2016 was the first year that the baby boom generation reached age 70 ½, and millions more will hit that milestone in the years ahead. The gift from the IRS is that they must begin withdrawing funds from their traditional individual retirement accounts and employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans. Overview of RMDs Individuals cannot keep retirement f [...]

By: Christian Tom What laws govern the ownership of artistic work? There have been numerous cases brought to court in the past few decades regarding the subject of legal title of artwork. One of the most famous and public cases was the Republic of Austria v. Altmann, in which the plaintiff, Maria Altmann, argued that five paintings, painted by Austrian artist, Gustav [...]

You’ll never truly be ready for the challenges and uncertainty of being a new parent. When I found out I was pregnant with Ava, I immediately began thinking about how to balance my career while being a new mother. It was not easy at first, but with careful planning, support from my team at work and family and an initiative towards work anytime/anywhere, I was able to [...]

As the entertainment industry is constantly evolving, the latest hot emerging markets involve virtual reality. While major motion picture studios previously dabbled with 3D exhibition of feature films, Hollywood is now on a mission to fully immerse the audience into the realm of virtual reality (“VR”). The goal of VR is to transform traditional viewing into a new real [...]

Click here to listen to our latest Media Clips podcast discussing the State of the Entertainment and Media Industry. Led by GHJ Partner Ilan Haimoff with guest Jeff Cole, Director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg School of Communication, this podcast explores the potential game changers for the Film and Television Industry and much more. About [...]

The presence of new media is now more pervasive than ever. There are literally hundreds of companies that offer “Video-On-Demand” (VOD), “Electronic Sell-Through” (EST) and internet/ad supported streaming (ADSS) services, such as: Apple, In Demand, Amazon, Verizon, ATT, Microsoft, Comcast, DirecTV, Sony, Vudu, Google, Hulu, as well as foreign licensees, such as FilmFl [...]

Asking if you know how much your inventory is worth or is it valued correctly might sound like a simple and insulting question. Of course you know the value as you approve the invoices, process the checks, however, if you manufacture your inventory, the valuation is not that simple. Even before determining whether you are appropriately valuing your inventory, you sho [...]

By Ilan Haimoff (Partner, GHJ) and David Simon (Media Executive, Simon Bros) One of the advantages for a media conglomerate is its ability to leverage synergy between different businesses in their portfolio, resulting in efficiencies, which yield value to the shareholders and consumers. In the case of television, there is a natural case for vertical integration. All [...]

Food waste is a topic that has seemingly flown under the radar. In 2015, the value of food waste from homes, businesses, farms, and manufacturers in the U.S. alone was $218 billion. This does not take into consideration the resources wasted to produce the food, such as water, soil, labor, etc. Globally, some estimates suggest that roughly one-third of all food produce [...]

It can be challenging for exempt organizations to keep track of all the requirements needed in order to maintain their tax exempt status. There are a vast number of topics that exempt organizations should be aware of such as annual filing requirements, unrelated business income, car donation reporting etc. Over my 9 years of experience in nonprofit tax practice, I hav [...]