Columnists

The most common challenge I run into while working with small- to medium-sized businesses is often cash flow. As a small business owner myself, I understand the struggle of reducing expenses while maximizing profits – but the more important question is, what can we afford to cut? Surprisingly, technology is one of the first to go in these decisions. While there are several reasons a business does not prioritize technology, here are our top five most common (and dangerous) misconceptions we often … [Read more...] about Technology: Friend or Foe?

Many years ago, I agreed to let my mother fix me up on date. In other words, I succumbed to the relentless guilt-laden pressure only a mother can impose, to go out with the “nice” young, single guy she’d met the last time she’d dropped in at my dad’s office. After meeting him, I did have to admit, he surely was agreeable. But, his high marks on the niceness scale had a lot to do with a conversational repertoire composed entirely of platitudes and clichés. He was “taking the tiger by the tail” at … [Read more...] about Winning Platitudes

Airline performance in the United States in 2013 was the highest since 1991, according to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Wichita State University researchers who are presenting the 24th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR). Of the 15 carriers rated for performance in both 2012 and 2013, eight airlines improved, six airlines declined and one is new to the rankings. The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) is a joint research project funded as part of faculty research activities at … [Read more...] about Airline’s Performing

One of the common questions in our office is how to pay one’s tax bill. There are several possible answers, but before we can answer, we have to gather some key information. One of the most important questions a tax professional must ask is: how much do you owe? Generally, if a taxpayer owes less than $10,000 and cannot pay in full, the easiest solution is to set up a payment plan with the Internal Revenue Service. Typically, the interest rate in this situation is lower than paying with a … [Read more...] about Settling Tax Bills

If you witnessed one of your neighbors or a complete stranger raiding your lush, carefully tended vegetable garden, or plugging a long extension cord into an exterior electrical outlet on your front porch and stringing it to a device that draws a lot of electricity, you'd probably balk at such brash behavior and put an immediate stop to it. Just because wireless Internet is an invisible commodity doesn't mean it's valueless, or that "borrowing" it can't result in serious damage to your computer, … [Read more...] about Security Simplified