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Lauren Halweg
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Lauren and fiance Tyler Hartmann
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Lauren Halweg grew up in Sauk Prairie where she played volleyball with the Sauk Prairie High School team, and worked summers at a local camp. A UW La Crosse graduate, she interned with Smith & Gesteland and started working here right out of college. Lauren is a Staff Accountant for us, and, according to her teammates, is an "awesome digger, spiker and server" on our volleyball team.
Q. What is it about accounting or consulting that first drew your interest?
My parents always told me to choose something that I was passionate about. I love to be around people and to work in teams. I enjoy a constant change of pace and have always been good with numbers. About two weeks into my freshman year of college, I called home for some guidance and, after a long conversation with my mom, accounting was the obvious choice. The variety of work and the number of different clients and industries provide endless opportunities and, as versatile as it is, accounting can take you in almost any direction.
Q. What fundamental business lessons have you learned from your experience as an accountant?
So much of public accounting, and the business world as a whole, involves developing relationships. Getting to know the client and having a genuine interest in their business is just as important as providing them with quality service. Clients value the actual work we do, but they value having a trusted advisor just as much. Having those relationships makes getting the job done a more efficient and enjoyable process for both the team and the client.
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The Economic Impact of Pokémon Go
By now, if you've been paying attention, you've seen news articles about Pokémon Go, which is an augmented reality ("AR") game for smartphones that uses GPS to allow people to "catch" game characters in real-world locations, or you've seen roving bands of people with their phones out, trying to capture things only they can see , or maybe you've even downloaded the app yourself. Or perhaps you've heard people grumbling about how annoying all the people playing Pokémon Go are. Whatever the case, it is the current hot trend, and like all hot trends, it has an impact on the economy. |
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There are impacts on a number of different sectors. Probably the smallest impact is the public sector, particularly rescue services and public safety services. There have been a few widely-shared stories about Pokémon Go players falling off cliffs, finding abandoned babies, and finding dead bodies. Though I haven't seen data on this, I doubt this will have a big impact anytime soon. However, any time there are relatively high numbers of people out and about, there are relatively more calls for rescue and public safety services.
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| | Lucas Nehmer, CPA |
The Right Entity for Your Real Estate Investment
Rent or own? This is a common decision for business owners when contemplating their operating facilities. If the choice is to own, there are even more questions. Some of the obvious questions are: Where should the location be, how big of a facility is needed, what functional features are needed within the facility to operate the business, and many more. However, before acquiring or building a new real estate investment, a question that needs to be answered is what type of entity is the best fit to own it. The pros and cons of owning land/buildings within different legal entities will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Individual Ownership
Pros: This is the easiest and simplest structure administratively. The income and expenses related to ownership are reported on the individual's income tax return. This structure avoids a potential for double taxation. Cons: There is exposure to unlimited personal liability associated with the property. This is the major downfall of this ownership strategy, but insurance protection can reduce the risk exposure. This ownership strategy is mainly used by land or rental property owners where the liability risk is minimal.
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| | Craig Keleher, CPA |
Nonprofits: Are Your Corporate Sponsorships Taxable?
For many nonprofit organizations, sponsorship payments associated with fundraising events, galas, conventions, and the like are critical to the success of the organization. In typical cases, the sponsors may get their logo or slogan prominently displayed on signs, programs, or other event materials. They may even receive a full-page acknowledgement in printed materials or mentions in television or radio broadcasts. All of these sponsorship revenues are tax-free to the organization, right? The answer (you guessed it) is that "it depends".
If the sponsorship payments are considered "advertising" or otherwise provide a substantial return benefit to the sponsor, your nonprofit organization may be subject to Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT). UBIT is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, if you're paying tax you must be making money. As long as they don't account for a significant part of your overall activities, unrelated trade or business activities can be a useful source of supplemental income for your organization. But not knowing the rules can cause painful surprises and unintended consequences down the road.
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Manufacturing/Supply Chain Webinars
It has been nearly ten years since we began helping our clients dramatically improve their businesses using the Pareto Principle. For some recent testimonials, click here. We are offering three Webinars to discuss our program, and examine some of the more critical elements of an 80/20 project. Join us for these FREE programs. Session 1: 80/20 OverviewAugust 16 - 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Go here for details and to REGISTERSession 2: 80/20 - The Critical Function of Goal SettingSeptember 27 - 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Go here for details and to REGISTERSession 3: 80/20 - Focus Your Business Through SegmentationOctober 11 - 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Go here for details and to REGISTER
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Third Encore of this Popular Seminar!
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
7:30 am - 11:00 am
Reedsburg Country Club
In our work with family and closely-held businesses, we have seen instances of very good, and very bad planning for the future. Disastrous plans can doom a business, and make Thanksgiving dinner with family an uncomfortable affair. Our panel of presenters, all veterans of planning for the succession of businesses, will tell stories, and give advice about how to do it right. Presenters:Julie Bogle, JD - Partner - Smith & Gesteland Chris Doering, Sr. Vice President - Associated Bank Bud Smith, JD - Partner - DeWitt Ross & Stevens, SC John Zimdars, President - Zimdars Insurance Services Click HERE for more information and to Register |
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