Don’t Wait For An I-9 Audit ACT NOW TO MITIGATE RISK FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION > continued from page 3
Helpful Resources If you’re trying to prepare your business for an I-9 audit, review these online resources: • The central hub for all things related to the Form I-9: www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/ • Sites designed to help you comply and evaluate updates and policy changes: www.worker.gov / www.employer.gov WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL • Guidance for employers on how to complete Form I-9: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/handbook-employers-m-274 Rea’s HR consulting services team can help you mitigate risk by helping your business comply with federal regulations be- fore receiving a Notice of Inspection in the mail. To avoid the extreme cost associated with such violations, we can provide documentation and recommendations to help ensure com- plete I-9 compliance. If you have questions about I-9 compli- ance or increased enforcement, talk to a human resources professional.
TO BUILD A LONG-TERM STRATEGY BASED ON YOUR GOALS ICE I-9 AUDIT TRENDS Form I-9 Audits Conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Endorcement from 2009-2019
Source U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Congressional Research Service
ICE opened 6,848 worksite investigations in FY 2018, compared to 1,691 in the previous 12 months.
It initiated 5,981 I-9 audits, compared to 1,360 in FY 2017. More than 2,300 people were arrested at work in FY 2018 – more than seven times the amount in the previous year.
Disclaimer: The HR Consulting services are based on the best knowl- edge of non-attorney specialists at Rea & Associates, Inc. Rea does not provide legal advice. You are encouraged to consult with legal counsel of your choice prior to implementing policies or procedures.
By Douglas Feller, CFA, CFP®, principal & financial advisor, Investment Partners, LTD, [email protected] (Dublin office) Feller’s Fables: Behavioral Mistakes Smart People Make
Born in the 1960s, economic theory was based on the psychology of the day, which suggested that people behaved rationally and could borrow money irre- spective of their credit score. As a Cer- tified Financial Planner ® practitioner, I can assure you that having a degree in psychology would be almost as helpful as having a degree in economics. Econ- omists adapted, and so have their mod- els, to account for the fact that … ahem … people are crazy (except for you, of course). As a result, the field of behav- ioral economics was born and produced a Nobel Prize. Here, we will briefly touch on three com- mon behavioral mistakes even the smart- est among us make. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it. Ever ignored your doctor’s advice or set a New Year’s resolution and not kept it? In those instances, you suffered from a lack of self-control and shortsighted- ness, which is simply failing to act in pur- suit of your overarching goals because of a lack of self-discipline. Many of us ignore mounting credit card debt, with- draw funds from retirement accounts early and save insufficiently for the fu- ture. Financial success is not about how smart you are; it’s the result of consis- tent, disciplined behavior over time. SOLUTION Take ownership of ev- ery dollar and attach goals to each one (including those in your safe, 401(k) and wallet). Hire a planner if necessary. Don’t confuse a lack of immediacy with a lack of consequences. Change is hard and uncomfortable. If there isn’t a problem requiring an im- mediate decision, then we’re more likely to maintain the status quo. In doing so, we might fail to increase retirement plan contributions because we choose to use a flat dollar amount rather than a per- centage of income. Or we let our wills, trusts, powers of attorney and business succession documents go stale. Waiting until you book your next trip on an air- plane to update your will is risky because you still have to drive to the airport. SOLUTION Run (don’t walk) to your attorney for a review and ask them to educate you on alternatives. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Most investors know that market tim- ing is foolish because it’s all based on your ability to be right twice – when to sell and when to get back in. But some- times, we can’t help ourselves. We leave investment contributions in cash because of current market conditions to avoid the regret that the decision will turn out poorly. If we happen to be right, it confirms and justifies our deci- sion. If we happen to be wrong, we’ll wait years for confirmation until our prediction comes true. Market corrections will hap- pen, but nobody knows when, so don’t try to guess.
Work with a profes- sional to build a long-term strategy based on your goals and stick with it through good times and bad. The key takeaway is that while our finan- cial planning may be rationally sound, our behavior often lets us down. An A+ strategy and C- execution will produce C- results. If your financial picture isn’t where you need it to be, it’s likely due to one of the biases listed above. Evaluate your results and, if you need help, ask. Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Investment Partners LTD is a Registered Invest- ment Adviser. Additional advisory services of- fered by Investment Partners LTD are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth. Fixed insur- ance products and services offered through Investment Partners, LTD or CES Insurance Agency