Buy a house, put in a few improvements, and then sell it for a much higher price. Do it again and again. It sounds so simple, but here are a few pointers to keep in mind if you want to succeed with house flipping: Experience: If your experience in real estate is performing repairs on […]
New Jersey Tax
5 Financial Truths
There is a lot of information out there about finances, and it’s hard to figure out what is exactly true or not true. Always seek the truth, especially from someone that is not trying to sell you something. Here are some examples: College: We are led to believe that all of our children must go […]
A Few Tax Scams to Be Aware Of
The IRS posts a list of tax scams each year that you should be aware of: Phishing: This is when fake emails are sent claiming to be from the IRS, however, the IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers via email about a bill or tax refund. You’ll see more of these during tax season. Phone […]
IRS and NJ Taxation Highlights
Yesterday I attended a continuing professional education seminar with speakers from both the IRS and the State of New Jersey. Here are some highlights after all of the recent Federal changes and also many New Jersey changes that most people are not aware of: Your paycheck may be under withheld: After the new Federal […]
Don’t Be Embarrassed if You Have Financial or Tax Problems
There is a stigma attached to having financial and tax problems, but it doesn’t have to be that way or it may make the problems worse. Sometimes these problems develop as you become more successful, which easily happens with both celebrities and business owners. Other times they develop due to a quick downturn in business, […]
Don’t Make These Easily Avoided Financial Mistakes
We are all not perfect and everyone makes mistakes. However, the key is to avoid these financial mistakes as much as possible: Penny wise and dollar dumb: The actual expression is penny wise and pound foolish, but I still remember a partner from my first job saying this to a client (maybe it’s the American […]
Increase Sales or Cut Expenses?
What should be the focus? Should we increase our sales or cut our expenses? All of the marketing and self-development gurus tend to focus on increasing our sales, but other financial experts want us to focus on cutting costs and debts. Who is right and what should we do? Let’s look at the pros and […]
Another Misleading Ad
This is one that I have not seen before, but it came to my office recently. The letter stated the following: 2018 – ANNUAL REPORT INSTRUCTION FORM The rest of the form is very official looking and has the appearance that it is coming from the State of New Jersey, which is similar to the […]
Do You Have Too Many Financial Accounts?
How many financial accounts should you have both personally and for your business? These days it is so easy to open up accounts, but if there is no strategy for having a lot of accounts, then it can create unnecessary chaos and even increase your accounting and tax preparation costs. Let’s look at the pros […]
Deadline Approaching: Should You Make a Retirement Plan Contribution?
The due date for your tax return is fast approaching and so is the deadline to make a contribution to your IRA or a SEP-IRA if you own a business. Should you make the contribution, save the cash, or pay off some debt? Reasons to Make the Contribution: Let’s assume that you have the extra […]