by the lender for a maximum amount. The line of credit typically is secured by the company’s receivables and inventory. It is designed to maximize the availability of working capital from the company’s current asset base. The borrower grants a security interest in its receivables and inventory to the lender as collateral to secure the loan. In most cases, lenders require personal guarantees from the company’s owners.

The security interest creates a borrowing base for the loan. As receivables are collected, the money is used to pay down the loan balance. When the borrower needs additional financing, another advance is requested. The borrowing base consists of the assets that are available to collateralize a revolver. It generally consists of eligible receivables and eligible inventory.

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Do You Have An Interest In Exporting?

Small businesses looking to increase sales and profit, reduce dependence on the domestic market and stabilize seasonal fluctuations should consider exporting. Consider these facts: 

• Nearly 96 percent of consumers live outside the U.S.
• Two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power is in foreign countries.

Today, as noted by Export.gov, it’s easier than ever for a company like yours, regardless of size, to sell goods and services across the globe. Small and medium-sized companies in the United States are exporting more than ever before.

In 2013, for example, more than 300,000 small and medium-sized U.S. companies exported to at least one international market—nearly 28 percent more than in 2005. The value of goods and services exports was an impressive $2.28 trillion, nearly a 25 percent increase since 2010. And 2014 topped the previous year, with exports valued at $2.34 trillion.

The following list is of sales channels are available to global trading partners active in the export process,

Sales channels can include:

• Direct to end-user
• Distributors in country
• Supplier to the U.S. government in a foreign country
• Your e-commerce website
• A third-party e-commerce platform where you handle fulfillment
• A third-party e-commerce where they handle fulfillment
• Supplier to a large U.S. company with international sale
• Franchise your business. 

You are not limited to one of these channels. As it is also noted in the Export.gov study, today’s global trading system is ideal for the smaller company employing more than one marketing and sales channel to sell into multiple overseas markets. But most U.S. exporters currently sell to one country market—Canada, for example. And the smaller the company, the less likely it is to export to more than one country. For example, 60 percent of all exporters with fewer than 19 employees sold to one country market in 2005.

Tips For Potential And New Exporters

In a recent report from Shipping Solutions, these seven tips will provide helpful guidance for businesses new to exporting:

Tip #1 – Make a Commitment

Businesses new to exporting can expect to face numerous challenges such as redesigning packaging or establishing a new distribution channel. 

Tip #2 – Do Your Research

To be successful overseas, do some research on potential markets. Which countries have the lowest duties? Write an international marketing plan, which addresses a range of potential issues such as unique labeling requirements.

Tip #3 – Focus Your Efforts

For example, first-time exporters in Minnesota often target Canada as the first international market to enter. The proximity of Canada and the benefits of the reduced North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) tariffs are advantageous for new Minnesota exporters ramping up on their export knowledge.

Tip #4 – Set Aside Resources

Entering new markets requires resources—primarily time and money. Companies in the best position to export already have an established track record of domestic growth and a steady revenue stream. For many companies, gearing up a business to export means having to reallocate resources from domestic business opportunities.

Tip #5 – Increase Your Company’s Export Knowledge

Look for opportunities to develop and expand the export knowledge of your staff. Work toward credentials to ensure you develop a baseline of skills. For exporting companies, encourage staff to attain the Certified Global Business Professional credential. 

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