Author: Raven A. Herron & Company

Final regulations released on increased catch-up contributions under SECURE 2.0

Final regulations released on increased catch-up contributions under SECURE 2.0

The latest IRS final regulations under the SECURE 2.0 Act increase catch-up contribution limits for individuals aged 60 to 63 and require Roth contributions for higher-income earners. These changes aim to enhance retirement readiness but require plan administrators to navigate new operational complexities. Explore how these rules reshape retirement strategies and the paths to compliance.

2025 Year-end tax moves for businesses

2025 Year-end tax moves for businesses

Explore essential 2025 year-end tax strategies for businesses, updated for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). From QBI planning to bonus depreciation, entity structure, and reporting changes, this guide helps you make informed, compliant, and tax-smart decisions before year-end.

2025 year-end tax moves for individuals & families

2025 year-end tax moves for individuals & families

From expanded deductions and new above-the-line benefits to shifting phaseouts and sunsetting exemptions, 2025 offers unique opportunities for individuals to lower their tax liability before year-end. This guide highlights smart, timely moves to help you make the most of current law before key changes take effect in 2026.

IRS guidance lowers investment threshold for rural opportunity zones

IRS guidance lowers investment threshold for rural opportunity zones

New IRS guidance lowers the improvement threshold for rural Opportunity Zones and introduces enhanced tax incentives. Learn what’s changed and how investors can benefit ahead of the 2027 OZ redesignation window.

From holiday rush to year-round growth: turn seasonal shoppers into loyal customers

From holiday rush to year-round growth: turn seasonal shoppers into loyal customers

The holiday season offers more than a revenue spike for business owners; it’s a unique window to build lasting customer relationships. Let’s explore how to align your messaging with the shopper mindset, position your offers, leverage multi-channel reach, and convert one-time buyers into loyal customers while keeping your operations strong.

When to Raise Your Prices

When to Raise Your Prices

Decades of research shows pricing improvements can deliver 3-5x more profit impact than cutting costs or boosting volume, yet most business leaders still spend 80% of their time on everything but pricing. The real risk isn’t raising prices, it’s waiting too long to do it.

How to Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

How to Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

Some companies have raised prices brilliantly – they experienced minimal churn, strengthened relationships with their best customers, and watched their margins expand. Others? It was a complete disaster. In this video, you’ll learn the specific strategies that separate successful price increases from catastrophic failures.

Retirement readiness in any economy: how to know when you’re truly prepared

Retirement readiness in any economy: how to know when you’re truly prepared

There’s no perfect time to retire, but with the right planning, you can feel prepared in any economy. Learn how to evaluate your readiness, manage timing risks, and build a retirement plan that lasts.

ROI or money pit? Prioritizing home renovations with ROI and tax in mind

ROI or money pit? Prioritizing home renovations with ROI and tax in mind

Every homeowner faces an endless list of potential projects, but not all renovations are created equal when it comes to your financial bottom line. Strategic home improvements can impact not only your future sale price, but also your utility bills, insurance costs, tax obligations, and overall financial position. Learn how to prioritize your project list using a financially grounded framework that considers ROI, tax opportunities, and long-term asset preservation.

Inflation-adjusted tax provisions: 2026 updates

Inflation-adjusted tax provisions: 2026 updates

Discover the latest inflation-adjusted tax changes for the 2026 tax year, driven by the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). From standard deduction hikes and modified marginal tax rate thresholds to expanded credits for adoption and employer-provided childcare, these updates can significantly influence your financial planning. Delve into how these modifications could impact your taxes and optimize your strategy for the upcoming year.

Building a budget and forecast system for your business

Building a budget and forecast system for your business

The harsh reality is that many business failures are caused by poor financial planning and cash flow management. Despite this, surprisingly few companies invest in building robust systems for forecasting and tracking their financial future. Learn the fundamentals of building and maintaining a budget and forecast for your business.

Tax breaks for tipped workers: qualifying for the new deduction

Tax breaks for tipped workers: qualifying for the new deduction

Discover how the groundbreaking “no tax on tips” provision in the new One, Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) could transform the take-home pay for millions of tip-reliant workers starting in 2025. Learn which occupations qualify, the specific conditions required, and how to prepare for maximized savings under this potentially game-changing deduction.

Cost Analysis: Turning Hidden Numbers into Smarter Decisions

Cost Analysis: Turning Hidden Numbers into Smarter Decisions

Want to know where your profit is really going? Here’s a practical, business-owner-friendly approach to cost analysis, showing how to uncover hidden inefficiencies, assign overhead accurately, and make confident decisions with your numbers. Whether you’re looking to price smarter, cut waste, or prepare for growth, it all starts here.

Using POD and TOD Accounts in Your Estate Plan

Using POD and TOD Accounts in Your Estate Plan

Discover how Payable-on-Death (POD) and Transfer-on-Death (TOD) accounts streamline the inheritance process, enabling beneficiaries to bypass probate and access assets swiftly. While these tools offer speed and cost-effectiveness, they come with potential pitfalls that could disrupt your estate plan if not carefully coordinated. Explore their benefits and drawbacks to ensure seamless asset distribution among your loved ones.

Medicare: premiums, taxes, and surprise surcharges

Medicare: premiums, taxes, and surprise surcharges

Many people reach 65 expecting Medicare to replace their health insurance and ease budget pressures. But in reality, Medicare often adds a new layer of costs – monthly premiums, income-based surcharges, and potential late penalties that can last a lifetime. Read our article to avoid costly surprises later in retirement.

Additional information to help you prepare for the end of federal paper checks

Additional information to help you prepare for the end of federal paper checks

Executive Order 14247 directs federal agencies to phase out paper checks for refunds, benefits, and contracts. Here’s who’s affected and how to prepare.

Personal guarantees: costly risk or tax leverage?

Personal guarantees: costly risk or tax leverage?

Banks want an extra layer of security for business loans, and a personal guarantee delivers it – but for partnership owners, there’s a hidden tax advantage most overlook. This synthetic capital injection can turn a necessary business risk into meaningful tax leverage, provided you understand the mechanics and monitor the potential pitfalls.

Navigating the Transition: How to Prepare for the US Government’s Paperless Payment Policy

Navigating the Transition: How to Prepare for the US Government’s Paperless Payment Policy

The federal government’s plan to phase out paper checks by September 2025 marks a monumental shift in managing payments such as tax refunds and Social Security benefits. This transition raises questions about logistical challenges, security concerns, and impacts on underserved communities. Prepare yourself for this digital transformation by exploring how these changes will unfold and what proactive steps you can take to ensure a smooth transition.

Attribution rules explained: how constructive ownership can affect your tax strategy

Attribution rules explained: how constructive ownership can affect your tax strategy

You may think you don’t own a particular business interest, but the IRS might disagree. Under constructive ownership rules, the tax code can attribute ownership to you based on family relationships or entity structures. Understanding these rules before they impact your tax strategy is essential for business owners with family ties, trusts, or complex ownership structures.

Critical updates on energy credits

Critical updates on energy credits

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is changing the landscape of energy tax credits by accelerating expiration dates, leaving homeowners, businesses, and car buyers scrambling to capitalize on incentives for renewable energy and clean vehicles. This article covers several upcoming deadlines for anyone planning energy-efficient upgrades or investments.

Debt-financed distributions for pass-throughs: how they work and when they make sense

Debt-financed distributions for pass-throughs: how they work and when they make sense

When a pass-through business takes out a loan at the entity level and immediately distributes the borrowed funds to its owners, this is considered a debt-financed distribution. This maneuver provides owners with immediate liquidity without triggering a current tax bill, as long as they have sufficient tax basis to cover the distribution.

The Overlooked Importance of HR in Growing Businesses

The Overlooked Importance of HR in Growing Businesses

For many small and midsize businesses, HR dysfunction isn’t about negligence. It’s about capacity. Most founders don’t build their companies with an HR strategy in mind. Learn how to solve this problem with a fractional HR resource.

Financial Survival Guide for Startups

Financial Survival Guide for Startups

Spending all your time delivering for clients and letting bookkeeping slide? In this quick guide, discover the simple systems that protect your finances as a new entrepreneur.

Incentive units: how partnership-style equity can reward talent without a surprise tax bill

Incentive units: how partnership-style equity can reward talent without a surprise tax bill

Non-public pass-through companies can’t flash the same liquid stock options that publicly traded C-corporations deploy, but a profits interest solves the problem by letting newcomers participate only in growth that occurs after the grant date – with no immediate tax bill for either party. Learn more in our article.