General Litigation
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SEPs vs. SIMPLE IRAs: Smart Retirement Plan Options for the Newly Self-Employed
Are you new to self-employment? Working for yourself doesn’t mean you must forego tax-advantaged retirement savings. In addition to contributing to a traditional IRA, there are two basic retirement plan options that may make sense for self-employed individuals: Simplified Employee Pensions (SEPs) and SIMPLE IRAs. Here are the pros and cons of these plans. Important: […]
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Hiring Family Members Can Pay Off for Everyone
One of the advantages of owning and operating your own business is the ability to hire family members to fill open positions. This can be a significant perk in today’s tight labor market. Bringing on family members can have tax benefits for all involved, too, and offers an opportunity to start a retirement savings account […]
Intellectual Property
Don’t Let Trade Secrets Leave With Departing Employees
What precautions does your company take so that employees leaving their jobs don’t take your trade secrets to competitors? The courts are filled with cases of former employees stealing proprietary information from the companies they worked for. Before leaving their jobs, these former employees took software, files, customer lists and other proprietary information and either […]
Employment Law
Uncle Sam WARNs Employers About Layoffs
If your business must layoff a large number of employees, you might have to comply with a little-known federal law that requires giving advance notice. Under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act), employers who are covered must give 60-days’ notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. This notice must be given both […]
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Settling Your Tax Debt with the IRS
Q. It has been a long time since our job application form has been updated. What can we legally ask of job applicants? Beware of these Interview Traps Listed below are four hot spots sometimes found in the hiring process. Inappropriate interview questions can include inquiries about a candidate’s age, sex, race or religious preference. […]
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What You Need to Know About Taxes and Gig Work
For much of the 1990s, the U.S. stock market significantly outperformed international stock markets. Never a particularly large percentage of U.S. investment portfolios, international investments drew even less attention during this time. Is now the time to take another look at international investments? Before deciding, consider the following: Return potential. During the 1990s, the U.S. […]
Business Fraud Prevention
Help Stop Bribery in its Tracks
Today’s companies face a tremendous amount of pressure to win the best deals and contracts. In some cases, employees feel compelled to offer or accept bribes to clinch a business agreement. And in some countries, bribery is widely considered part of the cost of doing business. Watch for Other Forms of Corruption Bribery may […]
Commercial Law
If You Say It Is Free, It Better Be
The word “free” attracts attention, generates phone calls, brings customers to websites and can boost volume. In fact, some experts say the word pulls in more business than any other term in advertising. Unclear Conditions In one case involving a free offer, three major online merchandisers advertised free or low-cost computers in a print, television, […]
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