Bitcoin Group to begin trading on the Australian Securities Exchange in February

By Lulu Chang January 14, 2016

Bitcoin

Looking for your next great investment opportunity? Believe it or not, it may be with bitcoin. The little cryptocurrency that could has come a long way since its seedy beginnings, and now, an Australian bitcoin company called the Bitcoin Group is on the brink of being listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The company describes itself as “one of the largest bitcoin mining operators,” and boasts a fleet of over 6,000 machines in seven locations that “mine” for bitcoins. Last Christmas Eve, the Melbourne-headquartered firm became the first cryptocurrency miner to ever undergo an IPO, and offered investors a total of 100 million shares at the price of 20 cents, hoping to raise $20 million.

But now, Bitcoin Group CEO Sam Lee says that his company, and the industry at large, could be worth much more than that — billions rather than millions of dollars, in fact. “Every day more stores are adopting bitcoin as a preferred payment method over systems such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal, as merchants don’t need to pay any transaction fees to receive bitcoin,” Bitcoin Group CEO Sam Lee told ZDnet.

Lee also notes that the company was profitable in 2015, a trend that he anticipates Bitcoin Group continuing in years to come.

“Bitcoin will revolutionize the world of finance because it has the potential to make the world of finance more accountable and cheaper to operate,” he told Yahoo Finance, and compared the cryptocurrency to “digital cash,” claiming that this newfangled money has “zero risk to merchants from fraud or charge-backs.”

Shares are currently slated to begin trading on February 2, and Lee calls it “an exciting opportunity for investors who want to be exposed to this technological paradigm shift.” So if you’re looking to diversify your portfolio in rather creative ways, you may consider turning your attention towards the Australian and Bitcoin Group.

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The IRS is cracking down on people who didn’t pay taxes on Bitcoin earnings

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If you've been trading Bitcoin and haven't been reporting your earnings to the IRS, you might be getting a surprise in your mailbox.
The IRS is cracking down on cryptocurrency traders who didn’t report their earnings on their taxes. By the end of next month, around 10,000 people are expected to get letters from the IRS asking them to pay back taxes on unreported earnings from cryptocurrency trading, Engadget reports.
Last year the IRS launched a “Virtual Currency Compliance campaign” to address noncompliance related to the use of virtual currency.
“U.S. persons are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources including transactions involving virtual currency. IRS Notice 2014-21 states that virtual currency is property for federal tax purposes and provides information on the U.S. federal tax implications of convertible virtual currency transactions,” reads the announcement. “The Virtual Currency Compliance campaign will address noncompliance related to the use of virtual currency through multiple treatment streams including outreach and examinations. The compliance activities will follow the general tax principles applicable to all transactions in property, as outlined in Notice 2014-21. The IRS will continue to consider and solicit taxpayer and practitioner feedback in education efforts, future guidance, and development of Practice Units. Taxpayers with unreported virtual currency transactions are urged to correct their returns as soon as practical. The IRS is not contemplating a voluntary disclosure program specifically to address tax non-compliance involving virtual currency.”
Last week the IRS started sending “educational letters” to some taxpayers. The names of those who are receiving the letter were acquired from “various ongoing compliance efforts” conducted by the IRS.
"Taxpayers should take these letters very seriously by reviewing their tax filings and when appropriate, amend past returns and pay back taxes, interest, and penalties," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "The IRS is expanding our efforts involving virtual currency, including increased use of data analytics. We are focused on enforcing the law and helping taxpayers fully understand and meet their obligations.”
Taxpayers that do not accurately report their earnings through cryptocurrency trading are liable for the tax for those earnings as well as penalties and interest. In some cases, the IRS notes that those who have not paid taxes on cryptocurrency earnings could potentially face criminal prosecution.

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It’s time to get creative: Get up to 20% off Autodesk software with this deal

Tech Center at Birmingham, Hermle using autodesk software to design.

This content was produced in partnership with Autodesk.
AutoCAD has long been a staple of design and drafting tool sets, from architects and engineers to construction pros. It allows you to both design and annotate your creations, using 2D geometry and 3D models complete with textures, solids, surfaces, and mesh objects. Why does that matter? It massively helps design new physical objects and spaces in a digital form. But AutoCAD goes way beyond that, as do most of Autodesk's software tools. It can be expensive to sign up for access, especially if you have a small to medium-sized team. With the current Autodesk software deal, you not only have the opportunity to try out the tools for free, but also you can get a significant discount, and lock in your price for three years. Between April 17 and 20, you can get 20% off AutoCAD LT and Revit LT Suit, and 15% off AutoCAD. That discount drops AutoCAD's price down to $1,564 -- if paid annually -- saving you nearly $400 ($391). That's an excellent deal but it won't be available for very long so act soon.

This Autodesk software deal nets you access to the company's latest products, namely AutoCAD which is an incredibly useful design and creativity tool. The most important takeaway is that it helps you complete your professional projects faster by unlocking access to automations and customizations. For example, you can fully customize your workspace with add-on apps and APIs that essentially transform the way you create, manipulate, and work with objects in the toolset. You can make things faster, especially the more you use the tool for your designs.

Business

Find exceptional talent: the best hiring platforms for small businesses

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This content was produced in partnership with ZipRecruiter.
Without the right talent or the right people rather, no business could thrive, big or small. But finding top talent is extremely crucial for small businesses, especially when it comes to remaining competitive in today's market. Smaller operations generally have limited resources, so it's necessary to improve productivity and efficiency wherever possible, which is precisely where securing good talent comes into the picture. But how do you find those people? The answer is via hiring platforms a la ZipRecruiter. They not only bring in the talent but also help you better understand the people, their work histories, and their overall expertise. Moreover, they help streamline the hiring process making it easier to find relevant candidates.

In light of that, here are the seven best hiring platforms for small businesses that can help you secure a competitive edge with top-tier talent: