Archive By Section - Business Columns
Advantages of Internet banking abound
Now that you have followed all the directions for doing your "due diligence" making sure your Internet banking company is legitimate, let's look at the advantages:
Be aware of new cell phone rules for drivers
Two new laws dealing with the use of wireless telephones while driving go into effect July 1. The first law prohibits all drivers from using a hand-held wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle. However, motorists 18 and older may use a hands-free device. The second law prohibits drivers under the age of 18 from using a wireless telephone or a hands-free device while operating a motor vehicle. Both laws allow a driver to use ...
Inherited IRAs
When an IRA owner dies, a designated beneficiary, who is an individual, can establish an inherited IRA and start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) over the beneficiary's own life expectancy. By spreading out the death benefit, a beneficiary can reduce current income tax liability by not taking a lump-sum distribution and will enjoy continued tax deferral on the asset s remaining in the inherited IRA.
New law provides tax break for buying business equipment
Are you thinking of buying business equipment this year? If so, you'll be happy to know the Economic
Are you managing when you should be coaching?
I grew up watching John Madden coach the Oakland Raiders. In an era when most NFL teams had thick binders filled with rules and associated penalties for players, Madden went the other way.
Internet banking: The latest hoopla
It seems that we've all gotten so busy that "clicks to bricks" (what Internet banking is called) has become the way to go. There are many entrepreneurs who are still a bit skeptical about it, so I decided that I'd give you the scoop.
‘... If you watch the pennies ...’
It is always a good time to keep an eye on costs in an organization. Financial reporting is a great way to look back on what happened; it is more important to look forward to see what can be proactively addressed.
Living trusts not just for the wealthy
Imagine if your kids go to the bank to get their inheritance after you die, and the bank won't give them the money unless they go to court for months and spend thousands of dollars in probate fees. Imagine if you give all your money to your spouse after you die, but then the government steps in and takes a huge chunk of your assets that were intended for your heirs.
Reasons not to retire
More and more present and future retirees are finding that the traditional idea of retirement is passé. What's more, there's plenty of evidence that keeping your hand in the game, or even finding a new calling, will yield a longer, healthier and happier latter stage of your life. And given rising health care costs, that adult child who suddenly has returned home or the aging parent who needs care, working a little longer may well be as much a need as a want.
Try running your business as if it were a bank
Banks are in the business of making money, and most banks are profitable, extremely so. Peter Ueberroth, the head of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, started a bank because he said something to the effect of "Šif you get the business model set up correctly, it becomes a money-making machines"
Borrowing from retirement plans full of pitfalls
With the weakening of home prices and lenders tightening credit, an increasing number of Americans are borrowing money from their retirement plans. A Duke University Magazine survey found in December that nearly 20 percent of companies have seen increased hardship withdrawals and loans from 401(k) accounts, often to cover mortgage payments or to avoid personal bankruptcy.
No tax on gain from sale of primary residence? Think again!
One of the most depressing moments I had during this tax season (of which I had several) was having to tell a retired lady that she owed close to $40,000 in taxes when she thought she was going to get a refund. The culprit that caused this unfortunate surprise involved the sale of her primary residence. Here is her sad story.
Just what can you learn from a basketball coach?
It's finally over. Sixty-five teams playing 64 games and scoring 8,853 points between them. It's official, the University of Kansas is the NCAA basketball champion, coming from behind in regulation play to force the game with Memphis State into overtime.
Social Security & you
Today, Social Security covers about 163 million workers with 49 million people receiving benefits. Many people think that Social Security contributions are held in interest-bearing accounts to be used for their
Planning for your pet's welfare upon death or disability
What happens to your pet if you become incapacitated or die? We have seen many beloved pets abandoned or taken to the animal shelter because an owner has failed to include provisions for the care of their animals in their estate planning documents.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
Ken Keller: Permission to argue is granted
Peggy Noonan wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal on April 20 about her attendance at Margaret Thatcher's London funeral service. She commented that Mrs. Thatcher was often frustrated with her staff. Thatcher once said to her aides, "I don't need to be told what, I need to be told how."
Bob Khalsa: Statewide median home price at five-year high
Heated market conditions fueled by a tight inventory and strong sales in higher-cost coastal regions drove California's median home price in March to its highest level since May 2008. Local prices, right here in the Santa Clarita Valley are headed higher, too.
Ken Keller: How one company turned it around
This week I'd like to introduce a company in a far different place compared to just a year ago. The organization has gone from despair to celebrating success. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, the owner said his company had "…Increased sales, reduced costs and improved our overall financial position in terms of positive cash flow and profitability, as well as reduced debt."
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want, anyway?
This is part two of a two-part column.
Bob Khalsa: Feds ease loan modification rules
Some homeowners who are still struggling to avoid foreclosure may soon benefit from streamlined rules that offer an easy way to lower monthly payments and modify their mortgage without requiring financial or hardship documentation.
Ken Keller: Here are the vitamins a leader must distribute
Looking back on those individuals who were my bosses, a clear distinction comes to mind.
Holly Schroeder: New homes benefit more than just buyers and builder
The only people who benefit when a house is built are the family members who get to live there, and the builder who constructed and sold the home, right?
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want anyway? Part I
This column is part one of a two-part column.
Ken Keller: Lessons to be learned from lack of feedback
In 1970 I started my first official job. I worked nine hours a week at a small grocery store. For the next two years I grossed $11.25 a week.
Bob Khalsa: Prices, sales rise as SCV’s housing market continues its recovery
The residential housing resale market in the Santa Clarita Valley continued to recover during February, with sales and prices up to their highest levels in years.
Ken Keller: Getting crystal clear about your business
There is a terrific exchange in the courtroom drama "A Few Good Men." Colonel Jessup, played by Jack Nicolson, turns from being a witness in a court martial to being the prosecutor when he asks Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise: "Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?"
Disaster recovery — is your business prepared?
Is your business prepared for a disaster? While it is not something any of us like to think about, businesses should have a disaster plan in place.
