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Protecting Your Business: Cyber Security

Posted by on Dec 18, 2013 in Cyber Security, Small Business, Tips for Entrepreneurs | Comments Off on Protecting Your Business: Cyber Security

Protecting Your Business Online

Cyber security is something on every business owner’s mind. Protecting your business and client information is a big worry with all the recent big company hacks.
How do I protect my confidential information? How can I make sure my client information is not collected by a hacker? Here are a few tips to help keep your company protected.

1. Charge your phones and tablets at home or in the office. Hackers have created fake USB chargers. They look like real chargers and may be available in public places. These fake chargers steal data when an individual plugs in a smart phone, iPhone or other device.

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Use It or Lose It: Get These Tax Breaks Before They Expire

Posted by on Dec 11, 2013 in San Diego Lawyer, Taxes | Comments Off on Use 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 expenses by the end of 2013 to be sure to get the deduction with this year’s taxes as it may not be available next year if congress passes the Student and Family Tax Simplification Act.

Educator Expense Deduction. K-12 teachers and other classroom workers such as aides and counselors, can deduct up to $250 of unreimbursed materials and supplies expenses.

For more info go to Tax Benefits for Education at IRS.gov

Mortgage-insurance premium deduction. This allows home buyers who had to get mortgage insurance to deduct the premiums along with their mortgage-interest payments, as long as the insurance contract was issued after 2006. 

For more information, see Topic 458 at IRS.gov.

Forgiven mortgage-debt exclusion. Canceled debt is normally taxable as income. Through the end of the year, a special provision excludes up to $2 million of debt forgiveness on a principal home. This can be from a foreclosure and also might apply to forgiveness from restructuring. 

For details, go to IRS Publication 4681.

Section 179 deduction. This allows certain businesses, even those reporting on indiivudal tax returns, to deduct specific costs up front, rather than waiting and spreading out the costs over several years. The $500,000 deduction for 2013 drops to $25,000 in 2014. 

For more information, see IRS Publication 946.

Want to see all of the provisions set to expire this year? Click on the link to see the Join Commission of Taxations complete list of federal tax provisions set to expire. 

Please contact our office with further tax questions or for a referral to a professional tax preparer. Click the link or simply call 858-549-8600 to speak with us today.

 



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Gifts for Clients and Associates: Holidays as a Business Owner Part 2

Posted by on Dec 9, 2013 in Small Business, Success | Comments Off on Gifts for Clients and Associates: Holidays as a Business Owner Part 2

Gifts for Clients and Associates

With an ever increasing number of holiday events, plays, parties, dinners, etc, staying on top of well wishes at the office can easily be put on the back burner.  Business owners, use the quick tips and ideas in our two part Small Business Holiday series to wow your clients and associates this season.
In part one of our series we gave you great tips for your holiday cards. Today, we’ve got some ideas to make gift giving a breeze.
 
 
Part 2: Holiday Gift Ideas for Clients and Business Associates
1. Gift Cards– Its hard to go wrong with a gift card. According to Gift Card Granny, gift cards have been on the top of Christmas wish lists since 2007. Think restaurants, electronic stores, iTunes or even Visa gift cards for maximum flexibility. Visit Granny’s site for a list of the most requested gift cards.
2. Gift Baskets– Stick with edible items. Don’t assume that women want baskets filled with lotions and soaps. Give something your associate can share with their employees and/or family. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the basket and go with arrangements of fruit (Edible Arrangements) or cookies (Cookies by Design)
ediblearrangements.com
3. Chocolates– There are many options to choose from, you can even order boxes online from many chocolatiers. Think Godiva, Lindor, Whitmans (Russell Stover), Ghiradehli, etc. Chocolates from See’s Candies are a GQ Law favorite.
www.sees.com

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Holidays as a Business Owner: Part 1 Holiday Cards

Posted by on Dec 7, 2013 in Small Business, Small Business Tips and Tricks Series, Success | Comments Off on Holidays as a Business Owner: Part 1 Holiday Cards

With an ever increasing number of holiday events, plays, parties, dinners, etc, staying on top of well wishes at the office can easily be put on the back burner.  If you’re a business owner, use the quick tips and ideas in our 2 part Small Business Holiday series to wow your clients and associates this season.
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Part 1: Tips for Proper Christmas Card Etiquette from TinyPrints.com
 1. Be aware of which holidays each recipient celebrates. “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” cards are an easy way to avoid offense.
 
2.  Mail your cards as early as possible. Ideally your cards will arrive in early or mid-December.
 
3.  Use handwriting wherever possible, especially on the outside of envelopes and when signing the inside of the cards. This will show your clients that you care enough to take a few minutes to give them some personalized attention.
 
4. Always include a return address label.
 
5. Don’t send e-cards as a substitute for real cards. A holiday card should be an act of generosity with a personal touch, not a clickable link in an email.
 
6. When sending cards to business associates, keep it professional and send to their office.  Mail cards to the homes of co-workers rather than handing them out in the office.
While a card alone is nice, many professionals like to also send a gift to important clients and business associates. Check back Monday for Part 2 of our Small Business Holiday series where we’ll have tips for gift giving to clients and associates.

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BE PREPARED or you could lose more that you can imagine!

Posted by on Oct 25, 2013 in San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on BE PREPARED or you could lose more that you can imagine!


CEDAR Fires Destroyed our Family Cabin – 

 . . .  was the message that devastated my family 10 years ago today. 

Today is the 10th anniversary of the San Diego County Cedar Fire which tragically burned 280,278 acres and was one of 15 Southern California wildfires during October of 2003.    Unfortunately, the Cedar Fire hit very close to home.  My family and I lost our family cabin in Julian. It took us 13 years to build. It took the fire 30 minutes to destroy! 

As I reflect on the tragedy of the 2003 fires, and the sad loss of our cabin we loved so much, I am reminded of how important it is to prepare for disasters. 

Since that fiery October, we as San Diegans have worked much harder at emergency preparedness.  We have become more aware of how important and helpful it is to prepare BEFORE  disaster strikes.  This week is a good time to evaluate how well you are doing with your emergency preparedness.

One way to evaluate how prepared you are is to go to ReadySanDiego.org  which has a well written preparedness guide including helpful tips on how to prepare for disasters common to the San Diego area.  There is also a link (www.readysandiego.org/alertsandiego) which takes you to the system called Alert San Diego. A system used by emergency response personnel to notify homes and businesses that are at risk during an emergency.  As this system uses the 911 data base, this notification will only be given to landline telephones.  Cell phones and email addresses must be registered on the site in order to get notification.


I urge you to do something today to become more prepared for a disaster.  Go the the readysandiego.org site and register your cell phone and email address in the Alert San Diego System.  If you are still feeling motivated after registering, check out the preparedness guide to see how prepared you are for an emergency.  

Lastly, I urge you to set two or three preparedness goals you might be able to accomplish during the next week. Some day as you are asked once again to evacuate your home, you will thank yourself for the things you did in advance to protect your loved ones and property in the event of an emergency.

Please call me if I can be of any assistance to you or your family. 

Gary Quackenbush

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Success is…..

Posted by on Oct 14, 2013 in Inspiration, Success | Comments Off on Success is…..

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” —  Winston Churchill

It is helpful to remember that persevering and maintaining your enthusiasm during these challenging political and economic times will go a long way in keeping your head above water, and in helping you emerge successfully through the days and weeks ahead.

Gary

www.GQLaw.com

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Dark Chocolate and Chili Peppers

Posted by on May 7, 2013 in Inspiration, San Diego Lawyer, Small Business Tips and Tricks Series, Success, Tips for Entrepreneurs | 0 comments

Drs. Oz & Roizen:

Make Your Good Mood a Habit

Take a few steps to recharge your cheerfulness

 
DARK CHOCOLATE AND CHILI PEPPERS: 
Q: My friend has been eating a dark chocolate bar with chili pepper in it. To me it sounds disgusting, but she says there are health benefits and it lifts her mood. Is this true?
A: Yes, spicy foods and chocolate make your RealAge younger, but you don’t have to eat them together—that’s up to your taste buds.
First let’s start with dark chocolate. Dark chocolate (it must contain at least 70 percent cocoa)—not milk chocolate—contains natural chemicals that help protect your cells from free radicals that cause inflammation and disease. Dark chocolate also contains agents to lower your blood pressure. A half-ounce a day is the recommended “dosage.”
Spicy foods (and chili peppers in particular) activate endorphins, natural painkillers. The result? For some, it’s all watery eyes, a flaming mouth and tingly lips; for others, it’s pure pain relief and happiness. Chili peppers also contain an active ingredient called capsaicin, which can be found in some topical arthritis creams and is beneficial in relieving joint pain in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Our recommendation is that you eat a half-ounce of 70 percent or greater dark chocolate each day and enjoy spicy food if you can handle it.
Now go eat some!

 

 

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Exercise Overrated

Posted by on Nov 15, 2012 in San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on Exercise Overrated

We all MUST stay in shape (or get into shape) physically and fiscally. 

The article linked below analyzes 3 “overrated” exercises to avoid because they do not really work. I was intrigued by the title and read through it. It makes sense to me, I believe it, and I am going to make a better exercise program and follow it.


Please click here to follow the link to “Overrated Exercises”

Fiscally, many of us have the same problem of doing the same thing over and over getting the same crummy results. 

Credit card debt, for example. How many of us pay the minimum payment every hoping that it will just go away – and it doesn’t. 

OR – pay a fixed payment every month but then use the card again and it never goes away.

Perhaps it is time to change the routine. It will take commitment and discipline, but over time as those balances go down, you will be feel better. 

I recommend a book – I get nothing for this recommendation – “Winning With Money – The budget book for people who hate budgets”. I have given the book to many of my radio show listeners to help them budget for the future – and to get out of debt. Some are following its strategy, others need more help and are considering debt relief through bankruptcy protection. 

It is time to get in shape fiscally, isn’t it? 

We cannot act like the government and throw borrowed money all over the place hoping problems will go away – they won’t. 

Let’s make a better fiscal plan and follow it – TODAY!

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Motivational Speaker – Chris Farley on SNL

Posted by on Oct 23, 2012 in San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on Motivational Speaker – Chris Farley on SNL

With the intensity of the Presidential race increasing daily, I thought we needed a good laugh. 

I remember seeing this episode of SNL in 1993 when it aired and I laughed then too. 

Enjoy Chris Farley as Matt Foley, the “Motivational Speaker” 

Click the link below the picture. 

GQ

“Motivational Speaker” – Chris Farley on SNL

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Heart Attack! Get Away From Me!

Posted by on Sep 11, 2012 in San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on Heart Attack! Get Away From Me!




On the Craig Sewing Show on Wednesday, Craig and I talked about ideas on maintaining a healthy heart.

I was saddened by the death of Michael Clarke Duncan due to heart problems. Since I am his age, it makes me pay attention to the cause of his death.

Craig found a list of suggestions to maintain heart health. Some I am not sure about, but bear mentioning. So think about it and do your own research. Do what works best for you – but . . .

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEART! 

Here you go:

1. Ask your dad how your grandparents died—and when.
2. Eat vitamin C-rich foods like citrus fruits.
3. Snack on cherries.
4. Soak up the sun.
5. Spice up your food. When researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied the effects of capsaicinoids—compounds that lend flavor to chili peppers and jalapenos—in hamsters, rodents fed the spicy foods showed lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
6. Shed your spare tire.
7. Keep a water bottle by your desk. 8oz
8. Take a glass-half-full attitude. Be an optimist.
9. Start your morning with grapefruit.
10. Swig cranberry juice. 3 cups daily.
11. Pick whole grains, nuts, and beans
12. Eat a burger—just make sure it’s grass-fed.  loaded with heart-protective vitamin E.
13. Clean house. Just 2.5 per week of chores like mowing the lawn or carrying groceries helps circulation.
14. Schedule a checkup. Even if you’re in your 20s, you could benefit from a cardiovascular risk assessment.
17. Fill up on fiber.

and:

18. Listen to the Craig Sewing Show weekdays 6 – 8pm on 1170 KCBQ and catch the “health nut” segment. I am on with Craig every Wednesday 6 – 8pm.