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Managed correctly, workplace conflict can be a positive source of innovation and creativity. Here are five myths about workplace conflict (plus tips on how to harness its power): 1. Conflict is always negative and should be avoided at work. Quite the contrary. When problems are hidden or masked, they aren’t... Read more

Office mindfulness is an increasingly popular notion, with companies such as Apple, Yahoo, Starbucks, and Google using it to their benefit. Google, for example, offers employees a 19-hour course on office mindfulness , which is so popular that thousands of Googlers take it each year. So what exactly is mindfulness? Mindfulness... Read more

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 is a long-awaited legislation which offers a slate of personal and business tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2014. Here’s a quick summary of how the resurrected breaks can affect your 2015 federal income tax return (Form 1040).... Read more

From tax credits and educational expenses to the AMT, many of the tax provisions affecting individuals for 2015 were related to the signing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in 2012… …tax provisions that were modified, made permanent, or extended. With that in mind, here’s what individuals and families... Read more

Great managers are made by how well they motivate their team members. Here are five proven ways for motivating people on your staff. 1. They take responsibility for the store’s success and failure. Exceptional managers always have a “the buck starts and stops here” mentality. They never blame weather, competitors,... Read more

It might be time to stop cutting costs and start focusing on growth strategies again. The law of diminishing returns tells us that cutting costs with your business will have a positive effect, but there comes a point where the return on investment starts to diminish. Is your company too... Read more

Accountability is truly essential for any successful organization. When team members take ownership of their projects and accept responsibility for outcomes, the entire company benefits. In order to foster a culture of accountability, leaders must step up to the plate. Accountable leaders don’t necessarily have to come from the very top.... Read more

Just as important as goal-setting is developing a way to track your progress. Having barometer, so to speak, will show you how you are progressing — and how close you are to reaching your goals. Seeing your progress will also help keep you focused and motivated. In short, having a business barometer will keep... Read more

With the end of the year approaching, it’s time for strategic moves to lower your 2015 tax bill. Strategy: Prepay deductible expenditures If you itemize deductions, accelerating some deductible expenditures into this year to produce higher 2015 write-offs makes sense — if you expect to be in the same or... Read more

Choosing a return preparer before the next tax season allows you more time to consider the appropriate options. Doing it early also gives you the chance to find and talk with prospective tax preparers rather than during tax season when they’re most busy. Furthermore, it enables taxpayers to do some... Read more

Income tax is often withheld from wages and other types of income such as pensions, bonuses, commissions and gambling winnings. Ideally, taxpayers should try to match their withholding with their actual tax liability. If not enough tax is withheld, they will owe tax at the end of the year and... Read more

Research shows that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions, while only 8% are successful at achieving them. What is it about those 8% that make them so different? It might sound simple, but it comes down to their habits. Here are 11 you simply must have if you... Read more

Got your year-end tax planning underway for December 31, 2015? WE UNDERSTAND that year-end can be a drudge because it means making sure your business accounts are up to date and in order. But don’t leave it until the last minute. No decision, or rushed decisions, can lead to the... Read more

Tax planning for the year ahead presents similar challenges to last year due to the unknown fate of the numerous tax extenders that expired at the end of 2014. These tax extenders, which include the mortgage insurance premium deduction and the sales tax deduction that allows taxpayers to deduct state... Read more

Is Your Accountant Proactive or Reactive? Does your Accounting and Tax Firm offer you advice before it happens or late or not at all? Do they offer value added services that help your business improve and grow or do they just process your work? Are they constantly looking for legitimate... Read more

Since its inception, the United States has always been considered “the land of opportunity” – a place where any individual with motivation and drive can have a successful small business. This notion still holds true today as 99 percent of all American companies are small businesses, according to Small Business... Read more

Taking your business from the start-up phase to becoming a medium-sized enterprise is a pivotal step for many entrepreneurs. If you are at this stage, congratulations! You have succeeded where many others have failed, and you are potentially on your way to becoming a very successful company. That said, there... Read more

With the right infrastructure, small businesses can not only survive, but thrive by giving employees parental leaves. For example, Becca Apfelstadt has a $3 million, 20-person company, treetree, that works with large corporate marketing departments. Her company expanded 10-fold after her first maternity leave three years ago. She credits the... Read more

Generally, debt that is forgiven by a lender is considered taxable income by the IRS and must be included as income on your tax return. Examples include a debt for which you are personally liable such as mortgage debt, credit card debt, and sometimes, student loan debt. When that debt... Read more

Knowing how to effectively give positive feedback is a powerful tool to develop employee skills and talent. However, many leaders on the front lines, middle management, and upper tiers of organizations often overlook positive feedback and reinforcement, or are unsure or uncomfortable about giving it. Why Positive Feedback Is Important... Read more

Finding good staff members is consistently in the top three priorities for small business owners. It seems that business owners will tell you that this problem is worse in their country than any other.  Clearly that can’t be true, but it gives an indication of how serious the problem is.... Read more

Do your co-workers ever feel upset or angry in the workplace? Let’s look at the kind of feelings that can impact your work negatively and what kind of mental exercises can help you work around those feelings to keep your positive thinking alive. Recognize those bad feelings      ... Read more

Nothing mirrors your quality of life more than your thinking. By deciding to take a positive outlook on life, one can begin to discard a negative frame of mind and view life more positively, with the anticipation of opportunities and challenges ahead, instead of dwelling on barriers in life. Positive... Read more

Many business owners have the mistaken idea that retiring from their business will be a pretty simple process… …they’ll just find a buyer when they’re ready to retire and live off the proceeds of the sale for the rest of their lives. In an ideal world, this would be true.... Read more