Is there a weak link in your supply chain?
Every company should watch out for weak links in its supply chain. Examples include: 1) legal risks; a supplier could be embroiled in a lawsuit or violation, 2) political risks; a supplier may operate in a politically unstable region (even nationally), and 3) transportation risks; weather or other disasters could compromise a supplier’s shipping routes. To cope, consider strategies such as diversifying your suppliers to avoid overreliance on one. Also, perhaps renegotiate contracts for less risky terms and access to better technology. Contact us for more info.
Do you still need to worry about the AMT?
Do you still need to worry about the individual alternative minimum tax (AMT)? A repeal had been proposed, but it wasn’t included in the final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The act will, however, reduce the number of taxpayers subject to the AMT. Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the changes and see if there are any steps you can take during the last several months of the year to avoid the AMT or at least minimize any negative consequences. To learn about the TCJA’s impact on the AMT and assessing your AMT risk for 2018, contact us.
Do you qualify for the home office deduction?
Under the TCJA, employees can no longer claim the home office deduction. But if you run a business from your home or are otherwise self-employed, this deduction may still be available to you. You might qualify if part of your home is used exclusively and regularly for administrative or management activities and you don’t have another fixed location where you conduct these activities. You also might qualify if you physically meet with clients/customers there or you use a storage area in your home exclusively and regularly for business. Contact us for details.
Supply chain pain: ‘Dude, where’s my container?’
Surgere Inc., a Green, Ohio, analytics company, is tackling a major pain point in the auto industry’s supply chain — keeping up with things in transit. Surgere uses a suite of technologies (RFID, NFC, Bluetooth and GPS), as well as predictive analytics software, to help automakers track millions of products — from widgets to engines — as they move through the supply chain. Surgere recently announced that five automakers — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors, Honda North America, Nissan North America and Toyota North America — will jointly use Surgere’s data platform to tackle loss and inefficiency in the supply chain. Surgere CEO Bill Wappler spoke with Staff Reporter Urvaksh Karkaria here about the art of keeping track of things.
7 Tips for a Smooth Start to Manufacturing
The initial days of starting up are mostly spent on researching the market, benchmarking competition and seeking funding from friends and family. When you start searching for manufacturers and talking to them, it all starts to feel real. But finding the right manufacturer is not easy.
Tips for Increasing Warehouse Productivity
Improving efficiency in the warehouse is critical to meeting current consumer trends, which are being driven by e-commerce and home delivery of groceries. Warehouse productivity is affected by the type, size, and variety of materials being moved in the warehouse to meet these demands. While changes to these factors over time may increase or decrease performance, the one absolute affecting productivity is optimizing routine processes. Using mobile weighing technologies to reduce truck time at the dock (turn-over) can have one of the greatest effects on a company’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
Have Real Estate Investors Learned From The Recession?
Ultimately, the Great Recession, whose effects we are still recovering from now (though it will likely have a huge impact on our society and economy for years to come) left some valuable lessons for professionals of all kinds in the real estate industry. My team and I certainly remember them, hard-won as they were.
Bitcoin-Only Real Estate Deals On The Rise
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Using only bitcoin, 20 homes have been sold worldwide, and that number looks to get bigger. In fact, the Miami, Fla., real estate agent that brokered two of those deals, Stephan Burke, says cryptocurrency will make up 25-30 percent of real estate sales in five years.
The problem with telemedicine
A recent study sponsored by Avizia, a telehealth provider based in Reston, Va., shows that after all of the hype about telemedicine being the future of medicine, the vast majority of patients still don’t take advantage of the technology. In fact, 82 percent of patients surveyed said they don’t use a telemedicine service.
Hospitals must overcome these challenges to transition from fee for service to value-based care
Executives must address redundant services, lengthy claims processing and reimbursement cycles, among others.