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Category: Manufacturing

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October 21, 2019
Putting the Brakes on Lapping Schemes

Lapping schemes are one of the most common ways crooked employees skim money from their employers. In these schemes, a perpetrator uses receipts from one account to cover theft from another. Here’s what lapping looks like and how you can help prevent it....

September 19, 2019
How to Research a Business Customer’s Creditworthiness

Extending credit to business customers can be an effective way to build goodwill and nurture long-term buyers. But if you extend customer credit, it also brings sizable financial risk to your business, as cash flow could grind to a halt if these customers don’t make their ...

September 13, 2019
MN Tax Law Conformity Bill – What You Need to Know

The Minnesota Legislature recently passed a tax bill that conforms or partially conforms several Minnesota tax laws to changes made under prior Federal tax bills. Below is a link to a listing provided by the Minnesota Society of CPAs (MNCPA) of the items that now conform or...

September 13, 2019
Start Your Strategic Planning Early for Best Results

Time flies when you’re having fun — and running a business. Although it’s probably too early to start chilling a bottle of bubbly for New Year’s Eve, it’s certainly not too early for business owners to start doing some strategic planning for next year. Here are som...

September 3, 2019
Understanding the Fraud Triangle

Fraud experts have long suggested that the presence of three conditions, known as the “fraud triangle,” greatly increases the likelihood that an employee will commit fraud. Over the years, this conceptual framework has been expanded to become a “fraud diamond.” Under...

August 27, 2019
Shedding Some Light on Business Credits for Solar Energy Property

We all know that solar energy can save you money on future energy costs. But did you also know that there is a federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) of up to 30% of the total cost of the energy property? The energy property must meet performance and quality standards, mu...

August 15, 2019
Early Revenue Recognition Fraud

Early revenue recognition has long accounted for a substantial portion of financial statement fraud. By recording revenue early, a dishonest business seller or an employee under pressure to meet financial benchmarks can significantly distort profits. Fortunately, fraud exper...

August 10, 2019
Is it Time to Hire a CFO or Controller?

Many business owners reach a point where managing the financial side of the enterprise becomes overwhelming. Usually, this is a good thing — the company has grown to a point where simple bookkeeping and basic financial reporting just don’t cut it anymore.  If you can re...

July 22, 2019
Assess for Fraud Risk Before You Experience Financial Loss

If you’re like most business owners and executives, you may not actively search for fraud risks — until there’s an incident and you’re facing possible losses. Although publicly traded companies must conduct fraud risk assessments, privately held businesses don’t ha...

July 1, 2019
2019 Third Quarter Tax Calendar

Key Tax Deadlines for Businesses and Other Employers:  Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the third quarter of 2019. This list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you....

June 28, 2019
Grading the Performance of Your Company’s Retirement Plan

Imagine giving your company’s retirement plan a report card. Would it earn straight A’s in preparing your participants for their golden years? Or is it more of a C student who could really use some extra help after school? Benchmarking can tell you....

June 22, 2019
Midyear Performance Needs the Right KPIs

We’ve reached the middle of the calendar year. So how are things going for your business? Conversationally you might say, “Pretty good.” But, analytically, can you put a number on how well you’re doing — or several numbers for that matter? You can if you choose and...