Top stories for you from Barbara this past month:

J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2017

I'm proud to say it's the 23rd year of the original publication, and it's all new for 2016 returns and year-round tax planning.

As had been my practice, I've written my own book review to explain the purpose of the book, what's new, and what's ahead.

Why small business owners need a tax book ...

Getting Health Coverage for 2017

The last quarter of the year is packed with activities for a small business owner, including year-end planning and budgeting for next year. One more task is deciding on health coverage: selecting the insurer to use and setting the budget to cover costs.

As a small business owner, know your responsibilities and your options, some of which may be new.

What Happens if You Become Disabled?

According to Council for Disability Awareness, the chances that a working person will experience a disability are high. For example, a female, age 35, non-smoker with an office job has a 38% change of becoming disabled during her working career for 3 months or longer, and there's a 38% change the disability will last 5 years or longer. The odds increase for someone with poor health habits, such as smoking and being overweight. Yet only about half of working people have even thought about or discussed disability and what its financial impact would be. For business owners, this oversight can be devastating -- to the business and to the owner's family.

READ MORE >

Sick Days: Are You Competitive? Legal?

A generation ago, it was up to you as an employer to decide whether to offer your employee time off when they, or their spouse, child, or parent, became ill or incapacitated. Today about two-thirds of workers have some paid sick leave as a result of federal law, state law, local law, or employers just keeping up with your competitors. The trend is clear: if you aren't yet forced by law or competition to offer this benefit, likely you will be in the near future. Here's what you need to know.

Successful Online Selling for the Holidays

The Rubicon Project reports* that buying continues to shift toward online and mobile venues, and that 22% of consumers won't be making any in-store purchases.

If you're doing selling this holiday season, check out some key points to keep in mind:

Chargebacks: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

According to the dictionary, a chargeback is "a debit to a depositor's account that offsets a previous credit that was not collected. " For merchants, the debit may occur when the credit-card provider has been unable to collect payment by a consumer because of a fraudulent or disputed transaction. In practical terms, the sale you thought you made and the funds you thought you earned evaporate. This hurts your profits and impedes your cash flow. But this isn't the only chargeback you need to be concerned about. Here's what you need to know.

Mentoring for Entrepreneurs

It's a fact that having a mentor increases your chances for success. According to one survey a few years ago, 70% of small businesses that received mentoring survived for 5 years, which is double the rate for those without mentoring.

What is mentoring for entrepreneurs? ...

Is it Time to Revisit Your Estate Plan?

Do you already have an estate plan? When was the last time you reviewed it?
Changes in your life, your business, and the world, are all good reasons to revisit your estate plan now. ... If you've experienced any of the following, you may want to redo or at least review your estate plan:

READ MORE >

It's a Big Deal to Be a Women-Owned Small Business

While businesses are barred from discriminating against job applicants and employees on the basis of sex, the federal government does give a little edge to businesses owned by women.

See the full article at SBA.gov

Separating Your Personal and Business Finances: Why and How

New business owners may seek to keep things simple and co-mingle their business and personal finances. This is a BIG mistake. Here's why, and what you can to do to appropriately separate your financial activities.

See the full article at SmallBizTrends.com

Keeping Tabs On Your Business Numbers

You can't run a business on good intentions and hard work alone. You need to stay on top of critical financial information to see that your business is fiscally healthy and learn where changes need to be made in order to grow. Here are the numbers you need to watch, as well as why and how to do it.

See the full article at SBECouncil.org

Listen to My Recent Radio Conversations with featured guests:

Leo Haviland, author of "Words on the Street," as we talk about the current economy, marketplace trends, and the upcoming election's impact on small business;

Mike Hourigan, Director of Marketing at Shoeboxed, discussing the upcoming tax season, how to best prepare your business, and how Shoeboxed has helped small businesses.

Listen on wsRadio

You don't want to miss out!

"100+ Big Ideas for Your Small Business"

... it's
FREE!

Do You Host Tweetchats?

If so, let us know! You may want to be included in our calendar of high-quality Tweetchats for small business and entrepreneurs. Send us the details: name of sponsor(s), host(s), topic, date and time, and hashtag!

I'm honored that my blog has been named a

Best Small Business Blog 2016

by FitSmallBusiness.com

and is

included in this excellent list of

51 Small Business Bloggers You Should be Following on Twitter

compiled by Fundera

Stay connected and see what's happening on our social media sites:

BarbaraWeltman.com