Ron Stone

Last night, the election of 2008 finished and the citizens of the US showed that we continue to approach the “Dream” of Martin Luther King Jr. 

“I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream — a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man’s skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.”

Our country “determined” Barack Obama by the content of his character instead of the color of his skin.  This country gives us all a lot to be thankful for and last night proved the essential goodness of our people. 

Ronald C. Stone (Ron) is the principal of Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting with over twenty five years of business advisory, accounting and tax experience. Additionally, Ron is the Editor in Chief for Micro Cap Review.  Prior to Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting, Ron was the Chief Financial Officer and Operating Officer of Ronco Corp.; a NASDAQ bulletin board traded Public Company. Ron has also been CFO/COO of an entertainment company and CFO of an engineering manufacturer. Ron had his own CPA firm in Beverly Hills and worked there for 15 years. Ron holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Los Angeles.

This past week has raised our economy to a level of uncertainty not seen for many generations.  Housing, stocks and job markets are all feeling the effects of the global economic downturn and these events require us to become reflective. 

Take stock in what you have and what you will need.  Since our credit markets have created uncertainty, make certain that if you are dependent on continued credit, you confirm that your credit remains available.  Consider the future and plan ahead. 

Are your retirement accounts sufficient? 

Do you have enough saved for college? 

If you loose your job, do I have enough saved until you get a new one? 

Should I change how I live, downsize?

Should I change my investment allocation?

These questions are only the beginning.  It is time to be proactive, not reactive.  If you think about the future and adjust your life plan (if necessary), this downturn can be managed.  In the long-term, there may even be opportunities.

Ronald C. Stone (Ron) is the principal of Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting with over twenty five years of business advisory, accounting and tax experience. Additionally, Ron is the Editor in Chief for Micro Cap Review.  Prior to Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting, Ron was the Chief Financial Officer and Operating Officer of Ronco Corp.; a NASDAQ bulletin board traded Public Company. Ron has also been CFO/COO of an entertainment company and CFO of an engineering manufacturer. Ron had his own CPA firm in Beverly Hills and worked there for 15 years. Ron holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Los Angeles.

If a company is planning to get listed on a US capital market, it must maintain it books and records according to US GAAP.  As part of the reverse merger process, a company will engage an auditor (I will blog on this process later) and have their financial statements attested to by that auditor.   In order to do this the company’s records must be accurate.  China’s taxing system is quite high and companies are incentivized to maintain two sets of books; one for the Chinese government and the other for what actually occurred.  This second set of books usually maintains the cash transactions. 

I recommend engaging a Hong Kong accounting firm to help convert the cash books to the actual records.  Keep in mind, this conversion will likely create a tax burden as the prior year’s unrecorded income is included.  If the tax burden is too great there are other techniques we have used to work around books that cannot be audited.  It is important to be flexible when planning to go public as the structure of the deal may change to meet challenges that present themselves.

Ronald C. Stone (Ron) is the principal of Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting with over twenty five years of business advisory, accounting and tax experience. Additionally, Ron is the Editor in Chief for Micro Cap Review.  Prior to Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting, Ron was the Chief Financial Officer and Operating Officer of Ronco Corp.; a NASDAQ bulletin board traded Public Company. Ron has also been CFO/COO of an entertainment company and CFO of an engineering manufacturer. Ron had his own CPA firm in Beverly Hills and worked there for 15 years. Ron holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Los Angeles.

Over the next few weeks I will focus on why successful companies in China should consider raising capital in the US capital markets though a process know as a reverse merger.  In a previous article, I explained what a reverse merger was, but there are specific issues to Chinese companies that I look to address in these musings.  In my future posting I will look at record keeping of Chinese companies, the “slow walk” used for CEO to become the largest shareholder; reporting challenges, and many other topics.  The opportunities for Chinese companies are extensive and these postings will help prospective companies plan for future growth.

Ronald C. Stone (Ron) is the principal of Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting with over twenty five years of business advisory, accounting and tax experience. Additionally, Ron is the Editor in Chief for Micro Cap Review.  Prior to Profit Planners West and Stone Consulting, Ron was the Chief Financial Officer and Operating Officer of Ronco Corp.; a NASDAQ bulletin board traded Public Company. Ron has also been CFO/COO of an entertainment company and CFO of an engineering manufacturer. Ron had his own CPA firm in Beverly Hills and worked there for 15 years. Ron holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Los Angeles.

This is a blog by Ron Stone. 

These are some recent articles that Ron Stone wrote for Micro-Cap Review magazine. 

Health Savings Accounts – The “New” IRA

Health Savings Accounts (HSA), were designed to encourage eligible taxpayers to take more responsibility for their health care expenses. Consider establishing an HSA account as a tax planning and saving device, the “New IRA”.

Reverse Mergers for Foreign Companies

The United States is one of the best places in the world for foreign (non-U.S.) companies to raise capital and create a public market for their stock. Foreign companies have for years sought access to the U.S. capital markets. With the U.S. dollar at its weakest level in 30 years, there [...] 

Unlocking the Equity in Restricted Stock

When founders of micro-cap companies seek to help the company they founded grow;the spectre of a personal guarantee to secure a loan is unattractive,as they are no longer the sole owner of the company. The same is true for corporate executives who are not eager to personally guarantee company debt. Operationally, many micro-cap [...]