Finance | John J. Bowman Jr

Tag: Finance (page 2 of 4)

August 17, 2020

When is a Financial Risk Worth Taking?

Every single day, there are many risks that we must face. Each risk poses a reward, and usually, the higher the risk, the greater that reward. Financial risks are among the most common risks that we face in our day-to-day lives. Everyone can make a risky financial decision, even if that means losing a bit of value in your investment.

While financial risk may lead to bankruptcy, it is not worth taking it. While leaving savings in a bank account may seem overly cautious, there are times when losing that money can be devastating. When is it appropriate to pursue a monetary risk? Which risks pose the most significant rewards without sacrificing your financial security?

Starting Your Own Business

Some people don’t consider entrepreneurship to be the best venture, but in reality, it is the best opportunity to utilize the resources you have. Such resources include work experience, education, unique skills, and the desire and ability to be your own boss. In fact, successful entrepreneurship can lead to incredible gains—if you own a business, you may see higher earnings throughout your life!

Going Back to School

Some opportunities, whether those be professional or financial, require finely-tuned skills. And, some of those skills can only be learned from field or industry experts. Going back to school will help you gain more knowledge, thus allowing you to acquire new skills and improve upon existing ones. Whether you want to finally earn your undergraduate degree, or have always dreamed of pursuing a Ph.D., going back to school can reap incredible rewards.

Professional certificates are an alternative to higher education. For instance, accountants can enroll for management skills and human resource training to expand their job opportunities and build upon their current skills.

Buying a House

Purchasing a home for your family is another great investment. It may not seem like an investment, but being a homeowner means investing in a neighborhood and the future of your spouse and children. In urban areas, monthly rent for apartments is the standard. However, if you move out to the suburbs, you’ll want to look into pursuing a mortgage. Once the mortgage is paid off, you can rent or sell the home. If you’ve kept up with the home through repairs and additions, you may be able to sell at an increased price!

Be persistent and think less about failure

While some of the above financial risks might bring short-term losses, be patient and have faith that temporary losses will lead to future returns. When you put more effort and focus on succeeding, success will follow. At the end of the day, persistence is what matters—not failure.

July 15, 2020

How an Accountant Can Help You Combat Debt

A fiduciary gives you insights into your finances that effectively help you fight a history of toxic debt. Accountants understand financial concepts and can communicate those ideas in simple, understandable terms. With a fiduciary, you’ll get help in navigating the legal parameters for any class of debt you hold. However, you should be fully aware of how your accountant will work and what they’ll do. Below are steps an accountant will take to get rid of your debt.

Creating a Financial Portfolio
Your certified public accountant (CPA) needs a clear overview of your finances before evaluating them adequately.

A financial portfolio is created by forming a list of all of your assets, which even includes a dog if you have one. A professional fiduciary will then list your income sources along with any financial liabilities you have. Insurances, investments, and retirement funds are things to account for within a financial portfolio. As you help an accountant to organize your finances, be honest about any outstanding bills and the debt you have.

Starting with Student Loans
Most CPAs begin to target the debt of their clients by immediately looking at their student loans.

Student loans often account for the most significant portion of the debt that borrowers have, so accountants target it to get rid of the bulk of money owed. Or, if you owe $25,000 in debt, and 75% of it is from a car, then your accountant will work to reduce your vehicle debt first.

Strategizing a Payment Plan

The general picture created by your outstanding debt and financial portfolio gives an accountant sufficient data to form a payment strategy. Here are some of the strategic points that an accountant can use to devise a suitable plan that pays off your debts:

Budgets—An accountant can substantially improve how you spend money by verifying your needs versus your wants.

Taxes—Tax accountants are trained to allocate your tax returns to pay off any outstanding debts that you have.

Prioritizing—Above all, your accountant determines how to prioritize your payments so that the damaging debts you owe are paid off first.

April 14, 2020

Money Moves for Retirement

Retirement planning is one of the biggest financial concerns for many Americans. There are many considerations to make when it comes to savings—retirees should be aware of what income sources they will be relying on in their golden years. It’s also important to be aware of how long investors have before they will need to access those savings. Finally, it’s important to think about how long people expect to live in retirement, and what they estimate their expenses will be. These are the considerations that must be made to accommodate the aforementioned concerns.

Retirement Income Sources

There are many sources of income that retirees can utilize. Social security is a program that most people will qualify for, but it typically is not enough to get by. Some workers may also have a pension to count on, although that’s becoming increasingly rare. Thankfully, savings accounts are one area over which individuals have personal control. Annuities are also an option for savers. Many retirees also look to their property holdings, including real estate and collectibles, as key sources for income in their old age.

Compound Interest

One of the most basic but most important lessons about retirement that everyone should know has to do with the power of compound interest. Compound interest is the accrual of money on interest over time. Saving a little bit while young can help workers build up a healthy amount of savings to fall back on during retirement. Additionally, tax-advantaged retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs allow future retirees to put money aside and reap important tax benefits. However, even a standard savings account can be a good way to start saving. The older an investor gets, the more important it becomes to have money set aside in an account that won’t be touched. It’s also a good idea to look into catch-up deposits in tax-advantaged accounts. Sometimes, investors over 50 are able to exceed the maximum contributions allowed to the rest of the public.

Tax Considerations

Tax considerations should be a key guideline when choosing investments. In some cases, the gains made from selling a home are untaxed. Some investments are subject to capital gains taxes, even in retirement. Even tax-advantaged accounts like IRAs and 401(k)s can be subject to management fees. It’s a good idea to seek professional advice when it comes to specific investment decisions. Reach out to a local financial advisor with any financial concerns!

March 25, 2020

How To Plan For Student Loan Payments

Many students get out of college and realize that they need to pay off their loans. With colleges sticker prices on the rise each year, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by student debt. However, if by applying these tips, students can plan for debt and pay off their loans as quickly as possible.

Consider Refinancing Your Student Loans

Some people may not know where to start, especially if their student debt is going to be quite high. If you fall into that camp, you could look into refinancing your loans. Refinancing your loans means that you use another loan to pay off your student loans.

If you have a stable job and you can find loans with lower interest, then you may want to refinance. This way, you pay off the student loans and then don’t have to pay as much money over time when you work on the other loan.

Set Money Aside Each Paycheck For Your Loans

You should focus on budgeting your money so that you can set aside some of that income from each paycheck. This way, you can always pay off that set amount with each paycheck. Such a consistent system will go a long way in helping you pay off those loans.

Some people may worry that it would take too long to use this approach, but consistent payments do offer a tremendous benefit. Yes, it may take some time, but this method helps you calculate when you’ll have that debt paid off by. As your financial situation changes, you can accurately pivot and recalculate to get a clear picture of your debt payment schedule.

Prioritize Your Student Loan Payments

People tend to push their loans to the side, but you need to prioritize your loan payments. Sure, you can buy a new phone or gourmet coffee, but you should consider putting that extra money towards your loans. If you prioritize your payments, then you can put all your extra money towards your loans. This will help you to pay them off sooner and reduce interest.

Conclusion

While student loans are scary to think about, keep in mind that you can pay them off with careful planning. Look at how much money you make, set aside specific amounts and continue to prioritize your loans until you pay them off. This way, you can overcome your loans and start saving money for life’s next big adventure.

March 1, 2020

When Should You Consult an Accountant for Tax Help?

When people are making plans to file their taxes, they may discover that there is a need for an accountant to help them complete the forms. Those who are uncomfortable with filing should seek an accountant that can help them make sense of the tax rules and what they need to do to file before the deadline. Unusual circumstances, such as changes in marital status and career, may call for additional assistance. In such instances, accountants are a taxpayer’s best friend.

Amended Taxes

Inevitably each year, taxpayers file erroneous forms. There may be mistakes and letters from the IRS that indicate that there is income that has not been accounted for, an incredibly stressful situation for everyone involved. If you’ve dealt with erroneous forms in the past, or if you’ve received notice from the IRS that this year’s submissions contain errors, seek out an accountant to help you readjust and refile.

Owing Taxes

Anyone who owes taxes can benefit from involving an accountant in the process. After all, taxpayers may take the standard deduction when they could owe less or no money at all, all because they’re unsure how to itemize deductions. It’s an involved process, one that requires an expert eye. For this reason, professional accountants are there to help; by pointing out any overlooked itemized deductions, accountants can provide a better understanding of the deduction process.

Change of Status

Plenty of things can change in a year, not the least of which is household status. A single person that files as head of household may be unaware of changes in deductions when they get married. If you’re unsure about the best way to file taxes when your marital status changes, consider working alongside an accountant.

First Time Tax Preparation

Filing taxes for the first time can be a confusing process. With all of the paperwork and math required for each form, it’s common for people to struggle to wrap their heads around everything. This situation is precisely what accountants handle regularly. Accountants want to help everyone ensure that all guidelines are followed and numbers are accurate. To pay taxes by the deadline, new taxpayers should schedule early consultations with local accountants.

February 15, 2020

Four Easy Ways to Budget This Month

For some, creating and sticking to a budget is a simple task. For others, it’s a strenuous and seemingly impossible task. The temptation to eat out, splurge on clothes, and throw caution and cash to the wind can be huge, so it’s essential to find ways to stay on track. Here are four ways to create a budget that works and stick to it.

Meal Prep

In addition to various forms of outside entertainment, eating out is a considerable expense. Since most restaurants mark food up—sometimes as much as 300 percent—the only sure-fire way to save money on food is to cook meals at home. However, this is a lot more time-consuming and can be difficult for those without much cooking experience.

Take the time to plan meals, including the cost of ingredients, for at least a week’s worth of meals. Also, include the costs of snacks as well. One way to save on food is to buy in bulk. Look for items that can be purchased in larger quantities and divide up for later.

Set Up Autopay

Another way to stick to a budget is by setting up autopay. Instead of having to pay bills and charges every month manually, autopay lets budget-setters know what they pay and when. The same concept can also help track savings. Just have a set amount of money transferred each month into a savings account.

When it comes to paying utilities, look into budget billing. Customers pay a set amount for power and water. After a set time frame, they’re either refunded the difference or charged for any overages.

Entertain at Home

Simply put, going out is expensive. Everything from grabbing drinks to seeing a movie is expensive these days. Instead of breaking the budget, invite friends over and find ways to create a social atmosphere at home. Cocktails made at home cost half the price when ordered out. The same holds true for take-out. If your group wants pizza and a movie, rent a flick and make homemade pizza.

Track Success

Tracking success is a great motivator, so make sure you keep track of how much money you’ve saved over the month. After seeing positive results, you may feel even more motivated to stick to their budgets.

With a little planning, creating and sticking to a budget is easy. Since everyone has different needs, never compare budget planning. Finally, make sure that the budget isn’t so rigid that it’s impossible to follow. Just be sure to leave some wiggle room for the occasional splurge.

February 1, 2020

Where to Get a Loan Besides the Bank

When it comes to expenses, money can be a point of contention. With the cost of living and the need for appliances and machines on the rise, it’s not always easy for people to come out of expenditures with money in their pockets. For this reason, people often resort to loans to help keep themselves and their families afloat. While many people go straight to their local bank to take out a loan, there are other options that are not considered or even well-known. These are some of those lesser-known places to acquire loans.

A Credit Union

Acquiring a loan from a credit union is sometimes considered a better alternative to getting one from a bank. Credit unions can offer recipients lower fees and interest rates than a bank, which makes paying back the loan a lot easier on the wallet. However, there is a slight drawback to using a credit union. In order to qualify for a loan, people must be a member and meet their requirements. If you’re a member of a credit union such as Members 1st or PSECU, give customer service a call to learn more about how to qualify and what loans are offered.

A Payday Lender

A payday loan is a type of short-term loan amounting to, at most, $500. Often, these loans are taken out to cover unexpected expenses and late bills. Applying for one of these loans is simple; all you have to do is apply online or at a payday loan facility.

While these loans are helpful in the short-term, there are a few drawbacks. To start, these loans must be paid back as soon as the recipient gets their next paycheck. Secondly, payday loans can be very expensive in terms of fees and interest. If the loan is not paid by the due date, the lender might extend it, but at the cost of tacking on additional fees. Think carefully about whether or not your situation calls for a payday loan.

A Pawnshop

There is one massive difference that pawnshop loans have over others; the shop won’t check credit scores or require an application. A pawnshop loan works like this; you take an item such as jewelry or an electronic to a pawn shop. Should the pawnbroker be interested in the item, they’ll offer a loan.

How much the recipient will receive varies on the overall value of what’s being pawned. Pawnshop loans are a great way to get money quickly, but this speed comes at the cost of substantially high interest rates. Extra fees may also be included, depending on the pawnshop.

Loans may be a surefire way of obtaining money, but they are a huge responsibility. It’s important that people consider all the factors of taking out and paying off a loan before making the investment.

John J Bowman Jr Accountant - Pittsburgh PA - Personal Finance Software

January 20, 2020

The Best Personal Finance Software

In the world of personal finance, there are some software programs that stand out from the rest. These programs make it much easier to manage budget and track spending within your household. If you’re looking for software to manage your personal finance, these are the programs you should check out.

Quick Books

If there is one program that has continued to stand out over the years when it comes to personal finance, it is QuickBooks. This software has become the cornerstone of personal financing for people who want to keep up with their household spending. The program allows people to set budgets and get running totals for their spending during the month. Users can see how much they deviate from the budget each month, and plan accordingly to save more in the next month. QuickBooks even offers the ability to compare previous years and see if a user’s spending has increased or decreased. With quick references and an easy budgeting interface, this is a great program for users who don’t want tons of fancy features.

Microsoft Money

Another program that stands out amongst personal finance software is Microsoft Money. This is a program that tends to work well for those that have already utilized Microsoft Excel spreadsheets over the years. Users have the ability to create formulas, track their spending, and create easy-to-manage documents.

The ability to add different categories of expenses becomes much easier with a program like Microsoft Money. It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for people that are not computer savvy to create documents of their personal finances. This program tends to be one of the favorites for people that like to create documents that can be saved in different formats. These documents can be exported to Excel spreadsheet or saved as PDF files, offering plenty of versatility depending on a user’s needs.

Mint

In the growing age of portable personal finance software, Mint is the finance tool that has gained a lot of attention with the younger crowd. Mint has offered the millennial generation a viable personal finance program that gives them access to an online platform that is not limited to their personal computers.

Mint users have the ability to add their credit and debit cards to track purchases without manually typing in everything that they buy. The Mint app for smartphones allows users to access their financial budgets whenever and wherever they want.

John J Bowman Jr Accountant - Pittsburgh - R&D Tax Credit

January 8, 2020

4 Things You Should Know About The R&D Tax Credit

The Research and Development Tax Credit benefits almost any business, no matter the size, age, or industry. Since 1981, this incentive has offered reimbursement for innovative and highly-technical businesses. Here are four things you should know about the R&D Tax Credit.

It is available for many industries

From aerospace organizations to wineries and vineyards, several industries can reap the benefits of an R&D Tax Credit. Organizations within these industries must pass a four-part test to affirm that their research activities qualify for an R&D Tax Credit. The four parts of the test are:

Technological in Nature – “Activities must fundamentally rely on the principles of physical or biological science, engineering, or computer science.”
Permitted Purpose – “Activities must be performed in an attempt to improve performance, reliability, or quality of a new or existing business component.”
Eliminate Uncertainty – “Activities intended to discover information that could eliminate technical uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of a product.”
Experimentation – “All of the activities must include a process of experimentation including testing, modeling, simulating, systematic trial and error.”

It covers a variety of expenses

With all of the activity that goes on in a given business, it can be difficult to track your direct and indirect R&D expenses. However, taking note of those expenses is essential for receiving the appropriate tax benefits. As a rule, the major expenses that qualify are salaries and supplies and materials. For salaries, employees who work in R&D or directly manage those in R&D are covered. Supplies and materials covers anything from nails to computers.

It offers unique benefits to smaller companies

If your small company has gross receipts for five years or less that average less than $5 million, your company may be eligible for an R&D Tax Credit. This is the case even if your company does not owe any taxes, and the covered amount can reach up to $250,000 of a payroll offset. If your small business does not have credit for offsetting payroll taxes in a given quarter, you can carry that credit into a different quarter. However, to do this, you must not exceed the $250,000 limit.

It undergoes regular updates

The R&D Tax Credit does not behave exactly as it did over a quarter of a century ago. As industries and economies evolve, the R&D Tax Credit does, too. In particular, the removal of the Discovery Rule in 2003 redefined research activities as those that would be “new to the taxpayer” rather than “new to the world.” More recently, the Protecting American from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act ensured that small, mid-size, and startup businesses could benefit from R&D Tax Credits.

John J. Bowman, Jr. is an accountant and tax professional based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Follow him on Twitter for more blog updates!

John J Bowman Jr Accountant - CFAs vs CPAs

December 3, 2019

The Differences Between CFAs and CPAs

CFAs and CPAs may sound like the same thing, but their responsibilities differ. For people who are not familiar with the financial and investment industries, the differences between the two may not be that clear. While CFAs and CPAs are both financial professionals, these individuals travel along different educational and professional paths.

What is a CFA?

A CFA, or chartered financial analyst, analyzes financial reports. Such reports include financial statements revolving around wealth planning and mutual and hedge funds.

The job of a CFA, or a chartered financial analyst, is to analyze financial reports. These financial reports include financial statements that revolve around wealth planning and mutual and hedge funds. Typically, CFAs find employment with investment management companies, equity firms, and organizations that navigate mutual and hedge funds. In addition, CFAs can work with individuals to plan personal finances and offer advice on investing.

The path to becoming a CFA involves a slew of experience, including four years of some mix of professional and educational experience. Typically, a bachelor’s degree or four years of professional experience are valid for becoming a CFA, and precede a triumvirate of exams to earn the CFA designation. Such a designation is awarded by the non-profit organization known as the CFA institute. This global organization lays out standards of professionalism and ethics in the investment industry.

What is a CPA?

A CPA, or certified public accountant, is an individual who has passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. The exam is given by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Professionals must also meet their state’s requirements in order to be allowed into the ranks of the Institute.

The job of a CPA is to audit and put together the financial reports that CFAs analyze. They are involved with audits, accounting and taxes; specifically, CPAs keep track of the business dealings of the individuals and companies for whom they work. In addition to putting together this documentation, CPAs also file and officially report them. Outside of formal reports, CPAs are able to give advice about how to pay as little taxes and possible and how to profit as much as possible.

In conclusion, these are the differences between CPAs and CFAs. CFAs are involved in the analysis of financial reports, while CPAs create those reports. They are two very different types of professionals involved in finance that commonly get confused. However, knowing the differences can help you make better decisions when you need financial planning help!

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