Big Beautiful Bill, OBBA, and More

Meet Our Firm

Brady Mackechnie, Associate

Brady is a graduate of Springfield College and recently transitioned from a year-long internship to a full-time role at the firm, where he has been employed for six months. This milestone has allowed him to deepen his expertise in both audit and tax practices, marking a significant step in his professional development.

How This First-Gen College Grad Went From Franchisee to Brand President: 'I've Been in the Trenches'

Susan Valverde is the brand president of Sylvan Learning, a tutoring and test prep center franchise. She describes her career as "a series of fortunate but very unexpected turns." Valverde was born in northern Mexico, immigrated to the U.S. as a child in the early 1980s, and learned entrepreneurship from her parents, who built a trucking business in Mississippi. [more]

The right (and wrong) ways to appreciate your employees

Despite years’ of headlines about the importance of workplace well-being and culture, the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace report paints a stark picture: global employee engagement has declined yet again. But one overlooked yet deeply effective lever for change is also one of the simplest: genuine appreciation. [more]

“One Big Beautiful Bill” Encourages Small Business Innovation: How Entrepreneurs Can Immediately Benefit from Restored R&D Expensing

You don’t have to be in the pharmaceutical industry or develop software to engage in research and development (R&D) activities that can produce new things for sale or create new processes for your internal business operations. If you spend money on R&D, you can recoup some of your costs through federal tax breaks. There’s a tax credit for R&D activities. There’s also an immediate tax deduction, thanks to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which made important changes for both the credit and the deduction. [more]

The OBBBA Gets Expensing Right. States Should Follow Suit.

It’s one and it’s big, though beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) flow through to state tax codes, confronting state legislators with important questions about which to keep and which to scrap. But whereas the temporary deductions (for qualified tips, overtime premium pay, and auto loan interest), which only flow automatically to a few states’ tax systems, reduce revenues without generating much economic benefit... [more]

OBBB Enhances Opportunity Zones, Qualified Small Business Stock and Other Business Perks

The OBBB made several modifications to the Opportunity Zone program. Established by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”) in 2017, the Opportunity Zone program was intended to encourage investment in businesses located in low-income communities. The program enabled taxpayers with capital gains to defer taxes by investing gains in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (“QOF”), which in turn invests in a Qualified Opportunity Zone... [more]

When Charity Meets Strategy: The Hidden Vehicles of Philanthropy

Strategic charitable giving is one of the most rewarding and efficient ways to support the causes you care about while also strengthening your financial outlook. While writing a check to your favorite organization is always appreciated, there are smarter ways to structure your generosity that offer greater tax advantages and long-term impact. One of my go-to strategies for clients is leveraging donor-advised funds. These are incredibly flexible tools that allow you to contribute cash, stock, or other appreciated assets, take an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to charities over time. [more]

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