2020 December BUZZ

THE BUZZ

MESSAGE FROM OUR MANAGING PARTNER

Team, We are wrapping up another year, and it has most certainly been one for the books.

It’s hard to believe it’s been over eight months since our “normal” was turned upside down. Like everyone else in our country and around the world, we continue to grapple with uncertainties surrounding our health and the health of loved ones, and how to best adapt to the new working environment that was thrust upon us. Even now, our situation seems surreal at times, but when I stop to think about all we’ve been through this past year, I am proud of how we met these challenges head on – as a team. I believe through our trying times we have become stronger individuals, professionals, and a much stronger unit.

Despite all the negativity 2020 has brought, let’s not lose sight of all the good. We successfully transitioned to our new headquarters that grants us a fresh start when we are finally able to resume “business-as-usual” and come back together under one roof. We continued to move up on the lists of “Top Accounting Firms” by the top publications in our industry. We completed a long, yet successful busy season and have turned the unfortunate situation we all found ourselves into opportunities to prove to our clients that we provide value, and are there for them when they need it most.

I am looking forward to putting 2020 in our rear-view mirror, but I am grateful for what these tests have demonstrated to us as a firm.

I wish you and your loved ones a safe and healthy holiday season. Thank you for all that you do for Sax and those we serve.

All the best,

Sax's Annual Holiday Party

Thank you to everyone who attended our Virtual Holiday Party, and congratulations to all of our raffle winners!

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RECENT WINS (October 28 - December 21)

TOTAL WINS YTD

TOTAL RECURRING WINS YTD

$3,735,600

$2,690,650

NEW CLIENT WINS

ENGAGEMENT TEAM

1. A.Y. Strauss, LLC

Jennifer Moroz

2. Peggy Ding

Marqus White

3. The Arc of Ocean County

Todd Polyniak

4. OnScene Technologies, Inc.

Jennifer Moroz

5. 69th Tenants Corp 6. Tesser & Cohen Attorneys at Law

Jeffrey Roude Jennifer Moroz

7. Moncon Inc.

Ermal Luzaj

8. Dr. Barbara Price

Susan Reed

9. Dr John O'Grady

Susan Reed

10. New Jersey Oncology Contracting

Susan Reed

11. Green Think Energy LLC

Chris Gaffney

12. Toufayan Bakeries

Todd Polyniak

13. Finder.com

Stephen Ehrenberg

14. Sumitomo SHI FW Energy North America Corp.

Stephen Ehrenberg

15. Cerullo Fire Protection Inc.

Joshua Chananie

16. Circle Square Alternative Investments LLC

George Livanos

17. Dozar Corp.

George Livanos

18. WMC Associates, LLC 19. DriTac Flooring, LLC

Megan Sartor Stephen Ehrenberg

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RECENT WINS (continued)

20. King Point One, LLC

Megan Sartor

21. O2-O2 Inc.

Chris Gaffney

22. Kwik Fill USA Inc. 23. IQM Corporation 24. Property Reno, Inc. 25. Dr. Goldberg 26. Dr. Roger Rivera - Advanced Pediatrics Grp

Joshua Chananie Ermal Luzaj Jennifer Moroz Susan Reed Megan Sartor

HUMAN RESOURCES

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the newest members of our Sax family.

Nicole Sinatra

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Steven Tillie

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Jake Oliver

Tax Intern | NYC | 1.22.21

Alejandra Gracias

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Siobhan Morrissey

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Allan Arce

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Gianna Coscia

Tax Intern | Parsippany | 1.22.21

Luting Zhao Massiel Rojas Jonathan Torres

Tax Intern | NYC | 1.22.21 Sr. Tax Associate | NYC | 1.22.21 Tax Associate | Parsippany | 1.22.21

The following employee is no longer with the firm. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Anthony Montanari

Tax Associate | Parsippany | 12.4.20

December Michael Benguigui, CPA Michael joined the Sax team in June of 2017 and currently serves as a Senior Tax Manager and is a member of our firm's Real Estate niche. Daily, he is working to ensure projects are being handled properly and clients' needs are being addressed.

Joshua Chananie, CPA Josh joined the Sax team in September of 2003 and has been with the firm ever since. He currently serves as Partner-in-Charge of the firm's Manufacturing & Distribution niche. His main responsibilities include managing client accounts, maintaining client relationships, and creating a collaborative environment for his team.

Read more about Michael and Joshua in our Q&As here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

Great Cards

Matt Goldstein is very deserving of a Great Card. Matt did an excellent job keeping track of his job with Fusion, coordinating with the client and the engagement team on providing the support needed to complete testing, and worked under pressure to get the job done and meet the client’s expectations. He also led his first audit with Arc of NJ and handled the job from start to finish with minimal assistance, delivering a completed product to the manager and partner.

Julia Goldshlag is highly deserving of a Great Card for her work with Fusion. This was a client that had never been through an audit before, had significant turnover in key financial reporting employees, and significant issues with their accounting records and providing documentation. Julia did a great job of digging into the issues with the accounting records in order to assist the client in correcting them, and bringing internal control issues to their attention in regards to those errors.

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

Great Cards

Anthony Sanchez deserves a Great Card for going above and beyond to complete a job and to meet deadlines. Due to scheduling conflicts and the nature of the job, Sax team members familiar with the job were unavailable to bring it to completion. Anthony took on the responsibility to complete the job even when it meant rearranging his schedule. He took the initiative to read and research to gain a deeper understanding of Uniform Guidance and the new ASUs. In addition, he worked late several nights and even worked some days on weekends in order to help meet the deadline.

Anthony took complete ownership of the job, proved he is a team player and that he displays all the core values of Sax.

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

Innovation Awards

Thank you to the following originators of the innovation projects that were implemented in 2020: Adam Feldman, Bill Happe and Michael Rolls Project Driven Culture Virginia Dennerlein and Debbie Nappi Improve 1099 Procedures Matt Goldstein, Harper Garrett, Adam Feldman Caseware Automation

The Innovation Committee would love to hear from you. To submit an idea, download and complete The Innovation Submission Form and email it to innovation@saxllp.com. Remember, no idea is a bad idea!

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

Effective January 1, 2021, we will be rolling back our email retention policy from 36 months to 24 months. At that time, emails older than January 1, 2019 will automatically be deleted and each day, emails older than 24 months will be deleted.

Emails providing support to an engagement are to be stored in either Caseware (business) or GFR (individuals, trusts, and estates).

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

This month, Joy Matak contributed to Leimberg Information Services Inc.'s newsletter publication with an article titled "What Planners Should Be Doing With Their Clients NOW".

Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Mat Giordano on passing his CPA exams!

We are proud to announce that Sax is gifting $500 to the Arc of Essex and $500 to NJCDC for their annual toy drives benefitting underprivileged families this holiday season.

ANNOUNCEMENTS | REMINDERS

All Sax offices will be closed December 24 (Christmas Eve), December 25 (Christmas Day) and January 1 (New Year's Day).

Call for New Board Members Paterson Boys & Girls Club is looking for new Board Members. They are requesting either an accountant or attorney. All interested individuals can email Todd Polyniak (tpolyniak@saxllp.com) and/or marketing@saxllp.com for more information.

Congratulations to Sax Wealth Advisors' team member, Jack Cassidy, on passing the Series 65 Exam.

2021 Holiday Schedule

NEW YEAR'S DAY - FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2021 MEMORIAL DAY - MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021 INDEPENDENCE DAY OBSERVANCE - MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021 LABOR DAY - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 THANKSGIVING DAY - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021 CHRISTMAS EVE - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2021 NEW YEAR'S EVE - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 ONE FLOATING HOLIDAY

Stress Reduction - How I Can Feel Better Now: Stress & Anxiety Strategies That Work!

Please join licensed therapist, Jill Mackey, and host Peter Kofitsas for 45 minutes on January 4th at 3:00 pm for a discussion on dealing and coping with stress and anxiety.

You’ll feel better immediately as Jill and Peter help us relax by sharing powerful strategies that you can use right now to decrease stress and anxiety, and start/resume living our lives.

Many questions and concerns will be addressed, such as: How can I lessen my stress during busy times?

How can I help identify the signs & symptoms of stress & anxiety?

How can I get motivated to exercise/eat healthier?

To attend, please accept the Outlook Invitation.

November Birthdays We'd like to wish a happy birthday to the following team members who celebrated a birthday in the month of November.

Mani Gupta

November 1

Gina Perrone

November 4

Justine Elia

November 5

Gabriella Marriello

November 7

Warren Wu

November 8

Anthony Sanchez

November 10

Tod Christianson

November 11

Brianna Pisauro

November 15

CJ Kaminski

November 16

Jeffrey Roude

November 19

Yan Ya Yu

November 22

John Beckerle

November 28

Frank Pawlowski

November 28

December Birthdays We'd like to wish a happy birthday to the following team members who have and will be celebrating a birthday in December.

Al Traverso

December 1

Joy Matak

December 3

Paige Zawislak

December 3

Natalie Alvarez

December 5

Daniel Sanchez

December 5

Kevin Hansen

December 5

William Peters

December 6

Anthony Joseph

December 7

Candy Gordon-Geanoules

December 12

Stephen Ehrenberg

December 13

Jessica Vidal

December 13

April Kushner

December 15

Freddy Delacruz

December 17

Joseph DeBarr

December 22

Shivani Jain

December 29

Gregg Munn

December 30

Lisa Mela

December 31

Debbie Nappi

December 31

COVID-19 RESOURCE CENTER

Now is the time to help our clients prepare for the road to recovery. With changes constant and released guidance ongoing, lean on Sax's Resource Center to stay in the know with the most recent updates.

LOAN PROGRAMS

TAX ALERTS

BUSINESS RESOURCES

WEBINARS

NJ, NY UPDATES

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES

SAX'S "WALL OF SUPPORT"

These are trying times for us all as the question of when we will resume “business as usual” is surrounded by uncertainty. In an effort to assist our clients when they need it most, we have created a “Wall of Support” which includes a number of organizations who could use our backing.

We encourage you to explore to see if there is a way you can lend a hand, whether that be by utilizing their services or donating to their cause.

If you have a client that would like to be included on our “Wall of Support,” please have them email covid19@saxllp.com with their company logo (.png, .eps, .ai, or pdf format) and the proper URL where to direct supporters.

and Sax At Sax, we value feedback from our employees. Glassdoor is a platform where employees rate their employer on a scale of 1-5 stars and leave comments, detailing their experience at their company. We would like to encourage team members to participate in leaving a rating to help recruiting and entice high-quality candidates to apply at Sax.

To participate, follow these simple steps: 1. Create an account 2. In the search bar, enter Sax 3. Select Company in the dropdown box 4. Enter Parsippany location 5. Click on the blue Add a Review box

ANYTHING TO ADD? Email marketing@saxllp.com