“HELLO. WE WANT TO BUY YOUR COMPANY.” NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?

If you are the owner or CFO for a small to medium- sized business, it is likely closely- held or family- owned, and this may happen to you. If not,…

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STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS: HAS YOUR BUDGETING/PLANNING PROCESS OUTGROWN EXCEL?

It’s a safe bet that most businesses start out using Microsoft Excel to prepare budgets and forecasts.  Most likely they continue to do so as their business grows.   And why…

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WHAT IS THE RIGHT LEVEL OF FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP IN A RAPIDLY GROWING BUSINESS?

Rapidly growing businesses are faced with many tough decisions but one of the most challenging is that of assembling and growing a financial and accounting team that can scale as…

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MAKING SENSE OF BITCOIN

Bitcoin – the name seems vague, inspires confusion and its place in regular and continuous commercial activity seems unclear at best. What are business people, and especially small business owners,…

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Post Merger Integration: Why a Conduit is an Essential Part of Success

Having spent a good part of my career on both sides of the table, assessing and executing M&A deals spanning several continents, I came to the realization that regardless of…

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THE ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SERIES: NO. 1 – A CHALLENGE FOR BANKS

Much like the dramatic changes impacting the taxi industry driven by ride sharing “brokers” such as Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and others; financial institutions (e.g., commercial banks, credit card companies, savings…

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SUCCESSION PLANNING RETHOUGHT

Few issues trouble a business owner more than how they are going to exit a business at retirement, to start another business (if they are a serial entrepreneur), or to…

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INTERNATIONAL M&A: WHY TAXES MATTER EVEN FOR SMALL COMPANIES

In the past year I’ve seen an increasing amount of M&A activity especially with my international clients. Every transaction I’ve worked on has had substantial tax content to it. I…

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TRENDING CALIFORNIA TAX NEWS: A BITE AT THE BOTTOM…NOW A BITE AT THE TOP?

California Senator Bob Hertzberg (D – San Fernando Valley) proposed January 12th, a sales tax on professional, construction, financial and agricultural services, as a part of a plan to raise…

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WHEN FAMILY WEALTH OUTGROWS THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Transitions in a family business are difficult. Deciding how and where to grow, changing roles and responsibilities and balancing emotions and egos are all transitions which are amplified in a…

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