Budgets, like diets, are short lived for most of us. You do a proper job of planning by looking over the past and determining where you need to make changes to meet your goals. And, you live by your plan for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. But, then all the detail of [...]

What will happen to your business if you die, retire, or become disabled? If you are the owner of a small business, you need a means for the transfer of that business in the event something happens to you. With a "buy-sell" agreement, you are able to plan for many contingencies over which you would [...]

Many small start-up businesses are off and running before any record system has been set up. There is money deposited into the new business checking account, some from invested funds and some from sales. Money has been paid out for equipment and supplies, some by check and some by cash out of pocket or from [...]

Many small business owners pay too little attention to their financial statements. This is due in part to not understanding just what the statements have to offer. In fact, many may not be able to tell you the difference between a Balance Sheet and an Income Statement. Think of them this way. The Balance Sheet [...]

The average business loses 5% of its annual revenues to occupational fraud, according to estimates by participants in an Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) survey. But for the construction industry, losses pertaining to jobsites, plant sites and job management are more common than accounting and financial fraud.  And while you may think you’re losing [...]

In our busy lives, it's sometimes tough to corral our financial records. Bills, paycheck stubs, tax returns, and bank statements can disappear into dusty attic corners and bulging desk drawers. Important insurance policies can hide out beneath bins of holiday ornaments and electrical supplies. Mortgage documents can sneak into old books or ensconce themselves in [...]

Question: My business has not been growing but it seems as though I add more people and equipment without increasing my net profit. What am I doing wrong? Answer: Let's see what happens in a typical company as the business grows. Suppose that a company is netting $50,000 on total sales of $1,000,000 (a 5% [...]

    Keeping your company profitable when the economy slows down is a challenge for every business. You may be able to boost your bottom line with the following financial controls.   Watch your customer credit. Use an accounts receivable aging report to flag past due accounts. Follow up with a customer immediately when you [...]

Every week reporters publish stories about companies that have lost thousands, even millions of dollars because of fraud. They recount the dreadful details of business owners who learned – too late – that a lack of basic controls left their companies vulnerable to pilferage, embezzlement, and other types of misappropriation. How do these lessons apply [...]

Unless the owner handles all aspects of computing and paying payroll, there is room for fraud in every small business. The fact that your company has only a few employees does not guarantee that you will be safe. Perhaps one of the easiest payroll fraud techniques is the overpayment of withholding or payroll taxes. Your [...]