Take precautions to avoid gift card fraud

Take precautions to avoid gift card fraud

Gift cards are a convenient way to give your friends and loved ones "just the right thing" at holiday time. They also give thieves an opportunity to make off with your money, according to a public service announcement issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

How can you protect yourself from gift card scams? Here are pointers.

• Buy directly from reputable stores. If you're getting a restaurant gift card, stop by the restaurant in person or visit their web site. That goes for airlines and big box stores too.

• Check reviews of sellers of gift cards in online auctions. There's a reason someone's selling the card at a discounted price – it may be stolen or counterfeit. Are you willing to take the risk?

• Examine the card. Before purchasing a gift card, inspect the front and back for tampering. Some cards have PIN codes that must be exposed before use. Make sure the PIN is still hidden.

• Register the card. Some issuers let you register the card at the store's web site. By registering, you'll be able to check your balance on a regular basis and identify any misuse.

Need money to pay bills? Raiding your 401(k) is not a good idea

Need money to pay bills? Raiding your 401(k) is not a good idea

When you're short of cash, raiding your 401(k) plan may seem like a good idea. Here are two reasons why it isn't.

 

Penalties and taxes. If you're not at least 59½ years old, you'll be hit with a 10% penalty for early withdrawals except in certain limited cases, and the money you withdraw will be taxed at your regular tax rate.

Lost opportunity. If your 401(k) earns an annual return of 5% over the next 30 years, an account with a balance of $50,000 could grow to over $215,000. A withdrawal taken and spent today will cost you that growth.

Bottom line: If possible, find other ways to pay your bills, even if that means contributing less to your 401(k) in the short term. While it's wise to match funds your company provides, you might consider temporarily reducing contributions that exceed the matching amount.

What about loans? A 401(k) loan also has drawbacks. Again, money that's not in your account won't grow. In addition, if you lose your job, you'll have to repay the outstanding loan balance or face tax penalties.

If you need assistance with financial issues, give us a call.

Seek liquidity for short-term investments

Seek liquidity for short-term investments

The stock market may not be the right place for all of your money at all times. Here are two situations when cash accounts can be a better solution.

Situation #1. Generally, the stock market is not a good place to invest funds you will need during the next two to three years, such as when you need to pay ongoing living expenses in retirement. In that case, the money you'll need would be better stashed in stable investments such as money market funds, bank CDs, or bonds with maturities matched to your needs. The idea is to eliminate the risk that you'll be taking withdrawals when the stock market is depressed.

Situation #2. Your emergency fund – three to six months of current living expenses – has one purpose: to provide the money you might need for crises such as job loss, illness, or major unexpected repairs. These are situations when you can't afford to wait until the market recovers to get your funds.

Cash savings do carry risks, such as losing purchasing power during times of inflation. And historically, the stock market has provided superior returns over long time periods. But those returns come at the price of volatility. If you need to withdraw your savings during a market downturn, you might not recover your investment. Wherever you choose to invest your other savings, consider keeping some of the funds you will need in the short-term in less volatile, old-fashioned cash investments.

Good communication keeps your customers happy

Good communication keeps your customers happy

As a business owner, you know how much effort goes into attracting new customers. So once you've found a new customer, you want to keep that customer as long as possible. Good communication can help. Make your customer feel known, understood, and appreciated at every stage of the relationship – before the sale, while you're reaching a deal, and after you've concluded the sale.

• Before the sale. Get to know your customer's needs. In a retail setting good communication means greeting customers by name and learning their preferences. Train your employees to offer help, answer questions readily, and suggest new or alternative products. In other businesses, make regular calls or visits to a prospective customer, even if no sale is imminent. Use the opportunity to build relationships.

• Making the sale. Honest communication while you're making a sale can be key to keeping a customer loyal and happy. Be forthright about terms and conditions. Avoid over-promising, as that leads to disappointment down the road.

• After the sale. Contact customers after the sale. Follow up with a call to ask if they're satisfied with the purchase. Communication at this point shows customers they're appreciated, and is a great opportunity to deal with complaints. If there is a problem, communicating well can help resolve dissatisfaction and create a loyal and appreciative customer.

Remember, your customers are buying an experience as well as your product or service. Good communication can make them want to repeat that experience.

Are you 65 or older? Include these tax breaks in year-end planning

Are you 65 or older? Include these tax breaks in year-end planning

Celebrate your 65th birthday with federal income tax benefits. Here are some of the breaks available once you reach age 65.

Higher standard deduction. Your standard deduction is the sum of the basic standard deduction plus an additional standard deduction if you are age 65 or older at the end of the tax year. You are considered to be 65 on the day before your 65th birthday. For your 2015 tax return, you can add an extra $1,550 to your standard deduction if you're single. If you and your spouse are both 65 or older, your combined extra deduction is $2,500.

Tax credit for the elderly. You may qualify for this direct reduction of your federal income tax if you're age 65 or older. There are limitations if tax-free pension benefits such as social security exceed certain levels. Income limitations may also apply.

Medical expense deduction. Generally, when you itemize, unreimbursed medical expenses can be deducted only when they exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income. However, for 2015, when you're 65 or over, you can deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your income. Are you married? Only one spouse needs to be 65 or older to qualify.

Please contact our office to make sure you're receiving all the tax breaks for which you qualify at any age.

Some tax benefits will increase in 2016

Some tax benefits will increase in 2016

 Each year, the IRS announces inflation adjustments for more than 50 tax provisions. Knowing these numbers can help with your year-end tax planning. Changes for 2016 (for the tax returns you'll file in early 2017) include an increased standard deduction when you file as head of household ($9,300 for 2016). The standard deduction amounts remain the same as they were for 2015 when you're single or married filing separate ($6,300), or married filing jointly ($12,600). Please call us about other inflation adjustments.

Make use of your 2015 gift tax exclusion

Make use of your 2015 gift tax exclusion

This year you can give up to $14,000 to as many individuals as you want without any gift tax liability. If you're married and your spouse joins in the gift, you can, as a couple, elect to give $28,000 to each person with no gift tax liability. Once December 31, 2015, has come and gone, your 2015 gift tax exclusion is also gone. If you plan to make gifts this year, remember that your gifts must be completed by then.

Should you increase your withholding?

Should you increase your withholding?

Will the federal income tax withheld from your wages be enough to meet your 2015 federal income tax liability? If not, you can choose to make estimated tax payments. However, you should be aware that the penalty rules for underpayment of estimated taxes is applied to each installment – meaning you may owe a penalty when your estimated tax payments (plus withholding) total less than 25% of your required annual payment. Increasing your withholding for the last two months of the year can help you avoid this penalty. Contact us to learn how the estimated tax rules apply to you.

Tax planning is good for corporations too

Tax planning is good for corporations too

 If you own a calendar-year corporation, you can benefit from planning moves you make before December 31. For example, corporations can accelerate or defer income or deductions to stay within a certain tax bracket. You'll also want to look at your corporate alternative minimum tax exposure to determine whether you qualify for an exception to the tax. Finally, reviewing estimated tax payments can save penalties. Call us for more business planning strategies.

Be aware of credit card "liability shift"

Be aware of credit card "liability shift"

Does your business accept credit cards? You may already know of the recent update to a new style of cards embedded with microchips. This new technology, also known as EMV (for Europay, MasterCard, Visa), makes credit card fraud more difficult. Your business is not required to move to the new technology to process these cards. But you should be aware that as of October 1, 2015, your business is responsible for some fraudulent transactions that were previously covered by the cardholder's bank. Give us a call for details.

2016 health care enrollment begins November 1

2016 health care enrollment begins November 1

The health insurance Marketplace (www.healthcare.gov) "open enrollment period" began November 1 for 2016 individual health insurance coverage. Open enrollment is the annual period of time during which health insurance companies must accept your application regardless of your health history. Once open enrollment is over – January 31, 2016, for 2016 policies – you can only get coverage if you have circumstances that allow you to qualify for a special enrollment period.