Features
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Henderson & Godbee, LLP: Planning Year-End Tax Moves in an Uncertain World
December 17, 2013
Tax planning has never been tougher. In order to make moves at the end of the year to minimize your tax exposure, you need some idea of what the tax rules will be in the year ahead. But with an improving yet fragile economy, growing budget concerns and political gridlock in Washington, it's difficult to know what to expect in terms of tax-rule changes.
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Stacy Bush on Charitable Giving as Part of Estate Planning
December 16, 2013
Charitable giving can play an important role in many estate plans. Philanthropy cannot only give you great personal satisfaction, it can also give you a current income tax deduction, let you avoid capital gains tax, and reduce the amount of taxes your estate may owe when you die.
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Poll: Georgians Concerned About Effects of Obamacare
December 13, 2013
Healthcare Georgia Foundation today released the results of a statewide public opinion poll to gauge how Georgians perceive the cost and quality of their healthcare. According to the poll, Georgians rate the quality of healthcare in the state a modest 7.26/10, with ten being excellent and one being poor. Georgians were also surveyed about their perceptions about what the government is doing about healthcare today.
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Economic Forecast: Georgia’s Economy Will Rise More than the National Average Next Year
December 12, 2013
Buoyed by rising home prices, smart economic policies and new jobs, Georgia's economy will rise more than the national average next year. That was the message delivered by Charles B. Knapp, interim dean of the Terry College of Business and president emeritus of the University of Georgia, at the Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon held Dec. 11 in Atlanta.
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SGMC Foundation & Kohl’s Announce 2014 Program for Kids
December 11, 2013
Kohl's Department Stores, through the Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, has donated $33,204 to the SGMC Foundation. The donations were collected from Kohl’s stores located in the Valdosta area. Kohl’s has gifted more than $208,000 to SGMC’s Foundation since 2007.
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Don’t Let That Business Plan Collect Dust on a Shelf
December 10, 2013
Small business owners rank creating a business plan right up there with writing the dreaded high school term paper, college thesis, and bar exam rolled into one, says Tim Berry.
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Lawmakers To Consider State Level Healthcare Reforms
December 09, 2013
With the holiday season upon us, the thoughts of most will turn away from politics and on to things that actually matter. And yet, when the presents have been opened and the calendar turns to 2014, there will be less than 2 weeks before the start of Georgia’s General Assembly session. Thus, while most of us are celebrating and spending time with loved ones, some have already been preparing for what will likely be a short and speedy session of making laws.
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Doug Robinson on “Making Your List and Checking it Twice”
December 06, 2013
As your humble monthly contributor, I would like to suggest a great Christmas or holiday gift that would be very relevant and appreciated by your salespeople, customer service reps, or technicians/installers. For ten years, while facilitating workshops and training classes for sales and customer service reps and sales managers, I repeatedly heard many of the participants encourage me to put my thoughts on paper and publish a book. After hearing this mantra regularly for several years, I decided to go for it, and listed, “write a book” on my bucket list.
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Many Americans Leaving Unused Vacation Days on the Table
December 04, 2013
Expedia.com, released the results of the 2013 Vacation Deprivation study, an annual analysis of vacation habits among 8,535 employed adults across 24 countries and five continents. Americans are now treating vacations as a luxury rather than a right: Over the past year, typical Americans could have taken 14 days of vacation and took 10, leaving four days on the table, twice as many as the year prior.
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HeritageBank of the South Thrives in Challenged Banking Industry
December 03, 2013
Where other banks see challenges, Heritage Financial Group sees opportunities. As interest rates ticked up in 2013 and mortgage-refinancing volumes dropped, big banks such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo have cut hundreds of jobs in their mortgage units. HeritageBank of the South, a subsidiary of Heritage Financial Group, is hiring.
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Georgia-Filmed Productions Generate $3.3B in FY13
December 02, 2013
The Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), announced today that Georgia-lensed feature films and television productions generated an economic impact of $3.3 billion in the state during FY13.
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AAA: 43.4M Americans to Travel for Thanksgiving, a Slight Decline from Last Year
November 22, 2013
AAA projects 43.4 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the 44 million people who traveled last year. This decrease falls just shy of last Thanksgiving's four-year peak since the recession-driven declines in 2008-2009 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 27 to Sunday, Dec. 1.
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VSU Welcomes Niki Turley as New Associate Dean of Students
November 21, 2013
The Division of Student Affairs welcomes Niki W. Turley as the new associate dean of students at Valdosta State University. As associate dean of students, Turley will oversee the departments of Testing, Orientation, Leadership, and the Access Office. In addition, she will manage the parents program, campus ministries, and social media for the Division of Student Affairs.
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Government Shutdown Causes Small Business Loan Approval Rates to Fall in October
November 20, 2013
The U.S. government shutdown in October had a significant negative impact on small business lending, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index. Meanwhile, alternative lenders seized the opportunity and picked up the slack in small business lending.
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Behind The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber's 5-Star Accreditation
November 19, 2013
Based on a comprehensive evaluation of its performance, the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber received a 5-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Accreditation Program. Only 79 of the 7,077 chambers of commerce nationwide – or about 1 percent – have received five-star accreditation, the highest ranking awarded.
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Do Men and Women Have Different Small Business Outlooks?
November 18, 2013
How are men and women entrepreneurs feeling about their businesses’ prospects for the coming year? The 5th in a series of studies by Hiscox Small Business, the DNA of an Entrepreneur (PDF), found that while both men and women small business owners are optimistic about their futures, there are some important differences in how they run their businesses.
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Workforce Development Initiative Leverages Local Education Resources
November 15, 2013
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Authority’s Community Business and Industry Partnership (CB&IP) hosted the second workforce development initiative seminar Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013 at the Valdosta Drury Inn & Suites to talk about the intersection of education and economic development.
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Doug Robinson Asks: “What Do You Do?”
November 14, 2013
As you make the daily rounds in your profession I’m sure you are used to hearing this question regularly. You really ought to think about how you should respond, knowing that you will only have a very narrow time window to highlight your business to others.
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Keep Your Best Employees With Better Benefits
November 12, 2013
To maintain the best employees for your business, it’s imperative for business owners to take necessary steps to keep current top-tier employees satisfied in today’s economy. So what can small businesses do to make sure their key players stick around instead of window shopping for new opportunities? One way to retain current personnel and attract superior applicants is by offering strong benefits packages.
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Valdosta Chamber Receives 5-Star Reaccreditation
November 08, 2013
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce received news of its 5-Star Reaccreditation, marking the second 5-Star score in the Chamber’s history.
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Stacy Bush on Business Succession Planning
November 07, 2013
When developing a succession plan for your business, you must make many decisions. The key is to pick the best plan for your circumstances and objectives, and to seek help from financial and legal advisors to carry out this plan.
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10 Creative Ways Businesses Can Give Back
November 06, 2013
Being part of the startup community means giving back — not only to other entrepreneurs, but to causes you feel strongly about supporting.
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Georgia Named #1 State in U.S. for Business
November 05, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Georgia’s business climate has been named No. 1 in the nation by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation’s top economic development trade publications.
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Mobile Payments are Exploding: What You Need to Know
November 04, 2013
Accepting payments via mobile device is becoming more and more mainstream. Right now, we are in the midst of a growth spurt that will see mobile payments in the U.S. hit $90 billion by 2017, according to a Forrester Research report released earlier this year. That’s up from $12.8 billion spent in 2012, the report states. It’s also easier than ever to join the party, and retailers have an almost overwhelming number of options.
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UGA, DOJ to Study How Much Consumers Will Pay for Internet
November 01, 2013
Researchers from the University of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Justice were awarded $530,000 over three years by the National Science Foundation and CableLabs to study demand for residential Internet service.