Once your business has survived the start-up phase, it's got a solid foundation to grow. Business and financial advisory services are critical at this stage of development. Here are some major areas or functions of your company to focus on as you look to take it to the next level.

Although digital transactions are growing exponentially, check fraud remains a persistent threat to you and your business. The Federal Reserve processed just over 19 billion paper checks in 1993, compared to 3.4 billion in 2022. While fraudsters may target paper checks sent and received by individuals, business checks are likely to be more valuable because business accounts are often well-funded. Plus, businesses may take longer than individuals to detect check fraud.

Inflation adjustments have significantly increased the civil monetary penalties for violating the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rules and for the unauthorized disclosure or use of BOI. The rules requiring the reporting of BOI just went into effect this month.

 

The penalties are included for the first time in the annual final rule issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that provides the list of inflation adjustments of civil monetary penalties within FinCEN's jurisdiction.

Your business may soon have to comply with new reporting requirements that take effect on January 1, 2024. Under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), enacted in 2021, certain companies will be required to provide information related to their "beneficial owners" — the individuals who ultimately own or control the company — to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Failure to do so may result in civil or criminal penalties, or both.

To alleviate some of the challenges that arise when funds are left unspent in qualified tuition plans, typically called Sec. 529 plans, once the beneficiary has completed their education, a new rule allows limited rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs. This has also created new wrinkles for families with multiple children who have already started or even completed their educations.