AHP Articles

Created: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Forming a cross-functional sales team

Business owners are often warned about silos. Not the tall, cylindrical structures typically seen on farms or at grain processing facilities. Rather, the insular nature of many departments that results in the hoarding of information and a distinct lack of companywide communication.
Created: Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Protect the “ordinary and necessary” advertising expenses of your business

Under tax law, businesses can generally deduct advertising and marketing expenses that help keep existing customers and bring in new ones. This valuable tax deduction can help businesses cut their taxes.
Created: Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Supreme Court: Overtime rules still apply to highly compensated employees

If you were told someone earns more than $200,000 annually, you might assume the person is a salaried employee who’s ineligible for overtime pay. However, as demonstrated in the recent U.S. Supreme Court case of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt, this isn’t always a safe assumption.
Created: Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Awarded money in a lawsuit or settlement? It’s only tax-free in certain circumstances

You generally must pay federal tax on all income you receive but there are some exceptions when you can exclude it. For example, compensatory awards and judgments for “personal physical injuries or physical sickness” are free from federal income tax under the tax code. This includes amounts received in a lawsuit or a settlement and in a lump sum or in installments.
Created: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Influencer marketing could help your business (or not)

Most companies today have some sort of presence on social media as part of their marketing efforts. If you’ve spent any time online as a business owner, you’d probably agree that building a following and getting meaningful reactions to your posts isn’t easy.
Created: Tuesday, February 21, 2023

There still may be time to make an IRA contribution for last year

If you’re getting ready to file your 2022 tax return, and your tax bill is higher than you’d like, there may still be an opportunity to lower it. If you’re eligible, you can make a deductible contribution to a traditional IRA right up until this year’s April 18 filing deadline and benefit from the tax savings on your 2022 return.
Created: Wednesday, February 15, 2023

How might the Internet of Things affect your business?

Once upon a time, there was the Internet. Relatively speaking, it was easy to understand. The Internet was (and is) a network on which any computer on the planet can communicate with other like-connected computers, enabling users to correspond and share files.
Created: Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Child tax credit: The rules keep changing but it’s still valuable

If you’re a parent, you may be confused about the rules for claiming the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The rules and credit amounts have changed significantly over the last six years. This tax break became more generous in 2018 than it was under prior law — and it became even better in 2021 for eligible parents. Even though the enhancements that were available for 2021 have expired, the CTC is still valuable for parents. Here are the current rules.
Created: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Sailing a steady ship in today’s interesting economy

Business owners: If you’re having trouble reading the U.S. economy, you’re not alone. On the one hand, the January 2023 jobs report revealed that the unemployment rate had fallen to 3.4%, its lowest level in 54 years. And inflation, while still a concern, has moderated in most sectors — staving off fears of a recession in the immediate future.
Created: Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Have employees who receive tips? Here are the tax implications

Many businesses in certain industries employ individuals who receive tips as part of their compensation. These businesses include restaurants, hotels and salons.