The limited liability company (LLC) legal structure is a popular one among entrepreneurs. Founders may enjoy limited personal liability while avoiding double taxation present with traditional corporations. The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) also offers flexibility among LLC members (owners) when it comes to allocations of profits, gains, losses, deductions, and credits. With great flexibility, however, comes great Read More
A Not-So-Happy Accident: Bob Ross’s Estate Planning Failures Leave His Son With Next to Nothing—Part 1
As the host of the wildly popular The Joy of Painting TV series on PBS, Bob Ross became a pop-culture icon, who was equally famous for his giant head of hair, soothing baritone voice, and folksy demeanor as he was for his iconic landscape paintings. And like so many other artists, Bob’s artwork and image would become even more popular following Bob’s death in 1995. Bob’s philosophy in both painting and life was Read More
5 Common Mistakes When Starting a New Business
It seems that everywhere you look, a new start-up is trying to make it big with a game-changing idea, or an aspiring family member is looking to set up a business to provide better for his or her family, and achieve new accomplishments. But it’s only the ones that can turn that idea into reality that reach business success. Too many start-ups fail to make the transition from idea to execution or encounter major Read More
2021 Estate Planning Checkup: Is Your Estate Plan Up to Date?
Even if you put a totally solid estate plan in place, it can turn out to be worthless for the people you love if it’s not regularly updated. Estate planning is not a one-and-done type of deal—your plan should continuously evolve along with your life circumstances and other changing conditions, such as your assets and the law. No matter who you are, your life will inevitably change: families change, laws Read More
Properly Executing a Section 351 Exchange
Owners of real property or other assets with built-in gain (and a low tax basis) may wish to transfer the appreciating property to a newly formed corporation in exchange for stock. By exchanging property for shares of a corporation’s stock, the property owner can also realize tax benefits through Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Many times, transferring property to a corporation in exchange for Read More
Estate Planning Must-Haves for Single Parents
If you are a single parent, life for you right now probably couldn’t get any busier. You are likely being pulled between work, school activities, and home - and the inevitable emergencies that fill the lives of single parents everywhere. Being a single parent is a huge responsibility, even if you do share time with a parenting partner, and especially so if you don’t. Regardless, as a single parent, your children’s Read More
With Tax Laws in Flux, What Should You Do Now?
On September 13, 2021, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a new $3.5 trillion proposed spending plan that includes a wide array of changes to federal tax laws. Specifically, the Democrats proposed a number of significant tax increases and other changes to fund the plan, including increases to personal income tax rates and the capital gains tax rate, along with a major reduction to the federal estate Read More
3 Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying an Existing Business
Whether it’s your very first or your fifth company, if you’re looking to start a new business venture, you have two options: 1) build your own from scratch or 2) buy an existing one. And while many entrepreneurs dream of building their own company from the ground up, the reality is, launching a brand-new business can be incredibly difficult. Building a business from scratch can involve years of working long hours Read More
Misclassifying Employees As Independent Contractors Can Cost You Big Time
As more and more businesses take advantage of the benefits of using independent contractors (ICs) in lieu of full-time employees, the line between worker classification can get easily blurred. While understanding the difference between the two can be quite complex, getting it right can be one of the most important business decisions you’ll ever make. This is true not only in terms of productivity and your bottom Read More
What Should Be in Your Business Succession Plan?
The statistics on transferring ownership interests of family-run businesses suggest that it’s quite difficult for a company to survive the second generation. In almost every case, the lack of a strong business succession plan is the culprit. Business succession planning is the internal and external procedures for passing on one’s business to the next owners. For family-run businesses, this often involves the Read More
