Retirement September 30, 2026
History of Social Security COLAs
The predicted 2027 cost-of-living adjustment of 3.5% would rank 19th among the increases implemented since 1977, the first year Social Security began calculating the annual boost.
Firm Management April 21, 2014
A Journey of Understanding – How One Firm is Reaping the Benefits of Marketing
The owners of Mattingly Zsebe, PA weren’t any different from most practitioners in terms of how they viewed marketing. In essence, “Marketing sucked…it didn’t work…it was a waste of time.” These were the sentiments of the partners, Bill Mattingly, CPA, and Dylan Zsebe, CPA, before they started their journey of understanding just a year ago.
April 17, 2014
Rhode Island Supporters of Legal Pot Promote Economic Benefits
The sponsors of a bill to legalize marijuana possession in Rhode Island said Wednesday that the decades-old war on drugs has failed and that regulation is the answer.
April 11, 2014
7 Reasons People Haven’t Paid For Obamacare
The White House now says without equivocation that 7.1 million individuals signed up for Obamacare by March 31, the deadline for open enrollment in 2014. But how many of those people actually paid for health insurance coverage acquired through the marketplace? That’s where the “counting” gets a little trickier.
April 9, 2014
Healthcare Law May Cost Large Employers up to $5,900 Per Employee
According to a new study by the American Health Policy Institute (AHPI), it could cost some businesses almost $6,000 extra per employee. The report, “The Cost of the Affordable Care Act to Large Employers.” draws on internal cost data shared with AHPI by over 100 large employers (10,000 or more employees each) doing business in…
April 6, 2014
IRS May Lack Resources to Enforce ObamaCare Insurance Mandate
The IRS has been struggling in its efforts to close an estimated $385 billion “tax gap” between the amount that taxpayers owe and the amount they’ve actually paid. Now, to add another crushing weight, it has to ramp up Obamacare activities despite recent budget cutbacks.
April 4, 2014
10 Ways to Still Beat the Obamacare Insurance Deadline
Despite reports of a formal extension circulating in the media, March 31 was the last day that individuals could sign up for health insurance coverage for 2014 under the Obamacare mandate without risking a hefty financial penalty. Or was it?
April 4, 2014
Financial Planner Shares 3 Smart Tips for Retirement
With home ownership, job opportunity and retirement security in decline, an Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll shows that most Americans agree with what the experts have said. Seven in 10 think that tomorrow’s adults – today’s kids – will have less financial security than adults today.
April 2, 2014
New Pension Bill Nears Passage in Oklahoma
A bill designed to switch new state employees who participate in the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System from a defined benefit plan to a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan was approved Tuesday by the state Senate Pensions Committee.
March 28, 2014
For Seniors: April 1 is Deadline to Take Required Retirement Plan Distributions
The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers who turned 70½ during 2013 that in most cases they must start receiving required minimum distributions (RMDs) from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and workplace retirement plans by Tuesday, April 1, 2014.
March 28, 2014
Not an April Fool’s Joke: Obamacare Mandate Delayed Again
Despite recent claims that the deadline for signing up for Obamacare would not be postponed beyond the initial March 31 deadline – the day before April Fool’s Day – the White House has finally caved into the pressure. According to a report in the Washington Post on March 25, the Obama administration is extending the…
March 26, 2014
Treasury Offers Quick Fix on Another Obamacare Glitch
The government seems to have worked out most of the kinks in www.healthcare.gov, the online site used to sign up for Obamacare. But it has yet to address another glitch that surfaced almost two years ago: Language in the law that prevents married taxpayers who file separate tax returns from qualifying for special tax subsidies.
March 24, 2014
Should Accounting Firms Sell Health Insurance?
When it first became clear that tax preparers – including CPAs – would have to be the front line in implementation of the Affordable Care Act, I voiced a lot of concerns. I doubted it would be possible for accounting professionals to serve as both trusted advisors and health insurance sales people.