Complex accounting estimates — such as allowances for doubtful accounts, impairments of long-lived assets, and valuations of financial and nonfinancial assets — have been blamed for many high-profile accounting scams and financial restatements. Estimates generally involve some level of measurement uncertainty, and some may even require the use of outside specialists, such as appraisers or […]

Financial statements help investors and lenders monitor a company’s performance. However, financial statements may not provide a full picture of financial health. What’s undisclosed could be just as significant as the disclosures. Here’s how a CPA can help stakeholders identify unrecorded items either through external auditing procedures or by conducting agreed upon procedures (AUPs) that […]

Fairfield, NJ 8/8/18: Smolin Lupin is pleased to announce that Alison McKillop has been recognized as one of Leading Women Entrepreneurs (LWE), Top 25 Leading Women Brand Builders of 2018. Alison is a Marketing Manager at Smolin, Lupin & Co., LLC. She has 7 years’ experience in all mediums of marketing, specializing in brand strategy, […]

Meal, vehicle and travel expenses are common deductions for businesses. But if you don’t properly document these expenses, you could find your deductions denied by the IRS. A critical requirement Subject to various rules and limits, business meal (generally 50%), vehicle and travel expenses may be deductible, whether you pay for the expenses directly or […]

A business owner first became suspicious when one of her managers bought an expensive boat that seemed beyond his pay grade. A closer look at the employee and his department revealed sloppy record keeping and financial discrepancies. Was he stealing from the company? Forensic accountants can help answer such questions. One of the most effective […]

When school lets out, kids participate in a wide variety of summer activities. If one of the activities your child is involved with is day camp, you might be eligible for a tax credit! Dollar-for-dollar savings Day camp (but not overnight camp) is a qualified expense under the child and dependent care credit, which is […]

When you think about recent tax law changes and your business, you’re probably thinking about the new 20% pass-through deduction for qualified business income or the enhancements to depreciation-related breaks. Or you may be contemplating the reduction or elimination of certain business expense deductions. But there are also a couple of recent tax law changes […]

The bookkeeper is one of any company’s most trusted employees. Unfortunately, that trust isn’t always deserved. Bookkeepers — particularly those in small and midsize businesses — are ideally positioned to embezzle from their employers. Less means more When bookkeepers go bad, there are plenty of ways for them to steal without alerting owners to irregularities. […]

Today, it’s not unusual for a family to include children from prior marriages. These “blended” families can create estate planning complications that may lead to challenges in the courts after your death. Fortunately, you can reduce the chances of family squabbles by using estate planning techniques designed to preserve wealth for your heirs in the […]