How can I check my credit reports?

The 3 Credit Bureaus Matter a Lot to You — Here’s Why

How can I get my tax returns prepared on time?

Here's What Happens If You File Taxes Late Or Pay Your Taxes Late

Filing taxes late is worse.

It

Now, a lot of people can write off the occasional item here or there. But as a freelancer, you can claim almost anything you use for business as a deduction. Business meals with clients, travel to attend a conference, software, your vehicle: if you’ve used it in your business, there’s a good chance you can write off at least part of the expens

You’ll have a large tax liability when you file your taxes

Filing Quarterly Taxes

Quarterly taxes are not all bad if you plan for them. Mark your calendars, manage your documents, budget accordingly and send your payments in on time. Create consistent habits, especially as they relate to your tax responsibilities, to keep your business financially savvy throughout the year

Small Business Loan Approvals at Banks Hit Record Highs

Guest article by Carlos Sanchez. Carlos is a BlueVine account executive. When he’s not advising business owners on their cash flow needs, he enjoys playing and watching soccer and spending time with friends and family.

Ultimately, the most successful way to sustainably increase profit margins is a mixed approach that incorporates various tactics

These are some reasons you should track your profit margins:

Businesses need to make money to keep afloat. Tracking and monitoring your profit margins is important, because it indicates the health of your business, and if your company can grow.

What it is:

Profit margins often come into play when a company seeks funding. Individual businesses, like a local retail store, may need to provide it for seeking (or restructuring) loan from banks and other lenders. It also becomes important while taking out a loan against business as collateral.

IRS audits of small business

3 Tax Strategies to Save Your Business Money

Tax Avoidance Is Legal; Tax Evasion Is Criminal

Can a Small Business Get a Tax Refund?

The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index showed a decrease in small businesses' confidence from 129 last quarter to 106 now, although the numbers remain positive. The National Federation of Independent Businesses' Small Business Optimism Index remains at high levels, way above its Great Recession levels, but has declined from 108 to 101 (100 being positive)

Recession

What Causes Recessions?

A handful of signs, including flickers of weakness in some major sectors (auto manufacturing, agriculture and home building), stock market jitters, global economic slowing, and the fear of a worsening trade war with other countries, have stoked fears of what’s to come

Warning Signals

Six Recession Indicators

The first sign of an impending recession occurs in one of the leading economic indicators such as manufacturing jobs. Manufacturers receive large orders months in advance. That's measured by the durable goods order report. If that declines over time, so will factory jobs. When manufacturers stop hiring, it means other sectors of the economy will slow.  A fall-off in consumer demand is normally the culprit behind slowing growth. As sales drop off, businesses stop expanding. Soon afterward they stop hiring new workers. By this time, the recession is usually underway. A recession is when the economy contracts for at least two consecutive quarters. There's a drop in the following five economic indicators: real GDP, income, employment, manufacturing, and retail sales. 

Paying employeesWhen you pay an employee, here are a few things you have to cover:Federal employer payroll taxes. These taxes amount to 7.65 percent of the employee’s wages and go towards covering a portion of their Social Security and Medicare.FUTA taxes, which is 6 percent of each employee’s first $7,000 in wages.State unemployment insurance (SUI), if required by your state.Any state and local taxes.Other costs associated with hiring employees are:Benefits packagesOvertime payWorker’s compensation insuranceWhoa! That’s a lot of money to pay on top of employee wages. Is there another way? Well, yes: contractors.

On the other hand, employees come with a boat-load of laws and regulations attached to them. Both the federal government and your state regulate the payment of wages or salaries, overtime, and other work rules. You must also comply with payroll tax requirements, including paying half of the FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) for each employee and collecting the other half from the employee. Other responsibilities include payment of unemployment insurance and worker's compensation insurance.

In the early stages of a business, many founders prefer to engage independent contractors or consultants to perform services. It allows the company to avoid implementing costly payroll processes and employee benefits and the company saves significant dollars that would otherwise have to be paid on employee-related federal and state taxes.

should state that the independent contractor, not the employer, is responsible for withholding any necessary taxes. In addition, have the independent contractor submit invoices. Also, be sure you file Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income) at year-end. By law, you're required to file and give someone Form 1099 if you pay that person more than $600 a year. The form must be given to the independent contractor by January 31 of the following year. Form 1099 with its transmittal Form 1096 must be filed with the IRS by February 28 of the following year

As with most decisions, there’s no choice that’s always right when it comes to contractors versus employees. You have to consider many questions. Are you looking for a specialized worker or someone with a more general skill set? How will your needs be different a year from now? What does your cost structure look like? Only by asking these questions and considering all the various factors can you make the right choice for you.

As an employer, you may have noticed that full-time employees provide a level of stability and engagement that can be hard to get from someone who is not a totally committed part of your company. You get what you pay for, and cutting costs by hiring contract workers can sometimes lead to less productivity.

Difference Between an Independent Contractor and an Employee

The Stunning Success Of Latino-Owned Businesses Spurs Entrepreneurship

Pros of Minority Small Business Grants

Small Business Grant Definition

A gift card program is an opportunity through which customers can buy gift cards – cards that carry a small balance to be used in your business, usually at a later date. Similar in size and appearance to a credit card or debit card, gift cards are made of PVC plastic and can be loaded using a POS system with gift card capabilities.

Early promos

How will you promote the discount?

Student discounts – charity or good business?

A business that offers discounts to certain groups of people

The time is now

Brands that don’t offer a student discount are missing out on a huge market and the potential to instill loyalty in a hard-to-reach audience. But it’s never too late. Jump on the opportunity now and offer a student discount — a student discount is a powerful tool that mutually benefits students and brands.

3. Student discount is a great way for brands to gain market share

Student discount is the key to brand loyalty

Restaurant Startup Loans: What You Need to Know

Hotel Financing: How to Fund Your Hospitality Business

The SBA CDC/504 loan program offers SBA hotel financing for:

Construction business financing using alternative lenders is the fastest and most efficient way to get the capital you need to start a new project.

How We Determined the Best Business Loans for Contractors

But look hard enough at any shiny object and likely, cracks will start to become visible. In Copenhagen, the fractures stem from developmental and environmental pressures similar to those faced by far less superlative cities. Right now, for example, Copenhagen is considering a new harbor tunnel that, if built, could end up flooding the city center with cars. Growth in housing demand is galloping ahead of home building, causing higher-than-ever housing costs. Some key housing schemes built so far have made some missteps and predominantly targeted the already well-served rich. A member of the extreme right Danish People’s Party is now overseeing the city’s culture department, while bearded, bike-riding Lord Mayor Frank Jensen’s greatest legacy looks like it might actually be the approval of 4,000 parking spaces downtown. Meanwhile, some eye-catching city proposals — such as a plan to create an international metro system between Copenhagen and Malmo (which are already connected by very frequent, through-routed trains) — turn out on closer inspection to be mainly aimed at gaining headlines.

The Asset Sale

Mistake 5: Selling to the Wrong Person

Step 4: Spot Real (and Suspicious) Buyers

6. Pre-qualify your buyers.

Businesses

Here we explain a few of them, but you should see a tax expert for a complete explanation of the pros and cons of corporate taxation as it applies to your situation. This is a very complicated area, and for some companies -- especially those that may experience losses, are involved in investing, or may soon be sold -- corporate taxation can be a real disadvantage

Filing Deadline

Form 1120 must be filed by the 15th day of the 3rd month after the end of your corporation's tax year. If your corporation has a December 31 tax year-end, you would need to file this tax report by March 31 of the following year. If that due date is a weekend or holiday, the return is due the next business day. This article on tax due dates for the current year gives you the specific due dates for filing corporate income tax returns and the filing date for extended returns. dd

Pay Estimated Taxes

Corporations are taxed differently than other business structures:

Consider Forming an LLC for Your Home Business

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