All business cases and some business issue articles presented below received a grade of A or A+ from my professors in graduate school. The remaining business issue articles were ungraded because I wrote them after finishing graduate school.
Business Cases:
Nucor Steel: Into the Storm
10-25-2011 Hits:7593 Company Analysis George Adams

One of the largest steel companies in the U.S.had a forty year track record of unbroken profitability until 2009. How can Nucor succeed in a tougher, harsher climate?
Read moreRITZ-CARLTON (Circa 2008)
12-14-2011 Hits:7917 Company Analysis George Adams

The business strategy of luxury with a human face requires both popularity and exclusivity. How can Ritz-Carlton master this apparent contradiction?
Read moreSAS Company Analysis (Circa 1995)
12-13-2011 Hits:7013 Company Analysis George Adams

Does it pay to fly dirty?
Read moreOtis Elevator (Circa 2004)
12-13-2011 Hits:9244 Company Analysis George Adams

The largest elevator company in the world has to make some tough choices.
Read moreVertex Company Analysis (Circa 2003)
12-27-2011 Hits:6594 Company Analysis George Adams

Crucial business decisions can benefit from the insights of combinatoric analysis.
Read moreWalmart Company Analysis (Circa 2003)
12-27-2011 Hits:6321 Company Analysis George Adams

The largest retailer in the world is getting too big to grow any further without new and better thinking.
Read moreSara Lee Corporation (Circa 2008)
12-27-2011 Hits:6642 Company Analysis George Adams

Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee, until the company started hating itself.
Read moreSouthwest Airlines (Circa 2010)
12-27-2011 Hits:7037 Company Analysis George Adams

How can the most successful U.S. airline keep it up?
Read moreThe Power to Save the World: Fusion, the Unknown Ideal
12-28-2012 Hits:7742 Company Analysis George Adams

Energy is the ultimate question of our time: how do we get it, at what cost and what consequences?
Read moreBusiness Issues:
TAX TIME 2025
02-07-2025 Hits:291 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Tax Time 2025 is upon us and officially began on January 27, 2025. For Maine residents personal returns for 2024 will be due on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
Read moreBENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP INTEREST REPORTING
12-06-2024 Hits:770 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Heads Up Business Owners! Anyone who owns an LLC, S corporation, C corporation and many other types of entities must file a BOI report by January 1, 2025. If you own a business entity, it is extremely important that you...
Read moreNO SWEAT NO CHECK
06-27-2024 Hits:1225 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

We live in a corrupt era of history when more and more self-entitled people think they can sit around all day, eat chips, play video games, not work at all, and get paid big money.
Read moreBUYING OR SELLING A BUSINESS?
04-30-2024 Hits:1367 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

In these tumultuous times more and more people are buying and selling businesses. This phenomenon runs parallel to the recent buzzing market in residential real estate sales.
Read moreBusiness Tax Organizer
01-04-2023 Hits:2490 Business Issue Analysis George Adams
Not everyone needs QuickBooks to keep track of business revenue and expenses. Smaller business owners can get by perfectly fine with a paper-based record-keeping system.
Read moreDRESS FOR SUCCESS
02-07-2023 Hits:2780 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

During the Covid pandemic many office employees started working from home in their pajamas. There was less need to shave, dress in appropriate business attire, fix your hair, and comply with generally recognized sartorial standards. That era is coming...
Read moreIRS ADJUSTS PAYROLL WITHHOLDING TABLES BECAUSE OF RAMPANT INFLATION
10-31-2022 Hits:2840 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

We Now Have the Highest Inflation in 40 Years. Almost everyone knows our economy is suffering from historic levels of inflation. Food and gas especially have gone up significantly in price.
Read moreFEAR OF ROUNDING
09-06-2022 Hits:3145 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Fear takes many forms and there are literally thousands of phobias out there. Mental health professionals assign various technical names to these very real phobias, such as 'agoraphobia' for people who are afraid of open spaces, 'hydrophobia' for those...
Read moreHOME EQUITY THEFT
07-29-2022 Hits:3586 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

What happens if you don't pay your property taxes? What if adverse, even tragic, personal circumstances make it impossible for a home owner to pay property taxes due?
Read moreTAX VERSUS RISK
05-30-2022 Hits:3442 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Everyone knows that tax returns are all about taxes and people focus on the all important number: Tax. But this is a simplistic perspective that is only half true.
Read moreCAN THE GOVERNMENT SEIZE YOUR MONEY?
02-26-2022 Hits:4006 Business Issue Analysis George Adams
In February, 2022 the far-left Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, declared a state of emergency and invoked powers normally reserved for war time conditions.
Read moreKey Income Tax Rules and Opportunities for Landlords
01-12-2022 Hits:5554 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Here are five key insights for residential and commercial landlords.
Read moreWhere's the Money?
01-10-2022 Hits:5492 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Your business checking account is overdrawn. Payroll is due tomorrow. You feel flat, busted broke. But your accountant tells you that your business made a profit of $50,000 and you are going to owe thousands of dollars in taxes to...
Read moreThe Check Is In the Mail: What to do When Customers Don't Pay
01-07-2022 Hits:5202 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Are your customers pretending your business is a bank that gives free loans? Here's what you can do to deal with collection issues.
Read moreHow to Stop Bullying by Banks
01-05-2022 Hits:3721 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Bankers routinely want copies of your tax returns to prove you can continue to pay on an existing loan. But what if your banker is worse to deal with than the IRS?
Read moreTHINK OR DIE
12-15-2021 Hits:3797 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Here stands a besieged fortress of pure reason in a world gone mad. Here, a community of fifty brave scientists defies the very worst that Nature can do in order to seek knowledge and truth.
Read morePersonal Financial Planning Part III: True Wealth
12-31-2021 Hits:5250 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

True wealth requires the absence of certain things as well as an abundance of dollars.
Read morePersonal Financial Planning Part II: Miserable Millionaires
12-29-2021 Hits:5433 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Mere money isn't enough: true stories of miserable millionaires.
Read morePersonal Financial Planning Part I: The Access Code to Success is 21100
12-27-2021 Hits:5575 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

How to get ahead during difficult times.
Read moreThe Code Enforcement Gestapo
12-24-2021 Hits:5312 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

What if law and reason conflict?
Read moreSmall Business Beware: The Maine Dept. of Labor is Coming After You
12-22-2021 Hits:5126 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Are you at risk of a Maine unemployment tax audit? This article discusses risk factors and what you can do to prevent an audit in the first place
Read moreSeller's Remorse
12-20-2021 Hits:5385 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Thinking about selling your business? You have one chance to get this transaction right. Here are some important things to consider before you sell.
Read moreThe Five Equations Every Business Owner Must Know
12-17-2021 Hits:5356 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Don’t let the title fool you. Here is a very non-mathematical and easy- to-read article which has five key insights on how to make your business win in the real world.
Read moreCAN YOU DEDUCT YOUR DOG
12-06-2021 Hits:3851 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

This is a question I am asked over and over again by many clients. So here in this article I'm finally going to provide a comprehensive answer that addresses various circumstances. Federal income tax law is ridiculously complex and the...
Read moreCHAOS IN D.C.
04-19-2021 Hits:4869 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Tax Season 2021 is the worst in decades because of the many, many retroactive tax law changes spewing from D.C. This article will summarize key changes, which may force many taxpayers who already filed their taxes in February or early...
Read moreTHE SOCIETY OF FRIENDLY NUMBERS
04-06-2021 Hits:4264 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Once upon a time there was a Society of Friendly Numbers, a Maine non-profit organization that truly believed that unfriendly numbers were the primary source of human misery and grief. Members of the Society were certain that language creates...
Read morePANDEMIC PANDEMONIUM
05-21-2020 Hits:5920 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

During the current Coronavirus global pandemic societies everywhere are confronting a stark choice between minimizing the harm caused by the virus and minimizing the harm caused by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders.
Read moreKEY INSIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS
11-25-2019 Hits:6500 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Most homeowner associations hold their annual meetings in December. This article is intended to offer constructive suggestions and general advice.
Read moreIF YOU CAN'T TRUST A PROFESSIONAL YOU CAN'T BE A CLIENT
01-13-2020 Hits:5863 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Trust is the universal foundation of all enduring relationships, including the business relationships clients have with professionals in all industries.
Read moreWHEN SHOULD YOU CLAIM SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS?
01-13-2020 Hits:5487 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

One of the most important considerations for maximizing social security benefits is to make a wise choice on when to start claiming.
Read moreFAILURE TO FILE TAX RETURNS
01-13-2020 Hits:5651 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

In my career I've helped many people who have fallen behind in filing tax returns. Failure to file can occur for many reasons, including personal tragedies, divorce, medical issues, etc.
Read moreLIKE KIND EXCHANGES
01-13-2020 Hits:5669 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

IRC Section 1031 allows taxpayers to exchange like-kind business and investment real estate tax free. Under the new tax law that took effect on January 1, 2018 personal property and intangible assets no longer qualify for a tax free like...
Read moreWHAT RECORDS SHOULD YOU GIVE YOUR ACCOUNTANT?
01-12-2017 Hits:9118 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

For many people it's not obvious what records and information their accountant needs. This article will discuss the most important information your accountant must know when it's time to do your taxes.
Read moreA MASSIVE TIDAL WAVE OF HIGHER LABOR COSTS IS COMING TO MAINE
02-21-2019 Hits:6785 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

One of my duties as an accountant is to warn people and small business owners of major economic changes. In 2016 a public referendum to increase Maine's minimum wage passed by a slim majority.
Read moreTHE NEW QUALIFIED BUSINESS INCOME DEDUCTION FOR LANDLORDS
02-27-2019 Hits:6891 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The Kings of Keys have a new tax deduction starting in 2018
Read moreSELLER FINANCING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
08-09-2018 Hits:7015 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Trying to sell or buy a business or commercial real estate? If you are the biggest obstacle you will encounter is financing.
Read moreWHY THINGS GO WRONG
06-23-2018 Hits:7250 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The supreme Enemy of Mankind is an equation.
Read moreWATCH YOUR MAIL
06-15-2018 Hits:6741 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

It is an unfortunate fact that many people and businesses treat administrative tasks like opening up mail as a nuisance. When people get busy with substantive work and the distracting events of life these seeming nuisance tasks get neglected, leading...
Read moreMEASURING EMPLOYEE WORTH
05-30-2018 Hits:8681 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The job market today is tough and highly competitive. The first concern of many employees is to just hold onto their job. Labor force mobility (workers quitting one job to begin another) is at an all-time low. But all workers...
Read moreSMART MID-YEAR TAX MOVES
05-30-2018 Hits:7179 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Mid-year and mid-summer arrive on schedule every June 30th or so. Here are some smart tax moves you should consider in order to avoid a nasty 'April surprise' next year:
Read morePLANNING FOR THE UNEXPECTED
05-30-2018 Hits:6878 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Anyone who owns anything of value needs three things to document their intentions and protect their interests. These three critical documents are a will, a durable power of attorney and a living trust.
Read moreMAINE OPPORTUNITY CREDIT
05-30-2018 Hits:8108 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

One of the most generous and most overlooked Maine income tax credits is the so-called Credit for Educational Opportunity. In my experience few accountants and even fewer clients are aware of its existence. The credit is intended to reward college-educated...
Read moreUNUSUAL TAX RULES
05-30-2018 Hits:6940 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The tax law is a strange hybrid containing many obscure rules, exceptions to the exceptions, and deeply counter-intuitive definitions. Buried in the clutter of what Congress created is opportunity. Finding useful opportunities in the tax law is like digging through...
Read moreTHE NEW TAX LAW
12-31-2017 Hits:13528 Business Issue Analysis George Adams
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017 and represents the most significant change in tax law since 1987.
Read moreHOW TRUMP DID IT
11-09-2016 Hits:8849 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

This article is strictly non-political and explains how the billionaire Donald Trump legally avoided income taxes for many years.
Read moreBEWARE OF DARK CARS
01-12-2017 Hits:8447 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

One phenomenon that began in the last few years in Central Maine is dark cars
Read moreYEAR END TAX PLANNING
11-29-2015 Hits:9523 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Once more it’s time to play another deep game of chess with the IRS. Are you ready? The clock is ticking....
Read moreWhy Are You Using An LLC?
05-20-2012 Hits:17435 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

It can cost you a fortune if you choose the wrong entity for your business.
Read moreSecret Unions: Employee Collusion and Conspiracy
10-25-2011 Hits:15676 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Anyone can use Game Theory to try to get ahead. But sometimes there is a better, simpler strategy.
Read moreJump! Employee Performance On Trial
10-31-2011 Hits:15062 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The true and the obvious frequently differ, especially when it comes to assessing employee performance.
Read moreYou Have to Break Eggs to Make an Omelet
11-30-2011 Hits:14004 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Some employees take their work seriously while others don’t.
Read moreThe Fallacy of Teamwork Part I: Train of Thought
11-30-2011 Hits:16693 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Is teamwork the answer to every business problem?
Read moreThe Fallacy of Teamwork Part II: Michael Jordan Doesn’t Need a Memo
11-30-2011 Hits:17280 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

What does neuroscience have to say about the applicability of the team sports model to business collaboration?
Read moreOn the Relative Importance of Sales People and Technical People to Business
11-30-2011 Hits:14853 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

Is it really true that technical employees are just a bunch of nerds a company puts up with so its star sales people can make big profits?
Read moreBusiness Cannot Ignore Its Environment
11-30-2011 Hits:15934 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The power of goodwill to destroy the most successful companies.
Read moreArtificial Intelligence
11-30-2011 Hits:18602 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

There is nothing new under the sun, until computers become smarter than the smartest person.
Read moreThe Growing Spectacle of Job Lotteries
11-30-2011 Hits:14992 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

A new take on the growing commodification of labor.
Read moreUnderstanding Tax Clients
06-05-2012 Hits:10863 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

The primary cliché of our profession of taxes and accounting is that every client is different.
Read moreMaking Business Succeed, Part One: Winning at Retail
06-26-2013 Hits:11307 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

What you don't know may put you out of business.
Read moreMaking Business Succeed, Part Two: Fresh Thinking For Farmers
07-23-2013 Hits:10566 Business Issue Analysis George Adams

There are many reasons for having faith in a seed.
Read moreMaking Business Succeed, Part Three: Succeeding with Services
Your journey to success will have many twists and turns. Here are important insights to guide you to success with…
Making Business Succeed, Part Four: Victory for Vacationland
Tourism and related businesses dominate the economy of Vacationland.
Five Key Facts of Life for Non‐Profits
You may be the last line of defense for your non-profit organization.
CLOUDY, WITH A CHANCE OF PAIN
The truth about cloud-based accounting and the dangers of bundling.
TAX RETURN FRAUD IS RAMPANT
According to a January 2015 news release from the IRS, for the period 2011 – 2014 the tax agency stopped…
GEORGE'S POWER BREAKFAST
Business owners are the nucleus of their business, the center upon which everything else depends. It is frequently the case…
GHOST ASSETS
Are You Being Haunted By Them? If You Are It’s Costing You Money
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