Job Descriptions: Are they worth the paper they're printed on?
Is a job description worth the paper it's printed on and the time it took to write it? Yes, if it is done appropriately. Well-written job descriptions are worthwhile in any business setting.

Credit card debt may loom over your student’s future
Studies show that about 80 percent of undergraduates have at least one credit card, and their average balance is between $2,000 and $3,000. Many students carry the maximum balance on their accounts and make only the minimum required payments, taking out new cards when they max one out. Then they graduate with large debts and bad credit histories dogging their tracks. Why are credit card companies willing to extend so much credit to college students with little income?

Avoid triangling communication in family business
The father, who is the president, makes a decision and acts on it. The son, a vice president, strongly disagrees with the father’s choice. They have cross words with each other. Then the son goes to the mother and tells her what the “tyrannical” father has done and said. She speaks with the father about it, trying to restore peace. This is called “triangling.”

Save taxes, help society: Hire 'targeted' staff
Many businesses, especially those in the construction industry, overlook a significant tax credit that is available for hiring workers from targeted disadvantaged groups. The per-employee credit can reach $2,400 or $4,800 during the first year of employment.

Turning lemons into lemonade: Dealing with excess inventory
Excess and obsolete inventory write-offs are a chronic drag on many businesses. These items are often not counted when the physical inventory is taken. If they are counted as part of the physical inventory, they are often priced at amounts much lower than cost. Either tactic has the effect of writing off all or part of the cost of excess and obsolete inventory as an expense in the financial statements. Unfortunately, a corresponding tax deduction may not be available.

Seven strategies for battling donor burnout
Sometimes, fund-raising campaigns sizzle, with monetary totals soaring past expectations. Other times, they fizzle, with the efforts yielding poor financial outcomes. The sizzle can be attributed, in part, to enthusiastic, engaged donors. On the other hand, the fizzle may result from what’s known as “donor burnout.”

Need a financial adviser? Four traits to look for
As a physician, you may barely have time to keep up with the medical field, let alone become a financial wizard. This article discusses reasons for considering a financial adviser and what to look for in your adviser.

Court says follow formalities when managing an FLP
This story is not a new one. But it will be repeated over and over in the courts, until taxpayers and their advisers learn to exercise due care in setting up and operating family limited partnerships, or FLPs.

IRS warns of scams intended to steal identities
The IRS has issued another warning about e-mail and telephone scams that use the IRS name as a lure. You should be particularly aware of scams involving the new rebate checks. The goal of all these scams is to trick you into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.