After a solid week of number-crunching, a supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee analyzed the genetics of the COVID-19 virus to understand why it impacts so many different systems of the body. Analysis of the data resulted in a new theory about how the virus operates and why it causes so much havoc. Unlike many viruses that target just one or two systems in the body, the researchers… Read more
Shutting down economies around the world to fight the coronavirus has been a blunt and costly instrument, as this piece in the Wall Street Journal describes. Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong demonstrated that it was possible to reduce infection rates by widespread testing, contact tracing, cutting off travel with China and adopting masks. Such stringent controls were not possible in most states in the U.S., so instead we resorted… Read more
It’s been almost 3 weeks and we accountants, employers and employees have been waiting for answers so that we can make an informed decision. When I first read the memo I was concerned about the unforeseen consequences. Please click through to my blog post of August 10th, for the full details and concerns as next week starts the clock and I am still concerned. So are many who have been… Read more
In the past, automation and technological advances created more jobs than it disrupted, and innovation has greatly improved our lives. However, as this article in the Wall Street Journal reports, economists caution that the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the changes that have already been happening for the last several decades which may be creating a divide between skilled and low-skilled workers. “For many professionals, technology has been a lifeline… Read more
Until scientists develop an effective and safe vaccine, and that vaccine is administered to millions of people, our best means of protection from COVID-19 is herd immunity. Recent models hint that the protective effects of a population that has already been infected by the COVID-19 virus may exist at much lower percentages than previously thought. Instead of requiring that 70 to 80 percent of a population be immune, that threshold… Read more
Even though unemployment still remains high, and the US economy took a nosedive during the second quarter of 2020, US households managed to decrease their overall debt for the first time in six years. Even in the face of unemployment, credit card debt dropped by $76 billion during the second quarter as households cut back on non-essential spending. In the first six months of 2020, consumers reduced their credit card… Read more
Presidential Memoranda – Budget & Spending Issued on: August 8, 2020 Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster I knew it was too good to be true that this weekend I would not be studying yet another new tax act, policy, rev.proc. or similar! This weekend the White House has issued a Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster. Here… Read more
Perhaps the most challenging part of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is that many infected people never show symptoms or have such mild symptoms it’s easy to chalk that out-of-sorts feeling to a poor night of sleeping. Some estimate that as many as 40% of those infected never exhibit symptoms, and these people could be shedding nearly as much contagious virus as those with full-blown symptoms. This high rate of… Read more
This tax season which (really) started December 2019 and just ended Wednesday, July 15th as we e-filed the last of the 2019 personal tax return extensions gives new meaning to the quote from Charles Dickens’, A Tale of Two Cities. While drafting the polling questions for our week’s NCCPAP tax and accounting live stream seminar which is focused on individual and business tax consequences of working at a “home location”… Read more
It’s the morning of July 15, 2020 and as I post this the clock is ticking on the last day of “Tax Season 2020”. With the countdown to the end of Tax Season 2020 on the opportunity will pass for a few time sensitive actions on your part: Today is the last day you can timely pay your 2019 tax liability with either your tax return or extension and the… Read more
The July 15th deadline is coming up, but it’s not too late to make an IRA contribution! Even though tax filing season is well underway, there is still time to make a regular (traditional) IRA contribution for 2019. You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions). For most taxpayers, the contribution deadline is July 15, 2020. Watch the video to see what actions to take now: Making a last-minute… Read more
The PPP loan applications close today at midnight, the rules have relaxed, so if you have not yet applied, today is the day to do so. It’s hard to believe that we have been researching the guidance on these programs for four (4) months and there are still so many unanswered questions. Please follow this link for the SBA Lender Match Tool if you have not applied yet. If you… Read more
I have been looking forward to seeing my staff in person and had ordered special “cute masks” with filters, high powered cleaning products, a digital thermometer, created a staggered in office work schedule, set up a hand sanitizer station and started our visitor log. Over the weekend I finalized our plan and certified our readiness. As a New York City accounting office we were all set for phase 2, our… Read more
As a New York City accounting office, I like many have been looking forward to seeing our staff and co-workers in person starting this week with the “Phase 2 re-opening”. We are happy to see that as businesses across the country slowly reopen, the IRS is also beginning to send employees back. So far, employees in seven states (Kentucky, Texas, Utah, Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee and Missouri) are back at work,… Read more
Resources to Help You Survive – and Thrive – During the COVID-19 Pandemic When the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning to spread, many of us were hopeful that by mid-summer, things would return to normal. However, most people are realizing that the coronavirus will be with us for some time to come. That’s one of the conclusions from a series of short articles at the New York Times aptly titled… Read more
I woke up this morning with lingering nightmare threads. somehow I had driven to a beach and parked my car and was now running up and down the street hunting for it. Go figure, I guess I am feeling guilty for working out indoors this week! Then I really woke up to a nightmare as I opened my emails and found that N.Y.S. had issued Notice N-20-8 changing the due… Read more
Weekly Digest – 10 June 2020 Resources to Help You Survive – and Thrive – During the COVID-19 Pandemic As painful as the shutdown has been, a recent study indicates that it may have prevented as many as 60 million COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and 285 million in China. Banning large gatherings had the most impact in France and South Korea, while evidence is mixed on the impact of school closures.… Read more
I am glad to report that as of yesterday that in a joint statement by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza those businesses electing to use the rules in H.R.7010: the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act WILL be able to receive partial forgiveness if they properly follow the 60%-40% guidelines for spending for approved payroll costs and operating expenses. Here is the link to that latest announcement … Read more
Resources to Help You Survive – and Thrive – During the COVID-19 Pandemic Now that some states are lifting lockdown restrictions, retailers whose offerings differ by the season are having an especially challenging time with reopening. Many were not able to fully restock their stores with spring items before they had to shut down, and have warehouses and stores full of items that no one wants now. Restaurants are also… Read more
At the onset of the debates and proposals for the stimulus packages, the C.A.R.E.S. Act, PPP & EIDL Loans one of my friends told me about the system some European countries use to support business in times of mandatory shutdowns. It sounded pretty straight forward and she said it accomplished what most economists were saying we needed; a way for employees and businesses to continue paying their bills during the… Read more