2019 Standard Mileage Rates

The IRS announced the 2019 Standard Mileage Rates last week.

Effective January 1, 2019:

• Business:  $ .58  (58 cents per mile)
• Medical / Moving:  $ .20  (20 cents per mile)
• Charitable:  $ .14  (14 cents per mile)

iOS 11 Update - What You Need to Know BEFORE Updating

Apple has an advisory on their website (see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208136) that using email in iOS 11 may not work, and that they’re working on it.

We recommend you postpone updating until this is resolved if you use email on your iOS device.

UPDATE: Apple released iOS 11.0.1 to fix the issue-- you're good to update!

New Article: Helpful Computer Hacks

A hack is no longer an inept person, but a helpful way of doing things that increases effectiveness and efficiency! Who knew!

I released an article to the publisher of some helpful computer hacks that will likely help every computer user. You can get to a free copy posted on my firm's website by clicking here.

New Article: Should Churches Continue to Reimburse Cell Phone Fees?

I just released an article for publication addressing whether churches and ministries should continue reimbursing some staff for their cell phone and internet connections. It's sure to cause a stir!

If you'd like to read a free advance copy on our website, click here!

Mobile Devices, Apps, & Other Exciting Technologies

I just released an article to the publisher with thoughts on how to manage all of the new options we have in technology. Want to read it? Click here to see the copy posted on our website!

2017 Standard Mileage Rates Announced

The IRS published the 2017 standard mileage rates on 12/13/2016, and here they are:

• $ .535 for business miles (down from $ .54 in 2016)
• $ .17 for medical and moving expenses (down from $ .19 in 2016)
• $ .14 for charitable mileage (this rate can only be changed by the U.S. Congress, and hasn't changed for years)

New Article: What Churches Should Learn from the Recent DDoS Attack

 

Late last month, the world saw a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack of historic proportions. Anyone who uses a computer, tablet, smartphone, or web-enabled technology—including many churches and church leaders—needs to understand the significance of this attack and what they can do to minimize their vulnerabilities when future attacks occur.

Want to read a free copy? Click here! 

New Article: Nick's Printer Picks & Tips

I just released an article to the publisher on this topic... see a free version of it by clicking here!

New Article: IT Security Essentials

IT security is an important piece of the IT puzzle that many in church and ministry leadership don't understand. I wrote a brief article that covers some of the most important, easy-to-fix, and affordable-to-fix issues. The article has been released to the publisher, but you can access a free copy on my firm's website by clicking here!

2 New Articles: Nicks Software & Hardware Picks

I've released two articles to their publisher, one on software and the other on hardware picks. They are available to preview for free on MBS' website; here are the links:

• Nick's Software Picks (2016)
• Nick's Hardware Picks (2016)

New WiFi Spec Promises 7gps Connections!

The May 13, 2016 Kiplinger Letter had an article that has attracted the attention of many. It was about WiFi that uses a portion of the air waves that is otherwise 'little-used' to transmit data at 'lightning-fast' speeds. I did a bit of research and found the following facts about this new technology spec:

• The WiFi spec, referred to as WiGig, operates in the 60ghz frequency range, compared to today's WiFi specs that operate in the 2.4ghz and 5.0ghz ranges. The higher broadcast frequency of WiGig means it has a shorter distance range… probably maxing out near 30 feet. This effectively eliminates it as a replacement spec for current WiFi in business and, especially, church buildings. You can imagine the number of access points that would need to be purchased and configured to cover an office or sanctuary… it would definitely be prohibitive.
• The WiGig speed tops out about 7gps (gigs per second), which is way faster than the connections speeds of current WiFi (the fastest of which tops out at about 1gps).
• Very few of the required chips are available at this time, but that may change in the near future.

Given that the range is so small (less than thirty feet), but that the speed is so high, this technology will likely be limited to consumer solutions such as connecting home media equipment without wires, etc. I don't believe it will replace the need for Ethernet cables in buildings--at least not this spec. But it may encourage the thinking and momentum behind other specs that are yet to be announced.

New Article: Microsoft O365 - What You Need to Know

I just sent an article to the publisher on issues related to migrating to Microsoft's O365. It includes some good news, details some of O365's limitations, and concludes with a creative way to save money!

Interested? Click here to read a free copy!

IRS Announces 2016 Standard Mileage Rates

The IRS announced today the Standard Mileage Rates for 2016. They are:

• Business Mileage:  $ .54/mile
• down from 2015’s $ .575
• Medical & Moving Mileage:  $ .19/mile
• down from 2015’s $ .23
• Charitable Mileage:  $ .14/mile
• unchanged for more than a decade

Of the three categories, only the charitable mileage rate requires an act of the US Congress to change!

Happy motoring!

New Article: OS Version Update: Windows, OSX, Android, & iOS

I just released an article to the publisher about these operating systems. I include a brief introduction to our thinking about Windows 10 too! If you'd like to read a free pre-release version on MBS' website, click here!

New Article: A Surprising Discussion on Email to Staff in their Off-Hours

I just released this new article to the publisher; here's the opening:

Ministry staff is mobile, and most on the team feel called to their role. It makes sense, then, to make ministry email available to staff on their mobile devices so they can access it when not at work, right? Well, surprisingly, not always!

This will impact almost every ministry, and it's needed information! Here's a link to the free copy we posted on our website:  http://www.mbsinc.com/email-to-staff-in-their-off-hours/ .

New Article: All Data Is Vulnerable

I just released a new article for publication addressing how vulnerable our data is, and some simple steps to improve that. Here's the opening paragraph:

Sony. The US government. The news is often filled with 'the latest' cyberattack. It seems like all of our data is vulnerable. What should we do about it? What can we do about it?

I put a copy of the article on our website, and you can read it for free; just click here!

2015 Standard Mileage Rates Announced by IRS

Today the IRS announced the 2015 Standard Mileage Rates for 2015. They are:

• Business Miles:  $ .575  (up from $ .56 in 2014)
• Medical & Moving Miles:  $ .23 (down a half-cent from 2014)
• Charitable Miles:  $ .14 (unchanged)

iOS 8.1

Apple released iOS 8, then iOS 8.0.1, then iOS 8.0.2. And that was good.

Then they released iOS 8.1, and it was very good! I recommend upgrading as soon as you can! And if you've got an iPhone 6 or 6+ or one of the newest iPads, you get to enjoy secure purchase transactions via their excellent Apple Pay app! (see http://www.mbsinc.com/digital-wallets/ for more info on Apple Pay)

New Article about CITRT - The Community of Church IT People

Most people who work at churches and ministries are in behind-the-scenes positions. There is a group of these modern day heroes of The Faith who focus on IT that began gathering as peers in 2006 to and encourage each other. They have formed the Church IT Network, and their impact is huge!

If you'd like to read this article, click here!

New Article on Video Calling

With video calling technology so prevalent and, truly, at most of our fingertips, why doesn't it take off? Why don't we see (pun intended) more people making video calls?

Click here to read my brief article on video calling!