Whether you’re running a retail or a service-based business, your customers expect to be able to use a range of payment options. So when you’re setting up your bank accounts, take some time to become familiar with all the payment solutions your bank has to offer.

The only way to truly find out if your business idea will work is to actually start your business, but there are a number of things you can do to research your start-up idea before you take the leap.

Although the housing market in our country has a relatively steady rhythm throughout the year, Spring is typically the time referred to as Home Buying Season. Winter months, the holidays and inclement winter weather make homeowners reticent to open their homes to prospective buyers. Better weather signals opportunities for home improvements, home inspections and home repairs. School age children are wrapping up the school year leaving the summer months an ideal time to move in and out of housing.

Social Media platforms have revolutionized the ways in which people, organizations and businesses are connected. Keeping a personal or business social media presence is the equivalent of having an electronic front porch and inviting others to visit. In general, we look forward to friends and customers stopping by and sharing interactions with us. There is a sense of connectedness even when we are miles apart.

Whether you are an early bird or a last-minute filer, there is no denying we are firmly into Tax Season. As we reconcile another year of earnings and income, the Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service would like to draw attention to an ever-present concern – Tax Identity Theft.

On May 11, 2018, a new rule went into effect that requires financial institutions to gather additional information from legal entity (business) customers. The Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers requirement, or "Beneficial Ownership" for short, was created to help government and law enforcement fight money laundering and terrorism by identifying exactly who benefits from a company's revenue and who actually controls the goings-on within the business.

The bad guys just LOVE tax season.

This year, they've been busy coming up with lots of new ways to get their greedy hands on our hard-earned refunds.

It seems like there's a week for everything these days. National Pickle-Eating Week. International Pencil-Sharpening Week. Train Your Dog To Jump Rope Week.

Meltdown and Spectre.

Care to guess what these two words represent? They're not rock bands, and they're not new Marvel villains ready to face off with the Avengers. (Disclaimer: Ok, so my Marvel-ous coworkers have corrected me; there are actually some minor Marvel characters named Meltdown and Spectre.  These aren't them.)