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Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) has announced some key promotions and new staff members that strengthen the Firm and its leadership team. The promotions are effective January 1, 2019.

Judy Anderson and Matt Cavanagh are promoted to partner. Anderson, a Toledo native and graduate of The University of Toledo has been with the firm for 11 years. She has over twenty years of experience in public accounting and in the healthcare industry. A member of Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s healthcare and outsourced accounting group, she works with many of the Firm’s healthcare clients providing practice management and consulting services.  

Cavanagh, a Bowling Green native and BGSU graduate, joined Gilmore Jasion Mahler in November of 2005. Also a member of the Firm’s healthcare team, Matt’s focus is healthcare services. His expertise is in ambulatory surgery centers, outsourced accounting, practice management and modeling.

“Judy and Matt are already valued members of our leadership team,” says Gilmore Jasion Mahler Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore. ”Their hard work and dedication have strengthened our healthcare specialty and the Firm as a whole. I’m thrilled to see them both reach partner level.”

The Firm also announced some other key promotions. Partner Nikki Clement has been named managing partner of Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Findlay office. Partner Mike Brough will lead growth efforts for the Findlay office. Nikki Clement's focus is the utilities industry. She specializes in accounting for regulated utilities.

Mike Brough works across a number of industries including manufacturing & distribution, government, and nonprofit operations.

Steve Miller is being promoted to senior manager. Both Ryan Avery and Ryan Emerson are promoted to supervisor and Nick Jackson is promoted to senior associate.

Earlier in the year, Diane Stretten and Mary Jo Pitzen were promoted to senior manager. Andrea Jennex moved up to supervisor in the GJM Findlay office. Ben Lochbihler was promoted to manager and Corey Selhorst, Lauren Grana and Clay Barron were all promoted to senior associate.

The Firm also brought on well over a dozen new employees in 2018 to further strengthen GJM’s administrative team and client service. They include Elijah Blackburn, Alyssa Essert, Alexandria Frances, Courtney Haas, Nicole Hartranft, Jennifer Henning, Dana Herr, Thomas Keyser, Jessica Knepper, Dylon Lause, Wendy Long, Tim Merkel, Madeline Mielcarek, Caleb Neeper, Joe Osentoski, Tina Rochowiak and Logan Sager.

“I couldn’t be happier with the staff we have in place headed into 2019,” says Gilmore. “When you have great people, great things happen. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish at a team.”

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

Running a business isn’t for sissies. You bring in good people to manage the office, handle human resources and oversee the financials for you, but in the end, you know you’re ultimately responsible.

Did you double check that last invoice that went out to your best customer? What’s the balance on your business loan? How much cash is available right now? 

What if you could stop fretting over questions like that and know someone’s got your back around the clock? That’s the basic concept behind Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Outsourced Accounting Services. We’ll call it the best of both worlds: a team of specialists is on the job, and you get to see the numbers anytime you want right on your cell phone.

Your team is there to answer questions, advise you on business decisions, if desired, and yes, to handle the books.

Advances in technology are changing the way many businesses handle the business manager role at the office. That includes many healthcare entities, including physician and dental practices. Many are embracing the technology, letting a specialized team handle the work, and turning their attention to growth strategy and other priorities. Outsourced accounting can also be an excellent fit for nonprofit organizations struggling to fill positions with knowledgeable, capable individuals.

Picture this: real time financial key performance indicators you can see any time of the day or night on your cell phone or other device. More importantly, a team of professionals working with you who not only look at today’s numbers, but help you plan and strategize for the future.

Some key benefits to outsourced accounting with Gilmore Jasion Mahler:

1. Stop struggling to fill that internal business manager role (seems like there’s always an opening, doesn’t it?).
2. Real time data at your fingertips around the clock whether you’re in the office or the sidelines of your daughter’s soccer game.
3. A team consisting of accounting specialists, including a GJM partner, to handle the business finances and also guide and advise on other important financial decisions as needed.
4. Dashboard view of your financials via leading edge accounting software platform Sage/Intacct.

Interested in learning more about Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Outsourced Accounting Services? Read up on our team's capabilities. You can also contact our Accounting Specialist Team to start the conversation.

Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Judy Anderson, CPA contributed this blog. Judy leads the GJM Outsourced Accounting Specialist Team. With over 20 years of experience in public accounting and private industry, Judy works with clients across a number of industries, including healthcare, nonprofit, and professional services.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.  

Gilmore Jasion Mahler Tax Partner Deanna Hall has over twenty years of public accounting and private industry experience. She works with businesses across many industries, with a focus on manufacturing.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory and healthcare management. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.  

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law on December 22, 2017 has businesses and individuals around the country trying to get a handle on how the new law affects them. Northwest Ohio is no exception. Many are looking for direction from Gilmore Jasion Mahler (GJM) tax experts. Should they change the classification of their business to take advantage of the new 21% corporate tax rate? How have business deductions changed? What does the new standard deduction mean for their families?

Hundreds turned out for GJM education sessions on the new tax law held in both Maumee and Findlay the first week of February. Tax partners Charlie Heid, CPA and Steve Schult, CPA presented on the big changes for individuals and businesses. Their presentations were followed by a GJM panel of tax experts who tackled some questions on the new tax law's impact.

The GJM panelists included: Tax Partners Dave Baymiller, CPA, Deanna Hall, CPA, Kathi Iott, CPA, Chuck Stumpp, CPA, and Jaimee Weaver, CPA. GJM Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore, CPA welcomed the attendees to the sessions.

“The law passed quickly, just before Christmas and people and businesses haven’t had much time to get a handle on its impact,” says Gilmore. “The new law is anything but tax simplification. We knew our education sessions would help people get a better grasp, but we’ve encouraged all of the attendees to reach out to their tax professionals to discuss their individual situations.”

Major changes for businesses within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act include:

-Corporate tax rate reduced to a flat 21%

-Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) repealed

-Pass-through businesses (businesses that pass their income through to the personal level for tax purposes): 20% deduction of income. Effective tax rate on qualified income will be reduced to 29.6%  

-Sec. 179 limit increased to $1M from $510,000 for property in service after 12/31/17.

-100% bonus depreciation for qualified property acquired and placed in service after 9/27/2017 and before 1/1/23.

-Limits on business interest deduction

-New restrictions on deduction of fringe benefit expenses:

• Entertainment expenses are now nondeductible
• Business meals remain deductible at 50%
• Meals provided for the convenience of the employer are reduced to 50% deductible, but only through 2025

-NOLs (Net Operating Losses): 2-year carryback repealed, 20-year carry forward changed to indefinite, 80% taxable income limitation on usage

-Tax credits retained include:

• Research and Development Tax Credit
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit

Among the changes for individuals under the new tax law:

-Standard deduction essentially doubled (through 12/31/25) to $24,000 (filing jointly) and $12,000 for individuals.

-Itemized deductions no longer allowed include:

• Tax prep fees
• Investment advisory fees
• Unreimbursed employee business expenses

-Itemized deductions also impacted:

• State and local taxes still deductible, but now limited to $10,000
• Mortgage interest now deductible only on the first $750,000 in debt for primary or secondary homes

-Affordable Care Act individual mandate penalty eliminated

-Child tax credit increased to $2,000 for children under 17

-Alimony is not deductible or includable in income related to divorces after 12/31/18

-Estate Tax is not repealed

Many of those attending the education sessions were looking for some clarity on the new rules for pass-through businesses. GJM Tax Partner Dave Baymiller says those pass-through businesses that qualify for the 20% deduction include:

• Partners in partnerships/LLC’s
• "S" corporation shareholders
• Sole proprietors (reported on Schedule C)
• Rental real estate (reported on Schedule E)

He says there are some limitations depending on your taxable income.

“The 20% deduction is limited based on taxable income level, amount of compensation paid by business and/or amount of business property owned,” says Baymiller. “The deduction limitations for what are called specified service businesses are much more severe.”

Baymiller says many businesses are also looking for clarification on what qualifies as a “specified service business”. He says they include:

• Healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, dentists)
• Lawyers, accountants
• Financial, brokerage, investing, and investment management services
• Consultants
• Any business where the principal asset of such business is the reputation or skill of one or more of its employees or owners (the IRS has not issued any guidance on how to interpret this)

If you're looking for more detail, Dave has written a more in depth article on the impact of tax reform on pass-through entities. GJM’s Tax team says many businesses are also trying to determine if they should consider converting from an "S" corporation to corporation (or "C" corp) to take advantage of the reduced corporate tax rate. An "S" corp is a pass-through business in which income "passes through" to the owner's personal tax return. A corporation or "C" corp would be subject to corporate taxation.

It sounds like a simple question, but the answer is anything but simple. Tax Partners Deanna Hall and Chuck Stumpp walked through an example for attendees of a business with a million dollars of taxable income that factored in:

• Taxes paid at corporate level
• Taxes paid at shareholder level
• Taxes paid on cash withdrawn from the business (federal tax on "S" Corporation distributions or federal tax on corporate dividends)

“What we wanted to show is that every business is different,” says GJM Tax Partner Deanna Hall. “Depending upon a number of factors it could make sense for your business to incorporate to take advantage of the new low corporate tax rate, but it may not. That’s why it’s so important to talk to your tax advisor to come up with an individualized plan.”

Many attendees said they walked away with a much better idea of the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on their personal and business tax strategy. GJM presenters made it clear that every situation and every business is different, and stressed the importance of a one on one discussion with your tax professional. GJM tax experts are already having these important discussions with clients to ensure the smartest tax strategy for 2018. Learn more about GJM’s approach to tax strategy.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory and healthcare management. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

New lease accounting standards will go into effect for public companies for years beginning after December 15, 2018 (2019 year-end) and for private companies for years beginning after December 15, 2019 (2020 year-end). Those affected by the changes should be aware of the details and begin planning for implementation now. Planning will include heavy training for accounting departments as well as vendors and customers.

New Lease Accounting Rules

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued new rules to improve the financial reporting of leasing transactions. New requirements dictate that companies leasing facilities and equipment to others recognize the assets and liabilities of leases. Balance sheets must record the transaction details. Prior to this implementation, capital leases were the only type to require such documentation.

Establish a Committee

To guide the transition process, affected companies should establish committees to attend training events and become knowledgeable about the new standards. The group should be comprised of both accounting personnel and cross-functional project managers. The committee can then work to implement the process in a way that will work for the organization.

Educate Dealers, Vendors, and Customers

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has created a helpful white paper outlining the new method’s changes and benefits. Stakeholders should engage in conversations directly with the companies and receive this reading material for reference.

Corporate Accounting Teams

There are three factors for companies to consider, in addition to those listed above:

1. Accounting teams will need to identify all leases, preparing a current and accurate inventory. Once complete, the accounting team will be able to determine which leases the new mandate affects. It is also important to break out leases that are less than a year (and not reasonably certain that they will be renewed) as they may not be required to be capitalized as a right of use asset.

2. Accounting departments will need to examine how the new rules will change financial reporting and transactions, specifically for the company. In addition to examining basic paperwork changes, teams will also need to determine possible ripple effects, including those on taxation and business processes. It is important to accurately record the leases by breaking out the lease and non-lease components.

3. Accounting teams will need to determine whether current accounting systems can adequately handle the required changes. If accounting software or systems cannot handle the change, the team will need to work toward a solution. To assess the current systems, determine how easy it will be to create the proper accounting procedures. Not all software is designed to handle the change to the leasing standards. There is software that purports the use of algorithms to extract lease components from contracts to help with the efficient review of the contracts for lease components.

Making the Transition Smooth

The key to making the transition smooth for everyone is to plan early. Ensure everyone is onboard and educated before changes take place. With cross-functional collaboration, employees will be able to identify potential challenges and opportunities. Begin planning now to ensure a smooth process by meeting with your lessors to discuss the impact of the new leasing standards.

Whether you have a small business or a huge conglomerate, contact Gilmore Jasion Mahler to find out how we can help you prepare for the new lease accounting standards.

Gilmore Jasion Mahler Partner Michael Brough contributed this blog. Mike is a partner in the Gilmore Jasion Mahler assurance department with over 13 years of public accounting experience. Mike is a member of GJM's Manufacturing Specialist Group and works with clients in many other industries as well, including government and nonprofit.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory and healthcare management. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.