When year-end approaches, most of us are busy planning vacations, shopping for holiday gifts, and scheduling social functions. But it is a good time to stop and take stock in your financial progress. How are you doing? Are you reaching your goals? Are you struggling with lost investments? Now is the time to consider some adjustments. It's not too late to make financial changes that may save you money on your 2009 tax return and/or position you for a better start in 2010. Make smart year-end financial moves and do some advance planning for 2010. Click through for eight financial planning strategies to consider prior to year-end.

Have you visited our website lately or discovered our other communication methods? You may be missing out on valuable information. In recent months, we have implemented several online and interactive communication features to help you stay abreast of legislative changes, IRS regulations and other important information - all available right at your fingertips.

Year-end planning is not just for individual taxpayers. Timely strategies and smart decision-making may also reduce tax liability and overall expenses for business owners. Now is the time to manage down your costs of doing business, utilize your balance sheet as a cost-reduction tool, clean up bad debts, and take advantage of available tax incentives, credits and deductions to reduce your tax burden. It's not too late for business owners to profit from clues found within their own financial statements. Through a balance sheet analysis, identify areas where you could be saving money on a recurring and long-term basis that will strengthen your company from within for the long run. Don't forget to also consider tax-saving opportunities afforded by the law before 12/31. Click for details.

The first step to year-end tax planning is to determine where you stand. The strategies that have traditionally been implemented at year-end may need to be adjusted to conform to today's specific financial environment. If your income is down this year, don't make the mistake of overlooking planning. Year-end tax planning is as much about the 2010 year as it is about the 2009 year. With only a few weeks left until the end of the year, you may have to act quickly to benefit from certain strategic tax moves. Year-end planning may be even more essential for anyone who has had a change in circumstance during the past year (marriage or divorce, birth or death of a family member, acquisition or sale of a business, promotion or loss of a job, etc). Click for details.

A by-product of the Florida Technology and Growth Act signed by Governor Crist in May 2008, the newly-launched Florida Growth Fund Initiative manages $250 million of capital dedicated to prudent investment in technology and growth enterprises that have a significant presence in Florida. The goal of the initiative is to stimulate the economy, attract additional investment capital to the state, increase the presence of local venture capital organizations and enhance Florida's capacity for development, growth and innovation. The initiative provides potential for high-growth, high-wage jobs that will provide significant benefit to state residents and a variety of business sectors. Leading global private equity asset management firm Hamilton Lane is managing the Fund and currently seeking partnership and co-investment opportunities that fit the Fund's criteria.

Although financial prognosticators do not agree on the timing of an economic rebound, most believe that an upturn is inevitable. When it does occur, gaining an edge on the competition will be crucial. Therefore, managers and owners should position themselves now to benefit from the eventual turnaround. The basic tenets of positioning focus on reducing inefficiencies, being smart about which costs to cut and generating new sources of revenue.

"Asking for Daszkal Bolton's help in hiring our financial manager was the best decision we could have made." - Lucy Craske Long, President, Stag's Leap Capital, Inc.
Did you know that we provide recruiting services for our clients who seek top-level financial management positions, such as Controllers or CFOs, as well as entry-level and mid-range positions, including bookkeepers, accountants, administrative support, and even specialized positions such as legal assistants? Serving as executive search experts, we have helped clients in nearly every industry imaginable fill their key positions with high quality personnel.

South Florida home sales continue to surge as many first-time buyers take advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit that expires on November 30. While there is some discussion in Congress about extending (and possibly even expanding) the credit, there is no guarantee that a homebuyer's credit will be available after November 30. Now may be the perfect opportunity to purchase a first home for yourself or a family member and take advantage of the credit as well as the current market rates.