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Contributing to a qualified retirement account is the one way to save on taxes with double benefits. This tax savings method reduces your immediate tax liability, while putting away tax-deferred savings for your future. Tax deferred savings plans have the advantage of growing in value by adding interest, dividends, or capital gains over the years. These gains are not subject to any tax until the money is withdrawn at which time you may be in a lower tax bracket. Retirement Plans. There are many types of retirement plans that qualify. If you or your spouse is offered a 401(k) or similar retirement plan from your employer, it makes sense to put as much in the plan as is allowed or at least as much as you can afford. This type of plan has the advantage of not only saving you income taxes on the money you contribute, but the employer often makes additional contributions that add to your savings with no taxes of any kind for the tax year in which they are contributed. Maximum contributions to these plans vary by the type of plan and your employment situation. Contact your human resources department for more information. IRAs. If you or your spouse’s employer does not offer a retirement plan, you may be able to purchase an individual IRA, which has the same effect. The amounts of the contributions are subtracted from your taxable income and the plan is not subject to tax until the money is withdrawn. The contribution limit on these plans for 2015 is $5,500 per individual and you may add an additional $1,000 catch up amount if you are over age 50. Simplified Employee Pensions. There are even more options for self employed individuals. You can invest in an individual IRA as described above with the same limitations. However, if your net income is in excess of $35,000 per year you are subject to self-employment tax (Social Security, Medicare). A better option for you would be the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). The contribution limits on a SEP are 25% of compensation or, more realistically, 20% of income subject to self employment tax. The maximum contribution for this type of plan is $50,000 for incomes up to $250,000. For example, if your net income from the Schedule C of your business is $50,000, you can put $10,000 in a SEP. If you are in the 25% tax bracket (more than $36,000 taxable income for single filers or $71,000 for married filing joint) your tax saving is $2,500. The advantage of an individual IRA or a SEP is that you do not need to make the contributions in the current tax year. The plans may be set up and the contributions made as late as April 15th of the following year for an IRA or by the extended deadline for tax filing for a SEP. If you are interested in setting up either an IRA or a SEP, you should contact a bank, investment firm or other financial institution to learn about their investment options, costs and other limitations. You can call ATBS for any discussions of tax implications for your specific situation. Business Structures. If you own a corporation or LLC, have employees, or earn a much larger income than discussed above, there are other options available. They are more complicated to setup and have more rules, but do allow for better tax advantages in some cases. Please contact us or your financial institution if you would like more information in this area. All of the plans discussed above have the advantage of reducing your tax liability in the plan year, but are subject to tax, and possible penalties, when the funds are withdrawn. The penalties apply to withdrawals made before the owner is age 59.5 with a few exceptions. There are other rules involving withdrawals but for the most part, they are only subject to your individual tax rate at the time the money is received. Roth. If you would prefer to have retirement income not subject to tax there is a Roth option for almost all of these plans. The contributions to a Roth are not deductible from taxable income in the year contributed, but all withdrawals made after age 59.5 are not subject to any form of income tax. The tax implications discussed in this article refer to taxes only at the federal level. Each state has its own tax rules involving retirement accounts and income. You should consider your state’s rules in any decisions you make in this area.

Traveling for business can be exhausting and traveling for pleasure can be expensive. Knowing the rules that affect tax deductibility can help you combine business with pleasure and maintain the tax deduction of your trip expenses. Travel expenses are deductible when business needs require you to leave home for business or investment purposes as long as the expenses are ordinary and necessary. The cost of transportation, meals, gratuities and lodging are examples of allowable deductions. Meals and entertainment are subject to a 50% limitation as a tax deduction. Expenses relating to the management of an investment are deductible. Keep in mind, the deduction for investment seminars and conventions on a personal return has been eliminated. Additionally, travel as a form of education is not deductible. When you have to travel for business you have a unique opportunity to wrap some leisure time in with your business travel and still deduct much of the cost of your trip. You can wrap personal days around business travel or vice versa. As long as the primary reason for the trip is business, transportation costs are deductible. Transportation costs include airfare, train, taxis and shuttle costs. These costs are always deductible as long as the primary reason for the trip is a business purpose even if personal interests are pursued while on the trip. The key to deductibility is to be sure that your records support that the time spent was primarily spent conducting business. What is the criteria for defining a trip as primarily business? The IRS will look at the length of time spent conducting business versus time spent on personal endeavors. While there is not a hard and fast rule established by the IRS, one week working and three weeks playing would not pass the test. Traveling for a business meeting that lasts a couple of days and includes a couple of days leisure time however would. In the event you take a trip that is more personal than business you may still deduct auto mileage rental car for the days of the meeting, lodging the night before the meeting and subsequent night stays while still attending meetings. Meals are also deductible during that time frame subject to the 50% limitation on the meals. There are ways to write off the entire cost of your trip if you can show that by extending your stay actually saved you money. The easiest way to accomplish this is to wrap in a Saturday night stay as this usually reduces airfare significantly. As long as the expenses for the personal days are less than the airfare savings achieved by lengthening your stay you can justify writing off all of the travel, meals and lodging. Expenses for your spouse or companion are not deductible including any additional charge for a double room. Purely personal items such as entertainment and cab fares over the weekend stay are also excluded. Travel costs for your spouse or companion generally are not deductible unless the spouse or companion is an employee of the firm. The cost may still be deductible however by the companion or spouse if they have a legitimate business purpose for their trip. In the situation where the companion or spouse is self employed they may be able to conduct a legitimate business activity during the trip that would allow for them to take the deduction for their portion of the travel and related costs. Who can be entertained and when is entertainment deductible? Generally you can deduct the cost (subject to the 50% limitation) of entertaining customers, prospective customers, employees, agents, partners or professional advisors if your records are adequate. How can you ensure that your entertainment expenses are legitimately deductible? If you follow these simple rules you can ensure that your entertainment expenses are in fact legitimately deductible: The entertainment expenses are “directly related” to the taxpayers trade or business—meaning, they occurred in a business setting. The expenses are “associated with” the taxpayers trade or business—meaning, the entertainment was preceded or followed by a bona fide business discussion that occurred on the same day as the entertainment. The taxpayer had more than a general expectation of deriving income or other specific benefit from the activity. The taxpayer engaged in business during the entertainment period. The principal aspect of combined business and entertainment was business. I am an employee—when can I write off travel costs? If you are not reimbursed by your employer for your travel costs you can deduct meals subject to the 50% and the remaining travel expenses will be subject to 2% of your AGI. What records do you need to keep to support your tax deductions for travel and entertainment? In order to maintain and support the deductibility of travel costs you must maintain adequate records: Travel records must detail the amount of each separate expenditure Notate the dates of the trip and the number of days spent on business Notate all travel destinations Substantiate the business reasons for the travel In addition, entertainment deductions must also be supported with adequate records: Detail of each separate expenditure Date of entertainment Location and type of entertainment Business purpose of entertainment Names and occupations of individuals being entertained, showing the business relationship These general guidelines can help most taxpayers determine the deductibility of travel expenses. If these guidelines do not address your unique situation, contact your ATBS tax professional to get more specific advice.

Over 1.5 million Americans file for bankruptcy annually. How can you avoid joining this growing number? The best way to avoid bankruptcy is to avoid going into debt. Managing finances and living on a budget will make it less likely you will face bankruptcy. However, there are extenuating circumstances that sometimes make people look to bankruptcy as an alternative to settling their debt. A study published in the ABI Law Review researched the results of declaring bankruptcy. When comparing people with similar social and economic backgrounds, people who declare bankruptcy catch up to people who have never filed in terms of savings in about 12 years, total income in 14 years, home ownership in 14 years, and net worth in 26 years. So, you may experience temporary relief from your financial burdens, but the path to the “fresh start” you are looking for will take quite a long time after declaring bankruptcy. Here are some tips for avoiding bankruptcy: Stay out of debt. You will never face bankruptcy if you never have debt. Is that really possible? My father believed it was and taught me to live without debt. How can you buy what you want or need without going into debt? Patience. When I want to buy something, I save until I have the money to pay for it with cash. I use credit cards to earn frequent flyer miles and for “cash back” rewards, but I only spend what I can repay each month without interest. If you need school supplies or clothes for your children, find a same-as-cash offer for credit purchases and pay off the balance before interest is charged. Many businesses offer six-month interest-free loans on a promotional basis. This would not be my first recommendation, but as long as you can pay the loan back in six months, it did not cost anything to borrow that money. My father was a wise man. Along with his advice about credit, he told me to try to only borrow money as long as it is free. Live within your means and live on a budget. It will make things much easier when a crisis arises. But what about business debt? Going into debt for business or investment purposes is a completely different issue. You have to spend money in business in order to make money. If you can’t pay for a truck in cash, buy it when the bank is offering low-interest loans or lease the truck. The goal is to keep your personal debt low enough so that it does not interfere with your ability to successfully manage your business. Pay off debt. Where can extra money come from to pay down debt? Start by writing down every expense you pay each month. Could you eliminate a cable bill or get rid of satellite television? Are there any hobbies or events you could skip for a month or even a year? Could you stop smoking or drink one less coffee a day? Little things add up quickly. So, even paying a little extra on your bills each month may keep you from losing everything through bankruptcy. Next, look for other sources of income. Are there extra loads you could pick up to make extra revenue? Can you borrow from friends or family? Do you have skills you can use to make a little extra money? Could your spouse go to work part time just until you are able to catch up? Is there a church or charity where you can find help? Some of these options may not be your first choice, but they can help for the short term. Sell your assets. You may have unwanted clothing, gaming systems, or even a vehicle you can sell to get the cash to meet your obligations. It may seem insignificant, but selling a piece of jewelry to help make the next truck payment gives you one more month without filing bankruptcy. Discuss the situation with creditors. Some credit cards will drop or lower the interest on the loan if you agree to pay them back. If you owe the IRS back taxes, they might let you come to a negotiation on the debt owed. Ask a tax resolution expert, such as ATBS, for more information on this option. Creditors and the IRS would rather get what money they can in a negotiation than get nothing because you filed bankruptcy. There are programs available for refinancing mortgages and loans that may help lower your monthly payments. Save for the lean times. The most difficult part about saving money is starting. We all have good intentions, but our wants and needs often win in the end and we never have enough money to save. Start small. Place a small percentage of your income automatically into a savings account so you do not ever see it, therefore you never miss it. Prepare for a crisis. According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, 60% of all bankruptcies are related to medical expenses. The average outstanding medical bills for families that declared bankruptcy in the U.S. was $17,943 in out-of-pocket expenses. Most people are not prepared to take on this sort of debt. The medical bills may be manageable, however the lost wages due to long-term illness or other financial pressures such as a mortgage, college tuition or unsecured debt, cause people to look to bankruptcy. The crisis cannot be avoided, however bankruptcy can be. By staying or getting out of debt and saving money, you will be able to manage expenses and avoid bankruptcy.

Oil is a vital component of your truck’s engine as it affects reliability, fuel consumption, efficiency, and your bottom line. Owner-operators can optimize engine performance and overall truck drivability by identifying performance problems in progress. Oil analysis can monitor both the engine and the fluid for wear and contamination and should be part of every owner-operator’s preventative maintenance (PM) routine. As engine oil is pumped throughout different parts of the engine, it picks up vital trace elements of engine component wear and contamination. Oil analysis can monitor your diesel engine’s oil viscosity or thickness, its ability to neutralize acids, and its ability to disperse and suspend soot particles. The test results can reveal deficiencies before they become catastrophic. There are two fuel conditions that could be found from the analysis: A “rich” condition. A rich condition is when there is too much fuel, usually caused by a faulty injector or fuel pressure regulator and improper air-to-fuel ratios. Testing the engine oil for fuel dilution can help in identifying this condition. Fuel contamination thins the oil and dilutes the oil's additives reducing the oil's film thickness and increasing the risk of metal-to-metal contact. A “lean” condition. A lean condition is evidence of a much higher concentration of air-to-fuel in the combustion chamber. Oil analysis will show increase in nitration (NOx). A change in the air intake system, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) operation and cooling system failures can influence this condition Here are heat issues that could be found from the analysis: Heat expansion and the amount of heat rejection required of the Charge Air Coolers (CACs) in today's EGR engines causes significant levels of stress on an air cooler's aluminum components. Good connections between the turbo charger, CAC, and engine are critical for proper engine performance and fuel economy. A cracked CAC or leaking hose connection can result in a “rich” condition leading to excessive fuel consumption and/or loss of power. Engine temperature in excess of proper operating range will increase oxidation and nitration and deplete the engine oil's Total Base Number (TBN). Using oil analysis, these changes in oil condition can be identified in their earliest stages. Oil analysis is an inexpensive diagnostic tool that will help you optimize drivability, improve reliability and save time and money. POLARIS Laboratories is recommended to conduct your oil analysis. ATBS' Maintenance Management Services can help you analyze the results of your analysis. Click here for more information on this service.

Exercising while living on the road isn’t always easy, but it can be done! We have compiled a list of exercises you can do while on the road, some outside of your truck and some you can do right inside the cab.

Fuel costs can cut too far into your operations. Lowering your total cost of ownership starts with reducing fuel costs, your number one variable expense. After watching this webinar, you know reducing this expense starts with driving a truck that is spec'd for fuel efficiency. "How to Spec a Fuel Efficient Truck" will provide you with the knowledge to drive further, smarter, and more economically. To view the webinar, please click on the video below. WATCH WEBINAR