Questions and Answers with Carrie Chiang, SPS staff accountant and recent USC graduate What do you miss most about living in Taiwan? I miss its convenience. Taiwan is a small but very densely populated island, especially in Taipei, the capital. Different kinds of public transportation are easily accessible and convenience stores are everywhere offering everything from meals and books to Read More »
At SPS, we utilize a team of outside specialists to handle the needs of our clients when required. Richard Myerson is the owner of The Myerson Agency – a boutique wealth and estate-planning agency. We’ve asked Richard to write a short piece on retirement planning. Planning for retirement means different things to different people. In the final analysis, however, it’s Read More »
Keep up With the Rules Four years ago, Congress unexpectedly raised the individual lifetime exclusion for estate and gift tax from $3.5 million to $5 million, effective for 2011 and 2012. Due to the concern that the exclusion would go back to $1,000,000 for 2013, the increase resulted in a great rush to complete gifting by the end of 2012. Read More »
A few ways to say good-bye to your broken and obsolete items What happens to your old computers and electronics when the next evolutionary step is introduced to the market? Sadly, many items end up in landfills or destroyed in outside incinerators. Even worse, others are shipped off to Asia. The truth is, only a fraction of computers and electronics Read More »
A reminder to keep personal and client information secure Soon after word got out about the hacking scandal during the holidays, fraudsters got busy creating fake emails from the affected companies, hoping to get nervous victims to “click the link” and provide their personal information. Now is a good time to remind yourself and your associates not to be so Read More »
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights went into effect on January 1 If you employ nannies, maids, or personal attendants, then you need to know that they are now entitled to time and-a-half overtime if they work more than nine hours a day or 45 hours a week. And, by the way, if they are paid minimum wage, that will be Read More »
California Labor Code section 2810.5 Communication is a good thing. When someone joins your firm, you may assume you’re on the same page when it comes to basics like salary, payday, location of the main office, and such. Labor Code section 2810.5, however, implies that not all new hires and employers were speaking the same language and requires, at the Read More »
The SPS workforce spends the day with BookEnds BookEnds is a Southern California-based nonprofit that, as they say on their website (BookEnds.org) “…recycles quality children’s books through student-run book drives and places them in schools and youth organizations.” Since 1998, BookEnds has donated more than two million books. BookEnds not only provides books to schools, but also teaches their student Read More »
SPS welcomes Dave Berman Dave Berman has accepted a position with SPS as staff accountant. He is a graduate of Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts) with an Accounting degree. Dave is living in Manhattan Beach and is acclimating himself to the Southern California lifestyle. Welcome aboard!
Guardianship isn’t an all-or-nothing choice No one likes to think of their parents as being less-than-capable of managing their own affairs, but illness and injury can reduce anyone’s ability to cope with life’s demands. Sometimes, it’s necessary to step in and take charge via a guardianship (also known as conservatorship). If you think your parent needs help, then the first Read More »