10 Tax Deductions for Home Based Businesses

Posted by Ivan Widjaya

One of the greatest advantages to working for yourself through a home-based business is the many tax deductions that can be claimed against your federal tax obligations. Valuable information concerning the rules that apply to each of the following categories can be found on the IRS website. At the outset of the business, have a system for saving receipts and maintaining good documentation concerning every deduction. Some small businesses are audited every year, and the business owners with good records emerge from the audit easily while others end up paying additional taxes because expenses could not be proven. Many of the following categories will apply to most home-based businesses.

1. Home Office Space – When the home office is a separate space that is used exclusively for the business operation, that percentage of the total square footage of the home can be deducted as office space. Specific calculations apply and can be found on the IRS website. For certain types of businesses, the licenses to operate in the home must be acquired prior to claiming the home as a place of business. Check local and state regulations prior to the first day of operation to avoid disqualified deductions.

2. Services and Utilities – A phone line that is installed in the business office and used exclusively for business calls is deductible. Installation charges and monthly service charges can be claimed as deductions. All long distance charges can also be deducted. Cell phone accounts can be deducted as a percentage of the actual business usage. If the cell phone is used exclusively for business, the entire expense, including the cost of the phone, can be deducted. Utility expense to heat the office and the electricity to light the office can be deducted according to the percentage of the home’s square footage used for business.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.noobpreneur.com/2011/02/05/10-tax-deductions-for-home-based-businesses/

The Importance of Having a Last Will and Testament

By G. L. Giddings                                                                                                       

A Last Will and Testament is the MOST important legal document you will ever sign in your lifetime, IF you take the time and effort to get it completed! Approximately 80% of all Americans do not have an updated Will. The average Last Will and Testament averages $500 to $6,000 from a non-LegalShield attorney. LegalShield offers all of its members a FREE and comprehensive Last Will and Testament, a Living Will, and a Durable Healthcare Power of Attorney for owning the LegalShield membership. Here is a BIG reason why you should get your Last Will done; to protect the ones you love and care for like your family while you are ALIVE versus having them deal with expensive probate issues when you DIE. 


The Financial Costs of Not Having A Last Will and Testament
Some people think that a Last Will and Testament is something that can be done later in life, or that their estate or family situation doesn’t warrant the time and effort to create one. Estate planners, probate authors, and scholars have written and lectured time and time again about the legal need to have a Last Will and Testament in place to transfer your assets when you die, but the financial need may be the one thing that finally encourages some to get their Will done. Keep this in mind: Bad things happen to good people and no one is promised to be here tomorrow!! (For example, accidents and injuries that result in death, illnesses, weather, natural disaster, etc.)


Here is why probating an estate is almost always MORE EXPENSIVE to manage WITHOUT a Last Will and Testament:
Let’s look at a very simple estate case. For example, say you are an individual with no children with an estate worth only $20,000. Maybe you own a car or have some other personal property to leave behind. When you die with a Last Will and Testament that states to whom your estate is to be distributed to is pretty “cut and dry” in probate court. Your estate may pay legal fees of approximately $750 to $1000 and the probate process would end quickly.


Take that same example if you do not have a Will in place. Now, your legal fees will go up because of an increase in paperwork and the need to interview potential witnesses, and your estate will now have to pay for a second attorney (known as an Attorney Ad Litem) to represent the heirs of the estate. The Probate Judge doesn’t know if you have kids living out of state, or even if they live close by, so an attorney is hired by the estate to make that determination. In a nutshell, the attorney fees will go up closer to $1,500 to $2,500 and the Attorney Ad Litem fees will be from $400-$1,000 depending on the estate.


For example, in the state of Texas, the application filed with the probate court will require a posting in the local newspaper, at the very least, announcing that the application was filed and that all heirs of the deceased must come forward immediately to make their claim to the estate, even if there are no known legal heirs at that time. Now add another $200 to $300 to the estate expenses to pay for the newspaper posting!


You can expect to spend between $2,000 to $4,000 to probate an estate with no Last Will and Testament, or pay $750 to $1,000 to probate an estate with a Will in-place. On the lower end, an intestate estate (one without a Will) costs $1,350 more to probate; on the high end it may cost $2,700 more to probate an estate without a Last Will and Testament. These numbers are just averages and could go lower or higher depending on your particular estate and the state laws where you live. 


Complications will increase costs even more when there are minor heirs (which may be your own nieces and nephews or grandchildren) or you own properties in more than one state. A court ordered trust has to be created and a corporate trustee is paid an annual fee to manage the trust assets. Your estate may have to pay for two probate actions in the separate states where you own property. And don’t forget that someone will have to go to court annually as to serve as guardian of the minors to file an annual accounting (with additional attorney fees incurring every time) in those states.


Do your family, the people you care for, and yourself a HUGE favor. Complete your Last Will and Testament to protect your family even if the intent is to just give all of your estate to one or more persons. Having a Last Will and Testament in place when you die saves your estate and your family more money than what you will spend on getting it done, plus it give them additional “peace of mind”.  


You will sleep better knowing that your family will be taken care of in the event of your untimely demise.
Remember, the Last Will is FREE with the LegalShield membership! More than likely, you will save more money by getting it completed NOW and also using your membership than you would have ever paid for the $17 to $39 monthly fees of our Life Events Legal Plan membership for a lifetime! No one wants to talk about death, but it’s much easier to handle your probate issues while you are LIVING than when you’re DECEASED! And you never have worry about the HIGH HOURLY COSTS, plus the $500 to $6,000 fees traditional attorneys charge to complete a Last Will and Testament.


Don’t wait till it’s too late to get your Will done! It’s very easy to do. To learn more about the LegalShield Life Events Legal Plan Membership and/or to enroll, please contact:


The POWER Group Organization Team
LegalShield Independent Associates
Business: (502) 209-TEAM

To read more about information about LegalShield and The POWER Group Organization Team, please click here! http://venturestreet.com/thepgoteam 

What Cloud Computing Really Means

The next big trend sounds nebulous,                                               

but it's not so fuzzy when you view the value
proposition from the perspective of IT professionals      

By Eric Knorr, Galen Gruman | InfoWorld


Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.

As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.

Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7907847164679305709

2012: Year of the Skimmer

Fraud Losses to Increase; Mag-Stripe Vulnerabilities to Blame
By Tracy Kitten, January 18, 2012

Fraud losses linked to card skimming are quickly hitting epidemic proportions. Robert Siciliano, a security expert and McAfee consultant, says 2012 will be to skimming what 2011 was to the hacker and hacktivist. "2012 will be the Year of the Skimmer," he says. "Skimming fraud is an epidemic," says Mike Urban, who oversees product management for Fiserv's Financial Crimes division. "And it continues to grow every year."

Some big skimming cases have grabbed headlines in recent months. Last June, four men were charged for their alleged involvement in a $1.5 million ATM skimming scheme that targeted Citibank and JPMorgan Chase ATMs in New York, Chicago and Miami. And 28 suspects were indicted in November for their alleged connection to an organized credit-card skimming ring that recruited waiters and waitresses at high-end restaurants in Manhattan to collect card details from American Express accountholders. Card skimming itself is relatively simple. "It's very low-tech," Urban says.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=4417&rf=2012-01-18-eb&elq=bfc58a74b5204885bb25f0936a6ba29b&elqCampaignId

Fighting high health insurance costs with qualified high deductible health plans and health savings accounts

 By Jared Balis, For the Deseret News

 The combination of health savings accounts (HSAs) and qualified high deductible health plans (QHDHPs) has proven to be a powerful weapon in the battle of rising health insurance costs. Because consumers who use this solution have an opportunity to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars on health insurance premiums, these plans have become increasingly popular with Utah residents since their introduction in 2003.

Here are four compelling points to consider using an HSA and QHDHP:

1. You may be able to significantly lower your monthly health insurance cost by switching to a qualified high deductible health plan.
2. Consider depositing a portion, or all, of your monthly premium savings into your health savings account and use the funds to pay for qualified medical expenses with tax-free money.
3. Many HSA-eligible health plans cover 100 percent of your medical expenses after you meet the deductible, leaving you with a clear knowledge of your maximum out-of-pocket expenses in a given year.
4. The balance in your health savings account rolls over from year to year, letting the balance grow. It's not a "use it or lose it" account, like a Section 125 Cafeteria Plan.

In order to take advantage of these benefits, you must participate in the two components that combine to make up the final solution.

1. In order to be eligible to use a health savings account, you must purchase a qualified high deductible health plan. “Qualified” simply means that your health plan meets the IRS guidelines to be used with a tax-advantaged health savings account. As the name suggests, these plans have high deductibles, typically ranging from $1,200 to $5,000 per year for individuals and $2,400 to $10,000 per year for families. This health plan becomes your primary and sole health insurance plan.
2. Once you’ve setup a qualified high deductible health plan, you are eligible to open a health savings account. An HSA is simply a checking account that is labeled “tax advantaged.” Most banks and credit unions offer HSAs. In addition, many health insurance companies that offer QHDHPs offer HSAs through their preferred vendors.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705394741/Fighting-high-health-insurance-costs-with-qualified-high-deductible-health-plans-and-health-savings.html