Children of military personnel who died in active duty are facing a surprise tax bill for their annual survivor's benefit thanks to the new tax law. The new law simplified the Kiddie Tax by switching the rate from the parents' rate to trust tax rates. In one case, a 6-year-old owed $7,000 in federal taxes two years after his father, a U.S. Navy senior chief petty officer, died of a heart attack. To read the ...

If, like the Rolling Stones, you can’t get no satisfaction (on the job), a recent survey may be able to shed a little light on why. Business backer FundRocket asked more than 1,000 workers what gives them purpose and pride at work—and what they found may surprise you. (Hint: It doesn’t come down to salary.) To read the full article in Glassdoor, click: The Real Source of Job Satisfaction. ...

The congratulatory texts and tweets started the last week of November. Microsoft had overtaken Apple to become the world’s most valuable company, a stunning climax in a year that also saw it pass Amazon and Google’s Alphabet Inc. Longtime employees, who’d grown accustomed to thinking of Microsoft as far removed from its glory years, when it was run by Bill Gates and feared as the “Evil Empire,” were flooded ...

The internet has revolutionized the workplace over the past three decades. Artificial Intelligence is now poised to do the same, and businesses that do not capitalize on the technology risk being left behind. Global tech giants like Amazon have been leading the charge—with algorithms powering personalized shopping recommendations and personal stylists—but businesses of all sizes are now embracing the techno ...

For a business or CPA firm, a disaster can take the form of a catastrophic weather event, a cyberattack, or even a sudden regulatory decision that may put the future of the organization in jeopardy. It may be impossible to prevent such a disaster, but proper planning can help minimize the damage and disruption an organization suffers if it is hit by a catastrophe. In this podcast, Jennifer H. Elder, discuss ...

Olympic athletes are at the peak of their careers, but even they need rest days to stay healthy. Sometimes financial markets need to reset from record-setting performance, too. Here’s what you need to know about bear, or down, markets. To read the full article in Hartford Funds, click: 10 Things You Should Know About Bear Markets. ...

As Apple and Amazon compete for a greater share of consumer dollars and attention, they also have a particularly intimate business relationship: Apple is spending more than $30 million a month on Amazon’s cloud, according to people familiar with the arrangement. To read the full article in CNBC, click: Apple Spends More Than $30 Million on Amazon's Cloud Every Month, Making it One of the Biggest AWS Custome ...

Disagreements at work are common. Most people spend their week working with colleagues who have different ways of thinking and communicating. While having many different personalities on one team can often be a benefit, it can also fuel conflict, putting employees and their managers in awkward positions. To read the full article in Journal of Accountancy, click: How to Handle Office Conflict. ...

The financial crisis of 2008 may have started in the U.S. banking sector but it went on to unleash the deepest global recession since the Great Depression. To read the full article in World Economic Forum, click: An Economist Explains What Happens if There is Another Financial Crisis. ...

It’s not hard to envision Gen X advisors finally achieving things that many of us hoped would happen a decade or more ago. To read the full article in Financial Planning, click: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Next-Gen Takeover. ...

A third of staff think their employer is “stuck in its ways” and will not consider how to improve its culture—which could lead to increased staff turnover. To read the full article in Personnel Today, click: One in Three Say Their Employer Won’t Consider Culture Improvements. ...

Tracking IRA basis is critical for avoiding double taxation of assets, but this can be especially difficult for those who inherit retirement accounts. Reviewing the decedent's Form 8606 is an important first step, and other tax forms can also provide valuable information if this form cannot be found. To read the full article in Kiplinger, click: How Beneficiaries Can Determine IRA Basis. ...

Some baby boomers are taking out loans or using their retirement savings to help fund their children's education. This, in turn, is contributing to the significant debt burden facing some families headed by people over 60. To read the full article in Think Advisor, click: Grappling with the College Debt Burden. ...

People believe that it is obvious to others when they are lying, when in fact people are not very good at detecting the lies of others. To read the full article in Fast Company, click: How To Tell When You’re Being Lied To. ...

Employees may be concerned that discussing mental health issues will affect their careers, so it is important for senior leaders to start the conversation. Providing relevant training and offering online tools can also help. To read the full article in Harvard Business Review, click: Open the Conversation About Mental Health in the Workplace. ...

Advisors who custody assets at TradePMR opened their mailboxes last week to find an analog postcard holding the promise of a virtual future. After the advisor downloads an app, their phone projects a video of CEO Robb Baldwin onto the physical postcard, inviting them to his firm’s annual conference. This is done through the use of augmented reality, technology that blends virtual objects in live settings. T ...

McDonald's is teaming up with AARP to post job vacancies for older Americans and also launch a pilot program targeting those who are lower income. To read the full article in USA Today, click: McDonald’s Commits to Hiring Older Americans to Fill Jobs. ...

Leaders of the accounting profession have made substantial efforts to increase diversity in the workforce, but a survey suggests that more needs to be done to improve inclusion of African-American staff. Among other things, leaders should seek to prevent unconscious bias and ensure that informal networks are welcoming of diverse membership. To read the full article in the Journal of Accountancy, click: Chal ...

When attempting to quantify the return on investment of diversity programs, companies should start by monitoring metrics such as employee engagement scores. Once this process is complete, companies should focus on improving problem areas with incremental, quantifiable goals. To read the full article in Forbes, click: Tips for Evaluating the ROI of Diversity Programs. ...

Deloitte and Accenture were among the top large companies for women in a ranking by Comparably that accounted for factors such as workplace culture and compensation. To read the full article in Women Entrepreneur, click: Ranking Highlights Top Companies for Women, Diversity. ...