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It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. The post open thread – February 13, 2026 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Somewhere around the turn of the 20th century, archaeologists in Heerlen, Netherlands, came across an odd-looking smooth white stone. They knew the territory was once the Roman settlement of Coriovallum, but had never seen anything like it and had no idea what it was for. For the better part of the next 100 years, it sat in a storage unit at the Thermenmuseum, a mystery taunting researchers. Then, six years ago, archaeologist Walter Crist spotted the stone while wandering the museum. Crist specializes in ancient board games and recognized it as one, though not one he had ever seen before. That sparked his curiosity. Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, he thinks he has figured it out—and even knows how to play. The stone isn’t much to look at. It’s an eight-inch piece of white Jurassic limestone. Lines etched into it form an oblong, diamond-like shape within a rectangle. But in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Antiquity, Crist and his team discuss what happened when they programmed two AI agents from the AI-driven play system Ludii to try to solve it. Playing Ludus Coriovalli The researchers had the AI play the game against itself thousands of times, testing more than 100 different sets of rules drawn from other known European games, both modern and ancient. They compared the AI’s moves with patterns of wear on the board, tracking which gameplay styles most closely matched the grooves on the stone. The board, it appeared, was used for a blocking game—a type of board game in which the goal is to prevent your opponent from moving. (Think of modern titles like Go or Blokus.) Blocking games were rare in ancient Europe and, before this, had only been dated to the Middle Ages. This discovery suggests they were played several centuries earlier. In the end, the AI and the team identified nine sets of rules consistent with the board’s wear. Crist and his team named the game Ludus Coriovalli, “the game from Coriovallum.” “By combining AI simulation with use-wear analysis to identify and model traces of game play, it is possible to not only identify potential game boards, but also to rebuild playable rulesets that may provide indications regarding the ways that people played games in the past,” the paper reads. So what were the rules? Here’s what researchers determined: One player controls four “dogs.” The other controls two “hares.” The dogs start on the four leftmost points; the hares start on the inner two points on the rightmost side. Players alternate turns moving a piece to an adjacent empty spot on the board. The dogs attempt to block the hares, while the hares try to remain unblocked for as long as possible. If the hares are blocked, players swap roles and play again. The player who lasts the longest as the hares wins. Got it? Good. Because this isn’t just a theoretical reconstruction. It’s a game you can actually play online now. Crist and his team uploaded a simulation of Ludus Coriovalli to Ludii, and it’s available to anyone who wants to give it a try. So why study the games ancient civilizations played? Beyond simple curiosity, Crist notes, they offer a clearer picture of everyday life in the past—and a connection to history that isn’t just dry numbers or broken pot shards. “The ability to identify play and games in archaeology strengthens the understanding of our ludic heritage, and makes ancient life more accessible to people in the present, as the act of playing a board game is fundamentally the same today as it was in past millennia,” he writes in the paper. View the full article

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made some long-awaited permanent changes to the tax code. It also introduced short-term tax breaks that come with strict limits and phaseouts, and many of them are only available through 2028 or 2029. Here are four ways to get the most out of the OBBBA’s temporary provisions as you file your 2025 taxes and plan ahead. Don’t dismiss itemizing your deductions The OBBBA temporarily boosts the state and local tax deduction cap, or SALT, from $10,000 to $40,000 (for married couples filing jointly and single filers). This higher cap applies from 2025 through 2029. Run the numbers: For 2025, the standard deduction is $31,500 for married couples and $15,750 for singles. If your total itemized deductions — including mortgage interest, charitable giving, and state and local taxes (up to the new $40,000 cap) — add up to more than your standard deduction, you should itemize. Watch your income: The new $40,000 SALT cap isn’t for everyone. It begins to phase out if your modified adjusted gross income is over $500,000 (for all filers). If your MAGI reaches $600,000, your SALT deduction reverts to the original $10,000 limit. Maximize the new targeted deductions—if you qualify The OBBBA introduced several temporary above-the-line deductions (available whether you itemize or not) to help middle-income workers. But they have very strict income and benefit limits. The qualified overtime pay deduction: Capped at $25,000 for married couples filing jointly and $12,500 for singles. Only the extra “half-time” portion of your time-and-a-half pay qualifies for the deduction. For a married couple, this benefit begins to disappear if your MAGI hits $300,000 and is entirely gone once your MAGI reaches $550,000. The qualified tips income deduction: Allows you to write off qualified tip income up to $25,000 per tax return, whether you file as married or single. The deduction is only available for tips that are formally reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099. It phases out sharply for higher earners, starting at a MAGI of $300,000 for married couples and $150,000 for singles, and is fully eliminated at $550,000 and $400,000, respectively. The auto loan interest deduction: This temporary deduction allows you to write off up to $10,000 of interest paid on a loan for a new, personal-use vehicle with final assembly in the US. (Leases are excluded.) It starts to phase out at $200,000 for married couples and $100,000 for singles and is completely gone by $250,000 and $150,000. Seniors, time your 2026 Roth conversions carefully If you are 65 or older, the OBBBA offers a new, temporary deduction for seniors of up to $12,000 for married couples ($6,000 per eligible spouse) and $6,000 for single filers. This is a welcome tax break, but it’s fragile. Beware the MAGI trap: This deduction begins to disappear for married couples with a MAGI over $150,000 and for singles over $75,000. Model Roth conversions for 2026: If you are a senior who is close to the $150,000 MAGI limit, a Roth conversion done in 2026 could push your income over the threshold, causing you to lose this entire $12,000 deduction. Work with your adviser to model any planned 2026 conversions. Optimize income to qualify for the best breaks Many of the OBBBA’s most valuable temporary provisions are income-sensitive, particularly those new targeted deductions and the elevated SALT cap. Keep these rules in mind for 2025 filing and 2026 tax planning. For your 2025 return: You can still influence your 2025 MAGI by: Making 2025 HSA contributions (before the April 2026 tax deadline). Making 2025 deductible IRA contributions, if you’re eligible. Plan for 2026 income: If your 2026 income is likely to approach any phaseout thresholds (such as the $300,000 limit for tips/overtime or the $500,000 limit for the elevated SALT cap), consider strategies that help keep it within the qualifying range. Postponing the sale of highly appreciated stock to avoid realizing large capital gains in 2026. Delaying the exercise of nonqualified stock options if doing so would push you over a phaseout threshold. Maximizing 401(k) and health savings account contributions to reduce your 2026 MAGI. Holding off on large Roth conversions if they would increase your income above key limits. Don’t let the technical limitations and phaseouts catch you by surprise. With a little smart planning, you can lock in significant tax savings. This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance. Sheryl Rowling, CPA, is an editorial director, financial adviser for Morningstar. Related Links How to Name a Charity as Your IRA Beneficiary https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/how-name-charity-your-ira-beneficiary 6 Steps to Claiming Your Baby’s Free $1,000 From Uncle Sam https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/6-steps-claiming-your-babys-free-1000-uncle-sam 8 Tips to Stop Worrying About Running Out of Money in Retirement https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/8-tips-stop-worrying-about-running-out-money-retirement —Sheryl Rowling of Morningstar View the full article

When establishing an LLC, comprehension of the tax structures available is essential for maximizing benefits. You can choose between pass-through taxation and S Corporation status, each offering unique advantages. For instance, single-member LLCs typically default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs are usually treated as partnerships. These options can help you avoid double taxation. Nonetheless, determining the best structure for your needs involves more than just these basics. Considerations like self-employment taxes and specific state regulations can greatly impact your decision. Key Takeaways LLCs benefit from pass-through taxation, allowing profits and losses to be reported on personal tax returns, avoiding double taxation. Electing S Corporation status can reduce self-employment taxes, as only salaries are subject to these taxes. Single-member LLCs default to sole proprietorship taxation, while multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships, offering flexibility in tax classification. Deductible business expenses, including operational costs and start-up expenses, enhance cash flow and reduce taxable income. Consulting a tax professional helps customize tax strategies, ensuring optimal classification and compliance with state-specific franchise taxes. Understanding LLC Basics When you consider starting a business, comprehending the basics of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is crucial. An LLC combines the liability protection of a corporation with the tax flexibility of a partnership, offering significant limited liability company tax benefits. For instance, single-member LLCs default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships, both benefiting from pass-through taxation. This means profits and losses appear on your personal tax returns, simplifying your tax filing. Furthermore, LLC tax classification allows you to elect S-corporation or C-corporation status, tailoring your tax strategies. You can likewise deduct business expenses, such as startup and operational costs, enhancing cash flow and reducing taxable income, showcasing the tax advantages of LLCs. The Benefits of Pass-through Taxation Pass-through taxation offers significant advantages for LLC owners, ensuring that business profits and losses are reported directly on your personal income tax returns. This approach helps you avoid double taxation, which C corporations face. As an LLC member, you can potentially lower your overall tax liability by offsetting business losses against your personal income, like wages or investment earnings. The IRS automatically classifies LLCs as pass-through entities except you choose C corporation taxation, giving you flexibility in planning. Simplifying tax compliance, you typically only need to file your personal tax return without a separate corporate one. Furthermore, by leveraging pass-through taxation, you can claim various deductions on business expenses, making it one of the best LLC structures for tax purposes. Choosing Your Tax Classification How do you determine the best tax classification for your LLC? Start by considering your business structure. Single-member LLCs typically default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs default to partnership taxation. Both options benefit from pass-through taxation, which avoids double taxation. If you want to save on self-employment taxes, electing S Corporation status might be beneficial, as only salaries incur these taxes, not distributions. On the other hand, if your LLC generates high earnings, opting for C Corporation classification could provide advantages, given the corporate tax rate of 21% might be lower than individual rates for high-income earners. To make sure you choose the most advantageous classification, consult with a tax professional to evaluate your specific financial situation and tax liability. Deducting Business Expenses Comprehending the range of business expenses you can deduct is vital for maximizing your LLC’s tax benefits. LLCs can deduct various costs, including advertising, training, and travel, which considerably reduce taxable income. Furthermore, ongoing operational expenses like cell phone bills, internet services, and office rent improve your cash flow. Start-up costs incurred before the LLC begins operations can be deducted up to $5,000 in the first year, subject to phase-out limits. You can likewise write off legitimate business expenses on your personal tax returns, lowering your overall tax liability. Proper documentation and adherence to IRS guidelines are critical for maximizing deductions. Deductible Expense Description Advertising Costs related to promoting your LLC Training Expenses for employee education Travel Business-related travel costs Operational Expenses Regular bills like rent and utilities Start-up Costs Initial expenses before opening Comparing LLCs to Other Business Structures When considering the right business structure for your venture, it’s essential to understand how LLCs stack up against other options like sole proprietorships and corporations. LLCs offer limited liability protection, safeguarding your personal assets from business debts, unlike sole proprietorships and partnerships. They also benefit from pass-through taxation, which means you report profits and losses on your personal tax return, avoiding the double taxation faced by C corporations. Furthermore, LLCs allow for flexible tax classification, enabling customized strategies to fit your financial situation. Compared to corporations, LLCs have fewer administrative burdens and lower operational costs. Moreover, LLC owners can deduct business losses from personal income, providing tax advantages not available to sole proprietorships or partnerships. Tax Implications of S Corporation Election Electing S Corporation status for your LLC can markedly alter your tax terrain, primarily by allowing profits to bypass double taxation. Here are some key tax implications to examine: Profits pass directly to shareholders, taxed at individual rates. Shareholders can draw salaries and receive dividends, potentially lowering self-employment taxes. To qualify, your LLC must have no more than 100 shareholders and only one class of stock. You can utilize the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction, allowing up to a 20% deduction on pass-through income. The S Corporation election locks in for 60 months, so weigh the benefits and implications carefully before proceeding. Understanding these factors can help you make informed decisions about your LLC’s structure. Managing Self-Employment Taxes Managing self-employment taxes is essential for self-employment members, especially if you’re taxed as a sole proprietor or partner, since you’re liable for both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes. By electing S-corporation status, you can reduce your self-employment tax burden by designating a portion of your income as salary, whereas the rest can be taken as distributions that aren’t subject to these taxes. It’s also significant to make estimated tax payments quarterly if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in self-employment taxes, helping you stay compliant with IRS regulations. Self-Employment Tax Implications Comprehending self-employment tax implications is crucial for LLC members, as they’re treated as self-employed and must pay self-employment taxes on their share of the business’s profits. This includes both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes, currently totaling 15.3%. Here are some key points to take into account: Self-employment taxes apply to all net earnings from the LLC. Members must file estimated tax payments quarterly to avoid penalties. LLCs taxed as S-corporations can reduce self-employment tax liabilities by classifying income into salary and distributions. Members of LLCs taxed as partnerships face self-employment tax on all income. Consulting a tax professional is advisable to navigate these intricacies effectively. Tax Deduction Strategies When you own an LLC, taking advantage of tax deduction strategies can greatly mitigate your self-employment tax burden. If you’re taxed as a sole proprietor or partner, you face a self-employment tax rate of up to 15.3%. Nevertheless, electing S-corporation status allows you to classify part of your income as salary and the rest as distributions, reducing your self-employment tax impact. Furthermore, you can deduct the employer portion of self-employment taxes on your personal tax return, lowering your taxable income. Keeping detailed records of business expenses is essential, as these can likewise be deducted, further reducing your tax liability. To optimize your tax position, consult a tax professional for customized strategies regarding the timing of income and expenses. State-specific Franchise Tax Considerations Grasping state-specific franchise tax considerations is vital for LLC owners, as these taxes can greatly impact your business’s financial health. Franchise taxes differ markedly from state to state, so it’s important to understand the rules applicable to your LLC. Here are some key points to take into account: Texas imposes a franchise tax on LLCs with revenue over $1.23 million, with rates from 0.375% to 0.75%. Delaware charges no franchise tax for LLCs that don’t operate in the state, but has a $300 annual fee. California’s minimum franchise tax is $800, regardless of income, plus additional fees for those earning over $250,000. Research your state’s specific requirements. Guarantee compliance to optimize your tax strategy effectively. Leasing Personal Assets for Business Use Leasing personal assets to your LLC can offer significant tax benefits, such as deductible lease payments that reduce your taxable income. For example, if you lease your home office or equipment, the LLC can write off those expenses, whilst you gain additional income from the arrangement. Nevertheless, it’s essential to verify that the lease agreements are formalized and reflect fair market value to meet IRS requirements and avoid potential issues. Deductible Lease Payments Even though many business owners may not realize it, LLCs have the opportunity to lease personal assets from their members, which can create significant tax benefits. By doing this, your LLC can treat lease payments as deductible business expenses, reducing taxable income. Here are some key points to reflect on: You can lease your home office to the LLC, enabling you to claim rental expenses. Equipment, vehicles, and office space can likewise be leased. Confirm you have a formal Commercial Lease agreement in place to substantiate deductions. Document all lease payments carefully to comply with IRS guidelines. Verify that the assets are necessary for the business’s operation to qualify for deductions. These strategies can effectively improve your LLC’s financial efficiency. Asset Depreciation Benefits Using personal assets in your IRS can offer significant tax advantages, particularly through the process of asset depreciation. You can lease personal items, like a home office or equipment, allowing your IRS to deduct these leasing expenses. The IRS mandates that these assets must serve business purposes to qualify for depreciation, ensuring compliance. This arrangement not only generates income for you but likewise reduces your IRS’s taxable income through deductible expenses. To substantiate these claims, formal lease agreements are crucial. Here’s a quick overview: Aspect Details Leased Items Home office, equipment Tax Deductions Leasing expenses, depreciation Requirements Business use, formal lease agreements This strategy can improve your overall tax benefits effectively. Personal vs. Business Use How do you determine the appropriate balance between personal and business use when leasing assets to your LLC? It’s essential to formalize lease agreements in writing, guaranteeing compliance with IRS regulations. Consider these key points when leasing personal assets: Verify the leased asset is primarily for business use to qualify for tax deductions. Set a reasonable rental rate consistent with market values to avoid IRS scrutiny. Document the lease agreement to clarify terms and conditions. Keep detailed records of usage, separating personal and business use. Understand that income generated from leasing can provide additional cash flow during benefiting your LLC’s tax situation. Consulting a Tax Professional for Tailored Advice Have you considered the benefits of consulting a tax professional for your tax professional? A tax advisor can help you determine the best classification for tax purposes, aligning with your income and goals. They can provide insights on S-corporation status, potentially reducing self-employment taxes on distributions. Moreover, steering through deductible business expenses becomes easier with expert guidance, maximizing your write-offs. They can likewise evaluate state-specific franchise taxes, assisting you in choosing a registration state that minimizes your liabilities. Overall, customized advice helps you develop a bespoke strategy for your business needs. Benefit Description Tax Classification Determine the best classification for your LLC. S-Corporation Insights Explore potential tax savings on distributions. Deductible Expenses Maximize write-offs to minimize taxable income. Franchise Tax Evaluation Assess state-specific franchise taxes. Customized Tax Strategy Align tax strategy with your business goals. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Tax Structure for LLC? The best tax structure for your LLC depends on various factors, including your business goals and income level. For single-member LLCs, being taxed as a sole proprietorship usually works well, whereas multi-member LLCs often benefit from partnership taxation. If you’re looking to reduce self-employment taxes, consider electing S Corporation status. Consulting a tax professional can help you assess the most advantageous option customized to your specific situation and future growth potential. What Is the Most Tax Efficient Way to Pay Yourself in an LLC? To pay yourself tax-efficiently in an LLC, consider a combination of salary and distributions. You’ll pay self-employment taxes only on your salary, whereas distributions aren’t subject to these taxes. If your LLC elects S Corporation status, you can further reduce your tax burden by classifying some income as distributions, taxed at a lower rate. Verify your salary is reasonable to comply with IRS regulations, and maintain proper documentation for all payments. Should My LLC Be an S or C Corp? When deciding whether your LLC should be an S Corporation or C Corporation, consider your business’s profit levels and growth potential. An S Corporation avoids double taxation, allowing profits to pass through to your personal tax return, which can save on self-employment taxes. Conversely, a C Corporation faces double taxation, taxing corporate income and dividends separately. If your LLC plans to attract investors, an S Corporation’s structure may likewise facilitate easier capital raising. Which Business Structure Has the Best Tax Benefits? When considering tax benefits, an LLC often stands out because of its pass-through taxation, meaning profits and losses appear on your personal tax return, avoiding double taxation. You can likewise elect to be taxed as an S Corporation, which may lower self-employment taxes by allowing part of your income to be treated as distributions. Furthermore, LLCs offer flexibility in tax treatment and allow deductions for various business expenses, enhancing your overall cash flow. Conclusion In summary, selecting the right LLC structure for tax benefits can greatly impact your overall financial health. By comprehending pass-through taxation, considering S Corporation status, and deducting legitimate business expenses, you can optimize your tax situation. Furthermore, managing self-employment taxes and being aware of state-specific fees are essential. Consulting a tax professional can provide customized advice, ensuring you choose the most advantageous structure based on your unique circumstances and goals. Making informed decisions now can lead to considerable savings later. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Best LLC Structures for Tax Benefits" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When establishing an LLC, comprehension of the tax structures available is essential for maximizing benefits. You can choose between pass-through taxation and S Corporation status, each offering unique advantages. For instance, single-member LLCs typically default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs are usually treated as partnerships. These options can help you avoid double taxation. Nonetheless, determining the best structure for your needs involves more than just these basics. Considerations like self-employment taxes and specific state regulations can greatly impact your decision. Key Takeaways LLCs benefit from pass-through taxation, allowing profits and losses to be reported on personal tax returns, avoiding double taxation. Electing S Corporation status can reduce self-employment taxes, as only salaries are subject to these taxes. Single-member LLCs default to sole proprietorship taxation, while multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships, offering flexibility in tax classification. Deductible business expenses, including operational costs and start-up expenses, enhance cash flow and reduce taxable income. Consulting a tax professional helps customize tax strategies, ensuring optimal classification and compliance with state-specific franchise taxes. Understanding LLC Basics When you consider starting a business, comprehending the basics of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is crucial. An LLC combines the liability protection of a corporation with the tax flexibility of a partnership, offering significant limited liability company tax benefits. For instance, single-member LLCs default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships, both benefiting from pass-through taxation. This means profits and losses appear on your personal tax returns, simplifying your tax filing. Furthermore, LLC tax classification allows you to elect S-corporation or C-corporation status, tailoring your tax strategies. You can likewise deduct business expenses, such as startup and operational costs, enhancing cash flow and reducing taxable income, showcasing the tax advantages of LLCs. The Benefits of Pass-through Taxation Pass-through taxation offers significant advantages for LLC owners, ensuring that business profits and losses are reported directly on your personal income tax returns. This approach helps you avoid double taxation, which C corporations face. As an LLC member, you can potentially lower your overall tax liability by offsetting business losses against your personal income, like wages or investment earnings. The IRS automatically classifies LLCs as pass-through entities except you choose C corporation taxation, giving you flexibility in planning. Simplifying tax compliance, you typically only need to file your personal tax return without a separate corporate one. Furthermore, by leveraging pass-through taxation, you can claim various deductions on business expenses, making it one of the best LLC structures for tax purposes. Choosing Your Tax Classification How do you determine the best tax classification for your LLC? Start by considering your business structure. Single-member LLCs typically default to sole proprietorship taxation, whereas multi-member LLCs default to partnership taxation. Both options benefit from pass-through taxation, which avoids double taxation. If you want to save on self-employment taxes, electing S Corporation status might be beneficial, as only salaries incur these taxes, not distributions. On the other hand, if your LLC generates high earnings, opting for C Corporation classification could provide advantages, given the corporate tax rate of 21% might be lower than individual rates for high-income earners. To make sure you choose the most advantageous classification, consult with a tax professional to evaluate your specific financial situation and tax liability. Deducting Business Expenses Comprehending the range of business expenses you can deduct is vital for maximizing your LLC’s tax benefits. LLCs can deduct various costs, including advertising, training, and travel, which considerably reduce taxable income. Furthermore, ongoing operational expenses like cell phone bills, internet services, and office rent improve your cash flow. Start-up costs incurred before the LLC begins operations can be deducted up to $5,000 in the first year, subject to phase-out limits. You can likewise write off legitimate business expenses on your personal tax returns, lowering your overall tax liability. Proper documentation and adherence to IRS guidelines are critical for maximizing deductions. Deductible Expense Description Advertising Costs related to promoting your LLC Training Expenses for employee education Travel Business-related travel costs Operational Expenses Regular bills like rent and utilities Start-up Costs Initial expenses before opening Comparing LLCs to Other Business Structures When considering the right business structure for your venture, it’s essential to understand how LLCs stack up against other options like sole proprietorships and corporations. LLCs offer limited liability protection, safeguarding your personal assets from business debts, unlike sole proprietorships and partnerships. They also benefit from pass-through taxation, which means you report profits and losses on your personal tax return, avoiding the double taxation faced by C corporations. Furthermore, LLCs allow for flexible tax classification, enabling customized strategies to fit your financial situation. Compared to corporations, LLCs have fewer administrative burdens and lower operational costs. Moreover, LLC owners can deduct business losses from personal income, providing tax advantages not available to sole proprietorships or partnerships. Tax Implications of S Corporation Election Electing S Corporation status for your LLC can markedly alter your tax terrain, primarily by allowing profits to bypass double taxation. Here are some key tax implications to examine: Profits pass directly to shareholders, taxed at individual rates. Shareholders can draw salaries and receive dividends, potentially lowering self-employment taxes. To qualify, your LLC must have no more than 100 shareholders and only one class of stock. You can utilize the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction, allowing up to a 20% deduction on pass-through income. The S Corporation election locks in for 60 months, so weigh the benefits and implications carefully before proceeding. Understanding these factors can help you make informed decisions about your LLC’s structure. Managing Self-Employment Taxes Managing self-employment taxes is essential for self-employment members, especially if you’re taxed as a sole proprietor or partner, since you’re liable for both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes. By electing S-corporation status, you can reduce your self-employment tax burden by designating a portion of your income as salary, whereas the rest can be taken as distributions that aren’t subject to these taxes. It’s also significant to make estimated tax payments quarterly if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in self-employment taxes, helping you stay compliant with IRS regulations. Self-Employment Tax Implications Comprehending self-employment tax implications is crucial for LLC members, as they’re treated as self-employed and must pay self-employment taxes on their share of the business’s profits. This includes both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes, currently totaling 15.3%. Here are some key points to take into account: Self-employment taxes apply to all net earnings from the LLC. Members must file estimated tax payments quarterly to avoid penalties. LLCs taxed as S-corporations can reduce self-employment tax liabilities by classifying income into salary and distributions. Members of LLCs taxed as partnerships face self-employment tax on all income. Consulting a tax professional is advisable to navigate these intricacies effectively. Tax Deduction Strategies When you own an LLC, taking advantage of tax deduction strategies can greatly mitigate your self-employment tax burden. If you’re taxed as a sole proprietor or partner, you face a self-employment tax rate of up to 15.3%. Nevertheless, electing S-corporation status allows you to classify part of your income as salary and the rest as distributions, reducing your self-employment tax impact. Furthermore, you can deduct the employer portion of self-employment taxes on your personal tax return, lowering your taxable income. Keeping detailed records of business expenses is essential, as these can likewise be deducted, further reducing your tax liability. To optimize your tax position, consult a tax professional for customized strategies regarding the timing of income and expenses. State-specific Franchise Tax Considerations Grasping state-specific franchise tax considerations is vital for LLC owners, as these taxes can greatly impact your business’s financial health. Franchise taxes differ markedly from state to state, so it’s important to understand the rules applicable to your LLC. Here are some key points to take into account: Texas imposes a franchise tax on LLCs with revenue over $1.23 million, with rates from 0.375% to 0.75%. Delaware charges no franchise tax for LLCs that don’t operate in the state, but has a $300 annual fee. California’s minimum franchise tax is $800, regardless of income, plus additional fees for those earning over $250,000. Research your state’s specific requirements. Guarantee compliance to optimize your tax strategy effectively. Leasing Personal Assets for Business Use Leasing personal assets to your LLC can offer significant tax benefits, such as deductible lease payments that reduce your taxable income. For example, if you lease your home office or equipment, the LLC can write off those expenses, whilst you gain additional income from the arrangement. Nevertheless, it’s essential to verify that the lease agreements are formalized and reflect fair market value to meet IRS requirements and avoid potential issues. Deductible Lease Payments Even though many business owners may not realize it, LLCs have the opportunity to lease personal assets from their members, which can create significant tax benefits. By doing this, your LLC can treat lease payments as deductible business expenses, reducing taxable income. Here are some key points to reflect on: You can lease your home office to the LLC, enabling you to claim rental expenses. Equipment, vehicles, and office space can likewise be leased. Confirm you have a formal Commercial Lease agreement in place to substantiate deductions. Document all lease payments carefully to comply with IRS guidelines. Verify that the assets are necessary for the business’s operation to qualify for deductions. These strategies can effectively improve your LLC’s financial efficiency. Asset Depreciation Benefits Using personal assets in your IRS can offer significant tax advantages, particularly through the process of asset depreciation. You can lease personal items, like a home office or equipment, allowing your IRS to deduct these leasing expenses. The IRS mandates that these assets must serve business purposes to qualify for depreciation, ensuring compliance. This arrangement not only generates income for you but likewise reduces your IRS’s taxable income through deductible expenses. To substantiate these claims, formal lease agreements are crucial. Here’s a quick overview: Aspect Details Leased Items Home office, equipment Tax Deductions Leasing expenses, depreciation Requirements Business use, formal lease agreements This strategy can improve your overall tax benefits effectively. Personal vs. Business Use How do you determine the appropriate balance between personal and business use when leasing assets to your LLC? It’s essential to formalize lease agreements in writing, guaranteeing compliance with IRS regulations. Consider these key points when leasing personal assets: Verify the leased asset is primarily for business use to qualify for tax deductions. Set a reasonable rental rate consistent with market values to avoid IRS scrutiny. Document the lease agreement to clarify terms and conditions. Keep detailed records of usage, separating personal and business use. Understand that income generated from leasing can provide additional cash flow during benefiting your LLC’s tax situation. Consulting a Tax Professional for Tailored Advice Have you considered the benefits of consulting a tax professional for your tax professional? A tax advisor can help you determine the best classification for tax purposes, aligning with your income and goals. They can provide insights on S-corporation status, potentially reducing self-employment taxes on distributions. Moreover, steering through deductible business expenses becomes easier with expert guidance, maximizing your write-offs. They can likewise evaluate state-specific franchise taxes, assisting you in choosing a registration state that minimizes your liabilities. Overall, customized advice helps you develop a bespoke strategy for your business needs. Benefit Description Tax Classification Determine the best classification for your LLC. S-Corporation Insights Explore potential tax savings on distributions. Deductible Expenses Maximize write-offs to minimize taxable income. Franchise Tax Evaluation Assess state-specific franchise taxes. Customized Tax Strategy Align tax strategy with your business goals. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Tax Structure for LLC? The best tax structure for your LLC depends on various factors, including your business goals and income level. For single-member LLCs, being taxed as a sole proprietorship usually works well, whereas multi-member LLCs often benefit from partnership taxation. If you’re looking to reduce self-employment taxes, consider electing S Corporation status. Consulting a tax professional can help you assess the most advantageous option customized to your specific situation and future growth potential. What Is the Most Tax Efficient Way to Pay Yourself in an LLC? To pay yourself tax-efficiently in an LLC, consider a combination of salary and distributions. You’ll pay self-employment taxes only on your salary, whereas distributions aren’t subject to these taxes. If your LLC elects S Corporation status, you can further reduce your tax burden by classifying some income as distributions, taxed at a lower rate. Verify your salary is reasonable to comply with IRS regulations, and maintain proper documentation for all payments. Should My LLC Be an S or C Corp? When deciding whether your LLC should be an S Corporation or C Corporation, consider your business’s profit levels and growth potential. An S Corporation avoids double taxation, allowing profits to pass through to your personal tax return, which can save on self-employment taxes. Conversely, a C Corporation faces double taxation, taxing corporate income and dividends separately. If your LLC plans to attract investors, an S Corporation’s structure may likewise facilitate easier capital raising. Which Business Structure Has the Best Tax Benefits? When considering tax benefits, an LLC often stands out because of its pass-through taxation, meaning profits and losses appear on your personal tax return, avoiding double taxation. You can likewise elect to be taxed as an S Corporation, which may lower self-employment taxes by allowing part of your income to be treated as distributions. Furthermore, LLCs offer flexibility in tax treatment and allow deductions for various business expenses, enhancing your overall cash flow. Conclusion In summary, selecting the right LLC structure for tax benefits can greatly impact your overall financial health. By comprehending pass-through taxation, considering S Corporation status, and deducting legitimate business expenses, you can optimize your tax situation. Furthermore, managing self-employment taxes and being aware of state-specific fees are essential. Consulting a tax professional can provide customized advice, ensuring you choose the most advantageous structure based on your unique circumstances and goals. Making informed decisions now can lead to considerable savings later. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Best LLC Structures for Tax Benefits" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 isn’t trying to win you over with just flashy specs, though it has plenty of those. It’s currently on sale (see more President’s Day sale here) for $489.99 on Amazon (down from $579.99), which also happens to be its lowest tracked price to date, according to price trackers. Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Flash Print Bundle $489.99 at Amazon $579.99 Save $90.00 Get Deal Get Deal $489.99 at Amazon $579.99 Save $90.00 This particular bundle includes some solid extras: two batteries, a flip screen hood, a leather case, a grip kit, and even a pocket printer to turn your favorite captures into prints. What you’re really getting, though, is a rugged, compact camera that delivers impressive 4K video, stable footage, and solid low-light performance—all in a body that’s waterproof, durable, and lightweight enough to clip onto your shirt or bike. While Insta360 advertises 8K recording at 30fps, most people will likely stick to its excellent 4K modes, which go up to 120fps for smooth slow motion. It also offers a log profile (I-Log) for anyone who wants to color grade their footage later. The 2.5-inch flip-up screen is a standout—bigger than what you get on front-facing GoPro or DJI screens—making framing easier whether you're filming yourself or setting up a shot. The flip mechanism can be a bit clunky if you're constantly switching angles, but it doubles as a mount or even a POV bite grip in a pinch. Unlike its rivals, it doesn’t have built-in storage, so a microSD card (up to 1TB supported, sold separately) is a must-have from day one. In daily use, the Ace Pro 2 delivers. The footage is sharp, the stabilization keeps things steady, and the built-in mics offer better-than-expected audio. There’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C 3.0, and solid app integration for both iOS and Android, making edits and uploads quick. Battery life is solid, and the included extras in this Flash Print Bundle add good value. It’s not leagues ahead of the GoPro Hero 13 or DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, but it brings enough to the table—like the larger flip screen, smart mounting system, and polished app experience—to make it worth considering. If you’re in the market for a flagship action cam and prefer editing clean 4K footage over fiddling with massive 8K files, this is a smart pickup at its current price. Our Best Editor-Vetted Presidents' Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $139.99 (List Price $179.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $229.00 (List Price $349.00) Dell 16 DC16255 (AMD Ryzen 7 250, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, 2K Display) — $649.99 (List Price $869.99) HP Omen 35L (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, RTX 5080, 2TB SSD, 64GB RAM) — (List Price $3,099.99 With Code "PRESDAYPC100") HP OmniBook X Flip Ngai 16-Inch (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, Radeon 860M, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, 2K Display) — (List Price $649.99 With Code "PRESDAYPC50") Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Streamlining payroll and HR management is vital for efficiency and accuracy. By embracing automation, you can reduce errors and guarantee timely payments. Compliance with labor laws is fundamental, as is simplifying payroll processes through direct deposit and self-service portals. Investing in integrated technology eliminates duplicate entries, whereas promoting transparency helps employees understand policies. Discover how these strategies can transform your payroll practices and make your HR operations more effective. Key Takeaways Embrace automation to reduce manual errors and shift HR focus to strategic initiatives, enhancing overall employee satisfaction. Ensure compliance with labor laws by keeping accurate records and conducting regular audits to avoid financial penalties. Simplify payroll processes by automating calculations and implementing direct deposit to ensure timely and secure payments. Invest in integrated technology to streamline data entry, improve accuracy, and provide real-time updates on payroll compliance. Foster transparency by providing employees access to payroll information and maintaining clear communication about policies and processes. Embrace Automation for Efficiency In today’s fast-paced business environment, embracing automation in payroll and HR management can lead to noteworthy improvements in efficiency. Automating payroll processes minimizes manual errors, guaranteeing accurate calculations of wages and tax deductions. This accuracy can save you considerable costs in penalties and corrections. By implementing automated systems for payroll and HR tasks, your HR team can shift focus from administrative duties to strategic initiatives, enhancing overall employee satisfaction. Utilizing self-service portals empowers employees to access and manage their payroll information, reducing the administrative burden on HR staff. Integration of automated payroll systems with time-tracking tools guarantees a seamless data flow, drastically cutting down on manual data entry time. Additionally, automation keeps you informed about changing tax regulations and labor laws, greatly minimizing the risk of costly audits. By embracing these technologies, you’ll streamline payroll in human resource management and optimize your organization’s overall performance. Ensure Compliance With Labor Laws Comprehension and guaranteeing compliance with labor laws is essential for any business, especially since violations can result in significant financial penalties. Staying informed about federal, state, and local labor laws helps you avoid fines that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates that you maintain accurate records of employee hours worked and wages earned, with these records needing to be kept for up to three years. Regular audits of payroll records can help identify discrepancies and guarantee adherence to tax regulations, with the IRS recommending that payroll tax records be retained for at least four years. Utilizing compliance tracking software can streamline the monitoring of changing labor laws and reduce the risk of human error in payroll processing. Furthermore, providing training and resources to managers on state-specific compliance regulations cultivates a culture of accountability and guarantees timely and accurate employee payments. Simplify Payroll Processes Maintaining compliance with labor laws is just one aspect of effective payroll management; simplifying payroll processes can greatly improve operational efficiency. You can start by automating payroll calculations and tax filings with dedicated payroll software. This reduces manual errors and guarantees timely, accurate payments. Implementing direct deposit for employees likewise streamlines payment processes, minimizing the risks associated with lost or stolen checks. Regularly reviewing and simplifying payroll policies helps eliminate complexity, making it easier for employees to understand their compensation and benefits. Consider utilizing employee self-service portals, which empower staff to manage their payroll information independently. This not only eases administrative burdens on HR but additionally improves employee satisfaction. Finally, conducting periodic audits of payroll records and processes identifies inefficiencies and helps guarantee compliance with tax and labor laws. By focusing on these strategies, you can create a more efficient and transparent payroll environment. Invest in Integrated Technology Investing in integrated technology can considerably improve your HR and payroll management processes, as it streamlines operations and reduces the risk of errors. By using integrated solutions, you eliminate the need for duplicate data entry, saving time and minimizing mistakes. Cloud-based platforms guarantee real-time updates for payroll compliance, automatically adjusting for tax rate changes and multi-state regulations, which helps you avoid costly penalties. Furthermore, automation features augment efficiency by auto-populating employee data and syncing time entries directly into payroll, surpassing the benefits of merely digitizing paperwork. Integrated technology likewise provides fundamental reporting capabilities, offering real-time insights into labor costs, turnover rates, and hiring pipelines, which are imperative for strategic decision-making. Finally, a multi-functional HR tech stack built for integration creates a seamless user experience for employees, positively impacting retention rates and overall satisfaction. Investing in this technology is significant for streamlined HR and payroll management. Foster Transparency With Employees Nurturing transparency with employees regarding payroll processes is essential for building trust and morale within your organization. When employees understand how payroll works, it minimizes misunderstandings that can harm morale. Here are some effective ways to encourage transparency: Provide access to payroll processing information, including detailed explanations of deductions and classifications. Include payroll policies and classifications in the employee handbook, so staff can reference them as needed. Maintain an FAQ section for common payroll-related inquiries, empowering employees to seek answers independently. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 7 C’s of Human Resource Management? The 7 C’s of Human Resource Management are Competence, Cost-effectiveness, Communication, Compliance, Culture, Commitment, and Consistency. Competence focuses on hiring skilled employees to boost performance. Cost-effectiveness guarantees you manage HR expenses during maximizing productivity. Communication involves maintaining transparency and addressing concerns. Compliance safeguards against legal issues. Culture promotes a positive environment that aligns with values. Commitment encourages employee loyalty, and Consistency guarantees fair practices across the organization, enhancing overall effectiveness. How Do You Streamline HR Processes? To streamline HR processes, implement cloud-based systems that centralize employee records, reducing duplicate entries. Automate payroll by syncing time entries to minimize errors and save time. Encourage employee autonomy through self-service portals, allowing staff to manage HR tasks directly. Regularly gather feedback to identify inefficiencies in payroll, and utilize analytics tools to gain insights into labor costs and turnover. These steps can improve efficiency as well as ensuring accurate and timely HR management. What Are the 7 Core HR Processes? The seven core HR processes are recruitment and staffing, employee onboarding, performance management, payroll and benefits administration, employee relations, training and development, and compliance with labor laws. Each process plays a critical role in guaranteeing efficient workforce management. Recruitment identifies the right candidates, onboarding integrates them into the culture, whereas performance management aligns goals. Payroll guarantees timely compensation, employee relations promote a positive work environment, and training improves skills, all during compliance with regulations. How to Manage Payroll Efficiently? To manage payroll efficiently, implement automated payroll software to handle calculations and tax filings, which can greatly reduce errors. Establish direct deposit for timely payments and improve employee satisfaction. Regularly review payroll expenses against budget forecasts, as they can account for a considerable portion of overall costs. Maintain accurate records of employee hours and wages, and train your staff on compliance to guarantee timely, accurate payments as well as minimizing potential errors. Conclusion In summary, streamlining payroll and HR management is crucial for improving efficiency and accuracy. By embracing automation, ensuring compliance with labor laws, simplifying payroll processes, investing in integrated technology, and promoting transparency with employees, you can create a more effective system. Regularly auditing your practices will help identify areas for improvement. Implementing these strategies not just minimizes errors but likewise empowers employees, eventually leading to a smoother and more reliable payroll experience for everyone involved. Image via Google Gemini This article, "5 Essential Tips for Streamlining Payroll and HR Management" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Streamlining payroll and HR management is vital for efficiency and accuracy. By embracing automation, you can reduce errors and guarantee timely payments. Compliance with labor laws is fundamental, as is simplifying payroll processes through direct deposit and self-service portals. Investing in integrated technology eliminates duplicate entries, whereas promoting transparency helps employees understand policies. Discover how these strategies can transform your payroll practices and make your HR operations more effective. Key Takeaways Embrace automation to reduce manual errors and shift HR focus to strategic initiatives, enhancing overall employee satisfaction. Ensure compliance with labor laws by keeping accurate records and conducting regular audits to avoid financial penalties. Simplify payroll processes by automating calculations and implementing direct deposit to ensure timely and secure payments. Invest in integrated technology to streamline data entry, improve accuracy, and provide real-time updates on payroll compliance. Foster transparency by providing employees access to payroll information and maintaining clear communication about policies and processes. Embrace Automation for Efficiency In today’s fast-paced business environment, embracing automation in payroll and HR management can lead to noteworthy improvements in efficiency. Automating payroll processes minimizes manual errors, guaranteeing accurate calculations of wages and tax deductions. This accuracy can save you considerable costs in penalties and corrections. By implementing automated systems for payroll and HR tasks, your HR team can shift focus from administrative duties to strategic initiatives, enhancing overall employee satisfaction. Utilizing self-service portals empowers employees to access and manage their payroll information, reducing the administrative burden on HR staff. Integration of automated payroll systems with time-tracking tools guarantees a seamless data flow, drastically cutting down on manual data entry time. Additionally, automation keeps you informed about changing tax regulations and labor laws, greatly minimizing the risk of costly audits. By embracing these technologies, you’ll streamline payroll in human resource management and optimize your organization’s overall performance. Ensure Compliance With Labor Laws Comprehension and guaranteeing compliance with labor laws is essential for any business, especially since violations can result in significant financial penalties. Staying informed about federal, state, and local labor laws helps you avoid fines that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates that you maintain accurate records of employee hours worked and wages earned, with these records needing to be kept for up to three years. Regular audits of payroll records can help identify discrepancies and guarantee adherence to tax regulations, with the IRS recommending that payroll tax records be retained for at least four years. Utilizing compliance tracking software can streamline the monitoring of changing labor laws and reduce the risk of human error in payroll processing. Furthermore, providing training and resources to managers on state-specific compliance regulations cultivates a culture of accountability and guarantees timely and accurate employee payments. Simplify Payroll Processes Maintaining compliance with labor laws is just one aspect of effective payroll management; simplifying payroll processes can greatly improve operational efficiency. You can start by automating payroll calculations and tax filings with dedicated payroll software. This reduces manual errors and guarantees timely, accurate payments. Implementing direct deposit for employees likewise streamlines payment processes, minimizing the risks associated with lost or stolen checks. Regularly reviewing and simplifying payroll policies helps eliminate complexity, making it easier for employees to understand their compensation and benefits. Consider utilizing employee self-service portals, which empower staff to manage their payroll information independently. This not only eases administrative burdens on HR but additionally improves employee satisfaction. Finally, conducting periodic audits of payroll records and processes identifies inefficiencies and helps guarantee compliance with tax and labor laws. By focusing on these strategies, you can create a more efficient and transparent payroll environment. Invest in Integrated Technology Investing in integrated technology can considerably improve your HR and payroll management processes, as it streamlines operations and reduces the risk of errors. By using integrated solutions, you eliminate the need for duplicate data entry, saving time and minimizing mistakes. Cloud-based platforms guarantee real-time updates for payroll compliance, automatically adjusting for tax rate changes and multi-state regulations, which helps you avoid costly penalties. Furthermore, automation features augment efficiency by auto-populating employee data and syncing time entries directly into payroll, surpassing the benefits of merely digitizing paperwork. Integrated technology likewise provides fundamental reporting capabilities, offering real-time insights into labor costs, turnover rates, and hiring pipelines, which are imperative for strategic decision-making. Finally, a multi-functional HR tech stack built for integration creates a seamless user experience for employees, positively impacting retention rates and overall satisfaction. Investing in this technology is significant for streamlined HR and payroll management. Foster Transparency With Employees Nurturing transparency with employees regarding payroll processes is essential for building trust and morale within your organization. When employees understand how payroll works, it minimizes misunderstandings that can harm morale. Here are some effective ways to encourage transparency: Provide access to payroll processing information, including detailed explanations of deductions and classifications. Include payroll policies and classifications in the employee handbook, so staff can reference them as needed. Maintain an FAQ section for common payroll-related inquiries, empowering employees to seek answers independently. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 7 C’s of Human Resource Management? The 7 C’s of Human Resource Management are Competence, Cost-effectiveness, Communication, Compliance, Culture, Commitment, and Consistency. Competence focuses on hiring skilled employees to boost performance. Cost-effectiveness guarantees you manage HR expenses during maximizing productivity. Communication involves maintaining transparency and addressing concerns. Compliance safeguards against legal issues. Culture promotes a positive environment that aligns with values. Commitment encourages employee loyalty, and Consistency guarantees fair practices across the organization, enhancing overall effectiveness. How Do You Streamline HR Processes? To streamline HR processes, implement cloud-based systems that centralize employee records, reducing duplicate entries. Automate payroll by syncing time entries to minimize errors and save time. Encourage employee autonomy through self-service portals, allowing staff to manage HR tasks directly. Regularly gather feedback to identify inefficiencies in payroll, and utilize analytics tools to gain insights into labor costs and turnover. These steps can improve efficiency as well as ensuring accurate and timely HR management. What Are the 7 Core HR Processes? The seven core HR processes are recruitment and staffing, employee onboarding, performance management, payroll and benefits administration, employee relations, training and development, and compliance with labor laws. Each process plays a critical role in guaranteeing efficient workforce management. Recruitment identifies the right candidates, onboarding integrates them into the culture, whereas performance management aligns goals. Payroll guarantees timely compensation, employee relations promote a positive work environment, and training improves skills, all during compliance with regulations. How to Manage Payroll Efficiently? To manage payroll efficiently, implement automated payroll software to handle calculations and tax filings, which can greatly reduce errors. Establish direct deposit for timely payments and improve employee satisfaction. Regularly review payroll expenses against budget forecasts, as they can account for a considerable portion of overall costs. Maintain accurate records of employee hours and wages, and train your staff on compliance to guarantee timely, accurate payments as well as minimizing potential errors. Conclusion In summary, streamlining payroll and HR management is crucial for improving efficiency and accuracy. By embracing automation, ensuring compliance with labor laws, simplifying payroll processes, investing in integrated technology, and promoting transparency with employees, you can create a more effective system. Regularly auditing your practices will help identify areas for improvement. Implementing these strategies not just minimizes errors but likewise empowers employees, eventually leading to a smoother and more reliable payroll experience for everyone involved. Image via Google Gemini This article, "5 Essential Tips for Streamlining Payroll and HR Management" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Ring isn't having the week it probably thought it would have. The Amazon-owned company aired an ad on Super Bowl Sunday for "Search Party," its new feature that turns a neighborhood's collective Ring cameras into one network, with the goal of locating lost dogs. Viewers, however, saw this as a major privacy violation—it doesn't take much to imagine using this type of surveillance tech to locate people, not pets. The backlash wasn't just isolated to the ad, however. The controversy reignited criticisms of the company's partnership with Flock Safety, a security company that sells security cameras that track vehicles, notably for license plate recognition. But the partnership with Ring wasn't about tracking vehicles: Instead, Flock Safety's role was to make it easier for law enforcement agencies that use Flock Safety software to request Ring camera footage from users. Agencies could put in a request to an area where a crime supposedly took place, and Ring users would be notified about the request. They didn't have to agree to share footage, however. Law enforcement could already request footage from Ring users, through the platform's existing "Community Requests" feature. But this partnership would let agencies make these requests directly through Flock Safety's software. If a user submitted footage following a request, Ring said that data would be "securely packaged" by Flock Safety and share to the agency through FlockOS or Flock Nova. Ring cancels its partnership with Flock SafetyThat partnership is officially over. On Friday, Ring published a blog post announcing the end of its relationship with Flock Safety. The company said, after a review, the integration "would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated." As such, both parties have agree to cancel the partnership. Importantly, Ring says that since the integration never actually launched, no user footage was ever sent to Flock Safety—despite the company announcing the partnership four months ago. Social media influencers had spread the false claim that Flock Safety was seeding Ring footage directly to law enforcement agencies, such as ICE. While those claims are inaccurate, they were likely fueled by reporting from 404 Media that ICE has been able to access Flock Safety's data in its investigations. Had Ring's partnership with Flock Safety gone ahead, there would be legitimate cause to believe that agencies like ICE could tap into the footage Ring users had shared—even if those users were under the impression they were only sharing footage with local agencies to solve specific cases. While privacy advocates will likely celebrate this news, the cancelled partnership has no effect on Community Requests. Law enforcement agencies will still be able to request footage from Ring users, and those users will still have a say in whether or not they send that footage. Ring sees the feature as an objective good, allowing users to voluntarily share footage that could help law enforcement solve important cases. In its announcement on Friday, Ring cited the December 2025 Brown University shooting, in which seven users shared 168 video clips with law enforcement. According to Ring, one of those videos assisted police in identifying the suspect's car, which, in turn, solved the case. View the full article

In a significant announcement, PayPal Holdings, Inc. revealed its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2025, highlighting a robust growth trajectory that may catch the eye of small business owners. With over 25 years of experience in revolutionizing commerce, PayPal continues to empower entrepreneurs across various markets, enhancing their ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy. The financial results, disclosed on February 3, 2026, reflect PayPal’s innovative approach to making transactions seamless, secure, and personalized. This iteration of their financial performance emphasizes their commitment to providing tools and solutions tailored for businesses of all sizes. Key Takeaways: Growth Metrics: PayPal reported substantial growth in transaction volumes, indicating increased consumer and merchant engagement. Marketplace Expansion: With operations in approximately 200 markets, PayPal is making it easier for small businesses to reach a global audience. Enhanced Services: Continued advancements in product offerings, including more options for digital wallets and streamlined payment processes. “PayPal empowers consumers and businesses to join and thrive in the global economy,” said a company spokesperson, underscoring their mission to facilitate transaction simplicity for all users. For small business owners, the implications of these metrics are crucial. As more people shift towards online shopping, having a reliable payment platform is indispensable. PayPal provides a familiar and often preferred payment method for consumers, which can increase sales conversion rates for several small businesses. In practical terms, small businesses can leverage PayPal’s features, such as one-click payments and comprehensive dispute resolution services, to enhance customer experience and safeguard transactions. Additionally, with the continued rise of e-commerce, integrating PayPal into online stores can provide a competitive edge, allowing for faster checkout processes that can significantly decrease cart abandonment rates. Moreover, the latest performance results may lead to new opportunities for promotional campaigns that can drive further traffic and engagement. PayPal often runs initiatives that can benefit small businesses, such as payment processing discounts or access to exclusive marketing resources. However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with using PayPal. Transaction fees, although competitive, can add up, especially for businesses with lower profit margins. Additionally, reliance on a third-party payment processor means that any service disruptions could directly impact revenue flow. As with any financial platform, customer support and dispute resolution remain critical. Small businesses should familiarize themselves with these processes to address any issues efficiently. Furthermore, given the rapidly changing landscape of digital payments, staying updated on PayPal’s latest features and enhancements will be essential to fully leverage the platform’s capabilities. Overall, PayPal’s continued innovation and expansion present small business owners with unique opportunities to enhance their offerings and engage with a broader customer base. For more details on their quarterly results and the evolving landscape of digital payment solutions, you can view the full press release on PayPal’s investor relations website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "PayPal Announces Strong Q4 and Full-Year Results for 2025" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In a significant announcement, PayPal Holdings, Inc. revealed its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2025, highlighting a robust growth trajectory that may catch the eye of small business owners. With over 25 years of experience in revolutionizing commerce, PayPal continues to empower entrepreneurs across various markets, enhancing their ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy. The financial results, disclosed on February 3, 2026, reflect PayPal’s innovative approach to making transactions seamless, secure, and personalized. This iteration of their financial performance emphasizes their commitment to providing tools and solutions tailored for businesses of all sizes. Key Takeaways: Growth Metrics: PayPal reported substantial growth in transaction volumes, indicating increased consumer and merchant engagement. Marketplace Expansion: With operations in approximately 200 markets, PayPal is making it easier for small businesses to reach a global audience. Enhanced Services: Continued advancements in product offerings, including more options for digital wallets and streamlined payment processes. “PayPal empowers consumers and businesses to join and thrive in the global economy,” said a company spokesperson, underscoring their mission to facilitate transaction simplicity for all users. For small business owners, the implications of these metrics are crucial. As more people shift towards online shopping, having a reliable payment platform is indispensable. PayPal provides a familiar and often preferred payment method for consumers, which can increase sales conversion rates for several small businesses. In practical terms, small businesses can leverage PayPal’s features, such as one-click payments and comprehensive dispute resolution services, to enhance customer experience and safeguard transactions. Additionally, with the continued rise of e-commerce, integrating PayPal into online stores can provide a competitive edge, allowing for faster checkout processes that can significantly decrease cart abandonment rates. Moreover, the latest performance results may lead to new opportunities for promotional campaigns that can drive further traffic and engagement. PayPal often runs initiatives that can benefit small businesses, such as payment processing discounts or access to exclusive marketing resources. However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges associated with using PayPal. Transaction fees, although competitive, can add up, especially for businesses with lower profit margins. Additionally, reliance on a third-party payment processor means that any service disruptions could directly impact revenue flow. As with any financial platform, customer support and dispute resolution remain critical. Small businesses should familiarize themselves with these processes to address any issues efficiently. Furthermore, given the rapidly changing landscape of digital payments, staying updated on PayPal’s latest features and enhancements will be essential to fully leverage the platform’s capabilities. Overall, PayPal’s continued innovation and expansion present small business owners with unique opportunities to enhance their offerings and engage with a broader customer base. For more details on their quarterly results and the evolving landscape of digital payment solutions, you can view the full press release on PayPal’s investor relations website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "PayPal Announces Strong Q4 and Full-Year Results for 2025" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The 5-year yield swung sharply after conflicting BLS jobs and CPI data, with softer inflation boosting rate-cut hopes, according to the CEO of IF Securities. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Sony HT-Z9F is down to $419.99 on Woot, a steep drop from its original price of $899.99. At this price, it becomes a far more accessible way to upgrade your TV audio without committing to a full AV receiver and multi-speaker setup. The deal is available for the next 16 days or until it sells out, whichever happens first. Prime members receive free standard shipping, while non-Prime customers pay $6. That said, shipping is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, APO addresses, or PO Boxes, and the purchase includes a 90-day Woot limited warranty. Discover more President's Day Sale deals and the best Tech deals during the early President's Day Sale here. Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar $419.99 at Woot $899.99 Save $480.00 Get Deal Get Deal $419.99 at Woot $899.99 Save $480.00 It’s a 3.1-channel soundbar, meaning it has left, right, and center speakers built in, plus a wireless subwoofer. That dedicated center channel is especially helpful for dialogue—it keeps voices clear and easy to follow, even during action scenes or loud background scores (meaning you do not need to ride the volume during conversations, then scramble to lower it when explosions hit). And then, there’s the wireless sub, which adds weight to action movies and bass-heavy playlists. It is not room-shaking, but it gives enough low-end punch to feel cinematic in a living room setting. Sony markets the HT-Z9F as Dolby Atmos-enabled, but it does not have upward-firing drivers or rear satellite speakers. Instead, it relies on Sony’s S-Force Pro Front Surround and Vertical Surround Engine to simulate height and surround effects. That processing does create a wider sound field than basic stereo, but everything still feels anchored to the front of the room. Overhead effects lack the distinct placement you would get from true Atmos speakers bouncing sound off the ceiling. If you are upgrading from built-in TV speakers, the improvement will be obvious. But if you expect a fully immersive surround with objects flying above and behind you, this will not deliver that experience. As for its connectivity, you get two full HDMI inputs that handle all major audio formats, plus HDMI ARC for TV connection. You also get Bluetooth, wifi, and built-in Chromecast for streaming music directly from your phone or apps. The design looks premium and feels sturdy, which helps it blend into a midrange or high-end setup. The tradeoff is limited sound customization. There are preset EQ modes, but no detailed treble or bass adjustments. At $419.99, the HT-Z9F makes sense for someone who values clear dialogue and solid bass, with wide-format support. Those chasing a true Atmos surround setup with discrete height channels may want to look elsewhere. Our Best Editor-Vetted Presidents' Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $139.99 (List Price $179.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $229.00 (List Price $349.00) Dell 16 DC16255 (AMD Ryzen 7 250, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, 2K Display) — $649.99 (List Price $869.99) HP Omen 35L (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, RTX 5080, 2TB SSD, 64GB RAM) — (List Price $3,099.99 With Code "PRESDAYPC100") HP OmniBook X Flip Ngai 16-Inch (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, Radeon 860M, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, 2K Display) — (List Price $649.99 With Code "PRESDAYPC50") Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

SEO is moving out of the marketing silo into organizational design. Visibility now depends on how information is structured, validated, and aligned across the business. When information is fragmented or contradictory, visibility becomes unstable. The risk isn’t just ranking volatility – it’s losing control of how your brand is interpreted and cited. For SEO leaders, the choice is unavoidable: remain a channel optimizer or shape the systems that govern how your organization is understood and cited. That shift isn’t happening in a vacuum. AI systems now interpret, reconcile, and assemble information at scale. The visibility shift beyond rankings The future of organic search will be shaped by LLMs alongside traditional algorithms. Optimizing for rankings alone is no longer enough. Brands must optimize for how they are interpreted, cited, and synthesized across AI systems. Clicks may fluctuate and traffic patterns may shift, but the larger change is this: visibility is becoming an interpretation problem, not just a positioning problem. AI systems assemble answers from structured data, brand narratives, third-party mentions, and product signals. When those inputs conflict, inconsistency becomes the output. In the AI era, collaboration can’t be informal or personality-driven. LLMs reflect the clarity, consistency, and structure of the information they ingest. When messaging, entity signals, or product data are fragmented, visibility fragments with them. This is a leadership challenge. Visibility can’t be achieved in a silo. It requires redesigning the systems that govern how information is created, validated, and distributed across the organization. That’s how visibility becomes structural, not situational. If visibility is structural, it needs a system. Building the visibility supply chain Collaboration shouldn’t depend on whether the SEO manager and PR manager get along. It must be built into the content supply chain. To move from a marketing silo to an operational design, we must treat content like an industrial product that requires specific refinement before it’s released into the ecosystem. This is where visibility gates come in: a series of nonnegotiable checkpoints that filter brand data for machine consumption. Implementing visibility gates Think of your content moving through a high-pressure pipe. At each joint, a gate filters out noise and ensures the output is pure: The technical gate (parsing) The filter: Does the new product page template use valid schema.org markup (product, FAQ, review)? The goal: Ensuring the raw material is structured so LLMs can ingest the data without friction. The brand signal gate (clustering) The filter: Does the PR copy align with our core entities? Are we using terminology that helps LLMs cluster our brand correctly? The goal: Removing linguistic drift that confuses an LLM’s understanding of who we are. The accessibility/readability gate (chunking) The filter: Is the content structured for RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) systems? The goal: Moving away from fluff and towards high-information-density prose that can be easily chunked and retrieved by an AI. The authority and de-duplication gate (governance) The filter: Does this asset create “knowledge cannibalization” or internal noise? The goal: Acting as a final sieve to remove conflicting information, ensuring the LLM sees only one single source of truth. The localization gate (verification) The filter: Is the entity information consistent across global regions? The goal: Ensuring cross-referenced data points align perfectly to build model trust. If gates protect what enters the ecosystem, accountability ensures that behavior changes. Embedding visibility into cross-functional OKRs But alignment without visibility into results won’t sustain change. The most sophisticated infrastructure will fail if it relies on the SEO team’s influence alone. To move beyond polite collaboration, visibility must be codified into the organization’s performance DNA. We need to shift from SEO-specific goals to shared visibility OKRs. When a product owner is measured on the machine-readability of a new feature, or a PR lead is incentivised by entity citation growth, SEO requirements suddenly migrate from the bottom of the backlog to the top of the sprint. What shared OKRs look like in an operational design: For product teams: “Achieve 100% schema validation and <100ms time-to-first-byte for all top-tier entity pages.” For PR and communications: “Increase ‘brand-as-a-source’ citations in LLM responses by 15% through high-authority, entity-aligned placements.” For content teams: “Ensure 90% of new assets meet the ‘high information density’ threshold for RAG retrieval.” When stakeholders’ KPIs are tied to the brand’s digital footprint, visibility is no longer “the SEO team’s job.” Instead, it becomes a collective business imperative. This is where the magic happens: the organizational structure finally aligns with the way modern search engines actually work. Measuring visibility across the organization The gates ensure the quality of what we put into the digital ecosystem; the unified visibility dashboard measures what we get out. Breaking down silos starts with transparent data. If the PR team can see which mentions drive AI citations and source links in AI Overviews, they’re more likely to shift toward high-authority, contextually relevant publications instead of chasing any media outlet. We need to shift from reporting rankings to reporting entity health and Share of Model (SoM). This dashboard is the organization’s single source of truth, showing that when we pass the visibility gates correctly, our brand authority grows with humans and machines. Systems and incentives matter, but they don’t operate on their own. Dig deeper: Why most SEO failures are organizational, not technical Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Hiring for AI-era visibility Having the right infrastructure isn’t enough. We need a specific set of qualities in the workforce to drive this model. To navigate the visibility transformation, we need to move away from hiring generalists and start hiring for the two distinct pillars of an operational search strategy. In my experience, this requires a strategic duo: the hacker and the convincer. FeatureThe hacker (technical architect)The convincer (visibility advocate)Core missionEnsuring the brand is discoverable by machines.Ensuring the brand is supported by humans.Primary domainRAG architecture, schema, vector databases, and LLM testing.Cross-departmental OKRs, C-suite buy-in, and PR/brand alignment.Success metricShare of model (SoM) and information density.Resource allocation and budget growth.The gate focusTechnical, accessibility, and authority gates.Brand signal and localization gates. The hacker: The engine room Deeply technical, driven, and a relentless early adopter. They don’t just “do SEO.” They reverse-engineer how Perplexity attributes trust and how Google’s knowledge vault weighs brand entities. They find the “how.” They aren’t just optimizing for a search bar, but are optimizing for agentic discovery, ensuring your brand is the path of least resistance for an LLM’s reasoning engine. The convincer: The social butterfly of data This is the visionary who brings people together and talks the language of business results. They act as the social glue, ensuring the hacker’s technical insights are actually implemented by the brand, tech, and PR teams. They translate schema validation into executive visibility, ensuring that the budget flows where it’s needed most. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. How AI visibility reshapes in-house and agency roles As roles evolve, the brand-agency relationship shifts with them. If you’re an in-house SEO manager today, you’re likely evolving into a chief visibility officer, focusing on the “convincer” role of internal politics and resource allocation. Historically, agencies were the training ground for talent, and brands hired them for execution. That dynamic may flip. In this new era, brands could become training grounds for junior specialists who need to understand a single entity deeply and manage its internal gates. Meanwhile, agencies may evolve into elite strategic partners staffed by seasoned visibility hackers who help brands navigate high-level visibility transformation that in-house teams are often too siloed or time-constrained to see. Dig deeper: Why governance maturity is a competitive advantage for SEO Leading the transition in the first 90 days To prepare your team for the shift to SEO as an operational approach, take these steps: Set the vision: Do you want to be part of the change? Define what visibility-first looks like for your business. Take stock of talent: Do you have hackers and convincers? Audit your team not just for skills, but for mindset. Audit the gaps: Where does communication break down? Find friction points between SEO and PR, or SEO and product, and fix them quickly. Shift the KPIs: Move away from rankings and toward channel authority, impressions, sentiment share, and, most importantly, revenue and leads. Be radically transparent: Clarity is key. You’ll need new templates, job descriptions, and responsibilities. Data should be shared in real time. There’s no room for siloed thinking. What the first 90 days should look like: Days 1-30 (Audit): Map your brand’s entity footprint. Where does your brand data live, and where is it conflicting? Days 31-60 (Infrastructure): Embed visibility gates into your CMS or project management tool, such as Jira or Asana. Days 61-90 (Incentives): Tie 10% of the PR and product teams’ bonuses to information integrity or AI citation growth. The SEO leader as a systems architect As we move further into the age of AI, the successful SEO leader will no longer be the person who simply moves a page from position four to position one. They’ll be the systems architect who builds the infrastructure that allows a brand to be seen, understood, and recommended by machines and humans alike. This transition is messy. It requires challenging old thought patterns and communicating transparently and directly to secure buy-in. But by redesigning the structures that create silos, we don’t just “do SEO.” We build a resilient organization that is visible by default, regardless of what the next algorithm or LLM brings. The future of search isn’t just about keywords. It’s about how your organization’s information flows through the digital ecosystem. It’s time to stop optimizing pages and start optimizing organizations. Dig deeper: AI governance in SEO: Balancing automation and oversight View the full article

Leica is perhaps the most storied brand in photography. A portmanteau formed from the name of founder Ernst Leitz and the word “camera”, the first Leica popularized 35mm photography, while the legendary M system standardized the modern rangefinder in 1954 and has a hallowed reputation to this day. Leica’s stewardship of its brand, however, has not always quite lived up to its history. The company historically outsourced most of its point-and-shoot camera design to Panasonic, slapping its iconic red dot on existing compacts and charging an unwarranted markup. Early smartphone collaborations with Huawei and Sharp were similarly surface-level. But for the past few years, a partnership with Xiaomi has quietly been producing what I would say are the best phone cameras in the world. And for the Chinese smartphone maker’s latest flagship device, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Leica’s branding and influence takes greater prominence than ever. Two models Available in China now, the 17 Ultra is sold in two variants; there’s the regular model, and another version called the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica. I’ve been using the latter model, though the camera hardware is nearly identical across the two. This is a sleekly designed phone, and it’s the first to carry the Leica red dot. When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 in 2010, which is still for my money the best-looking iPhone ever, he said “its closest kin is like a beautiful old Leica camera.” Well, the 17 Ultra really is like a Leica camera — and not just because it also looks like an iPhone 4, right down to the circular volume buttons. The camera hardware is more capable and impressive than on any phone sold in the United States. The main sensor is a 1” type, the same used in enthusiast compact cameras like the Canon G7 X or Sony’s RX100 series. The telephoto camera, meanwhile, has a 200-megapixel 1/1.4” sensor — huge for a telephoto — and a lens that actually physically zooms. You get 3.2x magnification at the wide end and it goes as far as 4.3x before digital zoom kicks in, amounting to a 75-100mm-equivalent focal length. That might not sound like a huge zoom range, and in practice it isn’t. But with a sensor this size, results remain extremely sharp by making use of a 2x crop. That means that you can still get high-resolution images at optical zoom quality all the way through the range between 150mm and 200mm. The Leica model of the 17 Ultra has a control ring around the sizable circular camera module, which can be customized to adjust various functions. I’ve set mine to swap between pre-set focal lengths before reaching the physical zoom range, making it easy to make sure I’m always getting the best optical quality. There’s satisfying haptic feedback as you turn the ring, lending the phone a more tactile, camera-like feel. I do wish the 17 Ultra had a physical shutter button. Xiaomi sells more substantial photography-kit cases that add extra grip and battery to the phone, but no-one’s quite gotten the built-in camera button design right yet and this would have been the perfect phone to do it on. The Software But hardware aside, the real reason behind the success of the Xiaomi and Leica collaboration has been the software. The two companies work together on the image processing pipeline, and the results are beautiful, subtle colors that make for images that just don’t look like they came from a phone. There are two default settings, Leica Vivid and Leica Authentic; I prefer the latter, which gives a vignetted, desaturated and contrasty look that is not unlike the way I prefer to edit photos taken with dedicated cameras. And the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica takes this to the next level with a mode called Leica Essential, giving you more options inspired by two classic cameras. These aren’t like built-in filters, as they totally overhaul the phone’s image processing pipelines. The M9 setting emulates the CCD sensor of Leica’s first full-frame digital rangefinder with always-on warm white balance, while the monochrome M3 setting is named after the first 35mm M-mount camera and delivers gorgeously deep, fine-grained photos reminiscent of Leica’s own Monopan 50 film. These Leica Essential modes aren’t what you’d want to use for casual snapshots or pictures of documents, but they put you in a different mindset as a photographer. In the same way that I choose a dedicated camera to take out for the day and work within its limitations until I get home, there’s something fun and freeing about committing to a virtual M9 or M3 and seeing how it performs. The results are often stunning. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica is the most advanced phone camera anywhere in the world on conventional metrics. But it’s more than that — it’s also by far the most enjoyable to actually shoot. By getting away from the sterility of excessively flattened and oversharpened iPhone or Pixel photos, Xiaomi and Leica have delivered a phone that really does feel like an actual camera. View the full article

A Massachusetts-based seafood importer and distributor has recalled salmon that was sold across multiple states due to concerns that the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly bacteria. The company, Slade Gorton & Co., says the recall affects one lot of Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon. The two-pound packages of frozen salmon were sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club across seven states. A recall notice was published Thursday, February 12, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To date, no illnesses have been reported. Here’s what you need to know. What product is included in the recall? The recall applies to one lot of two-pound packages of Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon. The salmon was sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations in seven states between January 31, 2026, and February 7, 2026. The impacted bags of the frozen salmon were sold in the freezer section at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations in these states: Delaware Maryland New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Virginia Recalled product packaging details Each two-pound bag of recalled Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon features the Wellsley Farms logo and the text “Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon” on the front. The UPC code 888670025963 and lot number 3896 are listed on the back of the recalled product packaging, below the cooking instructions and nutrition facts panel. Recall is due to a risk of Listeria contamination Slade Gorton & Co. announced the recall on February 11 after a sample collected and randomly tested by the FDA tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA recall notice mentions that the seafood distributor is investigating the contamination and taking steps to prevent it from happening again. Don’t consume the recalled product BJ’s Wholesale Club is notifying members who have purchased the affected product. If you purchased the recalled product, don’t consume it. Customers can call 1-888-628-0730 for details on how to get a full refund and what to do with the remaining product. What is Listeria, and who is most at risk of Listeria infection? Listeria is a disease-causing bacteria that can be spread through food. Listeria infection is caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy people rarely become very ill from Listeria infection. But the disease can turn deadly for some. Those more at risk of Listeria infection include pregnant women, people older than 65, and people with weakened immune systems. Mild symptoms of Listeria infection include: Fever Muscle aches Nasuea Vomiting Direeah More severe symptoms of Listeria infection include: Headache Stiff neck Confusion Loss of balance Convulsions If you think you have developed symptoms of Listeria infection, contact a healthcare professional. View the full article

The Sandler Selling System is a structured approach to sales, created by David H. Sandler in 1966. It employs a seven-step method intended to improve sales effectiveness by focusing on building trust and comprehending clients’ pain points. This system stands out because of its emphasis on open communication and the use of up-front contracts. If you’re looking to raise your sales strategy, grasping its key components and benefits can be essential. Key Takeaways The Sandler Selling System is a structured sales methodology developed by David H. Sandler in 1966, focusing on effective communication and relationship-building. It features a unique seven-step process, often visualized as the “Sandler Submarine,” guiding sales professionals through each stage of the sales conversation. Key components include bonding and rapport, up-front contracts, and identifying prospects’ pain points to tailor solutions effectively. The system promotes transparency and reduces aggressive sales tactics, fostering a collaborative environment between the salesperson and the prospect. Implementing the Sandler Selling System can improve sales performance, increase average sales price, and enhance forecast accuracy within sales teams. Overview of the Sandler Selling System The Sandler Selling System, which was developed by David H. Sandler in 1966, provides a structured approach to sales through its unique seven-step process. Central to this methodology is the concept of the “Sandler Submarine,” a visual tool that guides sales professionals through each phase. This system emphasizes the importance of establishing bonding and rapport, setting up-front contracts with prospects, and identifying their pain points. By encouraging open communication, the Sandler Selling System eliminates aggressive tactics, creating a comfortable environment for both parties. Additionally, it encourages a discovery process that effectively qualifies leads, eventually leading to higher deal-closing rates and improved customer retention. Key Components of the Sandler Selling System Key components of the Sandler Selling System form the backbone of this structured sales approach, ensuring that sales professionals can effectively engage with prospects. First, you establish Bonding and Rapport to build trust, creating a comfortable environment for communication. Next, Up-Front Contracts clarify roles and expectations, promoting transparency in interactions. The Pain step involves identifying your prospect’s specific challenges, allowing you to understand their needs deeply. After this, you discuss Budget, ensuring your solutions align financially. The Decision stage guides you through the prospect’s decision-making process, leading to Fulfillment, where you propose customized solutions. Finally, the Post-Sell stage focuses on maintaining the relationship, ensuring customer satisfaction and potential future sales. Each step improves your effectiveness in closing deals. Benefits of Implementing the Sandler Selling System Implementing the Sandler Selling System can greatly improve your sales team’s performance by providing a structured framework that prioritizes relationship-building and client insight. This approach increases your average sales price by cultivating deeper client engagement and comprehending their needs. You’ll find that forecast accuracy improves, along with a cleaner sales pipeline, allowing for more efficient deal closures. By addressing specific pain points early on, the Sandler method reduces the length of the sales process, leading to quicker conversions. Additionally, this system promotes a culture of continuous improvement, enabling your organization to adapt sales strategies based on real-time feedback. Steps of the Sandler Selling System When you adopt the Sandler Selling System, you step into a structured process that guides you through seven key steps: Bonding & Rapport, Up-Front Contracts, Pain, Budget, Decision, Fulfillment, and Post-Sell. In the first step, you establish trust, promoting open communication with your prospect. Next, the Up-Front Contract clarifies expectations for the sales process, guaranteeing everyone is aligned. Identifying the Prospect’s Pain allows you to uncover challenges, whereas discussing their Budget helps assess financial limits. The Decision step focuses on comprehending how your prospect makes choices. Fulfillment involves presenting customized solutions that meet their needs, and the Post-Sell phase guarantees a smooth shift, maintaining customer satisfaction and reducing buyer’s remorse after closing the deal. Training Your Sales Team in the Sandler Method To effectively implement the Sandler Selling System within your organization, training your sales team is a crucial step. Start by conducting workshops that introduce Sandler principles, focusing on bonding, rapport, and upfront contracts. Use role-playing scenarios to practice the seven steps of the Sandler Selling System, which will improve real-world application and build confidence. Ongoing coaching is vital to reinforce these techniques, enabling your sales reps to effectively identify pain points and align appropriate solutions. Encourage team members to share success stories and challenges, promoting a collaborative learning environment. Moreover, regularly evaluate performance metrics to track improvements and identify areas for growth, ensuring that Sandler techniques are seamlessly integrated into your sales process for peak effectiveness. Comparing Sandler to Other Sales Systems As various sales methodologies offer different approaches to closing deals, the Sandler Selling System stands out for its focus on building relationships and trust. Unlike BANT and MEDDIC, which prioritize data gathering, Sandler emphasizes a consultative partnership. Furthermore, where SPIN Selling relies on questioning, Sandler uses upfront contracts to clarify roles and expectations. The Challenger Sales Model focuses on controlling the narrative, whereas Sandler encourages collaboration, enhancing buyer-seller dynamics. Sandler’s human-centric approach provides flexibility in interactions, making it more adaptable than the rigid frameworks of MEDDIC. With over 50 years of success, the Sandler Selling System effectively reduces sales pressure and improves relationships, contrasting sharply with more traditional sales techniques that often overlook the importance of connection. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Sandler Sales Technique? The Sandler Sales Technique is a consultative approach that focuses on building trust and rapport between you and your prospects. It emphasizes comprehending your prospect’s needs by identifying pain points and discussing budget constraints. Rather than using high-pressure tactics, you act as a trusted advisor, promoting open communication. This structured method involves establishing agreements upfront and clarifying decision-making processes, ultimately improving qualification and enhancing your chances of closing deals successfully. What Are the Positive Results of Using the Sandler Selling System? Using the Sandler Selling System, you can expect several positive outcomes. It helps you increase average sales prices by aligning your approach with customer needs, leading to higher-value transactions. You’ll likely experience improved sales forecasts and cleaner pipelines, which aids in strategic planning. Furthermore, the method promotes a culture of continuous improvement within your team, shortens the sales process through effective lead qualification, and boosts customer retention through stronger relationships. How Much Does Sandler Sales Cost? The cost of Sandler Sales training varies considerably based on the program and location, typically ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 per participant. For enterprise-level training, you might invest over $20,000, which includes customized solutions and ongoing support. Various formats, such as online courses or in-person workshops, come with different pricing structures. Moreover, consider potential extra costs for travel and materials, along with available financing options to ease the financial burden. What Is the Sandler Rule of 3? The Sandler Rule of 3 establishes three crucial commitments in the sales process. First, you need the prospect’s commitment to engage in the process. Second, you’re responsible for committing to the prospect’s needs and concerns. Finally, both parties must agree on a specific outcome or next step. Conclusion In conclusion, the Sandler Selling System offers a structured approach to sales that emphasizes trust, communication, and comprehension of customer needs. By following its seven-step process, sales professionals can engage more effectively with prospects and tailor their solutions to address specific pain points. Implementing this methodology can lead to improved sales performance and stronger client relationships. Training your team in the Sandler method can further improve these benefits, making it a valuable tool in any sales strategy. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "What Is the Sandler Selling System?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The Sandler Selling System is a structured approach to sales, created by David H. Sandler in 1966. It employs a seven-step method intended to improve sales effectiveness by focusing on building trust and comprehending clients’ pain points. This system stands out because of its emphasis on open communication and the use of up-front contracts. If you’re looking to raise your sales strategy, grasping its key components and benefits can be essential. Key Takeaways The Sandler Selling System is a structured sales methodology developed by David H. Sandler in 1966, focusing on effective communication and relationship-building. It features a unique seven-step process, often visualized as the “Sandler Submarine,” guiding sales professionals through each stage of the sales conversation. Key components include bonding and rapport, up-front contracts, and identifying prospects’ pain points to tailor solutions effectively. The system promotes transparency and reduces aggressive sales tactics, fostering a collaborative environment between the salesperson and the prospect. Implementing the Sandler Selling System can improve sales performance, increase average sales price, and enhance forecast accuracy within sales teams. Overview of the Sandler Selling System The Sandler Selling System, which was developed by David H. Sandler in 1966, provides a structured approach to sales through its unique seven-step process. Central to this methodology is the concept of the “Sandler Submarine,” a visual tool that guides sales professionals through each phase. This system emphasizes the importance of establishing bonding and rapport, setting up-front contracts with prospects, and identifying their pain points. By encouraging open communication, the Sandler Selling System eliminates aggressive tactics, creating a comfortable environment for both parties. Additionally, it encourages a discovery process that effectively qualifies leads, eventually leading to higher deal-closing rates and improved customer retention. Key Components of the Sandler Selling System Key components of the Sandler Selling System form the backbone of this structured sales approach, ensuring that sales professionals can effectively engage with prospects. First, you establish Bonding and Rapport to build trust, creating a comfortable environment for communication. Next, Up-Front Contracts clarify roles and expectations, promoting transparency in interactions. The Pain step involves identifying your prospect’s specific challenges, allowing you to understand their needs deeply. After this, you discuss Budget, ensuring your solutions align financially. The Decision stage guides you through the prospect’s decision-making process, leading to Fulfillment, where you propose customized solutions. Finally, the Post-Sell stage focuses on maintaining the relationship, ensuring customer satisfaction and potential future sales. Each step improves your effectiveness in closing deals. Benefits of Implementing the Sandler Selling System Implementing the Sandler Selling System can greatly improve your sales team’s performance by providing a structured framework that prioritizes relationship-building and client insight. This approach increases your average sales price by cultivating deeper client engagement and comprehending their needs. You’ll find that forecast accuracy improves, along with a cleaner sales pipeline, allowing for more efficient deal closures. By addressing specific pain points early on, the Sandler method reduces the length of the sales process, leading to quicker conversions. Additionally, this system promotes a culture of continuous improvement, enabling your organization to adapt sales strategies based on real-time feedback. Steps of the Sandler Selling System When you adopt the Sandler Selling System, you step into a structured process that guides you through seven key steps: Bonding & Rapport, Up-Front Contracts, Pain, Budget, Decision, Fulfillment, and Post-Sell. In the first step, you establish trust, promoting open communication with your prospect. Next, the Up-Front Contract clarifies expectations for the sales process, guaranteeing everyone is aligned. Identifying the Prospect’s Pain allows you to uncover challenges, whereas discussing their Budget helps assess financial limits. The Decision step focuses on comprehending how your prospect makes choices. Fulfillment involves presenting customized solutions that meet their needs, and the Post-Sell phase guarantees a smooth shift, maintaining customer satisfaction and reducing buyer’s remorse after closing the deal. Training Your Sales Team in the Sandler Method To effectively implement the Sandler Selling System within your organization, training your sales team is a crucial step. Start by conducting workshops that introduce Sandler principles, focusing on bonding, rapport, and upfront contracts. Use role-playing scenarios to practice the seven steps of the Sandler Selling System, which will improve real-world application and build confidence. Ongoing coaching is vital to reinforce these techniques, enabling your sales reps to effectively identify pain points and align appropriate solutions. Encourage team members to share success stories and challenges, promoting a collaborative learning environment. Moreover, regularly evaluate performance metrics to track improvements and identify areas for growth, ensuring that Sandler techniques are seamlessly integrated into your sales process for peak effectiveness. Comparing Sandler to Other Sales Systems As various sales methodologies offer different approaches to closing deals, the Sandler Selling System stands out for its focus on building relationships and trust. Unlike BANT and MEDDIC, which prioritize data gathering, Sandler emphasizes a consultative partnership. Furthermore, where SPIN Selling relies on questioning, Sandler uses upfront contracts to clarify roles and expectations. The Challenger Sales Model focuses on controlling the narrative, whereas Sandler encourages collaboration, enhancing buyer-seller dynamics. Sandler’s human-centric approach provides flexibility in interactions, making it more adaptable than the rigid frameworks of MEDDIC. With over 50 years of success, the Sandler Selling System effectively reduces sales pressure and improves relationships, contrasting sharply with more traditional sales techniques that often overlook the importance of connection. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Sandler Sales Technique? The Sandler Sales Technique is a consultative approach that focuses on building trust and rapport between you and your prospects. It emphasizes comprehending your prospect’s needs by identifying pain points and discussing budget constraints. Rather than using high-pressure tactics, you act as a trusted advisor, promoting open communication. This structured method involves establishing agreements upfront and clarifying decision-making processes, ultimately improving qualification and enhancing your chances of closing deals successfully. What Are the Positive Results of Using the Sandler Selling System? Using the Sandler Selling System, you can expect several positive outcomes. It helps you increase average sales prices by aligning your approach with customer needs, leading to higher-value transactions. You’ll likely experience improved sales forecasts and cleaner pipelines, which aids in strategic planning. Furthermore, the method promotes a culture of continuous improvement within your team, shortens the sales process through effective lead qualification, and boosts customer retention through stronger relationships. How Much Does Sandler Sales Cost? The cost of Sandler Sales training varies considerably based on the program and location, typically ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 per participant. For enterprise-level training, you might invest over $20,000, which includes customized solutions and ongoing support. Various formats, such as online courses or in-person workshops, come with different pricing structures. Moreover, consider potential extra costs for travel and materials, along with available financing options to ease the financial burden. What Is the Sandler Rule of 3? The Sandler Rule of 3 establishes three crucial commitments in the sales process. First, you need the prospect’s commitment to engage in the process. Second, you’re responsible for committing to the prospect’s needs and concerns. Finally, both parties must agree on a specific outcome or next step. Conclusion In conclusion, the Sandler Selling System offers a structured approach to sales that emphasizes trust, communication, and comprehension of customer needs. By following its seven-step process, sales professionals can engage more effectively with prospects and tailor their solutions to address specific pain points. Implementing this methodology can lead to improved sales performance and stronger client relationships. Training your team in the Sandler method can further improve these benefits, making it a valuable tool in any sales strategy. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "What Is the Sandler Selling System?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its January Consumer Price Index Friday, showing that inflation rose 0.2%, while the annual rate eased to 2.4% after holding at 2.7% for several months. The data reduce the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the near future. View the full article

Google's Search Relations team discussed whether you still need a website in 2026, and outlined when social, apps, or the web make sense. The post Google’s Search Relations Team Debates If You Still Need A Website appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Investors in Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE: PINS) are waking up to a wall of red this morning. The stock price of the popular digital image-sharing board has fallen off a cliff after the company reported its Q4 2025 results yesterday. Here’s what you need to know. Pinterest’s Q4 2025 results From a quick glance, Pinterest’s results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 didn’t look too bad. The company reported some impressive gains in a couple of key metrics. Those metrics include: Total revenue: $1.32 billion (up 14% year over year) Global Monthly Active Users (MAUs): 619 million (up 12% year over year) However, despite those gains, the company’s $1.32 billion in revenue came in below what analysts were expecting. As noted by CNBC, LSEG consensus estimates were that Pinterest would post $1.33 billion in revenue. The company also reported an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 67 cents. That was below analyst expectations of an EPS of 69 cents. Worse, Pinterest said it expects its current-quarter revenue, for Q1 of its fiscal 2026, to be between $951 million and $971 million. While that range represents year-over-year growth of between 11% and 14%, even the high-end estimate is well below the $980 million analysts were expecting. Pinterest blames tariffs for earnings miss So what is behind the worse-than-expected results? The company blamed one primary thing: tariffs. At first, a tariff’s impact on Pinterest’s revenue might seem a little unbelievable. After all, Pinterest does not import and sell physical goods, which would seem to lessen any potential impact that President The President’s erratic traffic policies could have on the company’s bottom line. That problem for Pinterest is that while the company may not be in the business of selling imported goods, many of Pinterest’s main customers—its advertisers—are. And those advertisers are responding to increased tariff costs by cutting back on their ad spend, which impacts Pinterest’s bottom line. “Many of the largest retailers have been disproportionately impacted by tariffs and have been pulling back on advertising spend across the industry as they seek to protect their margins,” Pinterest’s CEO, Bill Ready, said on the company’s financial call, according to a PitchPook transcript of the call. “Our higher mix of large retailers relative to some of our peers has resulted in us feeling more of an impact.” But while Ready shifted the blame to tariffs, he also conceded that the company wasn’t diversified enough when it came to its range of advertisers. “This highlights the need for us to further accelerate our growth with a broader set of mid-market, SMB, and international advertisers with less than $30 billion of GMV [gross merchandise volume],” Ready said. “This is the next phase of our sales and go-to-market transformation.” Pinterest’s stock price has had a bad year Even before today’s 20% premarket decline, PINS stock has been having a rough time lately. The company’s stock price closed at $18.54 yesterday. That represented a fall of more than 28% since the year began, and a staggering 52% drop over the past twelve months. At its current premarket price of around $14.56 a share, PINS stock has not seen a price this low since early 2020. To put Pinterest’s recent share price doldrums into a broader context, the stock market Pinterest trades on—the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)—has seen gains while PINS continues to drop. Data from Yahoo Finance shows the NYSE Composite Index has risen 5.3% year to date, and more than 15.5% over the past 12 months. View the full article

Since Spencer Rascoff took over as Match Group CEO in early 2025, he has set about trying to revive its portfolio of dating apps, in part by winning back user trust and courting Gen Z. “Trust is the foundation of real connections, and we are committed to rebuilding it with urgency, accountability, and an unwavering focus on the user,” Rascoff said last March in a letter to employees sharing his vision. As part of that turnaround and effort to cultivate trust, Match Group—the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid—has also sought to revamp its internal culture over the last year, in the interest of imbuing the company with greater transparency. A few months into Rascoff’s tenure as CEO, the company also announced layoffs, which affected 13% of its workforce. In a LinkedIn post today detailing Match Group’s culture shift, Rascoff argued that transparency had been “critical” to the company’s transformation over the last year. “I’ve seen a noticeable shift: stronger collaboration, faster ideas sharing, and sharper execution,” he wrote. “It’s a sign to me that the culture of transparency has taken hold.” Rascoff shared how, exactly, Match Group fostered that transparency, starting with giving employees a direct line to ask questions or provide feedback. Employees have the option of remaining anonymous or including their name and engaging in a back-and-forth with Rascoff if appropriate. “I read every single submission, and I respond to every message that comes in,” he wrote, adding, “If the sender includes their name, I follow up with that person directly, and many great conversations have been sparked in this way. If the sender chooses to remain anonymous, then I write up an answer and share it broadly with the company monthly.” This feedback channel has prompted more than 300 messages and led to several changes at Match Group, including a shared GitHub repository for engineers across the company and a standing monthly meeting between Rascoff and the Gen Z employee resource group. Rascoff also claims to answer every question that is submitted prior to the company’s all-hands meetings. “Transparency only works if it goes both ways,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “You can’t expect people to speak up if you don’t show them it makes a difference.” Rascoff has also taken the unusual step of not only asking for feedback but actually receiving feedback on his own performance in a public forum. Match Group’s head of talent management conducted his mid-year review in an all hands meeting last year, allowing employees to listen in on his performance evaluation and see the goals that would govern his priorities for the rest of 2025. In March, Rascoff also plans to share his 2025 self-assessment with the whole company. It’s not yet clear whether Match Group’s overhaul will prove successful. But Rascoff claims the push for transparency has already moved the needle on company culture. At Tinder, employee engagement has jumped by 10% over the last six months. And in Match Group’s annual employee survey, there was a 13% increase in the share of people who agreed with the statement that the executive team keeps them informed. “One year as CEO, what’s mattered most to me is creating the conditions where great people can thrive,” Rascoff told Fast Company. “When teams are trusted and aligned, they move faster and feel more connected to the work. Watching that happen has been deeply motivating for me, and it makes me excited about the progress we can continue to make from here.” View the full article

For a long time, PPC performance conversations inside agencies have centered on bidding – manual versus automated, Target CPA versus Maximize Conversions, incrementality debates, budget pacing and efficiency thresholds. But in 2026, that focus is increasingly misplaced. Across Google Ads, Meta Ads, and other major platforms, bidding has largely been solved by automation. What’s now holding performance back in most accounts isn’t how bids are set, but the quality, volume, and diversity of creative being fed into those systems. Recent platform updates, particularly Meta’s Andromeda system, make this shift impossible to ignore. Bidding has been commoditized by automation Most advertisers today are using broadly similar bidding frameworks. Google Smart Bidding uses real-time signals across device, location, behavior, and intent that humans can’t practically manage at scale. Meta’s delivery system works in much the same way, optimizing toward predicted outcomes rather than static audience definitions. In practice, this means most advertisers are now competing with broadly the same optimization engines. Google has been clear that Smart Bidding evaluates millions of contextual signals per auction to optimize toward conversion outcomes. Meta has likewise stated that its ad system prioritizes predicted action rates and ad quality over manual bid manipulation. The implication is simple. If most advertisers are using the same optimization engines, bidding is no longer a sustainable competitive advantage. It’s table stakes. What differentiates performance now is what you give those algorithms to work with – and the most influential input is creative. Andromeda makes creative a delivery gate Meta’s Andromeda update is the clearest evidence yet that creative is no longer just a performance lever. It’s now a delivery prerequisite. This matters because it changes what gets shown, not just what performs best once shown. Meta published a technical deep dive explaining Andromeda, its next-generation ads retrieval and ranking system, which fundamentally changes how ads are selected. Instead of evaluating every eligible ad equally, Meta now filters and ranks ads earlier in the process using AI models trained heavily on creative signals, improving ad quality by more than 8% while increasing retrieval efficiency. What this means in practice is critical for marketers. Ads that don’t generate strong engagement signals may never meaningfully enter the auction, regardless of targeting, budget, or bid strategy. If your creative doesn’t perform, the platform doesn’t just charge you more. It limits your reach altogether. Dig deeper: Inside Meta’s AI-driven advertising system: How Andromeda and GEM work together Creative is now the primary optimization input on Meta Meta has repeatedly stated that creative quality is one of the strongest drivers of auction outcomes. In its own advertiser guidance, Meta highlights creative as a core factor in delivery efficiency and cost control. Independent analysis has reached the same conclusion. A widely cited Meta partnered study showed that campaigns using a higher volume of creative variants saw a 34% reduction in cost per acquisition, despite lower impression volume. The reason is straightforward. More creative gives the system more signals. More signals improve matching. Better matching improves outcomes. Andromeda accelerates this effect by learning faster and filtering harder. This is why many advertisers are experiencing plateaus even with stable bidding and budgets. Their creative inputs are not keeping pace with the system’s learning requirements. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Google Ads is quietly making the same shift While Google has not branded its changes as dramatically as Meta, the direction is the same. Performance Max, Demand Gen, Responsive Search Ads, and YouTube Shorts all rely heavily on creative assets to unlock inventory. Google has explicitly stated that asset quality and diversity influence campaign performance. Accounts with limited creative assets consistently underperform those with strong asset coverage, even when bidding strategies and budgets are otherwise identical. Google has reinforced this by introducing creative-focused tools such as Asset Studio and Performance Max experiments that allow advertisers to test creative variants directly. As with Meta, the algorithm can only optimize what it is given. Strong creative expands reach and efficiency. Weak creative constrains both. Dig deeper: A quiet Google Ads setting could change your creative The plateau problem agencies keep hitting Many agencies are seeing the same pattern across accounts. Performance improves after structural fixes or bidding changes. Then it flattens. Scaling spend leads to diminishing returns. The instinct is often to revisit bids or efficiency targets. But in most cases, the real constraint is creative fatigue. Audiences have seen the same hooks, visuals, and messages too many times. Engagement drops. Estimated action rates fall. Delivery becomes more expensive. This isn’t a platform issue. It’s a creative cadence issue. Creative testing is the missing optimization lever in mature accounts. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. The agency bottleneck: Creative production Most agencies are structurally set up to optimize bids, budgets, and structure faster than they can produce new creative. Creative takes time. It requires strategy, copy, design, video, approvals, and iteration. Many retainers still treat creative as a one-off or an add-on rather than a core performance input. The result is predictable. Accounts are technically sound but creatively starved. If your account has had the same core ads running for three months or more, performance is almost certainly being limited by creative volume, not optimization skill. High-performing accounts today look messy on the surface with dozens of ads, multiple hooks, frequent refreshes, and constant testing. That isn’t inefficiency. That’s how modern PPC works. Creative testing is a process, not a campaign One of the biggest mistakes agencies make is treating creative testing as episodic. Launch new ads. Wait four weeks. Review results. Declare winners and losers. That approach is too slow for how fast platforms learn and audiences fatigue. High-performing teams treat creative like a product roadmap. There’s always something new in development. Always something learning. Always something being retired. Effective creative testing focuses on one variable at a time: hook, opening line, visual style, offer framing, social proof, or call to action. It’s not about finding “the best ad.” It’s about building a library of messages the algorithm can deploy to the right people at the right time. Dig deeper: Your ads are dying: How to spot and stop creative fatigue before it tanks performance What agencies should do differently Once you accept that creative is the constraint, the operational implications are unavoidable. If creative is the main constraint, agency processes need to change. Creative should be planned alongside media, not after it. Retainers should include ongoing creative production, not just optimization time. Testing frameworks should be explicit and documented. At a minimum, agencies should be asking: How often are we refreshing creative by platform? Are we testing new hooks or just new designs? Do we have enough volume for the algorithm to learn? Are we feeding performance insights back into creative strategy? The best agencies now operate closer to content studios than optimization factories. That’s where the value is. Creative is the performance lever Bidding, tracking, and structure still matter. But in 2026, those are table stakes. If your PPC performance is stuck, the answer is rarely another bidding tweak. It’s almost always better creative. More of it. Faster iteration. Smarter testing. The platforms have told us this. The data supports it. The accounts prove it. Creative is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s the performance lever. The agencies that recognize that will be the ones that continue to grow. Dig deeper: Cross-platform, not copy-paste: Smarter Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest ad creative View the full article

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, announced her resignation Thursday, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an “older brother” and downplayed his sex crimes. Ruemmler said in a statement that she would “step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.” Up until her resignation, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman’s top legal post, which she had held since 2020. While Ruemmler has called Epstein a “monster” in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein “Uncle Jeffrey” in emails and said she adored him. In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing him.” In her statement Thursday, Ruemmler said: “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do. My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first.” Goldman CEO David Solomon said in a separate statement: “As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.” During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender. “So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!” Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018. Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws. As late as December, Goldman CEO David Solomon described Ruemmler as an “excellent lawyer” and said she had his full faith and backing. —Ken Sweet, AP Business Writer View the full article

If you are dealing with an employee or colleague who consistently underperforms and makes excuses, it can be extremely frustrating. When someone underperforms it not only slows down team progress and lowers the quality of work, but also forces others to take on extra tasks. This increases the workload for the rest of the team, which often means more stress and potential burnout for those left picking up the load. It can also create a sense of unfairness and lead to conflicts among team members due to the uneven distribution of effort and responsibility. For managers, handling underperformance adds extra work as well, taking up valuable time and energy that could be spent on other important tasks. If the issue goes unaddressed, it can erode trust among team members. When leaders fail to act, people may see the situation as unfair and believe there is little accountability for behavior. This doesn’t just impact how the team works together in the short term; over time, it can lower team morale and slow down progress toward goals. If leaders don’t step up, people don’t feel safe. When someone keeps making excuses, it’s important to approach the situation constructively. Here are some steps you can take as a colleague, team, or leader. Be clear on your goals Whatever your company’s style, one thing is key: Make sure the goals you are working on are crystal clear and connected to the team’s overall purpose. If you are a leader, you can schedule a team meeting or, if needed, a one-on-one meeting in advance to discuss the team members’ role and responsibilities within the team. If you notice behavior that’s full of excuses and lacks focus on goals: Spell out what good, bad, and totally unacceptable results look like. Clearly communicate what you require from your colleagues or the team, including deadlines, outcomes, and standards. Once you agree on these expectations, you can hold them accountable and give specific feedback if the work isn’t meeting expectations. Make sure everybody understands the importance of their responsibilities. Next, get on the same page about the process. Together break down the steps needed to do their job well, maybe even walk them through it or ask what they need. And answer any questions they have early on to avoid future excuses about not knowing what to do. Find out why It’s important to delve deeper by asking open-ended questions to uncover the root cause if somebody is not working as expected or needed. “Why are you not meeting your goals?” can be a simple but helpful question. Start by listening to their explanations without jumping to conclusion or immediate judgment. Sometimes, what initially appears as an excuse may actually come from valid concerns or obstacles that you hadn’t previously recognized. There might be underlying issues that individuals may be hesitant to tell you directly. If we know what the reasons are behind their excuses, we might be able to help them. Is the task too challenging for them? Are they bad at time management? Do they need training or other resources? Ask them what support they need to overcome their challenges and see if you are able and willing to offer it. Explain the impact We should communicate to people the impact their behavior has on the work, themselves, or others. This way, they’ll understand how their actions slow everyone down and why it’s important to do better. If they don’t know, they can’t change their behavior. Give feedback that is specific, objective, and focused on behavior and outcomes, not personality. “I’ve noticed that you’ve missed a deadline three times now. You often have an explanation, which I understand, things come up. But when it happens more than once, it comes across as avoiding ownership and it impacts the team’s momentum. Meeting deadlines is a basic expectation, so I need you to take full responsibility and let me know early please if something might slip.” Explain clearly what happens if they don’t improve and what they gain if they do. Adjust the work If things aren’t working out, as a leader you may decide it’s time to rethink an employee’s tasks. Instead of letting excuses become a pattern, encourage a shift towards finding solutions. If necessary, consider reassigning some of their tasks (temporarily) to better align with their capabilities. The feedback may not only focus on their content or goals but also on their overall approach to life. It’s important to address how their actions affect both others and their own professional development. Encourage them to reflect on why they often resort to making excuses. Set Boundaries Sometimes enough is enough. You have to let people know in advance what’s at stake. Explain how doing their job successfully can create opportunities and build their reputation. On the flip side, not getting the job done will have consequences. If after support and opportunities to improve, the behavior doesn’t change, it may be necessary to take more formal steps depending on the context. At that point you may need to have that difficult conversation and part ways. Sometimes reaching a breaking point is unavoidable. With these actions, you can help your colleagues or employees step up their game and create a more productive work environment. Remember, the goal is to create a safe culture of accountability and growth that benefits everyone involved. Keep motivating and supporting your team towards excellence but don’t be afraid to set boundaries along the way. You can always remember the phrase: We help first, but we hold firm. View the full article