Celebrities can provide a big boost to the not-for-profits they publicly support. They can also harm them by association. Accusations connected with the #MeToo movement and other scandals have brought down many stars and caused major headaches for some nonprofits. Don’t wait for a PR crisis. Include a “morals clause” in contracts with spokespeople, make
Ellenbogen
Apr 16, 2019
Nonprofits: You too could fall victim to a celebrity scandal
- By Ellenbogen
- Non-Profit
- 0 Comments
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Apr 11, 2019
Properly funding your revocable trust is the key to unlocking its benefits
- By Ellenbogen
- Estate, Trusts
- 0 Comments
If your estate plan includes a revocable trust (also known as a “living” trust), it’s critical to ensure that the trust is properly funded. Revocable trusts offer significant benefits, including probate avoidance. But these benefits aren’t available if you don’t fund the trust. Funding a living trust is a simple matter of transferring ownership of
Apr 10, 2019
Prevent hackers from wiping out your employees’ 401(k) accounts
- By Ellenbogen
- Business, Fraud
- 0 Comments
News of commercial database hackings may seem commonplace in 2019. But while many of these stories focus on hacked bank and credit card accounts, 401(k) plan sponsors and participants probably don’t realize that their plan assets also are at risk. Employers who offer 401(k) plans to their employees need to take precautions against identity theft.
Apr 9, 2019
Fraud fact: Crooks prefer cash
- By Ellenbogen
- Fraud
- 0 Comments
It should come as no surprise that cash (including checks that are easily cashed) is the most popular target of fraud perpetrators. Once stolen, cash is virtually untraceable. But fraud experts have tools to unearth these schemes, particularly fraudulent disbursements. To confirm overbilling, experts might investigate accounts with no tangible deliverables and examine returned checks
Apr 4, 2019
Make a deductible IRA contribution for 2018 – It’s not too late!
- By Ellenbogen
- Deductions, Retirement, Trusts
- 0 Comments
Do you want to save more for retirement on a tax-favored basis? If so, and if you qualify, you can make a deductible traditional IRA contribution for the 2018 tax year between now and the tax filing deadline and claim the write-off on your 2018 return. Or you can contribute to a Roth IRA and
Apr 4, 2019
Could your business benefit from the tax credit for family and medical leave?
- By Ellenbogen
- Business
- 0 Comments
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a federal tax credit for employers that provide qualified paid family and medical leave to employees. However, it’s subject to numerous rules and is only available for the 2018 and 2019 tax years. An eligible employer can claim a credit equal to 12.5% of wages paid to qualifying
Apr 3, 2019
Still working after age 70½? You may not have to begin 401(k) withdrawals
- By Ellenbogen
- Financial Planning, Retirement, Taxes
- 0 Comments
If you participate in a qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k), you must generally begin taking required withdrawals from the plan no later than April 1 of the year after which you turn age 70½. However, there’s an exception that applies to certain plan participants who are still working for the entire year in
Mar 26, 2019
Stretch your college student’s spending money with the dependent tax credit
- By Ellenbogen
- Education, Taxes
- 0 Comments
If you’re the parent of a child age 17 to 23, and you pay all (or most) of his or her expenses, you may be surprised to learn you’re not eligible for the child tax credit. But there’s a $500 dependent tax credit that may be available to you. That can provide some extra spending
Mar 21, 2019
How fraud can scuttle the purchase of your dream home
- By Ellenbogen
- Fraud
- 0 Comments
Buying a home is stressful enough without having to worry about hackers. But homebuyers should be on the lookout for home closing wire fraud. In these schemes, thieves hijack the email accounts of real estate agents, title companies, attorneys or lenders, and then email homebuyers instructing them to wire funds. To avoid becoming victims, buyers
Mar 19, 2019
