Business Best Practices

Running a small business is a demanding task, requiring you to wear many hats, from managing operations to marketing and customer service. Among these responsibilities, bookkeeping and accounting are crucial for the financial health and sustainability of your business. While it may seem daunting, effective financial management doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Here are some essential bookkeeping and accounting tips to help small business owners stay organized, compliant, and financially sound.

1. Separate Personal and Business Finances

One of the first steps for any small business owner is to separate personal and business finances. Open a dedicated business bank account and use it exclusively for business transactions. This separation simplifies bookkeeping, aids in tax preparation, and ensures legal protection of personal assets.

2. Use Accounting Software

Investing in accounting software can save you time and reduce the risk of errors. Tools like QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks offer user-friendly interfaces and automate many bookkeeping tasks, such as invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting. Many of these platforms also integrate with your bank account, further streamlining the process.

3. Track All Expenses

Maintain meticulous records of all business expenses. Use your accounting software or apps to capture and categorize receipts immediately. Keeping a detailed record of expenses not only helps in managing cash flow but also ensures you can claim all possible tax deductions.

4. Regularly Reconcile Bank Statements

Reconcile your bank statements at least once a month. This process involves comparing your accounting records with your bank statements to ensure they match. Reconciling accounts helps identify discrepancies, catch errors, and detect potential fraud early.

5. Implement a Consistent Invoicing System

A consistent invoicing system ensures you get paid on time. Send out invoices promptly, set clear payment terms, and follow up on overdue payments. Using accounting software for invoicing can automate reminders and track outstanding invoices.

6. Monitor Cash Flow

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any small business. Regularly monitor your cash flow to ensure you have enough funds to cover operating expenses and invest in growth opportunities. Create cash flow projections to anticipate future needs and adjust your operations accordingly.

7. Set Aside Money for Taxes

Avoid the year-end scramble by setting aside money for taxes throughout the year. Estimate your tax liability and regularly deposit a portion of your revenue into a separate tax account. Consider consulting with a tax professional to understand your tax obligations and maximize deductions.

8. Maintain Accurate Financial Records

Accurate financial records are essential for making informed business decisions. Regularly update your books and keep records of all financial transactions, including sales, purchases, payroll, and other expenses. Accurate records are also crucial for compliance with tax laws and regulations.

9. Prepare for Financial Reporting

Prepare financial statements, such as the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement, on a regular basis. These reports provide insights into your business’s financial health and performance. Use these reports to identify trends, assess profitability, and make strategic decisions.

10. Seek Professional Advice

Consider hiring a professional accountant or bookkeeper, especially if your business finances become complex. A professional can provide valuable insights, ensure compliance with tax laws, and help you optimize your financial strategy. Many small business owners find that the cost of professional advice is outweighed by the benefits of improved financial management and peace of mind.

Effective bookkeeping and accounting are fundamental to the success of any small business. By implementing these tips, small business owners can maintain financial order, make informed decisions, and ensure their business thrives. While it may require an initial investment of time and resources, the long-term benefits of sound financial practices are well worth the effort.

Employers understand that offering a broad range of employee benefits can help attract, motivate, and retain key employees. One benefit that an increasing number of employers are adding to their employee benefits package is a cafeteria plan (also known as a flexible benefit plan).

A cafeteria plan is a written plan under which participants may choose their own menu of benefits consisting of “cash” and “qualified” benefits. Cash here means:

• Cash from current compensation (including salary reduction);
• Payment for annual leave;
• Sick leave, or any other paid time off;
• Severance pay, property; and
• Certain after-tax employee contributions.

A qualified benefit must generally be excludable from an employee’s gross income and includes:

• Group-term life insurance on an employee’s life (up to $50,000);
• Employer-provided accident and health plans (including flexible spending arrangements);
• Dependent care assistance programs;
• Adoption assistance programs;
• Accidental death and dismemberment policies;
• Contributions to a 401(k) plan;
• Contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs);
• Contributions to certain plans maintained by educational organizations; and
• Long-term and short-term disability coverage

A cafeteria plan can save payroll taxes for both the employer and the employee. Pay that is contributed to the cafeteria plan is not subject to Social Security/medical taxes (FICA) or to federal unemployment taxes (FUTA). These tax savings essentially lower the cost of the benefit and lower year-end W-2 wages.

Can I Establish a Cafeteria Plan?

Any employer with employees who pay income taxes is eligible to sponsor a cafeteria plan. A C corporation, an S corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), a partnership, a sole proprietorship, and governmental entities can establish a cafeteria plan. However, non-employees are not eligible to participate, including partners in a partnership, members of an LLC, and individuals who own more than 2% of an S corporation.

Types of Cafeteria Plans

There are three primary types of cafeteria plans:

Flexible Spending Accounts — A flexible spending account allows employees to set money aside using pretax payroll deductions to pay for out-of-pocket expenses that are not covered by insurance, such as annual deductibles, office co-payments, prescriptions, and orthodontia. Pretax payroll deductions reduces an employee’s taxable income, which, in turn, increases the percentage of pay he or she will take home.

Full-Flex Plan — With a full flex plan, the employer provides a fixed dollar amount for each eligible employee. The employee uses that money to select what he or she wants from a menu of benefits. If the benefits end up costing more than the sum allotted by the employer, the employee can make up the difference by using pretax salary deductions.

Premium Only Plan (POP) — This type of plan allows employees to have pretax deductions taken from their salary to cover employer-sponsored health insurance plans. POPs are frequently used in conjunction with Flexible Spending Accounts and Dependent Care Assistance Plans. Plans that are eligible are restricted to the employer’s group plans – medical, dental, vision, and certain voluntary products.

Employer Requirements

Once an employer decides to sponsor a cafeteria plan, the employer is required by law to adhere to specific regulations. The employer must:

• Create a written plan document that outlines the administration of the plan
• Ensure that employee election changes are limited to those permitted by law
• Comply with the nondiscrimination requirements that are designed to prevent the plan from favoring highly compensated or key employees

Cafeteria plans can be complex. Employers should work closely with a financial professional with an expertise in employee benefits and in the tax law to determine if sponsoring such a plan makes sense for their business.

Small business owners know that high performers seek out jobs that offer them an opportunity to grow and to develop professionally. Benefits are also important to job seekers. However, salary plays a major role in the decision to accept a job offer. Every owner of a small business struggles with the question of how much to pay a new hire.

As a small business owner, you understand that applicable wage and hour laws are an important factor in that decision. But beyond these legally mandated requirements, what else should you look at when trying to figure out a compensation rate that is fair and competitive? Here are some issues that you should review.

Education and Experience Requirements

It’s a given that jobs that require a specialized set of skills, long experience, or extensive educational background will be harder to fill than jobs that require only very general skills. Employees with in-demand skills expect a premium salary. If you find a likely candidate for an important position within your company, you may want to determine what others in your industry and in your location are paying for that type of job before you make that prospective employee an offer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website is a good source for information on employment and wage statistics for various occupations throughout the country. BLS data is broken down into occupational types as well as various subcategories within that occupation.

The Nature of Your Industry

Certain industries, such as engineering and health care, typically pay employees more in wages and benefits than other low-paying industries, such as hospitality and retail. However, you may have to consider paying above-market wages and benefits if the job you want to fill is critical to the profitability of your business. That could be particularly necessary if your business is located in a region where the cost of living is higher than the national average.

Supply and Demand Issues

If you are located in a region where labor is plentiful, you may be able to pay the going rate for the workers you need. However, if the talent you need for your business is in short supply, you may have to get into a bidding war with other employers in your region.

The Candidate’s Value to Your Business

Ask yourself: What value will the job candidate bring to your business? How much revenue can you expect the candidate to generate in the first 12 months? What skills do they possess that can help move your business forward? You want to come up with an approximate salary that you can justify, one that aligns with your expectations of the candidate’s potential contributions to your business.

What Does the Job Candidate Expect?

Take the time to understand why a particular candidate is interested in working for your business. During the interview process, try to determine what it is that drives them: more responsibility, a salary increase, or a career path towards management. Their answers can help you formulate an offer that is acceptable to both sides. Clarify what their expectations are in terms of benefits and how important benefits are in their final decision about whom to work for. Many candidates who prioritize working remotely part-time or a solid health insurance package may be willing to take a smaller paycheck in return for the benefits they truly want.

The reality is that finding the right candidate for a critical job at a salary you can live with is tough. Your financial professional can help run some numbers so that you can have a better idea of what you can afford to pay an employee who will be a valuable asset to your organization.

It’s reassuring to remember that downturns are a normal part of the business cycle. And, just as there are strategies that help businesses thrive during profitable times, there are basic survival tactics that businesses can employ when the outlook is less than rosy.

Control Spending

Finances should be your fundamental concern when economic conditions are unsettled. When sales are slow, it’s time to preserve your cash. Look closely at how you can reduce overhead. Make certain that all your operating expenses are necessary. Even if you’ve recently made cuts, see if there are other measures you can take. Unless absolutely necessary, consider putting plans that call for capital investment on the back burner until conditions improve.

Maintain Customers

While containing costs is essential, maintaining your customer base is also crucial. So, when you’re deciding how to trim spending, make sure you don’t make cuts in areas that deliver real value to your customers. At the same time, watch your receivables. Make sure your customers’ accounts stay current.

Think Short Term

Plan purchases for the short term, keeping a minimum of cash tied up in inventory. At the same time, however, make sure you’ll be able to restock quickly. Your suppliers may be able to suggest ways you can cut costs (perhaps by using different materials or an alternative manufacturing process). See if you can negotiate better credit terms.

Plan for Contingencies

There’s a big difference between imagining that you might have to seriously scale back your business and having an action plan in place that you can quickly execute. To develop a realistic contingency plan, prepare a budget based on the impact you imagine an extended downturn would have on your business. Then outline the steps you would need to take to survive those conditions. For an added level of preparedness, draw up a second, “worst case scenario” budget and chart the cost-cutting steps you’d need to take to outlive those more dire circumstances.

Many businesses will survive challenging economic times by being informed about their financial condition and by planning ahead to succeed.

A SIMPLE IRA is an option for small business owners who do not currently have a retirement plan in place but would like to have one. This particular type of retirement plan has several attractive features that deliver significant benefits to both employers and their employees.

What It Is

The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) is a retirement savings plan targeted at employers with 100 or fewer employees who earn $5,000 or more in compensation. With fewer reporting and administrative requirements than other retirement plans, the SIMPLE plan is designed to appeal to employers with limited resources and personnel to handle benefit administration and compliance issues.

With a SIMPLE IRA, employees may make tax-deferred contributions through payroll deduction to traditional individual retirement accounts set up under the plan. In 2023, the contribution limit is $15,500 ($19,000 if age 50 or over). All account earnings are tax deferred until the plan participant begins withdrawals. Withdrawals from a SIMPLE IRA are taxed at regular income tax rates.

Employers appreciate the fact that a SIMPLE IRA is relatively easy to set up and operate. An annual report is not required, although certain documents must be distributed to inform employees about the plan.

Employers are required to contribute to the plan, either by matching employee contributions up to 3% of pay or by contributing 2% of each eligible employee’s compensation. The matching percentage may be lowered in some years.

Plan Benefits

• Employee contributions are tax deferred
• Employer contributions to employees’ SIMPLE IRAs are tax deductible
• Account earnings are tax deferred
• No annual filing requirement or discrimination testing

Potential Drawbacks

• Employer contributions are required
• No Roth contributions are permitted
• Full immediate vesting (employee has ownership of all SIMPLE IRA money)
• No loans permitted

Your financial and tax professionals can help you assess your retirement plan options

Your most valuable asset isn’t your real estate or the tech stocks you bought in the 90s that have done well. It isn’t even your business per se. Your most valuable asset is you — specifically your ability to run a profitable company and make money.

Are you protecting that asset from the risk that a disabling illness or accident might prevent you from working? If you don’t have disability income insurance, you’re not protected.

What Are the Odds?

People generally think the odds of becoming disabled are low. But the numbers say otherwise: More than one in four 20-year-old workers become disabled before reaching retirement age. Here’s another reality check: Serious accidents are not the leading cause of long-term disability; chronic conditions are. Muscle and bone disorders (such as a back disorder or joint or muscle pain) are responsible for more than one in four disabilities.

How Long Could You Go Without an Income?

Even a short period of disability could be devastating. The average group long-term disability claim lasts 2.6 years. Even if you have reserves you 3 could tap, your personal finances would take a hit. If and when you were able to start earning an income again, you might have to start all over.

What Would Happen to Your Business?

Your involvement is vital to your company’s financial success. If you’re unable to work, you might have to hire someone to take your place and borrow money to pay the bills until you’re back on the job. Bottom line? If you’re sidelined by a long disability, it could jeopardize the success or even the survival of your business.

What Can You Do?

Call your financial professional to review and discuss this important issue.