Economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis may cause some cash-strapped individuals to default on loans they've taken out from company qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans. Defaulting on a plan loan will cause adverse tax and retirement-saving consequences. Here are the details. Retirement Plan Loan Basics A participant in an employer-sponsored qualified retirement [...]
Garnishing an employee's wages can be inconvenient, but there is little you can do about it. When one of your employees fails to pay a debt or owes the government money, a court may issue an order to withhold income, which means your company takes money from the employee's paycheck and forwards it to the debtor. [...]
The COVID-19 crisis has taken a toll on many small businesses. But some winners are expected to emerge from the wreckage. Unprecedented steps will be taken to guard against health risks from COVID-19 and whatever might come along next. The new normal will create new opportunities. Small businesses that can respond to those opportunities will [...]
For some employees, working from home is a personally liberating experience that contributes to greater productivity. For others, not so much. By now, if you have had a significant number of employees doing their jobs from home, you may have enough experience to assess whether remote working arrangements are a net plus for your business. [...]
College is a major investment. But, if campuses remain shuttered in the fall due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, will your student get his or her money's worth from virtual classes? Though universities may provide rebates for unused room and board costs, they're unlikely to offer discounts on tuition costs if classes remain online. [...]
Businesses across America that have been shut down due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may now (or soon) have the option to reopen. Since no two businesses are alike — even those in the same industry and location — what makes sense for one company could be a disaster for another. But many questions [...]
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused difficulties for millions of businesses — from family-owned restaurants and niche manufacturers to multinational airlines and oil companies. As the economy slowly reopens across the country, old ways of doing things clearly won't work for most business operations. But there's a potential upside: Major economic disruptions may provide [...]
Even while conditions in some states have improved enough to allow some workers in exile to begin returning to their workplaces, life isn't likely to return to normal for a long while, thanks to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. First, some employees worried about the chances they could become infected might balk at the idea [...]
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shut down many sectors of the U.S. economy, causing widespread job losses. Over 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in March, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. And far more claims are expected in April. Some economists predict that the unemployment rate could rise to Depression-era levels of [...]
The coronavirus (COVID-10) pandemic has had adverse effects on many industries. Both employers and employees are seeking ways to respond to financial stress resulting from the economic slowdown and financial market volatility. If your company's revenue has plummeted, you might be considering eliminating or scaling back your contributions to employees' 401(k) accounts. Here's what you [...]
