Investors with offshore accounts must be familiar with the filing requirements of the FBAR and IRS Form 8938.

FBAR

Any U.S person with offshore accounts that had more than $10,000 in them any time during the year must file Form TD F 90-22.1, the so-called FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account).  A U.S. person includes individuals, partnerships, corporations and estates and trusts.  This form must be received (not postmarked) by the U.S. Treasury Department by June 30, 2012.  There is no extension of time to file this report.  Unlike individual income tax returns, this form can’t be filed electronically.  It must be mailed in.  Failure to file this report on time may result in penalties being assessed. Civil penalties start at $10,000 and go up from there. more…

The misclassification of employees as independent contractors, presents a serious issue for affected employees, employers, and to the economy. Misclassified employees are often denied access to critical benefits and protections such as family and medical leave, overtime, minimum wage and unemployment insurance. Employee misclassification as independent contractors, also generates substantial losses to the Treasury and the Social Security and Medicare funds, as well as to state unemployment insurance and workers compensation funds. more…

A Roth Conversion is when funds are taken out of an IRA and converted into a Roth IRA. This conversion results in taxable income. Here are 4 Reasons to do a Roth Conversion:

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Closely Held Businesses looking to negotiate a sale of their business will either do an Asset Sale or a Stock Sale.

Asset Sale

With an asset sale, the buyer is buying the assets of the business. These assets will be identified in the purchase and sale agreement. They may include accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets including office furniture, machinery and vehicles. Additionally they may include intangible assets like customer lists, work force in place, goodwill and a non-compete agreement. Most buyers would prefer an asset sale as: more…

Business owners can maintain their corporation as a regular or "C" Corporation. Alternatively, if they are eligible, they may want to make a Subchapter S Election. Both are treated as separate legal entities. Here are the differences however:

C Corporation

While a C Corporation is a separate legal entity, it is also a separate taxable entity. The corporation will pay income taxes on any taxable income reported. more…