News

The first Out Front Ideas with Kimberly and Mark webinar of 2017 provided our thoughts on the 20 Workers’ Compensation Issues to Watch in 2017. What follows is a summary of the initial 10 issues discussed: 1. Election impact The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under President Obama felt state workers’ compensation systems needed reform, […]

Last night, our company along with Poole & Shaffery Law Group, Schramm Financial, and Mass Mutual hosted a Bourbon Tasting Event at Southern Smokehouse BBQ in Newhall, California. It was a fantastic event, where local business owners and executives were able to enjoy delicious BBQ, Bourbon, and socialize all while raising money for a local […]

DOL to Consider Delaying the Rule’s Applicability President Trump has issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Labor to examine the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fiduciary Duty Rule to determine whether the rule may adversely affect individuals’ abilities to gain access to retirement information and financial advice. In response to the memorandum, the DOL […]

Publication Discusses Retirement Plans The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released an updated Publication 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business for use in preparing 2016 returns. Background Publication 560 discusses retirement plans that employers can set up and maintain for themselves and their employees. The publication covers the following types of retirement plans: SEP (simplified […]

Rules Affect Many Health Care Facilities California has passed new rules, generally effective April 1, 2017, regarding workplace violence prevention in the health care industry. Highlights of the rules are presented below: Applicability. The rules generally apply to work in certain health care facilities, service categories, and operations (including home health care). Workplace Violence Prevention […]

Scam Targets Taxpayers’ Personal Information The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has renewed its warning about an email scam that uses a corporate officer’s name to request employee Forms W-2 (and other sensitive employee information) from company payroll or human resources departments. Background The W-2 scam first appeared last year. Cybercriminals tricked payroll and human resources […]

For the past eight Januaries I have published an article called “Coverage for Dummies.” It’s a review of the most notable cases, from the year just concluded involving people who did, well, really dumb stuff, and then turned around and sought insurance coverage for their consequences. Liability insurance is, by definition, a product that provides […]

Certain Employers Required to Electronically File Returns Employers subject to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) information reporting requirements are reminded that the deadlines to file and furnish Forms 1094 and 1095 are quickly approaching. The reporting deadlines in 2017 are for reporting information on the 2016 calendar year, and are as follows: Applicable large employers […]

If the Night’s Watch had been able to purchase a cheap camera-equipped drone, Jon Snow might have noticed the Night’s King and his army of White Walkers before they surprised and overran the Wildings’ camp in Season 5 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Originally a tool developed exclusively for military operations, drones now hover at the horizon […]

New San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Poster Also Available The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has released, along with additional compliance resources, the required poster that covered employers must display under the Paid Parental Leave Ordinance (PPLO). A new San Francisco Paid Sick Leave poster is also available. Background Effective as of […]