Cfos Telephone Seminars

Accounting Endowments of Not-for-Profit Organizations After UPMIFA BenefitsIn response to the enactment of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act in most of the United States, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, in 2008, promulgated FASB Staff Position No. FAS 117-1. FSP FAS 117-1 provides guidance for nonprofits as to the proper classification of endowment funds when UPMIFA has been enacted and expands the required disclosure about  more...

International Payroll Compliance Issues BenefitsThe emergence of the global economy has created opportunities for a large number of companies to expand internationally. This has resulted in an increase in cross-border transfer of their employees, thereby creating a host of challenges for companies that must administer payrolls in different jurisdictions with a myriad of reporting and tax withholding rules. Companies must find a way to  more...

Wellness Programs: Rewards, Penalties, Legal Risks, and Legal Developments BenefitsWellness programs played a central role in the health reform debate. Health care reform clearly demonstrates the desire of Congress and the President to encourage wellness programs and healthy lifestyles to control the cost of health insurance. Much of their interest is based on success stories from the private sector. Despite regulatory uncertainties, rising health insurance costs have  more...

Payroll Recordkeeping: What You Need to Know BenefitsIn recent years there has been an explosion in the number of lawsuits and claims for overtime and unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Did you realize that liability for FLSA violations can be enormous? Recent reports estimate that over the last few years companies have collectively paid out more than $1 billion annually to resolve FLSA claims! Learn the role of the FLSA and  more...

Understanding the GAAP Codification Update BenefitsThe official launch of the FASB Codification began on July 1, 2009. On that date the codification became the official single source of authoritative nongovernmental U.S. GAAP. The codification will be effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. The codification will supersede existing FASB, AICPA, EITF and related literature, which means there will no longer  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation BenefitsThis live audio conference 'Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation,' presented by John W. Valente, Esq., will discuss some of the solutions and strategies used by employers to both prevent and control common workplace injury claims. A review of common injuries employers face every day in the workplace injury realm, ranging from slip and fall claims to back injuries from lifting, and  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation BenefitsThis live audio conference 'Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation,' presented by John W. Valente, Esq., will discuss some of the solutions and strategies used by employers to both prevent and control common workplace injury claims. A review of common injuries employers face every day in the workplace injury realm, ranging from slip and fall claims to back injuries from lifting, and  more...

Flexible Spending Accounts BenefitsMany employee benefit plan sponsors are unaware of all the complex rules governing flexible spending accounts. In this session you will receive a thorough overview of the numerous plan design considerations and legal requirements of flexible spending accounts. This knowledge will enable you to avoid running afoul of rules that could jeopardize the tax-favored status of your plans. This  more...

A Regulatory Update on Unclaimed Property Compliance BenefitsWho within your company is responsible for ensuring compliance with the various state unclaimed property laws? Is your company currently undergoing an unclaimed property audit? If you are struggling to find the answer to these important compliance questions, this live audio conference is for you! Believe it or not, there are still many companies who are unfamiliar with the various state  more...

Using Social Media in Banking BenefitsSocial media has become a hot topic for bank boards and senior managers as hundreds of millions of consumers have congregated to social networks, blogs, and other social media platforms. The widespread use of social media has resulted in structural changes in commerce, politics, and now, banking. Banks are being forced to adapt to changes created by social media. Specifically, banks must  more...

Domestic Asset Protection Trusts: Fundamentals and New Approaches BenefitsThis live audio conference will focus on the uses, benefits, requirements and differences among the various Domestic Asset Protection Trusts ('DAPTs') permitted under state law and the reasons why one state law may be preferred over another. There will also be a discussion of the most recent applications involving trusts for protection and other uses. Examples include the use of a DAPT as  more...

Domestic Asset Protection Trusts: Fundamentals and New Approaches BenefitsThis live audio conference will focus on the uses, benefits, requirements and differences among the various Domestic Asset Protection Trusts ('DAPTs') permitted under state law and the reasons why one state law may be preferred over another. There will also be a discussion of the most recent applications involving trusts for protection and other uses. Examples include the use of a DAPT as  more...

Intellectual Disabilities and Employer ADA Obligation BenefitsWith the dramatic expansion of the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) by the ADA Amendment Act of 2008 (ADAAA) and the EEOC's ADAAA final regulations effective as of May 24, 2011, ADA claims are skyrocketing. A great many of the burgeoning claims concern matters formerly called mental disabilities and which are now called intellectual disabilities. Intellectual disabilities, which may  more...

Portal to Portal Act: Determining Hours Worked at the Start and End of the Work Day BenefitsEmployees and their counsel continue to pursue class action claims for off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime wages at a fever pitch. Thousands of wage and hour class actions asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or settlement, are  more...

Portal to Portal Act: Determining Hours Worked at the Start and End of the Work Day BenefitsEmployees and their counsel continue to pursue class action claims for off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime wages at a fever pitch. Thousands of wage and hour class actions asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or settlement, are  more...

Taxation and Accounting Conflicts of Interest BenefitsAccountants working in various disciplines have been involved in litigation resulting from or exacerbated by a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. Failure to identify an actual or potential conflict of interest and to disclose or avoid it can lead to expensive legal fees, loss of a client or employment, a claim against malpractice insurance, bad publicity, or  more...

Creating and Using a Salary Increase Matrix BenefitsThis live audio conference will discuss the concept, implementation and best practices associated with a merit matrix. Implementing a merit matrix is one of the easiest and most direct ways to link pay with performance and manage turnover. Sharing of pitfalls that many companies encounter when implementing a matrix and how to avoid them will be addressed. The live audio conference will  more...

E-Verify Requirements and Best Practices BenefitsE-Verify is an online system that allows employers to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from an employee's Form I-9 against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security databases. Although initially implemented as a voluntary program, many states now require the use of E-Verify. Additionally, many federal contractors are also required to use  more...

IRS Form W-9 and W-8 Series: Payee Identification and Tax Determination BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide information about the purpose of the form and when it should be obtained. You will learn who can complete Form W-9 for U.S. persons, and if the payee is a foreign person, that Form W-8 is necessary. In addition, this live audio conference will provide valuable information regarding the backup withholding requirements if the W-9 information is not  more...

Implications of Medical Marijuana in the Workplace BenefitsAn applicant takes a pre-employment drug screen and tests positive for marijuana but tells you that he is a registered user of medical marijuana to treat his medical condition. Can you refuse to hire him? An employee tells you that he needs to take a daily break in order to consume medical marijuana to treat his cancer. Do you have to accommodate this request? How is this request different  more...

Economic Development Financing Update Benefits'In the space of two days I had evolved two plans, wholly distinct, both of which were equally feasible. The point I am trying to bring out is that one does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances.' - General George S. Patton, Jr., War as I Knew It, page 116 (1947) Those localities that have not planned for the current  more...

Intermittent Leave Under FMLA BenefitsMany employers are confronted with various issues related to intermittent leave under FMLA. This live audio conference will help front line personnel identify and handle intermittent leave issues. The program will address the legal and human resources issues confronted by employers and provide practical steps and procedures for employers to follow. This live audio conference is designed  more...

Unrelated Business Income Tax BenefitsThe recent activity in the charitable sector by federal and state regulatory agencies has mandated that professionals take a proactive approach into all aspects of this important and very diverse sector. The tax-exempt community is under a microscope. Problems that a few years ago might have gone unnoticed now get picked up and widely broadcast. Recent IRS compliance initiatives in  more...

Health Savings Accounts BenefitsThis live audio conference will explain the basic rules for eligibility, contributions and use of an HSA with a high deductible plan. It will also review current studies on whether HSAs are achieving the goal of reducing total health care costs through consumerism. Focusing on the final comparability rules for employer contributions and updates on the new contribution limits and IRS  more...

XBRL in Transition:From Requiring XBRL to Leveraging XBRL to Improve Data Collection, Analysis, and Business Reporting BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide a comprehensive overview of XBRL technology from the SEC mandate, why XBRL, how XBRL works, potential problems, issues and how to overcome them to why the market will leverage XBRL as a global, open architecture reporting framework for improved business reporting and analysis. Learn what XBRL means, why public companies have adopted it and why those  more...

Loan Modification Fundamentals BenefitsMortgage loan defaults and foreclosures are at historic levels. New businesses counseling borrowers and dealing with these crises have been created. How we deal with this crisis will have a significant impact on the nation's economy. Borrowers and lenders alike are working to resolve these defaults and foreclosures, attempting to find a balance between allowing consumers to remain in their  more...

Charitable Remainder Trust Fundamentals BenefitsNinety percent of Americans give to charity regularly. If you don't discuss charitable planning with your clients, you are forfeiting potential business to your competitors. Charitable remainder trusts help your clients combine their estate, tax and financial planning with their charitable dreams. This live audio conference will explain how you can implement charitable remainder trusts  more...

FLSA New Fluctuating Workweek Regulatory Guidance BenefitsOver the last two years, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has placed the employer community on notice that it intends to be very assertive in its enforcement of the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Consistent with this philosophy and its current modus operandi, the DOL recently concluded rulemaking that, among other  more...

Offboarding: Strategies for a Successful Goodbye BenefitsThis live audio conference will review research showing the value of effective offboarding: higher levels of employee commitment, lower recruitment costs, and higher quality candidates. As with all employment actions, it should be lawful, safe, secure, efficient, ethical, fair and respectful. Effective HR leaders must work both sides of the basic accounting equation: assets = liabilities +  more...

Nonprofit Revenue Stream Alternatives: Thinking Outside the Box BenefitsContribution income is flat or slightly down, state and local government funding looks bleak - you have already cut back on expenses and pared staffing to the bone. Now what? This live audio conference will explore ways to re-engineer some of your current revenue streams. You will hear of many 'out of the box' ways to find new revenues for your nonprofit organization. Concrete case  more...

Successful PTO Programs BenefitsPTO programs have become quite popular over the years as an alternative to traditional vacation, sick leave and other policies. Done right, PTO can be a powerful recruiting and retention tool. Done wrong, PTO can negatively impact morale and productivity and be a trap for the unwary employer. This live audio conference helps those persons responsible for designing and implementing employee  more...

Document Retention: Compliance and Protectionism BenefitsThis live audio conference will cover the importance of a document retention policy starting with the identification of what exists and what should be captured to the different rationales for implementing a retention policy - regulatory compliance to evidence in litigation. There are numerous challenges to an effective policy, which if acknowledged can be worked through. Living with the  more...

Understanding the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Employee Family Leave Laws and Return-to-Work Issues BenefitsThe Pregnancy Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of 'pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.' But what does this mean? The Family Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act may provide protections for employees with certain medical conditions due to pregnancy or who have recently given birth. But how do you know who is covered and what  more...

Tax Diligence, Representations, Covenants and Indemnifications in Business Acquisitions BenefitsBuyers and sellers of businesses typically are focused on getting the deal done and the relative economic benefits to each. They often fail to consider potential undisclosed tax liabilities resulting from pre-closing operations, and rarely want to hold up negotiations thinking about the 'what ifs.' However, when the 'what ifs' turn into 'what now,' it is important that potential tax risks  more...

Show Me the Money: Determining Return on Investment for People, Projects and Programs Benefits'Show me the money!' is the mantra of the day. Senior leaders in private sector, public sector, and social sector organizations want to see value for investments made in people, projects and programs. This value, more than ever before, is defined in terms of return on investment. Until you can produce solid, verifiable numbers that prove the worth of investments, you may never gain the  more...

Weight Loss At the Workplace: Legal Issues For Employers Seeking To Reduce Health Care Costs BenefitsLearn the issues used to identify and address when formulating and implementing a corporate wellness program that is aimed at weight loss reduction. The number of potentially applicable federal and state laws requires careful consideration of the potential issues raised with drafting and managing a corporate wellness program. The multiple relevant laws and regulations only heighten the  more...

Key Legal and Practical Considerations When Forming an ACO: Seizing the Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Qual BenefitsThe long-awaiting Final Rule governing ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) provides the industry with an improved outlook of the potential success that may be achieved, but also a daunting list of challenges to be met in order to seize the opportunities. This live audio conference will walk you through the legal, regulatory, policy, and practical challenges and  more...

Are You Prepared for the Financial Institution Record Match Program? BenefitsThe State of California enacted legislation (California Revenue Tax Code 19266) that will impact virtually every bank, credit union, thrift and brokerage firm doing business in California. This new program will place a new burden on financial institutions in order to help the state collect delinquent taxes. Financial institutions should start consideration of the FIRM Agreement and how  more...

Accounts Receivable and Collection Management with QuickBooks by Lorman Education Services BenefitsCash flow is truly the livelihood of any business. It is important that you use the tools and tips available in QuickBooks to get your business's cash flowing quickly. This live audio conference will help you to learn how to optimize your cash flow by properly utilizing QuickBooks for the customer cycle, setting preferences, using reports and tools, and preparing customer and collection  more...

Telecommuting: The Next Wave of Wage and Hour Litigation BenefitsTechnological developments have resulted in a substantial increase over the last several years in the number of employers offering telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement, and the number of employees who choose it. Although telecommuting arrangements can be beneficial to employers and employees, many employers have failed to adequately meet many of the legal compliance and  more...

Employment Law Compliance: Disciplining or Terminating a Workers' Comp Claimant BenefitsThis live audio conference will address many of the difficult issues that arise when considering whether to discipline or terminate an employee who is also a workers' compensation claimant. The program will cover the core concepts underpinning workers' compensation statutes and the primary types of anti-retaliation provisions found in workers' compensation statutes. The live audio  more...

Enhanced Foreign Asset Reporting Rules for 2011: An Update on FBAR and FATCA Requirements BenefitsFor the past three years, much attention has been focused on offshore bank accounts and the obligation of U.S. taxpayers to report such accounts on the much-heralded Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts or 'FBAR' form. The FBAR rules require taxpayers to annually report whether they have a financial interest in, or signature or other authority over, foreign bank accounts, and  more...

Learning on the Job: Creating Legally-Sound Internship Programs BenefitsCreating a successful internship program is not as simple as identifying and assigning appropriate projects and requiring interns to shadow your employees. An internship can be a wonderful opportunity for the participant to learn about a business, organization, or industry. Organizations that maintain internship programs must be mindful, however, that they must comply with several federal  more...

Prepaid Cards: An Alternative to Traditional Checking Accounts? BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide banking and other financial services companies with essential information to evaluate prepaid card/access products that will best complement their current business models and risk tolerance. The program will explore the advantages and disadvantages of this rapidly evolving financial product line. It will provide organization with solid guidance on  more...

Multistate Taxation: Income Franchise Tax BenefitsWhile many businesses focus their tax strategies on mitigating the federal income tax, many businesses are becoming aware of increased enforcement of state tax laws, especially on interstate businesses. Rather than concentrating on the intricacies of a single tax in a single jurisdiction, this live audio conference will explore trends in state taxation of interstate businesses, with  more...

SAS 117: Compliance Audits BenefitsSAS 117, issued in December 2009, establishes standards and clarifies the auditor's responsibility in auditing and reporting on an entity's compliance with applicable governmental auditing standards. Attend this live audio conference to gain an overall understanding of the requirements of AU Section 801 and learn new auditor and management performance and reporting requirements. Learn  more...

Is a Benefits Portal Right for Your Company? BenefitsIn this session, you will get an overview of the latest trends in benefit portals and how a benefits portal can improve employee engagement, drive employee self service and streamline benefits administration. Demonstrated by best practice models and live examples, you will leave with a real-world understanding of benefit portals and 'next step' ideas to introduce or further advance this  more...

Fair Labor Standards Act: Coverage and Compliance Issues BenefitsA major challenge is ensuring compliance with wage and hour laws. Those laws are extensive and complex, and claims against employers in virtually every industry are on the rise. In particular, employers often misunderstand the exemptions to overtime requirements and fail to properly classify their employees, resulting in potential back pay claims. Even where employees have been properly  more...

Key Elements and Legal Lessons Surrounding Donor Intent BenefitsA charitable gift given for a specific purpose generally can be used only for that purpose. But, under certain circumstances, a charity may be permitted to release or modify restrictions imposed on a gift. Understanding when and how such restrictions may be modified - and when donors may have standing to enforce the terms of their gift - is crucial both to charitable organizations and to  more...

Understanding Your Summary Plan Descriptions BenefitsEmployers who sponsor ERISA-covered health and welfare plans are required to communicate the terms of the plan to participants in a summary plan description. The SPD is an important disclosure document that describes, in understandable terms, the rights, benefits and responsibilities of participants and beneficiaries in ERISA-covered health and welfare benefit plans. The SPD must include  more...

Guidance on Lobbying and Political Campaign Activities of 501(c)(3) Organizations Benefits501(c)(3) organizations are subject to very specific rules - and very harsh penalties - with respect to both lobbying and political activity. Lobbying is permitted, but only in specific circumstances. Political activity is never permitted. This live audio conference will explain, in plain-English, how to avoid the pitfalls and how to take advantage of the opportunities available to  more...

Tax Benefits and Considerations for Contributions of Inventory and Other Assets by Business Entities BenefitsMany business entities and individuals wish to support the mission and programs of important charitable organizations with gifts of inventory and other assets. This live audio conference will review the unique considerations and rules governing the tax benefits for gifts of inventory and other assets. Applicable IRS publications and forms will be shared and explained. This live audio  more...

Non-Resident Employee Withholding BenefitsWhen having employees working in multiple states it can be difficult to know what to consider to make sure that the correct state taxes are being withheld and the correct taxable earnings are being taxed in the correct states. This live audio conference will give you the tools to determine what taxes are applicable for your employees based on residency, state and reciprocity agreements. We  more...

Document Retention and Destruction Policies for Financial Institutions BenefitsFinancial institutions too often rely on recommended document retention guidelines without understanding the risks of inconsistent or antiquated practices. While Sarbanes-Oxley has clarified the responsibilities of certain financial institutions, Sarbanes-Oxley is only a portion of the document universe. This live audio conference will help you navigate the complex universe of document  more...

How to Detect Fraud BenefitsA typical organization loses an estimated five percent of its annual revenue due to fraud. If you apply that estimate to the 2009 Gross World Product, this fraud equates to more than $2.9 trillion dollars lost each year to fraud. This live audio conference will educate listeners to the different varieties of occupational fraud and relevant statistics. We will provide a foundation to the  more...

Fundamentals of Section 382 BenefitsOne of the most important assets of a development stage company can be its federal income tax loss carry-forward (NOL). Protecting its value to offset future federal income tax income, however, can be challenging as there are a number of tax rules designed to limit the availability of the NOLs. In particular, Section 382 limits a corporation's ability to offset taxable income with its NOLs  more...

Control Costs and Increase Efficiency With P&C Claims Predictive Models BenefitsNearly every P C insurance company has a latent 6 to 8 loss ratio point improvement available to them through better claims handling with predictive models. Up until recently, insurance companies have focused the vast majority of their analytics horsepower on the front end of the insurance equation - underwriting predictive models. However, with the soft market continuing to adversely  more...

Withholding of Taxes on Payments to Foreign Persons and Entities BenefitsIn an increasingly global society, many U.S. payors of items of income are unknowingly subject to withholding tax obligations for payments to foreign individuals and entities. Understanding the rules for withholding on these payments can reduce liability to the IRS. After attending this live audio conference, you will be able to identify when income is subject to withholding, evaluate the  more...

Document Retention and Destruction: What Human Resource Professionals Must Know BenefitsCorrectly handling the documentation of employees is one of the most difficult and tedious tasks that human resources professionals need to perform for their organizations. Knowing the proper procedures to follow to document employees in the workplace is a key skill needed by most human resources professionals. This live audio conference will provide you with information on the key  more...

Form 990 And Unrelated Business Income BenefitsThis live audio conference will involve a detailed discussion of Form 990, including tips and traps. If you are involved with 990s, you know the effort it takes to complete the form accurately. With renewed emphasis on the filing due to congressional attention and IRS audit activity, this program will go through the respective parts of the form in detail, and provide tips on completing the  more...

Why Everything You Know About Roth Conversions May Be Wrong BenefitsLearn to capture your share of the multi trillion dollar IRA rollover marketplace. Most advisors have been ambivalent at best about the Roth conversion. This live audio conference will give you clarity so that you can recommend specific, accurate advice to your prospects and clients. This live audio conference is designed for accountants, presidents, vice presidents, controllers, CFOs,  more...

Considering Medicare's Interest in Future Medical Expenses While Avoiding MSA Overfunding BenefitsThis live audio conference will focus on Medicare compliance in workers' compensation and liability cases in which future medical expenses are likely to be incurred. We will explore the legal obligations of injured persons, insurers, and employers in compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act when settling workers' compensation and liability cases. Explore alternatives to submission  more...

Wage and Hour Update: Overtime Concerns With Mobile Devices BenefitsEmployer expectations for 24/7 access to employees is now the norm for many industries as new technologies allow work to be done virtually anywhere at any time. Serious questions have emerged about how employers should limit, monitor and compensate remote work hours. Recent litigation trends also show that compensation for time worked away from the office during nontraditional hours is  more...

Sales and Use Taxation of Internet Sales:The Evolving Case Law BenefitsWith growing budget deficits, many states are taking increasingly aggressive positions in an attempt to impose sales and use tax obligations on internet transactions. Internet sellers face a murky and sometimes ill-defined landscape with respect to sales and use taxes that are impacted by both state law and federal constitutional principles. By exploring the growing body of judicial  more...

Special Needs Trusts: What, Why and How BenefitsA thorough knowledge of planning for disabled individuals is important for providing full service to a practitioner's clients and avoiding serious malpractice liability. Unfortunately, the government benefit programs involved and the options available for obtaining and preserving such benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, are highly complex. Furthermore, the  more...

IRS Guidelines for Good Governance for 501(c)(3) Organizations BenefitsGiven continued congressional scrutiny of whether tax-exemption is a worthy federal subsidy for any type of tax-exempt organization, proper governance and accountability to the local community are key factors that may distinguish the tax-exempt sector from the taxable sector. The Internal Revenue Service, the press and others have linked the need for good governance to the quest for  more...

Tax Planning and Guidance for Business Travel and Entertainment Deductions BenefitsLearn the specifics of documenting business travel, meals and entertainment expense to ensure you can take full advantage of the deduction allowed under the federal tax code. Ensure that your records will stand the test of a tax audit. Fine tune your understanding of when an employee's meal is 100% deductible and when it is only 50% deductible. Understand when foreign travel is deductible  more...

Understanding the Durbin Amendment's Impacts and Implications BenefitsThe Durbin Amendment was game-changing legislation for the debit card industry. Certain Durbin Amendment impacts have been immediate but the industry will continue to evolve for some time in response to the longer-term implications of these new requirements. Attendees at this live audio conference will engage with the speaker on an overview of the various provisions of the Durbin  more...

International Tax Forms and Reporting Requirements BenefitsTo compete in today's economic environment, U.S. businesses - large and small - must be able to compete globally. As the growth of U.S. businesses conducting business abroad increases at an exponential rate, many tax professionals must complete a number of IRS forms that have not been previously encountered. This live audio conference will deal with those IRS forms that tax professionals  more...

Taxation and Accounting Issues With Debt Restructuring, Modifications and Bankruptcies BenefitsThe recent market climate has created opportunities for investors or debtors themselves to acquire outstanding debt at remarkable discounts. Unfortunately, it also has left many companies struggling and in need to modify their outstanding debt. Many large, well known companies have dissolved or declared bankruptcy. Debt modifications, repurchases and bankruptcy can have a profound tax  more...

Current Issues in Joint Venture Taxation BenefitsUpon completing this live audio conference you will have learned the tax considerations when creating, operating and terminating joint ventures, including special tax issues in a real estate joint venture or when a joint venturer is a tax exempt organization. This live audio conference will cover key income tax issues covering the life of a joint venture including: What are the tax  more...

Compliance With the PCI/CISP Credit Card Security Standards BenefitsThe Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard has driven compliance and security spending up, while giving long-time security professionals a stick to push the organization into thinking more strategically about data security. While the standard updates every two years, it is still a baseline by which we should far exceed, not the ceiling by which we judge our information security  more...

Tax Consequences of Gifts, Prizes, Fringe Benefits, Business Expenses, and Other Payments To Employees BenefitsPaying employees is not just about wages. Today there are a myriad number of taxable and nontaxable benefits, such as gift cards, moving expenses, educational expenses, meals and travel expenses, that employers provide as part of employee's total compensation. Particularly in difficult economic times, employers are looking to provide such benefits to employees with the least cost, both to  more...

Why Is This Guy Still on My Health Plan? BenefitsWe have encountered many situations where an employee remains on the company's health benefits as an active employee for many years past the date in which the employee was actively at work for the company. This live audio conference will answer a common problem employers experience, what date should an employee be treated as a terminated employee when he/she is on a leave of absence, or  more...

Employee Discipline for Conduct Outside of Work BenefitsIn this informative live audio conference, you will learn the legal rights and responsibilities of employers in disciplining employees for conduct outside of work. You will hear about recent legislation and court cases involving some of the hottest topics in employment law, including employee discipline for blogging, web-based 'employer trashing,' workplace dating and extramarital affairs,  more...

The Carryover Basis Election for 2010 Decedents Benefits2010 was the most complex year in the history of the estate tax to administer an estate. The 2001 Tax Act, EGTRRA enacted IRC Section 2210, which made the estate tax inapplicable to 2010 estates, and the GST tax inapplicable to generation-skipping transfers made in 2010. The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the '2010 Act') Section 301(c)  more...

Responding to an EEO Charge BenefitsThe most effective way to avoid an EEOC charge is to make sure you have appropriate anti-discrimination policies and procedures in place and that all employees understand those policies. Prevention and awareness are areas employers should focus on when dealing with employee discrimination issues. If the worst case scenario happens, this live audio conference will tell you how to protect  more...

Using Travel Policy to Control Costs BenefitsIn the old days, professionals assumed that travel expenses had little impact on their firm's bottom line. Clearly, those days are long gone. Attendees of this program will gain a high level of understanding about the best practices in travel management, so they can manage the balance between the competing strategic goals of service, savings and safety. Because a well-structured travel  more...

IRS Form 941 Reporting Update BenefitsThe IRS collects hundreds of billions of dollars of employment taxes each year - more than any other source of revenue. Form 941 and related forms lie at the heart of the IRS's employment tax collection system. Much of the administrative burden under that system falls on employers. An employer's failure to understand and comply with its obligations can result in IRS assessments, audits and  more...

Rules and Responsibilities Regarding Abandoned Wages BenefitsThis live audio conference will examine the rules and responsibilities regarding abandoned wages. If your payroll department is not handling unclaimed wages properly, you could be placing your company at risk for huge audit assessments, significant interest accumulations, and civil and criminal penalties. If your company issues any type of employment checks whether it be wages, bonuses,  more...

Financial Statement Preparation and Analysis for Nonprofits BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide you with an overview of nonprofit financial statements and both external and internal nonprofit financial reporting concepts. We will focus on the primary users of nonprofit financial statements and the key differences between nonprofit and for-profit financial statements and reporting. This program will explore the fundamental accounting concepts  more...

Drafting a Green Ordinance: Case Study BenefitsHigh energy costs and increased public support for sustainable initiatives are driving local governments to respond affirmatively with the adoption of green codes - local ordinances that mandate and incentivize more efficient forms of development. Unfortunately, there are few good models to follow and little operating experience to judge what works and what will not. There is an obvious  more...

IRS Form 1099 Reporting Update BenefitsAs another year passes in the world of 1099 reporting, we have become accustomed to educating ourselves as to the complicated revisions of the 1099 rules. After having prepared to comply with the original text of law thrust upon us by Congress last year, we subsequently became witness to several repeals of the burdensome provisions. There will be continual uncertainty as to what revisions  more...

The Open Enrollment Challenge: Strategies for Success BenefitsIs your benefits information often greeted by a yawn? Are you viewed as the enemy because you tell your employees how much more they have to pay for benefits every year? And why does the good news always get lost in the mix? Sometimes, it's not so much what you say as how you say it - and how often. Communications should never be an afterthought. Make sure employees appreciate all your  more...

Self-Auditing Your Employee Benefits:A Guide to What May Need Fixing BenefitsStaying in compliance with the numerous complex requirements and the specific terms of your employee benefits plans is a monumental task. It is easy to have your time consumed by the day-to-day issues and questions that arise under your benefit plans and the typical annual processes and compliance requirements already in place. It is difficult to take the time to step back and ask what  more...

Tips for Calculating a Regular Rate of Pay For Your Employees BenefitsWage and hour claims against employers have exploded in the last five years. One target is the rate of pay an employer pays to its nonexempt employees, and how that rate affects overtime payments. Most covered employers understand that they must pay overtime compensation at the rate of 'time and a half' to nonexempt employees. But time and a half of what? Under the FLSA and most state  more...

Understand and Interpret Financial Statements BenefitsFinancial statements can be thought of as a report card for any business. They provide both a historical and current perspective on the health of an organization, as well as offer indications of future performance. They offer management, creditors, prospective investors and various other users a means to judge the financial performance of an organization. The speaker will discuss the  more...

Preventing and Recognizing Financial Elder Abuse BenefitsFinancial crimes against the elderly are generally considered to fall into two categories: fraud committed by strangers, and financial exploitation by relatives and caregivers. These categories are not discreet, and sometimes overlap. A clever stranger can often become a trusted caregiver. Although financial exploitation of the elderly has long been recognized as a 'national disgrace,'  more...

Proactive Fraud Prevention Measures BenefitsThis live audio conference will discuss the basic fraud components to include the elements of the 'fraud triangle' - opportunity, financial pressures/incentives and rationalization. We will also review the warning signs of fraud and proactive fraud measures to include the importance of internal controls to aid in fraud deterrence. This live audio conference is designed for CFOs,  more...

Commonly Encountered Sales and Use Tax Audit Issues and Strategies to Defuse Them BenefitsStates are becoming more aggressive as falling tax revenues constrain expenditures and force budget cuts. Business structures, products and services are increasingly complex with outcomes that don't always fit neatly into vaguely worded and outdated statutes. Heightened audit activity, the states' shifting tax policies and a new wave of proposed sales tax legislation all serve to highlight  more...

IPPS Final Rule BenefitsThe Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) was implemented in 1983 replacing a cost-based reimbursement methodology in an effort to better control the costs of providing care to the Medicare inpatient and to incentivize hospitals to better manage utilization. As time has passed CMS has modified the program to better recognize severity of illness AND to reduce payments to hospitals for  more...

Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare BenefitsThe IRS recently issued new rules which replaced portions of the old regulations. These new rules are exciting but require you to review and act on your old documents. The information provided in this live audio conference will assist you in decisions for the upcoming plan year and how to prepare for the changes. This live audio conference is designed for human resources and benefits  more...

The Trickle Down Effect of Health Care Reform: A Potpourri of Payroll, Benefits, Income Taxes, and Other Changes BenefitsThe phased in requirements of health care reform require that you continually monitor the landscape to spend your benefit dollars effectively, while remaining compliant. This is an opportunity for employers to reassess their decisions and consider the future impact of this legislation. Attend this live audio conference and stay current on your compliance obligations, planning  more...

Workers' Compensation Metrics: Assessing and Reporting on the Success of Your Program BenefitsEmployers struggle with finding a way to measure the effectiveness of their occupational health programs and crafting reporting packages that are relevant and action-focused. Often data is difficult to collect, or overwhelmingly detailed. Vendor-supplied reports are generally focused on tactics, not strategy outcomes. This leaves many employers unable to answer some of the most critical  more...

Closing Budget Gaps With Asset Sales BenefitsThe lingering Great Recession and slow recovery have diminished the growth of state and local government revenues while expenses continue their increase causing structural budget gaps. A new source of revenue is the sale or conversion of government assets into revenues. These revenues may be one-time proceeds of asset sales, leases and franchise fees, redevelopment of existing buildings,  more...

How to Handle Travel Pay Legally BenefitsMany companies do not understand how to compensate an employee properly for time spent traveling to destinations other than a regular work site. Many companies send employees to conferences and other work sites using commercial travel and personal vehicles. This live audio conference will enable you to understand how and when to compensate an employee for travel time away from a work site.  more...

SSARS 19: Compilation and Review Standards Update BenefitsStatements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services No. 19 is effective for all periods ending after December 15, 2010. This statement is the most comprehensive rewrite of the standards for compilations and reviews since the original SSARS No. 1 issued in 1978. All CPAs performing compilation and review services will have to comply with these new engagement standards for year-end  more...

Sales and Use Tax Determination Headaches BenefitsSales and use tax professionals are faced with the legal and practical challenges of learning as many as 50 different state sales and use tax laws and regulations. No one could possibly learn all of the different state requirements and yet our jobs demand it! The purpose of this audio conference is to reveal the secrets to working in a multistate environment. You will learn about the four  more...

IRS Form 5471: Information Return for U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations BenefitsAs more U.S. companies view global markets as a necessity to survive and to grow, more U.S. companies own foreign subsidiaries to conduct foreign operations. Whether you are a growing multinational company with subsidiaries all over the globe, or a small, closely-held company that owns a Canadian subsidiary, you will have to file IRS Form 5471 for every foreign corporation that you own.  more...

IRA and Qualified Plan Distributions BenefitsThis audio conference is specially designed for those who advise their clients on IRA and qualified plan distributions. It will focus on the required minimum distribution rules and how an IRA payable to a trust may still qualify as a designated beneficiary. This program can help you spot and avoid some of the common mistakes taxpayers make with their IRAs and inherited IRAs. This audio  more...

Florida Employment Law Update BenefitsThis audio conference will provide you with working knowledge of the most prevalent issues facing Florida employers. The speakers, experts in management labor and employment law, have identified three areas of utmost concern. You will gain insight and the tools necessary to avoid and combat these common workplace problems. This audio conference is designed for human resource managers,  more...

GASB 51: Accounting Standards for Intangible Assets BenefitsGovernments possess many different types of assets that may be considered intangible assets, including easements, water or air rights, timber rights, patents, trademarks, and computer software. The implementation of GASB 34 created questions as to whether and when intangible assets should be considered capital assets for financial reporting purposes. An absence of sufficiently specific  more...

Status Classification: Exempt vs. Nonexempt BenefitsEmployees and their counsel continue to pursue individual and class action overtime claims based on the alleged misclassification of exempt workers at a fever pitch. Thousands of lawsuits asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year, and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or  more...

Current Issues in Sales and Use Tax Reserves BenefitsSales and use tax reserve practices remain a real concern for corporate tax departments. This uncertainty is heightened by proposed changes to ASC 450 (fka FAS 5) which could require enhanced disclosure of certain loss contingencies, including sales and use tax reserves. When evaluating whether a loss contingency may exist in today's business and regulatory environment, all aspects of  more...

Understanding Massachusetts' Exemptions to Employment at Will BenefitsMany Massachusetts employers feel overwhelmed by the number of laws and regulations that govern the employee-employer relationship. Often, employers feel restricted in properly dealing with employee issues, especially when employees claim they have rights or they are being harassed at work. Massachusetts law, however, recognizes at-will employment, which provides you with significant  more...

Funding Trusts in Estate Planning BenefitsIt is all too common for clients who go through the time and expense of creating a revocable trust to not properly fund the trust. Failing to fund a revocable trust will often defeat the very purpose for creating such a trust, i.e., avoiding probate and the public disclosure of assets. This audio conference will provide an overview of the mechanics of contributing property to revocable  more...

Using Human Capital Analytics to Maximize the Value of Your Workforce BenefitsMeasuring and maximizing the contribution people make to the bottom line is a critical issue for organizations, and analytics are the key to those insights. The challenge is using analytics to understand where making a change would improve engagement and performance. This audio conference addresses how to integrate the business and HR perspectives when conducting human capital analytics,  more...

Reduce Unemployment and Turnover Costs With Decision Making Leave BenefitsThis audio conference will teach you about decision-making leave - a concept offering several potential advantages for employers. These benefits break down to immediate and long-term legal benefits when properly implemented. Practical considerations for implementing decision making leave, including a case studies involving decision making leave will be discussed. This audio conference is  more...

How Can End-of-Life Planning Resources Benefit Your Workplace? BenefitsEnd-of-life issues can be a major distraction for employees. MetLife estimates that U.S. businesses lose between $17 billion and $33 billion per year in productivity of full-time workers with caregiving responsibilities. Employers need to place a priority on addressing end-of-life issues. These issues affect their employees who serve as caregivers to aging parents, children and other  more...

Google Analytics for Accountants: How To Measure Online Marketing and Website Performance BenefitsAre you really getting the most out of Google Analytics? Are you leveraging Google Analytics to its fullest potential? This audio conference will teach you about some of the critical features you can use to better understand the performance of your website and marketing initiatives, and the needs of your visitors. We'll begin with a review of some basic configuration settings you should  more...

New Disclosures Required on the Credit Quality of Finance Receivables and the Allowance for Credit Losses under FASB ASU 2010-2 BenefitsOn July 21, 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-20 to require companies to provide significant new disaggregated disclosures about the credit quality of their financing receivables and the allowance for credit losses. This audio conference provides an overview of ASU 2010-20 and discusses the new disclosure requirements under this pronouncement. This ASU is not limited to financial  more...

Positive Strategies For Dealing With Problem Performers BenefitsAre you still experiencing problems with employees even though you've tried progressive discipline? Is your company still using punishment as a means to discipline employees? Are you wondering why your disciplinary strategies don't seem to work? If you have these questions, attend this audio conference and learn about more positive strategies and approaches in dealing with problem  more...

Owner Construction Risk: How a Controlled Insurance Program Can Protect Your Assets BenefitsOwners and contractors have been subject to increased litigation arising from risks created by construction operations. However, due to changes in the insurance market, contractors are increasingly challenged to secure insurance coverage to meet owner insurance requirements. As a result, many owners have turned to incepting an owner-controlled insurance program or relying on a  more...

Post-Mortem Tax Planning BenefitsWhile death and taxes are both inevitable, taxes do not end with death. The Federal Estate Tax, the Gift Tax and the Income Tax all have bearing on what happens post-death. Further, there are state rules that also are applicable post-death to estate planning documents. There are numerous questions that have to be addressed and answered. This audio conference will cover many of the  more...

Economic Nexus Standards in State Taxation BenefitsA state's ability to impose taxes on a multistate business is limited by nexus standards rooted in the U.S. Constitution. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed its longstanding rule and held in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota that nexus requires some form of physical presence in the taxing state. In today's economy, however, states are continuing to push nexus limits farther than ever  more...

Requirements for Providing E-Forms W-2 and W-2c BenefitsMany organizations recognize the benefits of electronic W-2 and W-2c form distribution, but do not understand the IRS regulations and internal business elements surrounding this online implementation. Several online W-2 projects have failed and were delayed due to not knowing all of the essential information regarding online form distribution. This audio conference will explore all the  more...

HR Time Lines: The Complex Integration of FMLA, WC, Disability and COBRA BenefitsHow do workers' compensation, FMLA, disability and COBRA laws work - together, independently or concurrently? What can run together? What cannot? When can we cancel the health plan, for what reason and is it a COBRA qualifying event? During this audio conference we will pull all of these together to explain the employer's liability. When can coverage be canceled? What laws protect  more...

Recent Developments in Material Participation for LLCs and LLPs BenefitsThe IRS has been actively auditing and disallowing losses claimed by owners of businesses organized as limited liability entities on the grounds that the owners do not materially participate in the operations of the business. The critical element of the IRS's attack is that members of a limited liability entity are, under applicable treasury regulations, equivalent to limited partners in a  more...

Family Limited Partnerships in Estate Planning BenefitsMany estate planners who are asked about family limited partnerships or family limited liability companies do not understand the reasons for forming these entities in the planning process. They also are not clear on what is the current status of statutory and case law concerning the continued use of these entities. This audio conference will help you learn to identify when the use of this  more...

Fraud Prevention Techniques for Nonprofits BenefitsIt's unfortunate, but the reality is that thinking your employees are honest isn't true! This fascinating and practical audio conference will walk you through actual fraud scenarios, discuss how the frauds occurred, and show profiles of embezzlers; why they did it, how they did it and what internal controls would have prevented them. Additionally, you will be provided a valuable handout  more...

Trust Situs and State Taxation: Practical Planning Implications BenefitsState tax departments are becoming more aggressive at collecting revenues and the trend is likely to continue in light of state fiscal issues. Trusts are no exceptions. The rules under which a state can tax a trust are complex and changing in more aggressive ways. How can a state tax a trust? What planning steps can be taken? What must you understand when preparing tax returns? Each rule  more...

Phased Retirement in The New Economy BenefitsThe concept of phased retirement first gained popularity in the 2000s, primarily based upon the shrinking labor force and employers' concerns regarding the loss of valuable talent to retirement. As a result, Congress enacted certain legislative and regulatory rules regarding phased retirement arrangements. These rules seek to provide flexibility for older workers desiring to take part in a  more...

Essentials of Florida Garnishment Laws BenefitsWhen the process server hands you garnishment papers about someone working for you, what do you do? Hire an attorney? Respond on your own? Throw it away? The garnishment writ is a directive from the court to withhold salary or wages from someone working for you (and not just an employee). This audio conference will explain the nuts and bolts of Florida's garnishment laws, from how a  more...

Accounting for Uncertain Tax Positions: FIN 48 Update BenefitsUnderstanding and meeting the financial statement disclosure rules on uncertain tax positions is already a challenge. Now, the recent IRS proposal to require corporate filing of Schedule UTP brings highly controversial reporting concerns. Schedule UTP would require income tax return disclosure of federal uncertain tax positions in detail that goes far beyond the corresponding financial  more...

Creating a Payroll Manual: Putting Your Procedures Into Writing BenefitsThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act made it abundantly clear that all areas of accounting within a company should have well documented policies and procedures. These are an integral part of every function and that includes payroll. During this audio conference, we will discuss the steps you can take to ensure your procedures are well documented, clear and concise. During the program, we will discuss  more...

Economic Substance Doctrine Codification Update Benefits2010 has produced the sweeping changes in health care via legislation titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Knowledge of its tax implications, tax credits, employer obligations and other financial aspects will be discussed in this informative audio conference. Awareness of the compliance rules will avoid financial risk and a variety of costly penalties for both individuals  more...

The Foreign Tax Credit Provisions of H.R. 1586: Practical Implications BenefitsThis audio conference will cover the restrictions on the foreign tax credit recently enacted by Congress in H.R. 1586. You will learn the purpose, scope, and structure of these restrictions, as well as a sense of their limitations, and unresolved questions and potential answers. Examples will be used to explore the practical implications of the new rules to enable you to spot issues  more...

Preparing for the International Financial Reporting Standard BenefitsOn November 14, 2008, the SEC released its proposed road map for the adoption of IFRS in the United States. About the same time, leaders from the G20 countries at a financial summit in the United States issued a statement which, among other things, confirmed the leaders' support for developing a single set of high-quality global accounting standards. Both of these events represent  more...

Workers' Compensation Handbook Best Practices BenefitsMinimizing workers' compensation abuse and controlling the costs of legitimate claims is a daunting task. In this difficult economy, it is essential you take every step you can to reduce your workers' compensation exposure and costs. This 90-minute audio conference is geared to provide you with the best handbook practices - policies, procedures and techniques - for staying in control of  more...

Not-for-Profit Auditing and Accounting for Contributions and Pledges BenefitsIn this day and age, it is essential for not-for-profit professionals to have a basic understanding of auditing and accounting as it relates to contributions and pledges. This will help you to account for every dime taken in, and to report accurately and completely on how each dollar is used. By preserving the financial integrity of your organization, you will also earn the trust of your  more...

Recent Developments in Employer Liability for 401(k) Investments BenefitsUnhappy employees, U.S. Department of Labor investigations, IRS investigations, massive class action lawsuits - an ever-expanding list of factors bombards sponsors of 401(k) plans, and places companies and their management potentially in the cross hairs. From Enron, Worldcom and Sarbanes-Oxley, to the more recent massive class actions filed against Fortune 500 companies regarding 401(k)  more...

Impact of Health Care Reform on Elder Law BenefitsThis teleconference will teach you how the recent health care act will affect seniors and persons with disabilities. President Obama signed into law, in March of this year, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. These together are referred to as the Affordability Care Act. This act makes changes to Medicaid and  more...

Tax Issues of Social Media and Internet Activities for Nonprofits BenefitsThe internet is essential to the functioning of virtually every nonprofit organization, yet it is fraught with a host of exempt organization tax pitfalls. This audio conference will focus on the exempt organization tax issues associated with internet activity: generating revenue through web-based activities, managing the internet presence of multiple affiliate entities, and avoiding  more...

Understanding Fiduciary Investment Duties for Trusts: Be Prudent and Diversify BenefitsIn the current volatile and uncertain economic climate, estate planning advisors and their clients need to re-examine conventional estate planning wisdom, better understand how fiduciary performance will be tested and evaluated, and how fiduciary risk can be managed by proper conduct. This audio conference is designed for attorneys, estate planners, accountants, trust administrators,  more...

Jeopardizing Exempt Status BenefitsOnce exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employees do not necessarily remain exempt for the duration of their employment. Actions taken (or not taken) by employers can and do jeopardize the exemptions claimed, leading unknowing employers down the path to potentially ruinous liability for unpaid minimum wages and overtime. This teleconference is designed to help you identify issues  more...

Reengineering Revenue in Today's Market BenefitsThe days of simplicity in bank income have long past. Recently, staying on top of noninterest income has become even more complex with the migration to electronic transactions, changes to Reg E and current economic conditions. As bankers adjust to these changes, they have to be more creative with how to oversee NII. This teleconference helps you understand the exact impact the current  more...

S Corporations: How to Avoid Common and Often Overlooked Pitfalls (Simple to Complex) BenefitsAs many practitioners will attest to, there are many pitfalls when S corporations are involved. This teleconference will identify the most common pitfalls, such as not properly maintaining earning accounts, ineligible shareholders, the one class of stock principle, invalid or missing S corporation elections and built-in gain. You will not only learn how to identify these pitfalls, but you  more...

Ohio Sales and Use Tax: Recent Trends, Developments and Planning Opportunities (Maximizing Exemptions and Minimizing Taxable Ser BenefitsLearn the latest developments and planning opportunities in the context of an overview of Ohio sales and use tax. Mr. Dimengo will go through various exemptions and how they can be maximized, and how various otherwise taxable services can be minimized. This teleconference is designed for accountants, controllers, accounts payable professionals, CFOs, tax managers and officers, presidents  more...

State of the Estate Tax: Where We Stand Today and What Practitioners Can Do BenefitsThis teleconference will present a practical, action-oriented analysis of the estate and GST tax in 2010 focusing on the repeal of the estate tax and subsequent developments. The focus will be on how the client advisor team, consisting of the estate planning attorney, insurance consultant, accountant and wealth manager, can take practical and coordinated steps to best serve their clients  more...

Health Care Reform Update BenefitsPresident Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. This legislation will effectively restructure one-sixth of our economy and have a significant impact on our personal lives. Beyond the partisan politics and media hype are the practical concerns of employers, HR professionals, attorneys, third-party administrators, and other consultants and  more...

When Wages are Not FICA Wages BenefitsDo you know what is not considered wages by the IRS, thereby exempting those monies from FICA tax? If not, this teleconference will be beneficial to you in helping reduce employer liability for FICA taxes on money that is not wages. You already know that any cash or noncash remuneration received for employment, unless specifically exempt, is considered wages subject to the FICA tax. This  more...

Best Practices in Electronic Invoices and Electronic Payments BenefitsIt may seem impossible to escape the paper-heavy processes in your AP department and achieve the coveted paperless status, but pulling off this caper is not a feat reserved for only paper mavericks. Instead, we can show you there is a way to achieve a paper-free environment and realize your ROI. In this teleconference, e-invoicing architect Henry Ijams will discuss your options for a  more...

Understanding the Role of the Trust Protector BenefitsThink of how far society and trusts have evolved in just the last 100 years. How can we anticipate what changes lie ahead of us from both a tax and nontax perspective? Is the movement toward multigenerational trusts pushing the planning horizon many years past the point most estate planners were trained to envision? This teleconference will identify those unintended consequences and  more...

Best Practices for MRO Purchasing BenefitsMany organizations lack thorough MRO purchasing strategies that are comprised of a guiding strategy and supporting tactics to achieve the goals that have been identified for the MRO purchasing function. This is often a significant opportunity to reduce operating cost and improve mean time to repair. This teleconference will help you understand and design the MRO purchasing system and  more...

Implications of the Michigan Budget Shortfall BenefitsMichigan is in the middle of a fiscal crisis that will have a direct impact on Michigan's quality of life and future development. Most people do not understand how Michigan's economy works and how it relates to the State Budget process. This teleconference will help shed some light on what economic factors go into the development of the state budget and the impact the current recession and  more...

Public Disclosure and Transparency: The New Form 990 BenefitsExempt organizations are subject to a variety of restrictions under the Internal Revenue Code regarding their lobbying and advocacy efforts. The new and redesigned Form 990 is intended to capture the level of these activities by exempt organizations. With the increased focus and disclosure of the activities of exempt organizations, organizations need to understand the limitations on these  more...

Reporting and Disclosure Requirements Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 BenefitsThe passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has presented a significant number of opportunities for government, not-for-profit and commercial entities to expand upon current and initiate new programs and services. However, ARRA also establishes a number of mandates that recipients must comply with or risk potential financial and legal penalties in addition to public  more...

International Employment Assignments: Understanding the Compliance Risks BenefitsWhether a company is sending employees to the U.S. to work in its U.S. branches, subsidiaries or affiliates, or sending U.S. citizen employees abroad to work in foreign entities, the risks of failing to comply with U.S. and foreign employment and immigration laws are enormous. Attorneys who counsel these companies and human resource executives who implement company policy must be aware of  more...

Schedule C Reporting Update BenefitsAccording to IRS statistics, more than 22 billion Schedule C forms are filed each year. Many of these represent small, often home-based, businesses. However, a large number also represent large, full-time business enterprises. It is not surprising that with such a large vast array of different types of businesses, Schedule C filers are frequent targets of IRS audits. This teleconference  more...

IRS Form 8928: Health Plan Reporting and Excise Tax Update BenefitsEmployers who sponsor group health plans now have a duty to self-report certain regulatory plan failures and pay excise taxes where such failures are not corrected in a timely fashion once discovered, or are due to willful neglect. You need to know the Internal Revenue Code rules or risk expensive excise taxes for failure to comply with COBRA, HIPAA and other federal group health plan  more...

Sale Leaseback Transactions Today: Monetizing Real Estate Assets BenefitsA troubled economy and a chilly borrowing environment require a re-thinking of how capital and debt are used in your business. Monetizing real estate assets by sale-leaseback transactions may free up needed capital to invest in your business, particularly if the real estate is undervalued. This teleconference will help you understand when and where sale-leaseback transactions on real  more...

Code Section 409A BenefitsThe IRS is giving employers one last chance to fix their plan documents and compensation agreements for Code Section 409A. However, the IRS has also announced some new interpretations of Section 409A provisions that will require most employers to make changes to their plans and agreements. Employers that make these changes before January 1, 2011, can avoid IRS penalties, in most cases. In  more...

Long-Term Care Insurance in Estate Plans BenefitsClients spend a lifetime building financial security for their retirement, often with the desire to pass the assets on to their family or charity rather than loose it to the cost of long-term care. Whether at home, assisted living or nursing home care, the cost can be staggering. When is the purchase of long-term care insurance appropriate for a client? How can the client control the  more...

Ohio Commercial Activity Tax Update: Now Fully Phased in, What We Have Learned and What We Can Expect Going Forward BenefitsIt has been five years since Ohio elected to move away from its more traditional, net income and net worth based corporate franchise tax to the commercial activity tax, or CAT. In addition to the CAT, in recent years a number of states have made significant changes to their income and franchise tax regimes, which has created a complex and arduous landscape for companies' state income tax  more...

Is Your Health Care Plan Grandfathered Under the Health Care Reform? BenefitsEmployers and other sponsors of group health plans routinely make annual changes to their plans that are designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve employee health and productivity. As plan sponsors consider design changes for 2011, they must also take into account new federal mandates under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as modified by the Health Care and  more...

Understanding the HIRE Act and Form 941 BenefitsWith all of the new legislation that has affected employers, it is becoming difficult to keep up with the new requirements. During this teleconference, you will obtain the knowledge on how to make sure that your company can take tax benefits being offered to employers for producing jobs and hiring new employees. We will explain in detail the HIRE Act from how to determine what employees  more...

Developing a Policy for Employee Use of Mobile Devices BenefitsThe paperless office is not yet here for most, but the vast amount of electronic information coursing through the average organization is bringing us closer and closer each day. Along with all the electronic information and use of mobile devices comes great opportunities, complex challenges and dangerous pitfalls. This teleconference will address employment issues as they pertain to  more...

1099 Reporting of Payments to Attorneys and Other Third-Parties BenefitsJoin this informative teleconference to gain insight as to the Internal Revenue Service's reporting requirements for payments made to an attorney in connection with legal services (whether or not the services performed are for the benefit of the payor). The IRS reminds us that all third-party payers, such as small businesses or individuals, are required to annually report payments made to  more...

Implementing Employee Threat Assessments: Are Your Employees Ticking Time Bombs? BenefitsEmployers are confronted more often with dangerous employees. This teleconference will address practical human resource issues including how not to hire dangerous employees, strategic discipline, strategic terminations and high risk terminations. It will also discuss some practical tools employers have at their disposal to deal with difficult employees, along with a discussion of real life  more...

Using Payroll Audits to Detect Errors and Fraud BenefitsAs a finance professional, you probably are expected to safeguard your company's money. Unfortunately, there is no typical picture of the fraud perpetrator and embezzlement of funds is all too common place, so you have your work cut out for you! An excellent place to start is with Jeffrey G. Matthews' 'Using Payroll Audits to Detect Errors and Fraud' teleconference. You will learn about  more...

Lease vs. Buy: Choosing the Best Option BenefitsThe decision to finance business equipment through lease programs or by purchases is one of the most difficult and important decisions faced by businesses every day. Making the wrong choice can not only result in economic loss but significant disruption of business, loss of time and opportunity. This teleconference will provide you with a comparison of the benefits and pitfalls of  more...

A/R Management: Converting Receivables Into Cash BenefitsCash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Payments from customers are the major source of cash for most businesses. It would be much easier if all sales were paid in advance or at the time of product/service delivery (like in a retail store). Unfortunately, competitive markets demand that credit be extended to customers and this is where AR management becomes so important. This  more...

Evaluating Your Third-Party Administrator: Are You Getting What You're Paying For? BenefitsUsing a third-party administrator is ubiquitous with health and welfare, and retirement plans. However, proper administration by TPAs should not be taken for granted. As with all facets of employee benefit plans, TPAs need to be monitored and evaluated to ensure proper plan administration and fulfillment of a plan sponsor's fiduciary responsibility. This teleconference explores the key  more...

Texas State Tax Update for the Oil and Gas Industry BenefitsProfessionals who work in the oil and gas industry, and related fields, face frequent questions regarding Texas state taxation of the oil and gas industry. The comptroller's office has hired more auditors and is busy conducting audits of taxpayers in the industry. This teleconference is designed to provide you with an update of the Texas state tax issues facing the oil and gas industry,  more...

Understanding Property Taxes in New York BenefitsNew York State real property taxes remain among the highest in the nation. Managing property taxes requires an understanding of how the property assessments on which taxes are based are set by the local assessor, whether it is cost effective to challenge such assessments and the procedures and strategies for doing so. This teleconference is for anyone who wants to understand the procedural  more...

Avoiding Exposure Under The Illinois Wage Payment And Collection Act BenefitsAre you paying your employees correctly? Maintaining proper pay practices has always been challenging due to the highly technical and often changing regulations in this area. Unfortunately, as the number of wage and hour lawsuits continues to spiral out of control, keeping abreast of the current rules and legal developments regarding pay practices has now become a matter of basic survival.  more...

The FLSA Comp Time Controversy BenefitsComp Time, or compensatory time, is an alternate way of rewarding overtime work. Instead of paying an hourly employee time-and-a-half for work done over the time allotted in the normal work week, employers can allow an hour and a half of time off for each hour of overtime worked. This teleconference will cover how the FLSA views the use of comp time in relation to public agencies and  more...

Planning Fundamentals for Illiquid Assets BenefitsPlanning for illiquid assets presents unique and difficult problems for clients, estates and the assets/business involved. Practitioners advising clients with substantial liquid assets need to identify the unique problems and provide guidance and solutions to deal with them. This teleconference will review a broad range of issues and planning opportunities affecting illiquid assets,  more...

Employee Driven Health Care: A Checklist for Employers BenefitsThis teleconference will include a comparison of HSA, HRA and FSAs. You will discover the value of Section 125 plans and recognize funding methods for various plans. Human resource managers, benefits and payroll professionals, controllers, CFOs, business owners and managers, insurance professionals and attorneys  more...

Boot Camp for QuickBooks by Lorman Education Services BenefitsDiscover all that QuickBooks can do and solve your toughest QuickBooks problems by spending 90 information-packed minutes with a nationally renowned QuickBooks expert who can answer all your questions. Learn the foundation of QuickBooks the right way and discover much of what QuickBooks can do for you. Don't waste time by figuring it out yourself, make sure you're doing things right. Among  more...

Understanding the Apportionment Rules for Service-Based Businesses BenefitsApportionment of income for state tax purposes is 'where the rubber meets the road.' That is to say, the complex and varied rules for determining a taxpayer's state income tax apportionment percentage can provide opportunities - with careful planning - for state tax minimization or create traps - without such planning - that lead to multiple taxation. Service-based businesses face  more...

How to Set Pay Ranges That Are Fair and Effective BenefitsOrganizations nationwide seek to continuously improve performance and motivation, while simultaneously reducing costs. This arduous task often becomes the responsibility of human resources. Without effective systems in place and data available, employee compensation can run counter to efficiency and performance objectives set by the organization. The implementation of market-based pay  more...

Protecting Assets for Long-Term Care Medi-Cal Benefits BenefitsFamilies with relatively substantial assets can often access California's Medi-Cal program to pay for long-term care. Attentive planning is required, however, to avoid the minefields of government rules and potentially disastrous consequences. Each family's needs beyond Medi-Cal and other government benefits must also be considered. Further complexity has been added to the planning process  more...

Conflicts With Additional Insured Coverage BenefitsStandard form contracts and purchase orders often require contract counterparties to add one another as additional insureds to general liability, property and other insurance policies. Relying upon another parties' insurance coverage can offer important benefits to the additional insured, whose own insurance coverage may not be implicated in the event of a claim. At the same time, relying  more...

SAS 70 and SSAE 16: Basics, Rules and Standards for Service Organizations BenefitsThis teleconference will discuss the rules of SAS 70s and the benefit/costs for the organizations and auditors using the SAS 70. In addition, there will be discussion on how SAS 70s have gained attention in the post Sarbanes-Oxley era. This will help you implement internal controls in becoming SAS 70 compliant. This will also assist you in analyzing the results of SAS 70 reports.  more...

Techniques to Prepare for Difficult Employee Discussions BenefitsSexually offensive behavior, poor communication and leadership skills, excessive absenteeism, and attitude problems - whether you're encountering commonplace or exceptionally serious employee relations issues, you'll need a down-to-earth strategy to protect yourself and your organization. Verbally addressing problems head-on can be a daunting task because of their confrontational nature,  more...

An Introduction to L3Cs: Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies BenefitsThe current state of the economy has left many charities and businesses, all with great intentions, struggling for financial support. These organizations need to re-evaluate their business models to successfully adapt in this economic climate. This teleconference will provide advisors and business owners with a broad overview of a new hybrid for-profit/nonprofit business model: the  more...

Top Sales and Use, Credits and Incentives Tips to Improve Your Bottom Line BenefitsIn the current economic climate, additional free cash flow is a priority for all companies to sustain corporate activities and fund working capital, capital improvements, acquisitions, research and development, etc. This teleconference will focus on unprecedented tax credits and economic incentives currently offered by state and local jurisdictions to stimulate business investment and the  more...

Overdraft Opt-Ins: Protecting Your Bank Under Regulation E BenefitsIn response to public criticism and high-profile litigation relating to overdraft fees, the Federal Reserve Board revised Regulation E to give consumers the right to limit overdraft costs associated with certain transactions by giving consent or opting-in to a financial institutions overdraft program. Financial institutions must comply with the new regulation by July 1, 2010. This  more...

The Fundamentals of Estate Planning for Pets BenefitsPets are an important part of the lives of many individuals. People own pets for a variety of reasons - they love animals, they enjoy the companionship and they enjoy receiving unconditional love. On many occasions, pets have supplanted children in people's lives. Planning for these companions requires a comprehensive look at the various opportunities and techniques which are available to  more...

Payroll Tax Pitfalls: Preventing IRS Penalties and Personal Liability for Late Payments BenefitsAmong many other legal obligations, employers face the ongoing requirement to timely withhold and remit payroll taxes to the federal government. People responsible for fulfilling a company's payroll tax obligations often do not realize the substantial penalties that can be imposed by the IRS against the company when payroll taxes are not timely deposited or paid at all. Additionally, in  more...

Mortgage Fraud: An Epidemic BenefitsThe FBI recognized 2008 as the worst year ever for mortgage fraud. 2009 has seen the mortgage fraud epidemic spread even wider and deeper. This teleconference will focus on the most prevalent forms of mortgage fraud. Best practices for detection and prevention are outlined, with industry-specific recommendations for bankers, lawyers and mortgage professionals. We will conclude with a  more...

End of Employment Payroll Issues BenefitsThis will be a comprehensive look into issues that arise when an employee terminates. Topics that will be discussed will go from when an employee needs to receive their final pay to how an employee death's final pay best practices and taxation. This teleconference will cover special situations when an employee terminates such as benefit deductions, state minimum hours requirements and  more...

How to Successfully Identify, Propose, Win and Manage Government Contracts BenefitsSmall and medium-sized businesses often experience difficulty conducting business with the federal government. They also do not know of the many tools and resources at their disposal. This teleconference provides those responsible for or trying to penetrate the federal government market space with valuable insight into the intricacies of the federal government acquisition lifecycle. It  more...

Cost Segregation: Applications for a Valuable Tax Planning Strategy BenefitsCost segregation is a powerful tax planning strategy used by real estate owners and tenants to accelerate significant depreciation deductions associated with buildings and improvements of all types and sizes. Although cost segregation has become quite popular in recent years, many tax advisors and real estate owners are still missing significant opportunities because they are unfamiliar  more...

Accounting for Off-Balance Sheet Items Update BenefitsFor years, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC and others have wrestled with how companies should report their involvement with special-purpose vehicles and transactions with such entities in their financial statements. Frequently, these issues are mentioned in the context of structured finance or asset securitization or, more broadly, as off-balance sheet financing. The  more...

Workout Strategies for Troubled Condominium Projects BenefitsThe present economic downturn has affected real estate projects of all types but perhaps none as significantly as condominium projects. To further complicate matters, strategies to cope with failing and failed condominium developments must address multiple overlays of statutory and other legal requirements and limitations, as well as the often conflicting rights and concerns of the many  more...

Protect and Collect - The Effective Use of Engagement Letters BenefitsToday's economy finds companies in every industry, including professional service firms, looking at best practices to keep revenues steady and to decrease liability. The collection process has become more burdensome as cash flow tightens across the country. With more and more lawsuits arising against professional service providers and their firms, law firms, accounting firms and even  more...

Noncompetition Agreements for the HR Professional: Protecting the Company's Business Resources? BenefitsNow more than ever, employers are seeing former employees trying to jump start their career moves - voluntarily or involuntarily - by cashing in on the employer's investment in relationships and information. Quite simply, the most effective way to protect your company's resources against the actions of departing employees is the noncompete agreement. But effectively using noncompetes  more...

Current Issues in Cloud Computing: Is There Sun Behind Those Clouds? BenefitsCloud computing is an enormous, pervasive and game-changing technology. Tech industry heavyweights such as Microsoft , IBM and Google have each committed billions to developing and marketing it. Smaller players and startups are cropping up daily with new offerings. Yet, for all the hype, few people understand the technology nor the unique issues cloud computing poses - particularly when it  more...

Rewards Transformation: A Unique Approach to Total Rewards Strategy and Design in the Current Economy BenefitsIn the current economic environment, organizations are concerned with reducing costs while retaining top talent. Total rewards costs can often exceed 40 percent of company's revenue and in many cases it is difficult to demonstrate ROI. This teleconference presents a unique approach to total rewards strategy, design and cost management called rewards transformation. Rewards transformation  more...

Tax Treatment of Charitable Fundraising BenefitsFundraising for charitable organizations has become a complex business. Charities no longer hold out a tin cup and ask for donations. They engage in sophisticated activities to generate revenue for their mission and the activities have tax consequences. This teleconference will review the federal tax consequences of fundraising activities and provide specific guidance on how to avoid tax  more...

Meeting Your Fiduciary Responsibilities Under ERISA BenefitsMaintaining an employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 requires that people managing the plan or investing plan assets become fiduciaries. You need to know when they might become an ERISA plan fiduciary. You must understand your legal obligations to plan participants and beneficiaries. This teleconference will provide you with an overview of the  more...

Minimizing Credit Card Processing Fees BenefitsFor most retailers, payment processing costs represent more than 2 percent of sales. Effective management can reduce these costs by one-third or more and the savings can be even more dramatic for retailers selling through direct marketing channels such as e-commerce, mail and telephone orders, and infomercials where processing costs can run 50 percent higher. But direct cost savings aren't  more...

Revenue Recognition Standards and Policies BenefitsThe teleconference is intended to accomplish two things: 1. To review current accounting guidance for revenue recognition with an emphasis on, in my experience, two contentious revenue recognition issues - multiple element arrangements and accounting for sales incentives; and 2. An introduction to two new standards on revenue recognition that will affect the accounting for multiple element  more...

Return on Investment for Wellness Programs BenefitsMounting evidence indicates that worksite wellness should be part of every strategic health plan. These plans can offer a valuable tool for employers to promote a fit and health-conscious work force that will save employers money by keeping health insurance premiums down, reducing workers' compensation costs, and by increasing productivity and decreasing lost time. Implementing a plan  more...

Controlling Purchasing Card Risk BenefitsThe backbone of an effective purchasing card program is a good control system. Without it a program may never realize its potential and risk may turn into reality causing a potential program shutdown. Fabian Aragon, P-Card program manager with Sandia National Laboratories, will discuss different ways a program can minimize risk, including basic controls, procedural controls, and assurance  more...

Current Issues in Revocable Living Trusts BenefitsRevocable living trusts are a foundation of many estate plans. The use of a revocable living trust generally provides for a confidential distribution of family wealth without required court interference and also allows for assets to avoid probate in most jurisdictions. Using a revocable living trust allows for planning in the event of incapacity without having to formally declare a person  more...

Qualified Retirement Plans Eligibility and Vesting Tips and Traps for the Unwary BenefitsThis teleconference will familiarize you with the general rules of eligibility and vesting. It will also assist you with specifically interpreting the provisions of your own plans and introduce you to a variety of options in order to make sure you know what you have and have what you want. In addition, although many provisions appear to be straightforward, the practical application of  more...

Real Estate Income Tax Issues BenefitsThis teleconference will address valuable planning techniques and recent developments concerning the income taxation of real estate, including issues applicable to partnerships and LLCs holding real property. You'll learn about capital gains strategies, like-kind exchanges, tenancies in common, how to structure transactions when some partners want cash and others want tax deferral, and  more...

Current Work Product Issues in Taxation: Preservation, Waiver and Tax Accrual Work Papers BenefitsCompanies face many obstacles and ever-changing standards to maintaining work product protection of sensitive documents and information prepared by counsel. The documents at issue, such as tax accrual workpapers, litigation analyses and internal investigation materials, are often roadmaps for the companies adversaries. Challenges to work product protection come from many directions,  more...

Best Practices in Invoice Processing BenefitsCritical tools such as electronic invoicing, vendor inquiry and Optical Character Recognition are rapidly changing the accounts payable field. Join an accounts payable industry analyst to learn why your job depends on not only understanding these high-power tools, but becoming an expert in their use and application. This teleconference will cover the tangible benefits of streamlining your  more...

Reports for Maintaining Compliance and Controlling Costs BenefitsToo much money is lost due to 'minor' payroll errors. Reviewing and working with certain payroll reports on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis can prevent these errors from costing you money that adds up fast. One incorrect form sent to the IRS or a state agency could result in thousands of dollars in penalties. Failure to deduct insurance or other deductions from employees can  more...

Employee Safety and Health Systems: Cutting Injuries Using the Team Approach BenefitsTraditional safety committees involve a small number of employees and are often managed by the individual responsible for the facility safety and health system. The problem is that the success of the committee, and thus the system success, is predicated by the authority given to the committee and its leadership which in most cases is low to nonexistent. The bottom line is that employee  more...

ADA Interaction with Addictions and Personal Habits BenefitsOne of the most confounding problems for employers is what to do when an employee comes forward with a drug problem or when an employee appears to be intoxicated while at work. This teleconference is designed to educate legal and HR professionals in addressing those situations within the boundaries of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which generally protects recovering drug addicts and  more...

Final Regulations on Shareholder and S Corporation Debt BenefitsThis teleconference will discuss the IRS' recently issued final regulations which limit the use of open account debt to pass-through S corporation losses to shareholders. Prior to these new regulations, taxpayers avoided recognition of income on the repayment of open account debt with reduced basis because of prior loss pass-throughs. We will discuss how these new regulations limit the use  more...

Electronic Record Retention: Mistakes HR Professionals Can Avoid BenefitsLearn the facts and get advice on cutting your dependence on paper records. According to the Association of Information and Image Management, more than half of organizations that attempt to implement paperless records management systems fail. Don't be one of them. This teleconference will help HR managers and anyone attempting to implement paperless records management to go paperless  more...

FASB Statement 157 - Fair Value Update on Corporate Asset Valuation BenefitsDuring the past 24 months we've seen unprecedented volatility in the financial services industry, capital markets, and global economy. While implementing changes mandated by FAS 157 (ASC 820) has been challenging for many companies - the rule aims to make it easier to communicate value to shareholders. This teleconference will provide an overview of FAS 157 (ASC 820) guidelines, including  more...

Direct Cost Accounting and Indirect Cost Allocation for Not-For-Profit Organizations BenefitsThis teleconference will help you deepen your understanding of direct cost accounting and indirect allocation rules, risks and best practices to achieve compliance with accounting requirements and maximize cost reimbursement. Accountants, attorneys, executive directors, officers, controllers, CFOs, tax managers and enrolled agents  more...

Enforcing Federal Garnishments BenefitsNearly every employer at one time or another has received a garnishment, whether for taxes, child support or general creditors. Failing to follow garnishment laws can be very costly for employers, and thus it is critical to carefully follow the requirements of any garnishment. This teleconference will explain the different kinds of garnishments under federal law and their use and  more...

Federal Tax Classification of Series LLCs BenefitsThe series LLC may be the solution to many issues that confront federal tax practitioners on a daily basis. For example, the series LLC is very useful in situations where long and expensive regulatory processes are involved with a new state law entity. The series LLC also can be used in asset backed securitizations in place of business trusts in those states that treat single member LLCs  more...

Matrimonial Considerations in Estate and Trust Planning BenefitsThis teleconference will review matrimonial implications to estate and trust planning. It will focus on the use of trusts and other estate planning techniques before marriage and during, after and before remarriage, to protect assets from matrimonial claims. Practical planning concepts; drafting considerations; income, gift and estate tax implications; and ancillary considerations will be  more...

Opt-Out Incentives and Other Cost Cutting Measures for Health Plans BenefitsThe recent debate regarding health care reform has highlighted for the public what employers have known for years - health care is expensive. Employers have for years looked for creative ways to alleviate double digit annual increases in the cost of health coverage provided to its employees. Employers have toggled deductibles and co-payments, and they have implemented wellness programs and  more...

Case Study: What Makes Dixon Schwabl One of the "Best Small Companies to Work for in America" BenefitsLearn how to motivate, empower and excite employees to build a great place to work. Dixon Schwabl, Inc., CEO Lauren Dixon will share her experiences developing a company culture built on flexibility, freedom and respect for employees, inspiring an innovative approach to everyday workplace practices. No matter the size, geography or industry - any company can be a great place to work. Ms.  more...

Best Practices in Commission Pay Plans BenefitsThere are few management tools that work as well in recruiting, directing, motivating and retaining sales people as a strong commission plan. This is critical because sales people are often highly paid, remote from headquarters and entrusted with customer relationships (very valuable assets). A properly designed commission plan clearly and personally communicates the strategy of the  more...

Internal Controls BenefitsWhether you're part of the Fortune 500 or a small private company, understanding how to develop and implement effective internal controls is critical to your business. In addition to helping you comply with the law, a good system of internal control can dramatically improve your bottom line. In this 90-minute teleconference, you'll learn about basic internal control concepts that will help  more...

Float Ownership Issues in Construction Project Management BenefitsFloat is a measure of schedule flexibility. It can be used to avoid creating disputes about delays or misused to exacerbate them. We will discuss the relationships between schedules, float and delays, and examine techniques which may be used to manipulate them and to minimize manipulation. This teleconference will also review the effect of contract provisions and the development of case  more...

Current Tax Implications of Repositioning Real Estate BenefitsIn a declining real estate market, more building owners and developers are concerned about the tax consequences associated with foreclosures, deeds in lieu of foreclosure, short sales and debt restructuring. Often, the tax consequences associated with these transactions can be difficult to determine. This teleconference will help you advise your clients on the income tax effects of  more...

Utilizing Spendthrift Trusts in Estate Plans BenefitsA spendthrift trust is an invaluable tool in protecting assets for the beneficiary. This teleconference will introduce you to the use and purpose of spendthrift trusts. Additionally, this program will provide specific guidance of drafting an effective spendthrift trust and highlight drafting pitfalls. Attorneys, estate planners, accountants, presidents, vice presidents, CFOs, controllers,  more...

Getting Advice from the IRS: Letter Rulings, Pre-Filing Agreements, TAMS and GLAMs BenefitsMany times clients must have certainty as to the federal tax consequences of a proposed transaction - and while tax opinions are helpful, they do not provide the certainty of qualified advice from the IRS. This teleconference is designed to discuss how, when and why to seek qualified written advice from the IRS, normally in the form of a private letter ruling request, a review of the  more...

Living With Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) BenefitsAs of March 19, 2009, 29 states have adopted UPMIFA as law and the Uniform Act is presently pending in an additional 16 jurisdictions. By the end of 2009, in most of the United States, attorneys representing nonprofit institutions and those who donate to them and their endowment funds will be governed by new state law which replaces the Uniform Management of Institutional Funds, which had  more...

Employee Expense Reimbursement Best Practices BenefitsMany employers spend significant sums on employee expense reimbursement and need to prepare and enforce robust policies to adequately support and monitor reimbursable expenses. In today's economy, establishment of best practices and ensuring compliance is crucial to minimize the cost and legal risk of inappropriate practices. This teleconference will explore the legal landscape governing  more...

Workplace Accident Investigations for the HR Professional BenefitsAttend this teleconference and learn how to conduct a workplace accident investigation as well as how to conduct an effective investigation and protect the company's interests. Many written investigative reports are used against the company because they are too conclusory or did not have sufficient information, and should have included certain language for risk management purposes. Learn  more...

Strategies in Representing Clients Before the IRS BenefitsThis teleconference is designed to summarize the important strategies to keep in mind when representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service. Tax exams are an every day occurrence. It is important to conduct them professionally and efficiently while at the same time presenting the taxpayer's position in the best possible way. Accountants, CPAs, attorneys, tax professionals, CFOs,  more...

Limited Medical Programs: How Employers Are Using Them to Control Health Care Costs BenefitsAfter years of increasing medical premiums, employers are hitting road blocks in cost saving measures. We are at a point of office visit co-pays approaching $50, prescription drug co-pays of $50 to $100, deductibles exceeding $2,000 for in-network benefits, and more and more premium cost shifting from employer to employee. Employee's are finding it hard to afford the per pay premiums and  more...

Estate and Financial Planning for Clients Living With Chronic Illness BenefitsChronic illness affects nearly 120 million Americans. How can professional advisers better serve and advise clients living with chronic illness and their loved ones? In many situations modest changes to traditional planning tools and drafting conventions can provide tremendously improved protection and peace of mind for clients living with chronic illness. This teleconference will provide  more...

Health Insurance Basics For Employers BenefitsMany people do not understand the basics of health insurance. This includes people new to the health insurance industry or new to interacting with the industry. It also includes people who have been in or interacting with the insurance industry for a while but never received adequate training. Attend this teleconference and come away with an understanding of the basics of health insurance  more...

Effective Job Rotation Programs: Development and Implementation BenefitsThere is little argument that job rotations, stretch assignments and on-the-job development projects are some of the most effective development tools in the talent management arsenal today. However, the design of many programs currently in operation date back to a time when the speed of organizational change was much slower than it is today, when the pressures of global competition were  more...

Understanding Business Valuations From Purpose to Product BenefitsThe business valuation field is widely fragmented with a variety of specialized services, appraiser credentials, business valuation standards and business valuation deliverables. For this reason, the business valuation methods employed, products delivered and prices charged can vary widely depending on the purpose of the business valuation and the appraiser or firm engaged. Therefore, it  more...

Pitfalls of Participant Loans in Retirement Plans BenefitsParticipant loans in a qualified employee benefit plan are a common problem area due to their complex administration. Plan sponsors of qualified employee benefit plans need to be aware of many pitfalls to avoid tax consequences. Even worse than tax consequences is the possibility of the entire plan losing its preferred tax status. This teleconference will explain the regulations of  more...

Valuation and Reporting of Gifts and Service Donations BenefitsAs not-for-profits continue to face challenges related to raising money, they are becoming more creative in soliciting donations, resulting in more donations of noncash assets and greater restrictions on contributions received. This is occurring at the same time that there is a higher focus on the definition of fair value. Contributions of gifts and services should be measured at the fair  more...

Using Green Strategies for Your Business to Increase Your Profits BenefitsEven though times are tough, companies with green products and services are weathering the storm better, and are better positioned for the future. CEO's of many of the largest corporations say sustainability is just as relevant during this economic crisis, if not more so (source: World Business Council on Sustainable Development). Obama's Stimulus Plan is focused on green jobs and  more...

Taxation Issues When Conducting Business With Native American Tribes BenefitsThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included a number of provisions designed to encourage economic development on Native American reservations, including expanded authority for American Indian tribes to issue tax-exempt bonds for projects on American Indian lands and a $500 million investment of funds for infrastructure, renewable energy, tribal detention facilities and  more...

Private Foundation Grant Agreements: Basics and Beyond BenefitsGrant making is the raison d'etre of most foundations. It is what you do! Therefore, a solid foundation grant agreement ought to be the legal backbone for much of a foundation's operations. Surprisingly however, for many private foundations the grant agreement is merely a form document that has been given little thought - if it exists at all. This teleconference will cover some of the  more...

Providing Investment Advice to Retirement Plan Participants Without Triggering Liability BenefitsThe current recession and volatile financial markets highlight the importance of financial literacy. Until recently, retirement plan sponsors have been constrained in the types of investment advice that can be provided to plan participants. Plan sponsors have long wanted to provide the investment advice their participants desire, but without incurring liability for advice given in good  more...

Tax Treatment of Gift Card and Certificate Sales BenefitsThe IRS is aware that the popularity of gift cards has increased at a remarkable rate in recent years. Gift card sales by retailers raise a variety of interesting and complicated tax issues. The IRS has announced that certain gift card issues are Tier II issues; some of which must be raised during an examination and some of which should be raised during an examination. The IRS announced,  more...

Tax Practice and Procedure Blunders That Can and Should Be Avoided BenefitsThis teleconference will describe common mistakes made by tax practice and procedures practitioners which can and should be avoided. Discussion on inadvertent privilege waiver, failure to control the flow of information at an audit, missing critical deadlines, failure to provide appropriate and adequate refund claims when necessary, and other key procedural mistakes will be addressed.  more...

Fundamentals of Form W-2 Processing BenefitsThe main priority for the payroll department is getting the pay checks to associates acutely and timely to employees. But a critical function for the payroll department is to pull all the payroll information together and produce a Form W-2 for all employees. This produces a great challenge to payroll departments to ensure that all elements of the W-2 are complete and accurate along with  more...

Independent Contractor Reporting BenefitsIndependent contractor status has distinct advantages for companies and workers, and continues to grow in popularity. However, as independent contractor relationships have become more common, the risks have become more apparent as well. This teleconference will help you understand how independent contractor status is determined for tax, EEO state law and other purposes, including in PEO  more...

The Interrelationship Between Social Security Disability, Medicare and Workers' Compensation Settlements BenefitsThis teleconference covers the two most important federal aspects of workers' compensation practice: Social Security disability offsets and the Medicare secondary payer statute. Anyone who represents claimants, employers or insurers in workers' compensation claims must understand the interrelationship between Social Security disability, Medicare and workers' compensation settlements. You  more...

Developing, Managing and Analyzing a Budget: Understand and Implement an Effective Budget for Better Management and Financial De BenefitsThis teleconference will show how proper planning and budgeting are the keys to success, and operating without a plan or budget is an invitation to fail. This concept holds for businesses - no matter how large or small - nonprofits and governments. Budgeting is a dynamic process, not a static one. By knowing the types of budgets and processes that have worked for others, one can create an  more...

Current Issues in Attributional and Agency Nexus BenefitsA state's ability to impose taxes on a multistate business is limited by nexus standards rooted in the U.S. Constitution. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed its longstanding rule and held in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota that nexus requires some form of physical presence in the taxing state. However, physical presence is not limited only to direct presence. It may also be established  more...

When Worlds Collide - Bankruptcy and Probate BenefitsUntil the U. S. Supreme Court's 2006 decision in Marshall v. Marshall, 547 U.S. 293 (2006), there was a common belief among many bankruptcy and probate practitioners that the so-called probate exception to federal jurisdiction served to prevent bankruptcy courts from adjudicating any matters that were related, even only slightly, to a probate estate. In giving a very narrow interpretation  more...

Cash Is King: Effective Cash Flow Management BenefitsA balance sheet is often described as a snapshot of your financial situation at a single point in time. (Think of it as the balance in your personal checking account.) An income statement summarizes revenue, expenses and net income for the entire year or other period of time. Both of these financial statements are important tools to measure the success of your business but do little to  more...

Current ERISA Fiduciary Issues for Financial Institutions BenefitsFinancial institutions have long been faced with difficult and complicated issues under ERISA's fiduciary rules. The current economic downturn has given rise to a new round of legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding ERISA's fiduciary rules and has more generally affected the manner in which ERISA may affect financial institutions. In addition, the regulatory environment continues  more...

Nonprofit Gift Acceptance Policies BenefitsFundraising is hard enough without running into the legal, accounting and practical pitfalls inherent in some types of gifts! A comprehensive gift acceptance policy can help an organization avoid these pitfalls, enhance its donor relationships and run a more successful development program. This teleconference will address the issues that should be covered in a basic gift acceptance policy  more...

A Privacy Law Primer: What Every Attorney, Compliance and Security Officer Should Know BenefitsPrivacy and information security legislation, standards and case law are having an ever-larger impact on your relationships with your customers, clients and employees, as well as on your company's management of personal information. Issue-spotting in this area requires some familiarity with the complex state, federal and international regulatory patchwork and nongovernmental standards that  more...

Immigration Compliance for the HR Professional: Employment Authorization Issues and Beyond BenefitsAll United States employers must comply with employment authorization and verification laws, regardless of the size or composition of their workforce. This teleconference will supply you with the information you need to ensure your company is in compliance with employment authorization rules and regulations. Detailed guidance on employment verification procedures, Social Security number  more...

Construction Payment Remedies: Using the Right Tools BenefitsThe recession has made nonpayment and late payment critical concerns to many in the construction industry. The unique nature of the industry and the special remedies available to those in it make payment disputes matters of much interest to all involved in the construction process. The recession has only made resolution of these disputes more challenging. This teleconference will cover  more...

Working Capital Management: Effective Policies and Techniques BenefitsLiquidity is top of mind for executives and they are looking at all sources of incremental free cash flow within their organizations. One area that is on everyone's list of sources is working capital, but most companies fail to reap the full opportunity that is available to them. What are leading companies doing to effectively drive cash flow from working capital? This teleconference will  more...