Regardless of the industry you are in, the reality of being a business owner is that you open yourself up to a number of unique risks that most people don't have to worry about—and the more successful your business is, the more risks you face. Unfortunately, most business owners aren't fully a...
Outside of personal liability protection, one of the primary advantages of setting your business up as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is flexibility in how your company is taxed. And many business owners elect to have their LLC taxed as an S Corporation (S-Corp) to save money on payroll taxes....
These days, more and more young people are delaying—if not totally foregoing—a life that involves marriage and parenting. The lack of jobs, crushing student debt, multiple recessions, and the pandemic have pushed many young people into a life path that leaves little room for settling down with a ...
If you are thinking of starting a business, you'll find all sorts of advice about how to go about getting your new venture off the ground. Indeed, there are entire websites devoted to the topic. Yet, with so much information out there, it's hard to know what you should heed and what you can ignor...
If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as trustee for their trust either during their life, or upon their death, it's a big honor—this means they consider you among the most honest, reliable, and responsible people they know.That said, serving as a trustee is not only a great honor, ...
Establishing and enforcing healthy professional boundaries with your clients is critical for all business owners, especially if you own your own business and work from home, where the lines between work and home life are easily blurred. Unless you set and enforce healthy boundaries, rather tha...
When creating an estate plan, people are often most concerned with passing on the “big things” like real estate, bank accounts, and vehicles. Yet these possessions very often aren't the items that have the most meaning for the loved ones we leave behind. Smaller items, like family heirlooms and k...
Few business owners are legal experts. Yet many act like they are attorneys when it comes to their legal agreements by thinking they can simply wing it and create their own contracts or rely on cheap, fill-in-the-blank legal forms they purchase online.However, this is playing with fire. In fact, ...
As we head into summer, many parents will see their children graduate high school and prepare to leave home to attend college or pursue other life goals. This can be an exciting and emotional time, and with so much going on, estate planning probably isn't at the front of your (or their) mind righ...
As a business owner, it's inevitable that you will face minor conflicts and disputes at some point. Whether it's a client who refuses to pay a bill, an independent contractor who fails to fulfill the terms of their agreement, or a vendor who stiffs you on an order, dealing with such issues is a s...
The road to retirement is a long one, and as with any journey, it helps to have a few key milestones along the way to help gauge your progress. While your individual retirement plan and goals will be unique to your income, family situation, and desired lifestyle, most Americans share a number of ...
When running a small business, every dollar counts, so it's critical to keep a tight rein on your expenses, especially when you are just starting out and have limited revenue. If not monitored carefully, spending can quickly get out of control and put a serious strain on your operation's financia...
Because estate planning involves actively thinking about and planning for frightening topics like death, old age, and crippling disability, many people put it off or simply ignore it all together until it's too late. Sadly, this unwillingness to face reality often creates serious hardship, expens...
If you have yet to put in place an estate and succession plan for your business, you're going to leave the people you love most—your clients, your customers, your team, and your family—in a bad situation when something happens to you. And while that probably won't be tomorrow, it could be. We get...
Because estate planning involves actively thinking about and planning for frightening topics like death, old age, and crippling disability, many people put it off or simply ignore it all together until it's too late. Sadly, this unwillingness to face reality often creates serious hardship, expens...
When it comes to your company's brand identity, nothing is more vital to your company than its name. By developing a highly catchy name for your business, you can quickly get your company recognized, remembered, and respected.That said, coming up with the right name for your company involves a nu...
When you think about loved ones who've passed away, you probably don't think very much—or even at all—about the “things” they've left you. And when they do leave something behind, what you likely cherish most about the object are the memories and feelings the item evokes, not the thing itself. ...
Of all the different choices you have to make when starting a new business, arguably none is more critical or has a more significant impact on your success or failure than your choice of business entity structure. The entity you choose will affect everything from the amount of taxes you pay and t...
Whether it's to qualify for Medicaid, avoid probate, or reduce your tax burden, transferring ownership of your home to your adult child during your lifetime may seem like a smart move. But in nearly all cases, it's actually a huge mistake, which can lead to dire consequences for everyone involved...
Of all the different choices you must make when starting a new business, arguably none is more critical or has a more significant impact on your success or failure than your choice of business entity structure. The entity you choose will affect everything from the amount of taxes you pay and the ...
If you are a mom or dad with minor children at home, your number-one estate planning priority should be selecting and legally documenting both long and short-term guardians for your kids. Guardians are the people legally named to care for your children in the event something happens to you. And i...
Along with websites, e-newsletters, and social media, in today's digital-everything world, many companies now have their own mobile apps. In fact, some companies' primary digital platform is their mobile app. And like smartphones, iPads, e-tablets, and other mobile devices become more popular, ha...
In today's highly litigious society you are at near-constant risk for costly lawsuits—even if you've done nothing wrong. This is especially true if you have substantial wealth, but even those with relatively few assets can find themselves in court facing a potentially devastating lawsuit. If you ...
