Working with Gen Y, the Millennials
Tips for Working with Gen Y, the Millennials With each new graduating class, more and more millennials are entering the workforce. Although Gen Y, a.k.a. “millennials,” born between the early 1980s and 2000, are often viewed as lazy or entitled this new generation can be a great asset to your business. Read on to learn how to make working with Gen Y employees a strength for your business. Gen Y Strengths – Tech savvy, especially with social media- Strong multi-taskers – Hold high expectations of themselves and employers- Prefer to collaborate and work in teams- Seek...
Read More10 Ways to Save You Money: Tax Season
Easy ways you could be saving money on your tax bill and around town this tax season. 1. Commuter Benefit: Employees can use pre-tax dollars from their paychecks to pay for certain commuting expenses including mass-transit passes and parking. Maximums are set at $250/month for parking and $130/month for mass-transit, assuming a 40% tax rate, setting aside the maximums could save you over $1800 annually. 2. Homeowners Insurance: You could possibly save 25% annually on premiums when you raise your deductible to $100 from $500 3. Time Car Buying Right: You can save $500-$2000 off the sticker...
Read MoreA Pet Trust: Estate Planning for Fido and Fluffy
A Pet Trust: Estate Planning for Fido and Fluffy Gary’s dog Rusty (1998-2011) Sixty-eight percent of US households own a pet. Many pet owners consider their pets as part of their family. If you love Fido and Fluffy like family, read on to see how you can make sure they are taken care of, even if you’re not around. The Pet Trust California is one of 46 states that allow for a Pet Trust as part of an Estate Plan. While many people do mention their furry friends as property in a Trust and even leave money to a caretaker for the continued care of the pet, there is nothing that...
Read MoreIt Pays to Be a Small Business
It Pays to Be a Small Business Sometimes small business owners feel like they’re left in the shadow of bigger businesses but that’s not always a bad thing. Small businesses are flexible businesses, that flexibility is a competitive advantage. Larger institutions mean larger risk and more complexity so big businesses often struggle to change, even when the market calls for it. Small businesses can adapt and change to meet the current market needs as they arise. Small Businesses also have the advantage when it comes to customer relationships. In our world of online communication...
Read MoreCyber Security Follow Up: I Got Phished
Less than 24 hours after publishing my last post I (almost) became a victim of phishing myself. What interesting timing! Read on to see how they tried to get to me and what classic phishing signs I recognized. I will not post complete phone numbers below but did receive everything in full 10 digit phone numbers. Here’s how I got phished. At 6:45pm this evening I received the following text message: PleaseContact[US-Bank]SecDept@(323)647-25*0 My first thought was “Oh no! Somebody got my credit card information!” My phone had made the phone number, essentially, a clickable...
Read MoreUse It or Lose It: Get These Tax Breaks Before They Expire
Tax Breaks! The Join Commission of Taxation published a list of 55 federal tax provisions that are set to expire this year a.k.a. tax breaks. Here are a few of those that may apply to you as an individual or business taxpayer. State Sales Tax Deduction. Applicable to residents of states without an individual income tax. Tuition and Fees Deduction. This allows up to a $4000 deduction for qualifying postsecondary education expenses. Check with your tax professional for details but this generally is available to couples filing jointly who make under $160,000. Make sure to pay Spring 2014...
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