Tax Season Brings Out Scammers

Your mother warned you not to trust strangers, promising big returns. And, such advice is very timely especially where it concerns unlicensed tax preparers. Some fraudulent tax preparers promise big refunds and do deliver by lying on the tax returns they prepare. They get a payout and so does the naive taxpayer because the Internal Revenue Service pays out refunds automatically. However, the bill comes due when the return is audited. Now, the taxpayer is required to repay the IRS. And of course, the fraudulent tax preparer is nowhere to be found. For more details and sad stories, please see the San Jose Mercury News March 20, 2013 article, “Tax-Fraud Scheme Rampant.”

You can find a California licensed and registered tax-return preparer at:
California Board of Accountancy: dca.ca.gov/cba
California Society of Certified Public Accountants: calcpa.org
State Bar of California: calbar.ca.gov
California Society of Enrolled Agents: csea.org
California Tax Education Council: ctec.org
IRS: irs.gov
Source: California Franchise Tax Board, California Tax Education Council

Or, for low-income earners, you could get free tax preparation help at the Fremont Main Library, 1:00 – 4:00 PM, through April 2.

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SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS

An SBDC Seminar

Friday, October 19, 2012

9:30 – 11 a.m.

Fukaya Room

Fremont Main Library

2400 Stevenson Blvd.

This workshop teaches the importance of social networking as an integrated marketing tool for your business. Are you curious about all the buzz surrounding social media but not sure where to start, and not sure if it’s worth the time and effort? Find out how to market using social networking tools,  such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and LinkedIn.

Learn how to establish a true dialogue with your customer base. This course will help you decide the best social networking tool to use in a business context, and how to leverage existing social networks to market.

This seminar is FREE to all attendees. Advance reservations are required.

Refreshments will be served. Register on-line at http://acsbdc.org/events2.

Sponsored by the Alameda County Library with generous assistance from the City of Fremont, the Alameda County Small Business Development Center and the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

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Bay Area Upcoming Business Events

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Job Forum

The Job Forum sponsored by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce meets weekly at the SF Chamber offices to provide free job search coaching, advice, and counsel for San Francisco Bay Area job seekers. Topics Include: Job search planning for effective results, how to find contacts, how to develop clear job objectives, how to focus review of resumes. Arrive by 6:25 pm please. Our next sessions are: Wednesday, Nov 16 Wednesday, Nov 23 Wednesday, Nov 30 Wednesday, Dec 7.

• Free!!

Click here for more information

When:  Thursday, November 10, 2011 – Saturday, December 10, 2011 ; 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Sponsor:  The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

Where: 235 Montgomery St. 12th floor, San Francisco, CA

 ***

Business Growth Workshop  

Register Now

Join us for an interactive workshop that will teach you how to efficiently and effectively read the paper in 30 minutes.

WORKSHOP BENEFITS:

• Ability to navigate the paper in just 30 minutes
• Gain qualified/warm leads
• Increase your knowledge of the local community you do business in
• Network and get connected with your business community
• PROFIT from every issue!

For more info, contact Karrie Langan at 415-288-4964 or klangan@bizjournals.com

When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011; 7:30am-9:00am

Where: San Francisco Business Times, 275 Battery Street Ste, San Francisco, CA 94111

 ***

Keiretsu Forum presents the Sixth Annual Angel Capital Expo

Angel Capital Expo is the premier gathering of the angel capital community. The Expo is bringing together investors and entrepreneurs looking for funding. Angel Capital Expo is organized by Keiretsu Forum, the world’s largest angel investment network, and was created to foster collaboration among angel groups, as well as reach out to the larger investment community. Invitation is extended to accredited investors only. See definition of “accredited investor” at http://www.sec.gov/answers/accred.htm.

• $295 General Registration; $95 Early Bird Registration

Click here for more information

Nina Quasebarth
(415) 573-0753
rsvp@keiretsuforum.com

When: Thursday, November 17, 2011; 7:30am- 3:00pm

Where: Julia Morgan Ballroom (465 California Street, San Francisco CA 94104)

 ***

How to Grow Your Business

Register Now

Learn about extensive resources available to you through the media mix of newspaper, digital and events. We’ll cover strategies, quick tips and actionable items to help you get more out of your business news, networking and lead-generating efforts to bolster the bottom line and start seeing immediate results.

Great for sales teams, team leaders, business owners, and anyone responsible for business development, customer retention, sales and marketing.

For more info, contact Twyla Sulesky at 408-299-1871 or tsulesky@bizjournals.com

When: Thursday, December 1, 2011, 11:30am-1:00pm, 39488 Stevenson Place, Suite 100, Fremont, CA 94539

Cost: Free

Suggested Dress: Business Attire

***

Work at Home Business Expo

Due to downsizing in the economy, are you searching for new opportunities? Join the “Work at Home” business movement by attending the Work at Home Business Expo. Most of the home business models have low start-up cost and are low risk. Meet more than 100 legitimate home based businesses and find the right one for you. Get to know businesses that have become success stories like Speaking Roses, Bamboopink, Akea Life, Wine Shop at Home and many more. Learn the necessary tools of successfully starting and running a home based business from experienced small business professionals.

• $10 at door, $8 advance online. Active Military w/ ID and children under 12 free.

Click here for more information

Barbara Ramirez
6195465390
barbara@brownmarketingstrategies.com

When: Saturday, April 28, 2012 – Monday, April 30, 2012; 10:00am-5:00pm

Where: San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403

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“Where Are We Going?”

Each quarter the East Bay Economic Development Alliance provides an economic scoreboard of the East Bay and the California economy. Here is an executive summary of the findings. Links to the full reports are provided at the end of the summary.

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 EMPLOYMENT

Contrary to proclamations in the popular press, the economic recovery in the U.S., California, and the East Bay continues to gain steam. Although nonfarm employment has posted only modest gains in the third quarter of 2011, the household survey shows that the labor force is expanding and that more residents are finding work. Unemployment rate remains high, but the East Bay is down to its lowest level in over two years. San Francisco and the South Bay continue to lead California’s labor market recovery. Given the commute patterns and reductions in local unemployment, East Bay residents have certainly been taking advantage of that. Several sectors continue to struggle to turn the corner. Most of them are not surprising, such as government and construction, while others like financial activities are less intuitive until you scratch the surface. Overall, the picture is improving. By mid-2012, Beacon Economics is forecasting that the unemployment rate is expected to fall into the single-digits, but it will take time to recover–remaining above 8% until mid-2015. By late 2013, the East Bay will move past the 1 million job mark, though it won’t get back to previous peaks until 2015/16.

 CLEAN-TECH

Solyndra’s recent bankruptcy has created much consternation in the media due to the help it received from the federal government. This has led many to raise questions about the viability of clean-tech in the United States. We find that these concerns are largely unfounded and that the performance of one particular firm is not indicative of a sector that is on its way out. In the East Bay in particular, the data shows that clean-tech is gaining steam. Even with respect to solar, the future is bright. The East Bay has attracted a disproportional share of solar investments and some of its larger companies are growing in the region.

CONSUMERS

Consumer spending in the East Bay has bounced back nicely since the end of the recession–growing by more than 13% from trough. Yet, this has not fueled the type of retail employment boost that is traditionally associated with rising consumer spending. There are two main culprits behind this phenomenon. The first is rising efficiency and worker productivity: employers have simply learned to do more with less during the downturn and we see that the amount of sales generated per worker up significantly since 2005. In addition, uncertainty about both the pace of the recovery and if/how Washington will choose to address our longer-term deficit and debt issues has caused employers to be timid in their hiring on the consumer-side.

THE PORT

The Port of Oakland continues to be the leading bright spot in the East Bay economy. Continued real depreciation of the U.S. Dollar has kept American exports in high demand. The strong growth from 2010 has continued into 2011, which has created a sizeable number of new positions in the wholesale trade and transportation/warehousing industries.

 HOUSING

Housing in the region is actually healthier now than it has been in many years. Neither the East Bay nor the state overall has yet to see much growth in terms of home prices, but affordability is at an all-time high. Additionally, defaults continue their downward trend signaling that the worst is behind us.

For the full report, please go to the EDA website at http:// www.eastbayeda.org

   Economic Outlook, October 2011 (full report)

  East Bay Economy, October 2011

  California Economy, October 2011

  United States Economy, October 2011

 

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Smart Strategies for Managing Your Domestic & International Business Tax Issues

Fremont Main Library – Fukaya Meeting Room

Monday, September 19, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Business owners! Don’t miss out on this exclusive seminar! Any business owner who is in international trade, import and export, or who has to pay foreign or domestic taxes should attend this free event.

 A forum on domestic and international tax issues will be presented by Ron Cohen, Partner at GROCO, Lindsay Mohrman and Carla Frolich, Local Representatives with ADP, and Eric Chow, Assistant VP of the Bank of America.

Three world class leaders in their fields, GROCO, Bank of America and ADP, have teamed up to offer the Fremont business community valuable insights into mitigating domestic and international tax liabilities and business risk.  From strategic planning to minimize risk, to operating structures and procedures to maximize efficiency; you’ll have the opportunity to listen to and ask the experts on international business, tax, payroll, and banking best practices.

This free program is sponsored by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and the Alameda County Library. For more information please contact Nina Moore, Fremont Chamber of Commerce at   nmoore@fremontbusiness.com or (510) 795-2244 x 107.

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Do you often wonder how we got there? A briefing on the California Economy!

I was browsing through California Counts, a publication by the California Public Policy Institute and found a publication I wish to share with those who need an understanding of where we are in California, how we got here, and where we are going.

California 2025: Planning for a Better Future
Louise Bedsworth, Tracy Gordon, Ellen Hanak, Hans Johnson, Jed Kolko, Eric Larsen, and Margaret Weston.  January 2011

California’s current economic and fiscal realities make nonpartisan, objective information on the state’s future challenges all the more critical. Understandably, the search is on for immediate solutions to the unprecedented crises we face today. But if the present crises make policymakers shelve long-term planning, the result may be an even more uncertain future for our state.

This briefing kit highlights California’s most pressing long-term policy challenges in eight key areas:

• budget
• climate change
• economy
• education
• housing
• population
• water
• workforce

We gratefully acknowledge the support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as part of the California 2025 project on the state’s future challenges and opportunities.

 Here is the full report:

 california 2025

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