Entries by IslerNW

For Small Businesses: IRS Raises Tangible Property Expensing Threshold to $2,500; Simplifies Filing and Recordkeeping

Article Featured on irs.gov WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today simplified the paperwork and recordkeeping requirements for small businesses by raising from $500 to $2,500 the safe harbor threshold for deducting certain capital items. The change affects businesses that do not maintain an applicable financial statement (audited financial statement). It applies to amounts spent to […]

December 9, 2015 by

A Step Forward for Sovereign Debt

Article by Joseph E. Stiglitz & Martin Guzman | Featured on Project Syndicate  Every advanced country has a bankruptcy law, but there is no equivalent framework for sovereign borrowers. That legal vacuum matters, because, as we now see in Greece and Puerto Rico, it can suck the life out of economies. In September, the United […]

December 5, 2015 by

Clay Christensen says everyone misunderstands his theory of disruption — here’s what it really means

Article Featured on Business Insider | By Richard Feloni The terms “disruptive innovation” and “disruptive technology” are at risk of becoming meaningless buzzwords, according to Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who introduced his theory of disruption 20 years ago. As the number of “unicorn” companies, those valued at $1 billion or more, have captured […]

December 4, 2015 by

U.S. home sales slump in October as higher prices weigh on buyers

Article Featured on LA Times Fewer Americans bought homes in October, a sign that rising home values may be pushing more would-be buyers to the real estate market’s sidelines. The National Assn. of Realtors said Monday that sales of existing homes fell 3.4% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million. The […]

December 2, 2015 by

Politicians slam tax-avoiding Pfizer-Allergan deal

BY KEVIN DRAWBAUGH AND EMILY STEPHENSON | Featured on Reuters U.S. politicians condemned Pfizer Inc’s deal with Allergan Plc as a tax dodge on Monday, bringing another round of hand-wringing in Washington over the corporate tax code, though legislative action before 2017 is unlikely. Democrats heaped the most criticism on the New York-based drug maker, with […]

November 25, 2015 by

Shrinking Financial Aid Curbs Impact of Slowing College Tuition Increases

By Douglas Belkin | Featured on WSJ Relatively modest rise in 2015-2016 amplified by near-zero inflation and pullback in grants Tuition increases at U.S. colleges have plateaued after decades of steep growth, but stagnant wages, near-zero inflation and a slight pullback in grants have amplified this year’s relatively modest rise. Published tuition for the 2015-16 academic year […]

November 14, 2015 by

Obamacare Prices Increase for Those Who Don’t Get Subsidies

Article by Dan Mangan | Featured on CNBC “For people who are on the outside of subsidies, what had been a very expensive market has become even more expensive,” says a researcher at an insurance comparison site. “Cheap” could cost you more for Obamacare next year. People who buy the cheapest health plans on the […]

November 11, 2015 by

Demanding tax season likely ahead, IRS commissioner tells AICPA

Article Featured on Journal of Accountancy | By Paul Bonner The 2016 tax filing season promises to be challenging for the IRS, Commissioner John Koskinen told attendees at the AICPA National Tax Conference in Washington on Tuesday. Koskinen made a similar prediction a year ago in his first address to CPAs in the same forum. […]

November 7, 2015 by

The Trouble With Financial Bubbles

Article by HOWARD DAVIES | Featured on Project Syndicate Very soon after the magnitude of the 2008 financial crisis became clear, a lively debate began about whether central banks and regulators could – and should – have done more to head it off. The traditional view, notably shared by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, is […]

October 30, 2015 by