Q&A Over Coffee Podcast
Pour a cup and tune in every two weeks for a discussion, or Q&A, over coffee. Hosted by and featuring expert guests on financial topics across numerous industries.
Contact us using the form below if you’d like more information on any of the topics featured in our episodes or have any suggestions for the Q&A Over Coffee team!
Recent Episodes:
#24: ERISA with Magen Koepp and Carrie Sundberg
A very important topic for businesses with employee benefit packages. In this episode we are joined by two leaders of our ERISA audit team: Principal Magen Koepp and Director Carrie Sundberg. Employee benefit plan audits are important for businesses that meet a certain number of participants. This is an enforcement by the Department of Labor and if businesses don’t meet certain requirements, they can experience costly penalties. We as a firm feel it is very important to inform you and other business owners about ERISA and how important performing an audit on your employee benefit plans can save you a lot of trouble with the DOL. Tune in to find out more!
#23: Assessing Financial Well Being for Businesses with Julie Walker
Join us for our newest episode of Q&A Over Coffee, featuring our Chief Operating Officer, Julie Walker. Julie wears multiple hats, collaborating with Olsen Thielen and various clients. Her role encompasses diverse tasks aimed at enhancing financial well-being. Discover how monitoring business health differs across industries, as Julie explores analytics tools for tracking cash flow and other vital metrics. Gain insights into interpreting financial statement ratios and actionable responses tailored to your business needs.
#22: Cash is King with Daniel Batten
Join us for the latest episode of Q&A Over Coffee, featuring commercial banker and financial expert Daniel Batten. Daniel brings extensive experience in aiding businesses with financial management and understanding financial statements. In this episode, we’ll emphasize the significance of cash flow for businesses—a crucial factor in assessing debt repayment ability and ensuring long-term financial health. Tune in to discover tips from Daniel on maintaining healthy cash flow and securing the future of your business.
#21: Common Tax Season Scams with Lisa Dunnigan & Mike Breza
In this latest episode, and in the spirit of tax season, we wanted to share some common scams you might encounter during the tax season. We are joined by Tax Principal Mike Breza and our CIO Lisa Dunnigan to share stories they’ve heard, or seen firsthand about different tax-related scams. Many involve a phone call from the IRS, text messages, and more. Americans have lost billions to these scams which could jeopardize your finances. Find out from our professionals some red flags you can look out for and how you can take action if you become a victim.
Lisa’s article on identity theft scams: Here
#20: Legislative Insights for CPAs and Taxpayers
In our twentieth episode of Q&A Over Coffee, we have the Government Relations Director from MNCPA Geno Fragnito to talk about the new legislative changes for CPAs. Geno’s role allows him to have direct contact with State Government officials on behalf of the CPA profession. Geno shares with us how tax laws can impact CPAs as well as tax payers as a response. We also discuss any major tax law changes as well as how CPA firms can better prepare for future legislative changes. For more information, we recommend visiting the MNCPA website and looking into CPA Day at the Capitol.
#19: Roundtable: Readying Your Business for Sale
Welcome back to yet another roundtable talk with our three hosts! In this episode, we talk about what steps a business should consider when selling their business. Business sales are long and arduous processes that require a lot of insight. Carefully looking at your financial statements, seeing if your business is growing or not, and doing this process multiple times each year really helps get the ball rolling and allowing for a transaction to take place. We discuss much more in regards to selling your business in our third episode covering Exit Planning with Randy Krivo.
#18: Passthrough Entity Tax with Zach Deo
We welcome back Tax Director Zach Deo for the very important discussion on the Minnesota Passthrough Entity Tax. Zach helps facilitate the mechanics of the tax, which are pretty straightforward – qualifying PTEs elect to calculate and pay the Minnesota tax liability due on the entity’s income instead of passing it through to be taxed at the individual owner level. But there’s more to discuss of why it is important for businesses who qualify to elect this option. As well as who is eligible to sign off on the election. Along with this episode, we encourage listeners to take a look at Zach’s article on PTE here: https://www.otcpas.com/minnesotas-new-pte-tax/
Please contact Zach if you have any further questions about the Minnesota PTE tax.
#17: Beneficial Ownership Information with Randy Sparling
Welcome to 2024! For our first episode of the year, we have commercial and estate attorney Randy Sparling from Felhaber Larson. Randy dives into the important topic of Beneficial Ownership and how to report BOI. There is information pertaining to many businesses that needs to be reported including Tax Payer ID Number, jurisdiction information, and more. We highly encourage reaching out to your attorney for more information.
#16: Employee Retention Credit (ERC) with Magen Koepp
Happy Holidays! With the New Year just around the corner, we wanted to bring on our own Audit Principal and Employee Benefit Plan Specialist Magen Koepp to talk about the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The ERC is important to many businesses; many are eligible to claim it, but should also be aware of deadlines, fraud, and other significant guidelines that apply to the credit. Magen brings her expertise and offers suggestions and resources you can seek out to see if your business qualifies and what the best course of action would be. Here are links to: Magen’s Article on ERC Scams | IRS ERC FAQ Page | IRS ERC Checklist | IRS ERC Scam Alerts
#15: Choosing The Right Accounting Software with Steve Iverson & Becky Halvorson
For this episode, we reached out to two of our Business Accounting Solutions (BAS) Professionals Steve Iverson and Becky Halvorson to talk about Accounting Software. Most small businesses we work with use QuickBooks, but what about larger businesses? And how do they deal with things such as cyber security and ensuring ease of access to the Cloud? With so many to choose from, we have our professionals help break them down so that you can have a better understanding of what they can do to help you run your business.
#14: Minnesota Employment Law Changes with Natolie Hochhausen
We’re back and so excited to have HR & Employment attorney from Fafinski, Mark, & Johnson Natolie Hochhausen on the Podcast. Natolie delves into various topics such as employee benefits, FMLA, non-compete agreements, and the recent legalization of marijuana and its implications in today’s workplaces. For anyone in need of legal advice on these employment changes, we encourage you to connect with Natolie or seek guidance from other legal council. This information will empower both employees and employers to make informed business decisions as we step into 2024.
Manufacturing Special pt. 2: The State of Manufacturing® Survey Results with Bob Kill
In part two of our Manufacturing Special, the President & CEO of Enterprise Manufacturing, Bob Kill hops into the spotlight for his thoughts on the State of Manufacturing® results. The biggest challenges facing manufacturers in the last year came to light and organizations like Enterprise Minnesota step up to help alleviate any concerns manufacturers might have now, or in the future.
Manufacturing Special pt. 1: Olsen Thielen LIVE at The State of Manufacturing®
Olsen Thielen is a proud Platinum Sponsor of Enterprise Minnesota. On November 9th, Olsen Thielen attended the State of Manufacturing® Rollout event. We went on the road for this event, set up our podcast equipment and grabbed attendees for some on the spot interviews! We got insight from folks throughout the manufacturing industry on what they expected to see from the survey results.
#13: Tax Planning Strategies for the Next Year with Charlie Sparks
In our latest episode, our Tax Director, Charlie Sparks, shares his top tax planning strategies for the upcoming year. With just two months remaining in the current year, Charlie recommends that it’s the perfect moment to kickstart your tax planning, especially if you’re a business owner. From important tax law adjustments to potential tax credits, deductions, and various opportunities for individuals and businesses to maximize their returns, there’s a lot to consider this season. Our team of experts is here to ensure that no valuable details are missed as we assist you in preparing for next year’s tax planning.
#12: Cyber Security Scorecard: Knowing your Risks with Lisa Dunnigan
In our 12th episode, we recognize Cyber Security Awareness Month by joining Lisa Dunnigan, our Chief Technology Officer and Principal. She sheds light on the crucial topic of cybersecurity and shares insights on how companies and organizations can safeguard themselves against fraud via email and other channels. Lisa’s scorecard includes assessing an organization’s risk factors, evaluating backup practices, monitoring emails, and ensuring the effectiveness of server firewalls, among other essential aspects.
#11: Roundtable: Reviewing Financial Statements
In this special episode of Q&A Over Coffee, we are joined by all three of our hosts, Adam Hennen, Daniel Owens, and Tom Pesch to go over best practices in reviewing your business’s financial statements. With helpful, foundational analogies, we share why businesses need to take a closer look at their financial statements past, present, and future, to determine what direction the business is heading and if you need to identify any key performance indicators.
#10: How Much is My Business Worth? With Tony Oman
In our tenth episode of Q&A Over Coffee, we’re joined by Tony Oman, our Director of Business Valuation. He’ll be discussing the significance of business valuation, its practical applications, and its importance. Tune in to gain insights into the intricate process of valuing a company, the blend of science and art involved, and its relevance to areas like real estate and even retirement planning for business owners.
#09: Real Estate Investments with Greg Nelson
In this episode of Q&A Over Coffee, we sit with our Tax Principal Greg Nelson. Greg has many years of experience in Olsen Thielen’s Construction/Real Estate field and has continued to help grow this industry for the firm. Greg tells us about how investing in real estate can be extremely rewarding, but a lot of work. There are a lot of things to consider when investing in real estate including maintaining the property, renting, tax traps, and more!
#08: Understanding Your 990s with Ryan Vettrus
In this episode of Q&A Over Coffee, we sit with Ryan Vettrus, our Tax Director with expertise spanning diverse industries, including the Not-For-Profit sector. One of Ryan’s key responsibilities as a Tax Director is to support Not-For-Profit Clients in the process of filing their annual 990 form. But what exactly is the structure of the 990 form? What kind of information is required to complete it? Interestingly, an organization can leverage its 990 form as an effective public relations tool in various ways, benefiting both its members and the general public. Find out how it can help you and your organization!
#06: SECURE Act 2.0: What it Means for Your Retirement with Blake Faust
For episode six of our podcast, we discuss the widely popular topic of SECURE Act 2.0 with Blake Faust, Director of Retirement at Abbey Street. Blake shares with us what the next phase of the SECURE Act involves and what it means for businesses and individuals when it comes to planning for retirement. For additional resources involving the SECURE Act 2.0, check out our articles where we cover specific provisions for both Individuals as well as Employers.
#05: Mergers & Acquisitions with Byron Wieberdink
In our fifth installment of Q&A Over Coffee, we are joined by Byron Wieberdink, CFO of Omni Workspace International in Minneapolis. Together, with Olsen Thielen’s Tax Principal Matt Klein, we dive into Mergers & Acquisitions. We cover the financial implications, market value, and resources you can find to help move the M&A process along.
#04: Company Structure with Scott Hoyles
In this episode, we discuss the various types of entities with our very own Tax Principal, Scott Hoyles: Sole Proprietorships vs. Partnerships and S Corps vs. C Corps. These diverse and extensive entity structures are crucial to comprehend when starting a business, and Scott assists us in analyzing each one and explaining their significance.
Upcoming Episodes:
#25: Building a Strategic Business Plan with Pat Hall
#26: Porking Effectively with your CPA with Pat Powers
#27: Process Improvements: Doing More with Less
Podcast Hosts
Sign up for Podcast Updates
Note that the Q&A Over Coffee Podcast is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for obtaining accounting, tax, or financial advice from a professional accountant.