Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code allows the deferral of gain on the sale and subsequent purchase of real property used for business use or investment. An exchange is much like a typical sale followed by an acquisition within 180 days but with a few rules attached.

BENEFITS OF AN EXCHANGE
This often overlooked tax strategy can help you accomplish many short and long-term real estate objectives:

• Immediate tax deferral
• Ability to acquire real estate with pre-tax dollars
• Long-term appreciation on tax deferral
• Estate preservation as deferred gain may be forgiven upon death
• Less management responsibility
• Consolidation of properties
• Greater selling and buying power
• Increased income potential
• Relocation or expansion of business facilities
• Diversification of assets or geographic locations
• Conversion to personal use property after a period of qualified use
• Exit strategy for business owners

Learn More:
COMPLIMENTS OF:
​Connie Custer, Business Development
1031 CORP.
100 Springhouse Drive, Suite 203
Collegeville, PA 19426

Office: 610.792.4880 ext. 230
Cell: 610.724.5195
Email: connie@1031CORP.com
Website: www.1031CORP.com

Employers in Illinois with at least 5 employees must soon comply with the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act (Secure Choice) or offer employees an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

​Background
Secure Choice requires employers to automatically withhold five percent of an employee’s compensation (up to the annual maximum allowed for IRA contributions each year as provided by the IRS), unless the employee elects a different amount or opts out of the program, and to remit those contributions to the Secure Choice program.
Under the original program, employers that satisfy these criteria are subject to the Secure Choice program:

1. Have at least 25 employees as reported to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) for unemployment insurance payments;
2. Have been operating in Illinois for at least two years; and
3. Do not offer a qualified retirement plan to any Illinois employees. (A qualified retirement plan under sections 401(a), 401(k), 403(a), 403(b), 408(k), 408(p), or 457(b).)

New Requirements
The newly enacted law makes several notable changes to Secure Choice, including:

• The 25-employee threshold is reduced to 5 employees. Now, the program will apply to employers with at least 5 employees in the state during every quarter of the previous calendar year. The employer determines the total employee count using the annual average from the employer-reported quarterly data.
• Secure Choice now includes annual, automatic increases to the contribution rates up to a maximum of 10% of an enrollee’s wages. The Illinois Department of Revenue will establish a schedule for the automatic increase.
• The changes clarify that the second year of non-compliance need not be consecutive for applying the $500 noncompliance penalty.
• Employers now have 120 days (rather than 90 days) after issuance of a notice of proposed penalty assessment for noncompliance to file a protest with the department or come into full compliance.
• The changes allow providing notices electronically rather than only by first class mail.

When Effective
The program will notify employers before their scheduled start time to allow them time to register. The schedule is:

Wave 1: The enrollment deadline for employers with fewer than 25 employees and more than 15 employees will be no sooner than September 1, 2022

Wave 2: The enrollment deadline for employers with at least 5 employees but not more than 15 employees will be no sooner than September 1, 2023.

The Illinois Secure Choice website provides additional information, including FAQs.
https://www.ilsecurechoice.com/home/faq.html

What is a “Typical Situation” people are in when they realize they need your help?
Someone who has been using the same vendors and suppliers for a long time without sending them out to bid. OR Someone who needs to reduce costs but doesn’t have the time or the staff to perform a competitive analysis.
 
What is something someone might say that would lead me to think of you?
I can’t make sense of my complicated bill and I don’t know if I am paying the right amount...or I think I am being over-charged by a particular supplier!
 
What (Specifically) do you do?
We make sure our clients are paying the right amount to their suppliers of telecommunications, credit card processing, small package shipping, electronic document signature and waste services
 
How do you do it?

1. We review the last 3- 12 months of billings and recover any overcharges and incorrect billings.
2. Then we make sure our clients are only paying for services they need.
3. Last we negotiate new rates with current suppliers and alternative suppliers and present a report for the client to decide for themselves.

We do this service with no upfront fee. There is only a fee if we save money and the client decides to go ahead. 
 
Matching Ideas with Resources: 

Accounting:

• An information system that provides reports to stakeholders about the economic activities and condition of a business.
  • Financial accounting: The area of accounting that focuses on recording transactions and events so that general-purpose financial statements can be prepared.
  • Managerial accounting: The branch of accounting that aids management in making financing, investing, and operating decisions for the company.
  • The head of the accounting department in a company is called comptroller or chief financial officer (CFO).

 
Statement of stockholders’ equity: A financial statement that reports the change in financial condition due to the changes in stockholders’ equity items for a specific period of time.
 
Retained earnings: Net income retained in a corporation. (Beginning retained earnings + Net income – Dividends = Ending retained earnings)
 
Stockholders’ equity: The stockholders’ rights to the assets of a business.
Assets = Liabilities + stockholder’s Equity
 
Statement of cash flows: Provides a summary of the cash receipts and cash payments and reports the change in financial condition due to the change in cash during a specific period of time.
 
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB): The authoritative body that has the primary responsibility for developing accounting principles.
 
Financial accounting system: A system that includes:

• (1) a set of rules for determining what, when, and the amount that should be recorded for an economic event;
• (2) a framework for facilitating preparing financial statements; and
• (3) one or more controls to determine whether errors could have occurred in the recording process.

 
Cash basis of accounting: A system of accounting in which only transactions involving increases or decreases of the entity’s cash are recorded. (Practiced in Chapter 2)

• Under the cash basis of accounting, net income and net cash flows from operating activities are equal.

 
Accrual Basis of Accounting: A system of accounting in which revenue is recorded as it is earned, and expenses are recorded and matched against the revenue they generate.

• Under the accrual basis of accounting, net income and net cash flows from operating activities may be significantly different.
• Revenue is recorded when it is earned, expense when expense is incurred in generated revenue, and adjusting entries required in order to prepare financial statements.

Typical Situation: Our client needs funding to pay bills on time. They have orders coming in, but are not getting paid on time or “in time” to pay bills. They could also be getting a large order, that may require up front funding to vendors.

When you hear a business owner say:
·        “My cash flow is poor”
·        “I’ve got good customers but they’re paying my invoices slow/beyond terms”
·        “I received a large order but can’t pay my supplier/s”
·        “I’m too new to get bank financing”
·        “My bank won’t provide enough financing to meet my company’s needs.”
 
An Accounts Receivable Consultant provide strategic financing solutions for business to business companies.  Strategies include accounts receivable financing as well as purchase order financing, work-in-process financing and asset based loans.

How they Work The Consultant visits our client and conducts a comprehensive analysis of the client’s situation as to the history of the business, opportunities and challenges, current financial condition and current financing, if any, as well as their financing needs.

Matching Ideas with Resources:

​Causes to Check Out, With Local Ties

As you may know, I am a networker. I am involved in a few organizations (many of them with events highlighted above). I get to meet some great business people and many of them focus any spare time they have to a cause. I wanted to highlight a few of them today.
 
1. Rotary Club
Rotary's International goal is to rid the world of Polio. Local Clubs, support that cause and even more! I am a member of Rotary Club of Schaumburg/ Hoffman Estates (Meets on Fridays at Noon in Schaumburg.  

2. Walk to End Alzheimer's
I have known Kari-Ann Ryan for many years and in all that time, she has spearheaded a movement to End Alzheimer's. Her life has been affected personally. You can also be added to her email list for all the events she organizes, by emailing her: kari.ann.b.ryan@gmail.com

3. National Association of Parks Foundations
The NAPF's vision is to build effective, active, local park foundations, volunteers and other citizens that support their park systems to enhance the park experience in their communities. These Park Foundations usually provide funding for Park District Activities for people in the community that generally cannot afford them.
 
Please contact my longtime friend,  Donald Ortale, Executive Director of NAPF, to learn more about how you can help. Call him at 630-965-1000 or email dortale@ortaleassociates.com 
 
4. The Business Ledger- 2020 Guide to Business Philanthropy & Social Responsibility
This is a list of notable local nonprofits and charities. 

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.
 
The following is a summary of a full article at Charity Navigator:
 
A gift to a qualified charitable organization may entitle you to a charitable contribution deduction against your income tax if you itemize deductions.
If the gifts are deductible, the actual cost of the donation is reduced by your tax savings. 

• A contribution to a qualified charity is deductible in the year in which it is paid. 
• Most, but not all, charitable organizations qualify for a charitable contribution deduction.
• You can deduct contributions only if they are made to or for the use of a qualified recipient. 
• An organization could lose its charity status if it devotes a substantial part of its activities to formulating propaganda or otherwise trying to influence legislation. 
• There are limits to how much you can deduct, but they're very high.
• Rules exist for non-cash donations.
• Remember to document.
• Organizations to Which You Can Give and Deduct Your Donation:
  • Churches and other religious organizations;
  • Tax exempt educational organizations;
  • Tax exempt hospitals and certain medical research organizations;
  • A government unit, such as a state or a political subdivision of a state;
  • Publicly supported organizations such as a community chest;
  • Certain private foundations that distribute all contributions they receive to public charities within two-and-a-half months after the end of the foundation's fiscal year;
  • A private operating foundation which pools all of its donations in a common fund;
  • Certain membership organizations that rely on the general public for more than a third of their contributions.

Read Complete Article From Charity Navigator Here

More info from the State Of Illinois: 
​https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/22388-State_of_Illinois_COVID-19_Update_-_Monday_November_23.pdf

Typical Situation: Our client has seen an increase in their Contribution Rate Determination (unemployment tax rate) that is mailed to all Illinois employers on or about December 1st every year.  They also have protested their own unemployment claims but have not been successful at getting benefits denied.
 
When you hear a business owner say:
•           “I do not understand why someone was allowed to collect benefits”
•           “I hate dealing with the unemployment office as it is a no win situation”
•           “General: complaints about their unemployment claims “
 
The Consultant educates them on the unemployment laws in Illinois and to help them reduce their state unemployment taxes.
 
How they Work: They protest the claims filed against the employer and represent the employer at all unemployment hearings and go to their locations to do training sessions to educate the employer on how to handle different types of situations.  They will verify all the charges to the employer’s account to make sure they are not being charged more than they should be charged. 
 
You can introduce them:
“It sounds like you may need some help with your unemployment claims against you. I can introduce you to someone that can help. They would be happy to have a telephone consultation to discuss your situation.   

What is a “Typical Situation” people are in when they realize they need your help?
Someone who has been using the same vendors and suppliers for a long time without sending them out to bid. OR Someone who needs to reduce costs but doesn’t have the time or the staff to perform a competitive analysis.
 
What is something someone might say that would lead me to think of you?
I can’t make sense of my complicated bill and I don’t know if I am paying the right amount...or I think I am being over-charged by a particular supplier!
 
What (Specifically) do you do?
We make sure our clients are paying the right amount to their suppliers of telecommunications, credit card processing, small package shipping, electronic document signature and waste services
 
How do you do it (3 Lines Max)?

1. We review the last 3- 12 months of billings and recover any overcharges and incorrect billings.
2. Then we make sure our clients are only paying for services they need.
3. Last we negotiate new rates with current suppliers and alternative suppliers and present a report for the client to decide for themselves.

We do this service with no upfront fee. There is only a fee if we save money and the client decides to go ahead. 
 
Matching Ideas with Resources: