by Leif Jensen | Oct 5, 2020 | Running a Business |
Several large retailers have entered into product streams that are beyond their typical products or services for vertical integration. Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons have entered the milk business bottling business. They all use low priced milk as a loss leader to...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 30, 2020 | Economy |
RBC Capital Markets, an arm of the Royal Bank of Canada, on August 3rd of this year lifted its high-case forecast for the price of gold to $3,060/oz by the first quarter of next year. This is thanks to soaring demand for the metal which also doubles as a reserve...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 29, 2020 | Taxes |
We have all heard the ads on the radio. People promising to get the IRS off your back, Those promises to settle your IRS tax debts for pennies on the dollar are just that: Promises. Firms that hawk these types of tax-debt relief plans are referred to by the IRS as...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 28, 2020 | Taxes |
Leasing a vehicle to use in your business is a bit cheaper tax wise in 2020. If a car that is worth more than $50,000 is first leased for business during the year, the lessee must pay income tax each year on an amount spelled out in IRS tables. For example, on a...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 23, 2020 | Running a Business, Taxes |
I have lots of clients who want their vehicles to be company vehicles, but they only use the vehicles for commuting back and forth to their offices and for other personal uses. So they don’t get to claim a business vehicle. They can get reimbursed for their business...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 22, 2020 | Economy |
There has been and continues to be a huge push for Blockchain data to be widely accepted. Blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way from the inception of the currency. ...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 21, 2020 | Running a Business |
“Failure is not to be feared. It is from failure that most growth comes.” Failure is usually the greatest fear of most entrepreneurs. That fear is exponentially increased especially if you are just starting your business and have a family to feed. Fear can be...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 15, 2020 | Investing, Retirement, Running a Business |
Yes, there are options for retirement plans for small owners and their employees. I have a SIMPLE set up in my office. But there are a number of options for small businesses to assist workers save for retirement: SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, payroll deduction IRAs, profit...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 14, 2020 | Corporate Entities, Rant, Running a Business |
The streaming service wars are showing how well run some of the parent companies are run. Looking at two of the newest services from a couple of the largest companies is a telling sign. Looking at Disney and ATT. Disney Plus shows that Disney’s parent is well run and...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 9, 2020 | Investing |
When deciding to begin investing in stocks or bonds, part of the equation of whether to do so or not to invest is the “return on investment” or ROI. In the days of yore, this was a much simpler calculation and it was easier to determine which stocks to invest in and...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 8, 2020 | Banking, Running a Business, Taxes |
I am going to harp on this on final time. PPP Forgiveness of the loan will be deemed tax-free. However, to business owners who take the loan will not be able to write off expenses that would otherwise be deductible if they use those PPP funds to cover the cost and...
by Leif Jensen | Sep 1, 2020 | Economy |
The Wall Street journal recently have had a few articles on American’s race to arm themselves. The first article quoted FBI gun-sale figures. They show that in July the bureau carried out 3.6 million background checks, the third highest month on record. Adjusting the...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 30, 2020 | Rant, Retirement, Taxes |
You have worked long and hard. You also planned and saved and sacrificed to make this happen and now want to enjoy your later years in peace and quiet, with comfort. Did you expect that in retirement taxes can be your largest expense? Probably not. All of those...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 25, 2020 | Taxes |
Some data to explain why the IRS would like oversight of unenrolled preparers. Those who are not CPAs, attorneys, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, etc. They prepared 53% of all 2018 Form 1040s. That figure increases to 76% when you count only 1040s with Schedule...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 24, 2020 | General |
We alone are no longer number one. To stay number one, we need to recruit from other countries and our policies are now making this more difficult, if not impossible. We are not growing all that we need internally. In the competition for global talent the U.S. has...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 19, 2020 | Estate Planning |
Lately there seem to be a number of articles, at least were I am reading; with children having difficulties with family heirlooms or inheritance since their parent passed away and their new spouse is laying claim to all property by rule of law. I lived a bit of this...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 18, 2020 | General |
I was just reading that lockdowns may have to be put back on the table for those states that reopened too fast and have epic levels of new coronavirus. There is even concerns that Illinois’s numbers are going in the wrong direction as well. Just not as fast, but we...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 17, 2020 | Running a Business |
Over the years I have worked with five published authors. Only one tied to live off their writings, but they were not doing so successfully when I stopped working with them. But they actually did made the bestseller list on the week the books come out, only to drop...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 12, 2020 | Running a Business |
Restaurants have had an extraordinarily difficult time with this pandemic. First having to shut down completely, then being able to have their product delivered or picked up only. Then being allowed to only have outdoor eating, then allowing at most if possible 20% of...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 11, 2020 | Investing |
Johnny Appleseed, there is the myth and legend, but then there is the man. We all know bits and pieces of the legend. Most of us know little about the man, fewer still know the man beyond some sparse general details. I was reading a book that briefly mentioned the...
