What to Know with Interest Rates Climbing

October 27, 2022  |  Barton Walter and Krier

To help get a handle on inflation, the Federal Reserve System — also known as “the Fed” — recently announced it is adjusting interest rates. Those changes likely will affect anyone trying to borrow or save money. Keep reading to learn what to know with interest rates climbing. Rates on the Rise In mid-June, the Fed disclosed its intention to increase interest rates 0.75 percentage point, after an increase of 50 basis points one month prior. A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point. With rates right now on the rise, it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to borrow money. And because of that added cost, consumers tend to spend less, helping to curb inflation. Some loans and lines of credit might be affected, […]

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Employee Retention Credit Basics

October 5, 2022  |  Barton Walter and Krier

Many businesses took hits of all kinds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under certain circumstances, businesses can benefit from keeping employees on their payroll when their bottom line might suggest otherwise. Keep reading to learn more about Employee Retention Credit basics and how to determine whether your business is eligible to take advantage of these credits. It’s not too late. Employee Retention Credit Essentials For the official explanation of the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), we turned to the IRS website. There, ERC is defined as a “refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes equal to 50 percent of the qualified wages an eligible employer pays to employees after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021.” There is a $7,000 ceiling on qualified wages (including health […]

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