On episode 19, "it starts with a penny," Darlene Finzer, CPA, QKA, CSA, a principal and director of benefit plan audit services at Rea & Associates discusses the importance of taking control of your finances. By setting personal financial goals and developing a strategy for reaching those goals, you can prepare your bank account for issues that may develop over the course of your lifetime, as well as ensure that you are ready to retire when the time comes. Darlene will also talk about how employees who aren't budget-oriented could negatively impact business in ways you may not have considered previously. She makes the argument that financial fitness is directly related to productivity, healthcare, absenteeism and occupational fraud. To combat these issues, Mark and Darlene talk about solutions business owners may consider to help get their employees on the right track, including providing holistic, ongoing financial wellness programs. If you liked this episode of unsuitable on Rea Radio, visit http://www.reacpa.com/podcast for more episodes and additional resources. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On episode 18, this is an intervention: the positive psychology of hard conversations, you'll learn how to be one part friend, one part accountant and 100 percent business psychologist. Mike Taylor, CPA, an executive principal at Rea & Associates, joins Mark to talk about the benefits of having the hard conversations with business owners. For more than 45 years, Mike has helped clients overcome their challenges and achieve sustainable growth by serving as a trusted advisor who's not afraid to say what needs to be said. On this episode, Mike shares what he has come to identify as the key attributes of becoming a true trusted advisor and touches on the importance of learning and gaining confidence in the art of speaking honestly - even when it's hard to do. Start listening now to learn more about why it's important to form strong relationships with the men and women you trust to advise you throughout your journey as a business owner. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

Like this episode? Give us a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening! ___ On episode 17, “Stuck On $5 Million,” we’re joined by Gene Spittle, CPA, PFS, CGMA, a principal at Rea & Associates with more than 35 years of business consulting experience. Gene talks about three key factors for business stability and continued growth – focus, people, and systems. During their conversation, Gene and Mark analyze the four stages of business growth while analyzing solutions to help business owners overcome some common challenges that prevent their businesses from achieving the growth they want and are capable of achieving. Listen to episode 17 of unsuitable on Rea Radio to learn all this and more. To learn more about the life cycle of businesses, visit http://www.reacpa.com/podcast/episode-17-stuck-on-5-million. If you liked this episode, please consider subscribing to unsuitable on SoundCloud or look for this podcast on iTunes.

On episode 16, "outsourcing: quite possibly your most powerful resource," Heather McNichols, director of accounting services discusses how outsourcing can be an affordable, sensible long-term or short-term solution for businesses and organizations. A true educator, Heather identifies the various accounting services that are most often outsourced - from receivables and payables, to payroll and high level closing entry services - she talks about why outsourcing works and what businesses should expect from the outsourcing process. This episode is valuable for those considering outsourcing or who are looking for a cost effective accounting solution. Heather talks about the benefits of outsourcing, including realizing improved client satisfaction, decreasing employee turnover, lowering costs associated with on-boarding and improving your business's productivity and access to technology and assistance. Listen to episode 16 of unsuitable on Rea Radio now or visit http://www.reacpa.com/podcast to access additional resources. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On this episode of unsuitable, Mark Van Benschoten, CPA, CGMA, is joined by Michael Daren, CPA, CA; Eli Gembom, CPA, CA; and Andrew Shalit, CPA, CA, partners with Segal, LLP, a leading accounting firm offering assurance, tax, and business advisory solutions, located in Toronto, Canada. This expert trio talks about the current business climate in Canada and what business owners in America should know when pursuing business opportunities with our neighbors to the north. From facilitating discussions about Canadian tax exposure, key differences in the legal structures and business concepts between U.S. and Canada and even insight into political perspectives throughout the country's different regions, Michael, Eli and Andrew touch on the unique opportunities that await American business owners in Canada. Catalyzed by its highly educated, enormous middle class with less disparity of income and a stable national economy, taking your business initiatives abroad could help drive the positive results you are looking for. Like what you heard? Visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-15-doing-business-with-our-neighbors-to-the-north/ to learn more. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On episode 14, Life Is A Long Race, Start Saving Now, we’re joined by Steve Renner, QKA, a principal at Rea & Associates, specializing in retirement plan administration and design. During the episode you’ll learn some key strategies that successful business owners employ to jumpstart their employees into initiating a retirement plan. From innovative methods such as early enrollment, auto enrollment, annual auto escalation and safe harbor matches, to more traditional supports, including third party financial advisors, employer educational meetings, and other asset planning recommendations – Steve shares his professional expertise throughout. Also in this session Steve articulates the importance of small business owners offering and maintaining an employer sponsored retirement plan for their employees as the first critical step in activating employee deferred platforms. Retirement matters in the U.S, was a recent study states that by the year 2050 there will be 90 million senior citizens – don’t be the one without a plan. Listen to this episode now or visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-14-life-is-a-long-race-start-saving-now/ to learn more. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On episode 13, The Passion of Philanthropy Through Wise Giving, we’re joined by Maribeth Wright, a principal at Rea & Associates, specializing in tax compliance for not-for-profit organizations. During this episode you’ll learn the importance of aligning your personal passion through planned giving. Maribeth gives donors a list of digital tools to better vet and select various organizations they are considering as a viable not-for-profit recipient. Moreover, this conversation talks about the importance of healthy not-for-profit organizations making profits, being fiscally responsible, and holding reserves back for growth and challenging economic times. Additionally, as a charitable organization, you’ll gain critical insights on key regulation issues in order to stay tax-compliant. You’ll even learn how to use the new Form 990 as a productive management tool, assigning revenues and expenses to various business activities, such as programming, fundraising and general administration allocations. Click below to begin listening to Unsuitable on Rea Radio. Like what you heard? Visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-13-the-passion-of-philanthropy-through-wise-giving/ to learn more. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On episode 12, “The Great Data Saver,” we’re joined by Joe Welker, Certified Information Systems Auditor & IT Audit Manager at Rea & Associates. During this conversation, Joe shares new IT threats such as ransomware and their costly encryptions, while offering you data protection techniques to stop disasters, destruction, and the tampering of your critical business information. In this episode you’ll learn the importance of employee IT education in order to avoid the three most vulnerable entry points for network breaches: attachments, bad urls, and flash advertising via remarking. Throughout this session you’’ll gain helpful insights from Joe’s 32 years of IT experience in identifying strengths and weaknesses in organizational networks and best practice IT protocols, including protection of data – reviewing, restoring and verifying its accuracy and completeness. Finally, you’ll learn the importance of using intrusion detection systems and properly qualifying cloud providers through scrutinized security risk assessments. Click below to begin listening to Unsuitable on Rea Radio. Like what you heard? Visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-12-the-great-data-saver/ to learn more!

The Affordable Care Act – or Obamacare – has ushered in many changes, and the target is always moving. But there are some great resources available to help businesses like yours avoid the steep penalties associated with the ACA. Take a look at the following articles to learn more about your responsibilities under the regulation. Learn more, visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-5-dont-get-burned-by-obamacare. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!

On episode 11, “The Warm Glow of Giving,” we’re joined by Laura MacDonald, CFRE, president of Benefactor Group, nationally renowned for its innovative nonprofit consulting services that support fundraising, philanthropy, volunteer leadership, leadership development, talent management and executive transition. Laura is a certified fundraising executive with 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy. During this episode, you’ll learn about what motivates most donors to participate in the $358 billion charitable giving market. Laura points out current strategic philanthropy techniques employed by businesses in order to influence workforce development in both value alignment and loyalty. Additionally, the episode gleans the importance of nonprofit organizational impact, “unrestricted" giving, and corporate challenge matching campaigns – as best practices for donors and their nonprofit recipients. Learn more about the warm glow of giving. Visit http://www.reacpa.com/episode-11-the-warm-glow-of-giving/ for advice and best practices for donors and nonprofit organizations. ___ Like this episode? Give it a “like.” You can also ask a question, request more information or tell us what you think in the comment section! Thanks for listening!