I reported on the following updates at the September 12, 2017 meeting of the Southwestern Planned Giving Council: 1. Pennsylvania Budget The Legislature and the Governor are still discussing various options to close a significant budget gap of approximately 2 billion dollars. Given the failure to agree on the revenue side of the budget, it Read More
Read MoreJune 2017 (Original article from October 2004) PLANNED GIVING – AN AGGRESSIVE RESPONSE I was at a Southwestern Leadership Foundation meeting back in 2004 where the program involved teaching on how to be an “aggressive responder.” From my recollection, this involves first being a good learner and active listener, and only then responding to the Read More
Read MoreThis is the second in a continuing series of articles on business entities. In this article, we address the basics of the partnership form of business. The decision to enter into a partnership should not be taken lightly. Before entering into a partnership, you should be able to answer several questions. Why is there a Read More
Read MoreThis is a first of a series of articles on business entity selection that will discuss the general considerations of selecting a business entity and discuss the attributes of sole proprietorships. In Pennsylvania, there are a wide variety of business forms available to business owners, including the following: Sole proprietorship Partnership Limited partnership Limited liability Read More
Read MoreOn May 18th, I was in Philadelphia for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s annual nonprofit conference. I have been one of the course planners for several years and this year I spoke with Michelle Buskey, CPA (Maher Duessel CPAs) on Endowments and Other Donor Restricted Gifts. Michelle and I spoke on defining endowments, reclassifying funds, and Read More
Read MoreSusan Ott and I just gave our annual planned giving presentation at the Emerging Philanthropy Conference: Who’s Driving the Car? Following this Conference, I am still thinking that we are in an unusual time with the winds of change blowing. Change, whether we like it or not, always brings opportunities, and organizations need to be Read More
Read MoreCongress recently passed and President Obama signed a new law that will allow some small employers, including nonprofit organizations, to use Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) again. The 21st Century Cures Act, which takes effect January 1, 2017, exempts qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (QSEHRAs) from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions that prevented many Read More
Read MoreAllegheny County has decided to take an aggressive stance in revoking tax exempt properties. Tax-exempt property owners should be familiar with the criteria to qualify for a real estate tax exemption and be prepared to defend their tax exempt status. See the link below. https://triblive.com/local/allegheny/11664815-74/county-tax-properties
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