Citation and Resource Guide 2017

Citation and Resource Guide 2017

Be Cautious With Hard-to-Value IRAs ■ The IRS lists examples of traditional IRA assets not having a readily available fair market value in the Instructions For Forms 5498 and 1099-R, p. 17, at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099r.pdf. The “Other” Exchange-Traded Funds ■ The U.S. Securities And Exchange Commission provides information about closed-end funds at www.sec.gov/answers/mfclose.htm. Profit Sharing Plans for Your Small Business ■ The U.S. Department of Labor spells out the rules for profit-sharing plans in its publication, Choosing A Retirement Solution For Your Small Business, p. 2, at www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/choosing.pdf.


Practice Development Tip

Resolve to Focus on Your Firm’s Website in 2017 A New Year will bring Resolutions: lose weight, exercise more, appreciate time spent with loved ones, and so on. In terms of practice development, one key promise to yourself should be a review and, if necessary, an upgrade of your firm’s website. In today’s world, prospective clients probably will visit the site before arranging personal contact and existing clients may be encouraged to expand their engagement by the content they find there. The first step is simply to go over all the material available to visitors. Is it accurate? Up to date? If you post employee photos on the site, make sure that former staff members are removed and newcomers are included with the correct title for all pictured. Give your employees a chance to update their bios (and photos, if desired); do the same for your own bio. The second step is to decide if any of the existing material should be deleted and other features added. Go beyond your own impressions and ask others—perhaps including younger relatives—for input. You don’t have to approve every suggestion, but it will be helpful to get an idea of how others react to your website and how they think it might be improved. Be aware that your website doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Other marketing materials, such as emails to a targeted list with tax and financial content might drive people to your website for a more complete appreciation of what your firm has to offer.

Online Marketing Tip Transition to Google Expanded Ads by January 31, 2017, or Face the Consequences In mid-2016, Google announced an upgrade to its adwords text platform to include “expanded” ad formats. That means, among other things, that headlines and description lines in ads have increased in length. Effective January 31, 2017, all text ad formats will be required to be in the new expanded format.

 

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