Detroit Business Law » Published Articles

Article by Dave Nykanen Featured by State Bar

Editor — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:39:49 +0000

Dave Nykanen’s article “To Uncap or Not to Uncap—That is the Question” is currently featured in the May 2011 State Bar of Michigan Real Property Law Section e-newsletter. Click here to check it out.

If you have questions regarding property tax issues please contact David Nykanen at Demorest Law Firm.

Toxic Waste

detroitlaw — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:55:54 +0000

I love this time of the year perhaps more than any other. From a business perspective we have moved well into our “busy season”, which actually starts during the third quarter of each year, and have done much of the planning to ensure its success. There is another layer of planning beyond the “plain vanilla” client service I refer to however and that’s all about identifying clients you no longer want to continue a relationship with.

I also love this time of the year as it forces me to look at personal relationships and make decisions as to which ones I should continue to invest in or not.

There is an old adage which goes “protect your thoughts.” The point is to be aware of the company you keep and more significantly how those relationships, business and personal, impact your personal well being.

While Jane Applegate’s article focuses on toxic business relationships my view is we have to take a more global view and purge on every front.

See the link below regarding the process she suggests for eliminating the toxic waste in your life.

Eliminate Toxic People from Your Life

This article was written by Gary Field, CPA at Numerico, PC. Click here to view Numerico’s website.

Do you have “Rhythm”?

Gary Field, CPA — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:42:17 +0000

In her article “Do you have “Rhythm”?” Donna Hover, CEO Advisor, addresses that there are three fundamental habits that companies must develop. The article does an excellent job of articulating the significance to a business of 1) establishing priorities or the importance of putting “First things First” as Steven Covey advises; 2) creating team “rhythm” through increased frequency of meetings; and 3) the importance of using data in making decisions for your organization.

What I like about Donna’s writing style in this article is that it focuses on practical “Tune-up” tools as she calls them rather than get lost in the esoteric.

Click here to download a PDF of Donna’s Article

To get more info on Donna’s Company Click here

This article was written by Gary Field, CPA at Numerico, PC. Click here to view Numerico’s website.

Tax Resolution Scams 101 Article

Editor — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:24:47 +0000

Stephen J. Dunn, a specialist in tax and trust and estate law at Demorest Law Firm, PLLC, recently wrote an article entitled “Tax Resolution Scams 101”. In the article, Mr. Dunn explains how tax resolution operators use the premise of an offer-in-compromise (OIC) to defraud taxpayers out of several thousand dollars in retainer fees for nothing in return. The IRS almost never grants an OIC, upon any grounds. Mr. Dunn discusses how the filing of an OIC, in fact, harms the taxpayer in several ways, and he advises that taxpayers would be much better served by seeking an installment agreement from the IRS.

Mr. Dunn suggests that legislation should be passed to outlaw false or misleading statements in the marketing of tax resolution services. Private civil actions against tax scammers are often impractical, though class-actions make more economic sense. In addition, the IRS can seek an injunction against a tax resolution scammer, and U.S. attorneys can prosecute tax scammers for wire and mail fraud, among other offenses.

Click here to download a PDF of the article.

This article was written by Stephen J. Dunn, Of Counsel to Demorest Law Firm. Click here to view his professional resume.

The Pride of a Craftsman

Editor — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:21:08 +0000

Demorest Law Firm is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, an international organization of smaller law firms. Demorest Law Firm is the exclusive member of Primerus‘ Business, Corporate and International group for the Detroit area.

Membership in Primerus is very selective, and the member firms must abide by the Six Pillars of Primerus. In a recent article of Paradigm, Primerus‘ quarterly magazine, six members of Primerus were asked to write articles about the Six Pillars. Mark Demorest was asked to write about excellent work product. Although this article is directed at law firms, it is an important reminder for all businesses in what it takes to be successful.

A copy of his article from the Winter 2009 issue of Paradigm can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

DOWNLOAD A FULL COLOR PDF

This article was written by Mark S. Demorest, Managing Member of Demorest Law Firm. Click here to view his professional resume.

The Troublesome Joint Tax Return

Editor — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:03:20 +0000

Stephen J. Dunn, a specialist in tax and estate planning issues at Demorest Law Firm, PLLC, recently wrote an article entitled “The Troublesome Joint Tax Return”. The article was published in the March/April 2009 issue of the EA Journal. This Journal is published by the National Association of Enrolled Agents, an organization representing professionals licensed to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. In the article Mr. Dunn discusses important factors in deciding whether one should file taxes jointly with their spouse.

Mr. Dunn explains why a tax preparer should not allow spouses to sign a joint income tax return if there is substantial unpaid tax liability on the return with respect to only one of the spouses. Nor should a preparer allow the spouses to sign a joint income tax return if there are disallowable deductions or unreported income attributable to one of the spouses.

If the spouses have already filed a joint income tax return with substantial unpaid tax liability attributable to only one of the spouses, the prepared should consider filing a Form 8857 seeking relief under IRC Sec. 6015(f) for the innocent spouse. The Form 8857 may also assert IRC Sec. 6015(b) as an alternative for innocent spouse relief. This action could accomplish a great result for the innocent spouse.

The full article is now available for download in PDF format by clicking the link below.

DOWNLOAD A FULL COLOR PDF

This article was written by Stephen J. Dunn, Of Counsel to Demorest Law Firm. Click here to view his professional resume.