The Power of Cultivating Gratitude: Tips on How to be Thankful
It costs nothing to say thank you. Yet cultivating gratitude in your life may be one of the most rewarding moves you can make. Not only does it invoke warm fuzzies in everyone involved, expressing your appreciation may actually improve your health and well-being. A landmark study by gratitude researcher Robert A. Emmons has shown…
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Select the Right Health Insurance for Your Business
If you have employees, you know how important health insurance is for your benefits package. It also takes a big bite out of your budget. Selecting the right insurance for your company is extremely important for employee retention and maintaining your bottom line. Here are tips to help you find the best health insurance for…
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The IRS is Not Always Right
A letter in the mailbox with the IRS as the return address is sure to raise your blood pressure. Here are some tips for handling the situation if this happens to you: Stay calm. Try not to overreact to the correspondence. This is easier said than done, but remember the IRS sends out millions of…
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Smart Tactics to Manage Student Debt
According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. student loan debt is now $1.5 trillion with more than 44 million borrowers. Only mortgage debt currently has bigger numbers among types of consumer debt. Even worse, more than 10 percent of these loans are past due. Here are some tactics to help make student debt easier to manage:…
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Never Take on the IRS Alone
Sleuthing your way through a tax audit by yourself is not the same as fixing a leaky faucet or changing your oil. Here are reasons you should seek professional help as soon as you receive a letter from the IRS: IRS auditors do this for a living — you don’t. Seasoned IRS agents have seen your…
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Payroll Fraud Schemes Every Business Should Know
According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, nearly 30 percent of businesses are victims of payroll malfeasance, with small businesses twice as likely to be affected than large businesses. Here are four scary payroll fraud schemes you need to know: Ghost employees. A ghost employee does not exist anywhere except in your payroll system. Typically,…
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Get Your Life Back! Ideas to Unplug
With endless movies, TV shows and video games available to us 24/7, it’s become too easy to spend all our free time on electronic devices. If you and your family are looking for ways to unplug this summer, consider these ideas: Turn off notifications. Hey! Guess what? Bill just posted a photo of his dinner! And…
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5 Summer Tax Savings Opportunities
Ah, summer. The weather is warm, kids are out of school, and it’s time to think about tax saving opportunities! Here are five ways you can enjoy your normal summertime activities and save on taxes: Rent out your property tax-free. If you have a cabin, condo, or similar property, consider renting it out for two weeks….
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4 Key Elements of Great Business Books
Your bookkeeping system is the financial heart and lifeblood of your business. When set up and operating properly, your books help you make smart decisions and seamlessly turn your financial data into useful information. Here are four key characteristics to build and maintain a healthy bookkeeping system: Select the proper accounting method There are two…
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7 Sneaky Vacation Costs to Watch
Going on vacation is a time to get away, relax and enjoy new experiences. But if you don’t pay close attention, extra costs can sneak up on you like tiny money-stealing ninjas. Here are seven sneaky vacation costs to watch out for: Covert airfare increases. Airline pricing algorithms are programmed to store your browsing history to…
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