Management

Management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management functions include: planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.

  • NQDCs – Funding and ForfeitureNQDCs – Funding and Forfeiture
    In our last article, we discussed Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans as a tool to compensate key employees for achieving long-term goals. One component of such plans is the fact that they are frequently unfunded and legally considered an unsecured promise to pay. Nonetheless, both plan sponsors and recipients often want a funding mechanism to set aside assets, manage cash flow, or hedge the liability. In addition, employers typically want conditions under which they can rescind the plan for cause, including failure to achieve the objectives the plan was designed to incentivize.
  • NQDCs – “Let Me Count the Ways”NQDCs – “Let Me Count the Ways”
    Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans are a powerful tool for incentivizing and retaining key employees. They offer virtually unlimited flexibility in methodologies, objectives and rewards to suit a company’s strategies and goals. What is “unqualified?” Quite simply, NQDCs are discriminatory. Some owners shy away from that term, but discrimination isn’t automatically illegal. ...
  • How Much Does the Big Picture Really Matter to Your Business?How Much Does the Big Picture Really Matter to Your Business?
    It’s hard to have a business conversation today without someone invoking “the Big Picture.” The 24-hour news cycle runs on urgency, outrage, and uncertainty—and it needs a constant supply to keep attention locked in. The result? Everything sounds like a crisis. Wars. Tariffs. Sanctions. Inflation. Interest rates. Cyberattacks. Political standoffs. Supply ...
  • Celebrating Mr. FezziwigCelebrating Mr. Fezziwig
    Since 2013 I’ve updated this piece about the underappreciated and forgotten boss of A Christmas Carol, Mr. Fezziwig. I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! Last week was the 182nd anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (December 17, 1843). The immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge are ...
  • Business Ownership Isn’t What It Used to BeBusiness Ownership Isn’t What It Used to Be
    If you’ve been a business owner for a long time, you’ve lived this shift firsthand. Many Baby Boomer owners started out alone—just an idea, a customer, and a willingness to take a risk. Hiring that first employee was a milestone. Now, years later, some of those same businesses employ dozens or ...
  • The Inexperienced Advisor – An Exit Planning Horror Story for Business OwnersThe Inexperienced Advisor - An Exit Planning Horror Story for Business Owners
    This is a cautionary tale for business owners—one that’s “based on a true story.” The facts are real, although the exact sequence of events might raise questions if the IRS were to take a closer look. A small business owner received a $1,000,000 offer to sell his company. He had already ...
  • The Exit Planning Fallacy – A Business Owner’s PerspectiveThe Exit Planning Fallacy - A Business Owner’s Perspective
    One of the most common sales pitches you might hear from someone claiming to help you “enhance value” goes something like this: “I’ve reviewed your company and believe it’s worth $4.2 million today. With the right planning, it could be worth $7.7 million. Would you rather exit with $4.2 million or ...
  • Decisions Made from FearDecisions Made from Fear
    When Fear Dictates Decisions I can’t. We won’t. I shouldn’t. Sound familiar? These thoughts creep in as your business grows. You’ve overcome a lot already—taking that first leap, pushing through uncertainty, making tough calls when the stakes were high. But now, you have something to lose. The fear of getting it wrong can paralyze progress.
  • What is “Holistic” Planning?What is “Holistic” Planning?
    Financial planners use the term “holistic planning” frequently. It’s meant to indicate that they consider the client’s short- and long-term life goals and the future they visualize. According to Fidelity Investments Holistic Wealth Planning is continuous and considers two dozen aspects of client wealth objectives. The Valuation Reality Gap Only one of ...
  • Battling AssetsBattling Assets
    Occasionally, we run into what I call “Battling Assets.” That is when an owner is drawing a comfortable income from the business, but it is arranged in a way that denigrates the business value, the value of the asset, or both. Here are three true case studies for examples. Under-optimized Real Estate Two ...

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