Manager’s preferences form

  • February 25, 2005

Question: I am changing roles and will be supporting new managers. I am looking for a form to keep track of manager preferences (travel, meals, how to handle meeting...

Calculating late charges in Excel

  • January 07, 2005

Question: “We have several rental properties, and I track payments, late charges, customer information, etc., on an Excel spreadsheet. Included on the...

Give employees advance notice of pay changes

  • June 01, 2004

Issue: Should you provide notice about commission-formula changes that could alter employees' pay? Risk: If you rework pay formulas behind employees' backs, you could...

Easy ways to personalize form letters

  • May 01, 2004

Standardized replies save you time but can cost you good will. Create templates and common paragraphs that you can pop into an e-mail or letter, then easily...

How average are your Schedule C write-offs?

  • April 19, 2004

You never want your tax return to stick out like a sore thumb at the IRS. That's why it's good to know whether your deductions fall within the national averages.

Make the most of ‘quality moments’

  • April 01, 2004

Time management consultant Alan Lakein says there’s more to handling time well than just being efficient.You also need to be alert for “quality...

Can S corp owners use the per-diem method?

  • February 09, 2004

Q: In a recent item in your newsletter, you said that sole proprietors, partners and LLC members can use the per-diem method for reimbursing meals and incidental...

Tax basis on Prudential stock giveaway

  • January 26, 2004

Q: I received shares of Prudential stock a few years ago because I had converted a group policy to a personal policy. If I sell the shares now, do I have to pay tax on...

I’m going to write you up …

  • August 01, 1999

Laura learned that one of her employees had said, “Laura is really screwing us. She’s a liar. Let’s go over her head.”

Handling an obstructionist

  • December 01, 1998

You know you’ve got a great team when employees act selflessly to make others look good. If they spread credit around and coach each other to improve, then...