When setting up your business, one of the most significant decisions you will make is which type of entity to form. If you have settled on forming a limited liability company (LLC), you must also choose the type of management structure it will have. LLCs can be member-managed or manager-managed....
We protect what we value most with insurance. Car insurance and home insurance ensure that we can financially survive a major property loss. Life insurance pays money to beneficiaries after a death, acting as a financial lifeline to the deceased's loved ones. Business insurance is a hedge against...
Operating your business without a business plan is like going to the grocery store hungry and without a list. You end up with a lot more than you need—a lot more than you even want—in your cart. And you've likely upset your budget for the week. A few such carefree adventures and your budget is...
Divorce. An unexpected death, disability, or retirement. An irreconcilable dispute. These triggering events may put your successful, stable business into a tailspin. Luckily, a buy-sell agreement can help you and your business be better prepared to handle these events. What is a Buy-Sell Agreeme...
Small business owners put their blood, sweat, and tears into ensuring the success of their company, which, though difficult to measure, are no less valuable than capital contributions. At the same time, if you are investing your time and energy into a limited liability company (LLC), you should e...
The limited liability company (LLC) is a popular business structure that offers liability protection and avoidance of double taxation. Trusts are popular asset transfer vehicles that allow you to avoid probate and keep assets out of the hands of creditors. By placing LLC membership interests in a...
As a small business owner who puts in long hours to build your enterprise, it can sometimes feel like there is no separation between your personal and professional lives. You are probably willing to make this sacrifice to build a company that reflects your values and vision. But without a compreh...
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” From the very beginning, you had a plan for your business to succeed. You set goals and developed methods to achieve those goals. Your business has stood the test of time because you anticipated problems and sol...
In theory, a limited liability company (LLC) can last in perpetuity. However, the owners of an LLC should plan for the day when they are no longer there to run their business. This includes not only situations like retirement or career change, but also a decidedly grimmer scenario: death.While de...
Getting your business off the ground can be challenging in many ways. But perhaps the most challenging aspect of launching a startup involves funding your business in the early stages.Getting the cash flowing and keeping it flowing is the lifeblood of your operation. Without cash flow, you can't ...
Many business owners structure their business as a limited liability company (LLC) because like corporations, LLCs offer personal liability protection for their owners. But unlike corporations, LLCs are not required to adhere to many of the same burdensome corporate formalities required of corpor...
This August, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced a three-part plan to help low and middle-income families deal with the increasingly burdensome cost of paying for college, while also making the student loan system more efficient and easier ...
Part of the reward of being a small business owner is seeing your hard work pay off over the years. The many sacrifices you made for your business can all seem worth it on the day you close a deal to sell your company. But if you are dreaming of that day, it will take some work to get you across ...
If you have a sale of real estate or assets coming up that will result in you owing capital gains tax, you may want to give us a call to discuss whether to set up a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) first. Think of it this way: would you rather pay taxes and send your hard-earned money to the gove...
If you must work in order to earn your income, you need to have disability insurance. That said, purchasing such insurance is a “buyer beware” situation. This is because when it comes to most disability insurance policies, you must be aware of the numerous pitfalls that come with acquiring covera...
Following the death of a loved one, close family members are sometimes surprised to learn that they didn't receive the inheritance they were expecting, and that the deceased instead left most of their estate to an individual they only recently met, who wasn't even a relative. While it's not alway...
Setting up the right legal structure for your business may seem like a boring detail that you don't need to spend much time on. But, in reality, selecting the right entity for your company is one of the most critical decisions you can make as a business owner.That said, there are all sorts of myt...
Last week, we looked at the different things having a will in place allows you to do. Here, we detail all of the things that your will does not do, along with identifying the specific estate planning tools and strategies that you should have in place to make up for the potential blind spots that ...
While you may think of your team as family and believe that they would never sue you, lawsuits filed by employees are actually one of the most common causes of litigation for small businesses. In fact, nearly one in every five small businesses will get sued by an employee at some point. Of all ty...
August is “National Make-A-Will Month,” and if you have already prepared a will, congratulations—too few Americans have taken this first step in the estate planning process. In fact, only 33% of Americans have created a will, according to Caring.com's 2022 Wills and Estate Planning Study. Yet, wh...
Putting in place the right types and amounts of business insurance is a key part of your company's risk-mitigation and asset-protection foundation. However, like other foundational business systems, if your business insurance isn't regularly reviewed and updated as your operation grows, your cove...
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild's college education, it's worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an irrevocable trust. Last week, in part one of this series, we discussed 529 plans and education savings accounts, which are both popul...
Using independent contractors (ICs) can give your company an edge in today's thriving gig economy, but if you are not careful, contractors can also be a serious liability. In fact, working with ICs comes with a number of unique legal and financial risks that can be potentially ruinous to your bus...
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild's college education, it's worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an Irrevocable Trust. Here's what we think you should consider as you decide: First, consider whether you want your offspring to h...
When you run your own business, oftentimes one of the most confusing aspects of the job, especially if you are new to the experience, is understanding how to separate yourself from your business. And this issue can show up in so many ways, from achieving a work/life balance and managing your time...