Blog

Dealing with difficult customers can be… well, difficult! If you and your team find yourselves in less-than-pleasant shopper interactions, having a plan is useful so you are better equipped to handle these situations with ease and grace. Prep yourself mentally – Having the right mental attitude will help prevent your buttons from getting pushed and enable […]

Christmas holiday breaks are a chance to recharge for the year ahead especially after the year we have had. We look forward to warmer weather and finally setting up an out-of-office email for the break. However, for business owners, this time is a stressful without careful cash-flow planning. Even if you do continue to operate […]

One of the advantages of owning a business is the many tax deductions that aren’t available to employees. Most of these deductibles are well known, like vehicle and home office costs and other basic business expenses. But recently we’ve been able to help out our clients with one that’s a little less well-known: income protection […]

For retailers, having excess stock will not only take up precious backroom or shelf space, but can also tie up capital and can keep you from re-investing in your business or buying things you actually need. Excess inventory can be a result of purchasing decisions, marketing or a change in the marketplace. However, there are […]

With a new top tax rate of 39% now in place, other tax rules have also been tweaked to make sure they all align. Trusts now have new rules on disclosures, in an effort to prevent people from using trusts to avoid paying additional tax. Previously, trusts have not needed to file financial statements or […]

In June this year, the Reserve Bank received approval for a new tool to rein in house prices and control debt levels: debt-to-income (DTI) ratios. Now, some of the banks have decided to move first. BNZ has introduced a DTI for all its borrowers, and ASB has confirmed that it, too, is now applying DTI […]

The Government’s announcement on the next stage in the COVID-19 response plan introduces a new framework of measures that will commence when 90% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated. The new framework has three levels: Red, Orange and Green. Each has different levels of restrictions. At all levels businesses will be able to operate, […]

If there’s one positive to take from the events of the last two years, it’s the opportunity to consider what’s important. For those of us in business, it’s important to redefine our plan and goals that ensure the business delivers our definition of success. The natural extension, for those with team members, is to revise […]

The Government has now released the draft legislation around the removal of tax deductions on loan interest for rental properties. Previously, interest payments could be claimed as a business expense and taxed accordingly, giving property investment a tax advantage. Now, properties bought from April 2021 onwards will not be able to claim any tax deductions […]

The pandemic has acted as an impetus for reflection, with many workers and business people reassessing the hours they work and the priority that work has in their lives. A survey from Slack showed that 72% of respondents would prefer a hybrid approach to work – i.e. a mix of remote and office work. But […]

Sole traders using home offices for business have long been able to claim deductions for home office expenses. Now, through lockdowns and increased accommodations for work-life balance, many businesses have employees working full or part-time from home. This raises questions about whether companies can claim home office expenses. If a company’s shareholder or director runs […]

It’s important to keep current. Catch up with the detail below, including changes to resurgence support, wage subsidy payments and working from home (WFH) costs and reimbursements. Let us know if you’re worried about not being able to pay your tax on time, if your cashflow is dangerously low, or if you need access to capital. And if you’ve […]

As areas of the country have moved to Alert Level 3, all of our team continue to work remotely, helping you to get through these challenging times and stay ahead. During Alert Level 3, you can still drop your information in our after-hours mailbox at 16 Bell Street, Whanganui if you are unable to send it […]

Running a business will always mean incurring certain expenses, or ‘spend’. There are always costs, overheads and supplier bills that mount up – and these expenses will gradually chip away at your cash position, making it more difficult to grow and make a profit. So, what can you do to reduce your spend levels? And […]

Earlier this year, the Government announced the removal of tax deductions on loan interest for rental properties. Previously, interest payments could be claimed as a business expense and taxed accordingly, giving property investment a tax advantage. Now, properties bought from April 2021 onwards will not be able to claim any tax deductions for the interest […]

You’re running a business, so you know the legal requirements around producing accounts and submitting tax returns. But do you truly know WHY you’ve engaged an accountant? And do you understand the value that a good accountant and business adviser can add to your company? As a business owner, managing director or CEO, there are […]

Have you ever found yourself struggling to achieve your goals because you just don’t have enough time to commit to them? Chances are, you’re doing things back to front. Rocks, Pebbles and Sand is a simple, yet crucial, planning concept depicting that we’ll achieve more if we set our annual goals (or ‘rocks’) first, then […]

One of the best ways to increase sales is to use the Value Ladder to build a relationship with your customers. The higher the customer values their relationship with you, the more money they’re willing to spend. On the bottom rung of the Value Ladder, we have an initial offer of value. This should be […]

Plenty of Kiwi businesses buy utes as company vehicles. If you’re in the trades, for instance, a ute can be the perfect way to haul everything around and promote your brand at the same time. However, the recently announced EV feebate scheme is likely to hit ute buyers the hardest, since these vehicles tend to […]

Whenever we’re going on holiday or have plans for the weekend, we always check the weather forecast so we can plan accordingly.  It’s no different in business. The forecast tells us if there’s bad weather (poor cashflow) in store based on the direction we’re heading.  Your forecast will tell you:  If you have enough sales […]