A smooth audit starts well before the fieldwork begins. Use this checklist to get your books, records, and team ready, and to avoid last-minute scrambles.
How to Prepare for a Successful Financial Statement Audit
If audit season makes you groan, you’re not alone. The word “audit” carries a lot of baggage, but a well-planned audit can be one of the most useful things that happens to your organization all year. Here is a practical guide to preparing, drawn from a GGFOA presentation on getting audit-ready.
Client Accounting Services: Finance Support Without the Overhead
Most growing businesses reach a point where the books can no longer be a side task. You’re up late reconciling accounts, a part-time bookkeeper is stretched thin, and nobody is sure whether the numbers are right until tax season. Client Accounting Services (CAS) exists for this moment.
Staying Ahead of GASB 87 & 96: Let Us Help Manage the Details
Lease and subscription arrangements can be easy to overlook—but keeping an accurate, up-to-date listing of lease and subscription liabilities is an important part of maintaining reliable financial records.
Our firm offers a nonattest service designed to help governmental clients stay organized and keep pace with the requirements of GASB 87, Leases, and GASB 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITAs).
Non-profits: Guide to reporting in-kind donations
Securing in-kind donations is vital for any non-profit or charitable organization, but just as important is accounting for them properly. In June 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board introduced changes to the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for documenting and presenting the value of in-kind donations in financial statements. This article provides an overview of the changes and what you need to know.
The October 15th Deadline: A Good Time to Get Ahead for Next Year or the Last Chance to Maintain Compliance
As the 2026 calendar closes in on the October 15th deadline, many plan administrators are unsure if their employee benefit plan requires an audit. Our team can help you determine if your plan requires an audit or if your plan is approaching the audit threshold for the first time. With this knowledge, we can either act quickly and efficiently to ensure your audit is completed before the October 15th deadline or work with you to ensure you are properly prepared for your first audit in 2027.
Does Your Georgia Nonprofit Need Reviewed or Audited Financial Statements for State Registration?
If your organization solicits or accepts donations in Georgia, there’s a good chance you have a registration requirement you may not know about — and a reporting obligation that scales with how much your nonprofit brings in.
Here’s what Georgia nonprofits need to know.
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Elisabeth Baldwin named Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
Rushton names Elisabeth Baldwin Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
A quick guide on how to scan documents with your phone
What is a Backdoor Roth?
What is a Backdoor Roth?
A backdoor Roth is a strategy for high income earners, where they make a nondeductible contribution to their IRA account and then convert that contribution to their Roth account.
*A nondeductible contribution is post-tax.*
Who should take advantage of this strategy?
This is a useful strategy for any individual making over $150,000.00 or a married couple making over $236,000.00 (filing jointly) to grow an investment account tax free where the withdrawals are also tax free.
Why should I consider making a backdoor Roth contribution?
Roth contributions grow tax-FREE, unlike a traditional IRA, where the contribution grows tax-DEFERRED. In other words, after paying the initial tax on the nondeductible contribution, an individual will not ever pay tax on that money again. So, the funds can be invested and grow for as long as the owner of the account wants.
How do withdrawals from a Roth account work?
Just like with a traditional IRA, the owner can start making withdrawals from the account either when they are 59 ½ or when they retire (whichever happens first), and the converted funds must have been in the account for at least 5 years. These withdrawals are tax-free.
Another difference from a traditional IRA is that a person does not ever have to take a withdrawal from a Roth account. There are no required minimum distributions.
What happens if I never make a withdrawal from my account or there are still funds in the account when I pass away?
The account passes to the beneficiary and the earnings and withdrawals remain tax-free.
Should I consider a Roth IRA account as an estate-planning tool?
Absolutely! If you are looking to pass on assets without a tax drag, a Roth IRA is a great way to do so, because your beneficiary will receive a tax-free account on which they will never owe taxes.
How do I know if a backdoor Roth is right for me?
Deciding if a backdoor Roth is the right strategy for you involves a conversation with your accountant to ensure that this strategy is worthwhile given the taxes you will owe up front.
Converting from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is a taxable event. A Roth IRA offers tax free withdrawals on taxable contributions. To qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal or earnings, a Roth IRA must be in place for at least five tax years, and the distribution must take place after age 59 ½ or due to death, disability, or a first-time home purchase (up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum). Depending on state law, Roth IRA distributions may be subject to state taxes.
Distributions from traditional IRAs and employer sponsored retirement plans are taxed as ordinary income and, if taken prior to reaching age 59 ½, may be subject to an additional 10% IRS tax penalty.
Income may be subject to local, state and/or the alternative minimum tax.
10% IRS penalty may apply to withdrawals prior to age 59 ½.
A diversified portfolio does not assure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market.
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. There is no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful. Retirement plan withdrawals may be subject to taxation and penalties when withdrawn early.
Audit Readiness Checklist: 9 Steps to Prepare Before Your Auditors Arrive
A smooth audit starts well before the fieldwork begins. Use this checklist to get your books, records, and team ready, and to avoid last-minute scrambles.
How to Prepare for a Successful Financial Statement Audit
If audit season makes you groan, you’re not alone. The word “audit” carries a lot of baggage, but a well-planned audit can be one of the most useful things that happens to your organization all year. Here is a practical guide to preparing, drawn from a GGFOA presentation on getting audit-ready.
Client Accounting Services: Finance Support Without the Overhead
Most growing businesses reach a point where the books can no longer be a side task. You’re up late reconciling accounts, a part-time bookkeeper is stretched thin, and nobody is sure whether the numbers are right until tax season. Client Accounting Services (CAS) exists for this moment.
Staying Ahead of GASB 87 & 96: Let Us Help Manage the Details
Lease and subscription arrangements can be easy to overlook—but keeping an accurate, up-to-date listing of lease and subscription liabilities is an important part of maintaining reliable financial records.
Our firm offers a nonattest service designed to help governmental clients stay organized and keep pace with the requirements of GASB 87, Leases, and GASB 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITAs).
Non-profits: Guide to reporting in-kind donations
Securing in-kind donations is vital for any non-profit or charitable organization, but just as important is accounting for them properly. In June 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board introduced changes to the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for documenting and presenting the value of in-kind donations in financial statements. This article provides an overview of the changes and what you need to know.
The October 15th Deadline: A Good Time to Get Ahead for Next Year or the Last Chance to Maintain Compliance
As the 2026 calendar closes in on the October 15th deadline, many plan administrators are unsure if their employee benefit plan requires an audit. Our team can help you determine if your plan requires an audit or if your plan is approaching the audit threshold for the first time. With this knowledge, we can either act quickly and efficiently to ensure your audit is completed before the October 15th deadline or work with you to ensure you are properly prepared for your first audit in 2027.
Does Your Georgia Nonprofit Need Reviewed or Audited Financial Statements for State Registration?
If your organization solicits or accepts donations in Georgia, there’s a good chance you have a registration requirement you may not know about — and a reporting obligation that scales with how much your nonprofit brings in.
Here’s what Georgia nonprofits need to know.
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Elisabeth Baldwin named Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
Rushton names Elisabeth Baldwin Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management