Bob Operates a Clothing Business Using the Accrual Method Over

question 39

Essay

Bob operates a clothing business using the accrual method over a calendar year. In October of last year, Bob contracted with his father, Tim, for consulting advice. Tim is a cash-basis calendar-year taxpayer, and he billed Bob for $6,000 of consulting fees. This amount was comparable to amounts charged by other consultants (a reasonable amount). Bob paid $2,500 of the consulting fee by December 31 ^st of last year, but the remaining $3,500 was not paid until January of this year. When can Bob deduct the consulting fee?

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Definitions:

Geometric Returns

The average rate of return per period on an investment, calculated by compounding the returns over time.

Excess Returns

The return on an investment minus the return on a benchmark, indicating the performance of the investment relative to the market.

Historical Standard Deviation

A statistical measure that quantifies the variability or dispersion of a set of past data points.

Small Stocks

Shares of relatively small companies, which may offer higher growth potential but also come with higher risk.