Ira Berk, CPA, formed Premiere Financial Consultants, Inc. in October 1984 to support the financial consulting and accounting needs of closely-held business. Prior to forming Premiere, Ira spent seven years of the audit staff of Touche Ross & Co. (currently Deloitte). During his tenure at Touche Ross, he worked with both entrepreneurial ventures and divisions of Fortune 500 companies, leaving as a manager and member of the Chicago Office Real Estate Services Group.
Business of all sizes and in all industries can benefit from the strategic insights and financial controls provided by the annual budgeting process. However, depending on the velocity of changes in the general economy and/or your specific industry, an annual budget can become stale and thus less valuable as management tool. Neil Amoto’s October 2013…
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For my entire career, I have been fascinated by the narrative that accompanies a start-up or an entrepreneur. In fact, working with clients who possess an entrepreneurial attitude and helping them become successful is one of the main reasons I started Premiere Financial Consultants. I also wanted to be able to tell my own story.…
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The relationship between the business owner and banker is among the important strategic relationships necessary for the long term success of a growing entity (almost as important as the CPA relationship). However, consolidation of the banking industry and the resulting movement of personnel between financial institutions have added challenges to the business owner. In a…
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On December 17, 2010 the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the 2010 Tax Relief Act) was signed into law. The Act includes: Lower Tax Rates (Bush Tax Cuts) extended through 2012 Marriage Penalty Relief extended through 2012 Social Security Tax reduction for 2011 only Personal Exemption and Itemized Deduction…
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I have always believed that the long-term goal of business of all sizes should be to maximize shareholder value. Timely, accurate, and reliable management information is critical to analyze the success of value-enhancement strategies. Derrick Lilly’s article in the September/October 2010 issue of the Illinois CPA Society’s INSIGHT Magazine, “Become a High-Performance Company” discusses enhancing monthly…
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On March 30, 2010 President Obama signed into law the final piece of his Health Reform legislation. The legislation will be fully phased in by 2018 and will provide health care coverage to some 32 million uninsured as well as making it more affordable for millions. The cost of this $938 billion legislation will be…
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In today’s technology-driven, fast-paced economy, it’s increasingly important to be agile and creative in your approach. Forbes author, Josh Linkner has written a piece titled “Your Business Should Be Like A Jazz Combo,” which addresses this concept in a rather direct and unusual way. He contends that both jazz and business legends are the people…
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