Category: Small Business

[December 2020 update in new COVID Relief Bill] With passage of the latest stimulus bill, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been extended until mid-2021 and provides $284 billion in new funding to this program that is supposed to help small business' adversely impacted by COVID and allow them to…

[Updated with latest IRS limits] A year or so after starting my small business and completing my first annual tax return that showed a slight profit, my accountant advised that I start looking into a retirement account/plan for my business in order to lower my overall tax bill and also…

[Updated] Will i still have to pay health insurance penalties (under the Obamacare individual mandate)? This is the question a lot of Americans are asking. The short answer is NO from 2019.  Here is why the individual mandate, a.k.a Obamacare penalty, is no longer in effect from 2019: While Congressional Republicans…

If you own a small business you know that with all of the rewards that come with being an entrepreneur there are also financial and legal risks that act as a daily overhang on your business. If one of your employees is injured on the job, the medical costs could…

With the economy and unemployment the way it is today, many folks are thinking about starting or growing their own small business. But this requires money to pay for things like employee’s salaries (you may be the only employee), offices, supplies, marketing and more. Entrepreneurs typically get their money from…

[2013 Small Business Tax Breaks Extensions] Congress and the Obama administration have reached an agreement that will extend a number of small business tax breaks through 2013 following the fiscal cliff deal which was legislated through the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. This includes: R&D credit extended: The Research and Development (R&D) tax credit was extended for another…

[Update - No New Taxes with Tax Extensions Approved] President Obama has now signed into law a bill that covers a temporary extension of all the bush-era tax cuts. The new bill also contains extensions to some of the 2008 stimulus tax breaks, and even has some new tax cuts. With…

I spend every day writing on the subject of personal finance. So it's rare that I get to discuss straight-up business tips. But because of the growth of this once little known blog, I'm now running my own legitimate small business. Below I present some tips I've picked up along…

[Update Jan 2013] Congress and the Obama administration have reached an agreement that will extend a number of small business tax breaks through 2013 following the fiscal cliff deal which was legislated through the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. You can see details of the extended tax breaks in this article. [Update Sep-Oct 2010] Obama's Small Jobs…

[Update] Under the recently enacted $2 trillion Coronavirus stimulus bill (CARE) additional financial help has been provided to small business in the form of expanded loan assistance programs by expanding the SBA section 7(A) act to guarantee loans up to $10 million. There are also provisions under the Paycheck Protection…

After about one year of incorporation of my solopreneur business, I have managed to build a decent amount of savings that was earning exactly 0.01% in my checking account. While I like the features of the checking account, it was not making my business savings work for me. So after…

[Updated with New IRS provisions] The IRS has released more details on tax-saving opportunities included in recently enacted HIRE act federal legislation (see details in previous update below). A variety of business tax deductions and credits were created, extended and expanded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009…

[Updated] The IRS has released final guidance for small employers eligible to claim the new small business health care tax credit for the 2010 tax year.  The IRS have also provide a one-page form and instructions  for small employers to use for claiming the credit for the 2010 tax year. New…