Preface:  John Hofmeister is a key member of the United States Energy Security Council, a bipartisan group which includes former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and two former secretaries of defense, William J. Perry and Harold Brown. Upon retirement from Shell Oil Company in 2008, Hofmeister founded and heads the not-for-profit (501(c)(3) nation-wide membership association, Citizens for Affordable Energy. This Washington, D.C.-registered, public policy education firm promotes sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policies and public education on energy issues. As Shell president, Hofmeister launched an extensive outreach program, unprecedented in the energy industry, to discuss critical global energy challenges. The program included an 18 month, 50-city engagement program across the country during which he led 250 other Shell leaders to meet with more than 15,000 business, community and civic leaders, policymakers, and academics to discuss what must be done to ensure affordable, available energy for the future. A business leader who has participated in the inner workings of multiple industries for over 35 years, Hofmeister also has held executive leadership positions in General Electric, and Nortel. Hofmeister serves as the chairman of the National Urban League and is a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee. He serves as non-executive director of the Hunting PLC, London, UK, CAMAC Energy, Inc., Sodexo North America Business Advisory Board, advisor to Liberty Power of Fort Lauderdale, Fl, the nation’s largest minority owned power company. He also serves on the boards of the National Energy Security Council, Washington, D.C.; the Foreign Policy Association, New York; Strategic Partners, LLC; the Gas Technology Institute and the Center for Houston’s Future. Hofmeister is a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources….

Preface: This week we will hear from NOW CFO on insights regarding CFO Consulting that works to reward entrepreneurial decisions.   What are some mistakes small businesses sometimes make without a Chief Financial Officer?   How can bad accounting lead to bad decision?   What is a rolling cash forecast?          

Preface: Ineffective leadership and poor decision-making are often the results of a leader’s inability to notice important information in the world around them. So how can a leader identify and evaluate the information that is really important? And how can these skills improve the outcomes of key decisions and negotiations? Harvard Business School Professor Max Bazerman has spent a decade of research in applied behavioral psychology, focused on understanding how even the most successful people fail to notice important details–and how they can learn to avoid their irrational cognitive “blind spots.” In this interactive Harvard Business Review webinar, Bazerman provides a guide to breaking bad habits and spotting the hidden details that will change your decision-making and leadership skills for the better. Bazerman teaches you how to pay attention to what didn’t happen, acknowledge self-interest, invent the new choices, and realize that what you see is not all there is. Entrepreneurs must understand the power of noticing. Webinar: The Power of Noticing: What the Best Leaders See

Preface: What can seem to be a very easy tax filing, can be increasingly complex when a  tax feature like an installment sale is applicable. Appropriately Planning Installment Sales Can Prevent Tax Hazards Installment sales are a common tax management and tax reduction feature in taxpayer sales of major property assets. Yet, too often, taxpayers do not understand the hazards and risks inherent in installment sales that can result from improper or misunderstood tax planning. An installment sale is simply the sale of property where you receive at least one payment after the year of the sale. Form 6252 is applied to installment sales to calculate things like gross profit and percentages of installment sale income per year. Three parts exist to an installment sale: a) interest income, b) return of your adjusted basis in the property, c) gain on the sale. Each year you receive payment, you must include in income both the interest income and the segment that is your gain on the sale. The gain simply your adjusted basis subtracted from the sale price. Interest is the accrued for the time value of the note. If you’re unfamiliar with installments sales, here is how they work. Let’s say you sell a tract of land for $500,000. If your basis 20 years ago was $100,000, the gain is $400,000. If the installment sale is for a period of five years, then equal payments will be made of $100,000 per year. The gain of $400,000 would also be taxable over 5 years, or $80,000 per year. The benefit of the installment sale is that depending on tax attributes, a larger portion of the sales capital gains can result in lower tax, given the income is in a lower bracket (or say maybe exempt from capital gains tax), e.g. in…

Preface: It’s been almost 10 years in the making, but the fate of one of Europe’s most important financial institutions appears to be sealed. After a hard-hitting sequence of scandals, poor decisions, and unfortunate events, Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank shares are now down -48% on the year to $12.60, which is a record-setting low. Even more stunning is the long-term view of the German institution’s downward spiral. With a modest $15.8 billion in market capitalization, shares of the 147-year-old company now trade for a paltry 8% of its peak price in May 2007. ?Is Your Business Prepared?