The short definition of fraud is theft by deception. Someone misrepresented pertinent facts, orally as an assurance or within the four corners of a contract, so that the other party to the deal got something other than what he bargained for. Blatant fraud...

Businesses generally engage accountants to report on past performance. You want a record, that is a history, of how your company has performed. This gives you a fairly clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses, so you can make adjustments going...

Small business owners and CEOs must make a variety of decisions about how to allocate company resources. If you’re in charge, one area where you really have to perform the cost-benefit analysis is with the choice of buying or leasing business equipment....

The recent hacking of Capital One by a disgruntled former employee sent shockwaves through the finance sector as an estimated 100 million credit card applicants had their personally identifying information exposed. The incident has hurt Capital One’s...

Cyber security is a major issue for any business that keeps digital records of customer and employee data. If a hacker worms his way into your system and pilfers your data, you’re in for more than embarrassment. Victims of the breach can sue you for...

The Roman Senator Cicero famously wrote, “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves...

When we talk to small business owners about enhancing their company’s efficiency, the discussion inevitably touches on employee performance reviews. This is often a moment of levity, as if we can hear Jerry Seinfeld’s voice, asking “And what’s up with...

How vulnerable are construction companies to fraud? Would you believe they suffer annual financial losses at almost twice the rate of other businesses? Last year, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners released its Report to the Nations: 2018 Global...

At Breon & Associates, we believe that a strong ethical culture can protect your company from unnecessary losses due to liability and fraud. Naturally, an important ingredient in an ethical culture is the presence of ethical individuals. Thus, when you...

A company can only function at the highest level when its employees support its mission 100 percent and align their interests with the company’s. While it’s healthy and natural for employees to have outside interests, and many outside interests can even...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made huge changes to the U.S. Tax Code, which caught many taxpayers off-guard. You might have noticed a change in your refund from last year, and if you’re like the majority of filers who received a refund, it might have been less...

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service released its audit statistics for the fiscal year 2018, which revealed that the agency examined fewer taxpayer returns compared to previous years. The IRS audited just 0.59 percent of individual tax returns in 2018,...