With global merger & acquisition activity at record levels as first-half 2026 value surged to $2.8 trillion, middle market M&A is playing its part as private equity and corporate buyers reenter the market. Adding to this activity is a relatively new player, both as an acquirer and seller: employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs. The […]
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IRS has increased mileage rates in response to rising gas prices. getty The IRS is increasing its standard mileage rates midyear, citing recent increases in fuel prices. Beginning July 1, 2026, the optional standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup, or panel truck will be: 76 cents per mile driven for […]
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In an NFIB survey, 84% of small business owners seeking to hire said they found few or no qualified applicants for their jobs. getty The percentage of small business owners seeking to hire workers rose in June, but so did the share who said they couldn’t find qualified workers, according to a newly released survey […]
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Happy birthday, America! Celebrations galore will mark our country’s 250th anniversary. Among the commemorations, companies and industries are creating timeline walls and founders’ story corners that connect their history with United States’. Amidst these festivities, let’s take a moment to observe a similar remembrance that honors the rich history of employee ownership since colonial days. […]
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Small business profitability was down 1.3% in April from the previous year, the weakest reading in two years, the Bank of America Institute reports. Getty Corporate profits have been surging, with the S&P 500 posting a 29% year over gain in the first quarter of 2026 alone. But on most Main Streets across America, it’s […]
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Kelly Loeffler, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Administrator of the Small Business Administration. The agency this week issued new guidance on its crackdown over SBA loans. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) The Small Business Administration has finally made official its crackdown on small business investors, and it’s not as sweeping as some involved with SBA-guaranteed loans […]
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Questions you ask AI about a legal case aren’t protected by attorney-client confidentiality, a federal court has ruled. Getty Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Alphabet’s Gemini may be great for helping with research or creating spreadsheets, but one thing they decidedly are not is your attorney. If anything, turning to artificial intelligence for legal advice […]
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The SBA 7(a) loan guarantee limit remains $5 million, but small businesses can borrow another $5 million through a second program. Getty The first year and a half of the second Trump Administration has been a mixed bag for small business owners. Tax cuts and an assault on federal regulation have pleased many, even as […]
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