Posts Categorized: Business Law

Questions & Answers On COVID-19 Tax Changes for 2020—Part 1

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law October 12, 2020 Business Law, Tax

Throughout 2020, Congress passed multiple pieces of legislation—most notably the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—offering numerous forms of tax relief to help businesses like yours deal with the economic fallout of COVID-19.

That said, these new laws have also created a tangled web of new tax and accounting changes that can be quite challenging to keep track of. To help you sort through all of the new programs and ensure your business takes advantage of the full range of tax breaks available, in this two-part series, we’ll provide answers to some commonly asked questions about the coronavirus-related tax changes for 2020. READ MORE

Is It Time to Go Solo(preneur)?

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law July 11, 2020 Business Law, Estate Planning

There’s nothing like a major change in the economic climate to make you rethink your day job. “Business as usual” currently means a large element of uncertainty about what the future holds for your working life. Whether you’ve lost your job, had your hours cut, or have seen these things happen to people you know, your feeling of security has likely taken a hit. And, maybe that can be a good thing, something that calls you to start taking action. READ MORE

How To Get Access to Your COVID Stimulus Money

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law April 7, 2020 Business Law, Estate Planning

On March 27, President Trump signed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill into law that will hopefully provide some relief for many, perhaps including you. The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) sends money directly to Americans, expands unemployment coverage, and funds loans and grants for small businesses. So let’s look at how you can access these funds. READ MORE

The Cost of Misclassifying Employees as Independent Contractors

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law September 22, 2018 Business Law

State-level studies show that between 10 and 20 percent of employers misclassify at least one employee as an IC, and you can be penalized regardless of whether or not you did it intentionally. Given this, you should carefully scrutinize all of your workers and have the proper contracts in place to shield your business. Fortunately, with legal guidance from me, you can easily avoid these risks and stay totally compliant. READ MORE

Rewarding Your Employees By Giving Them the Business

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law August 24, 2018 Business Law, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning

Retiring from your business can a tough decision. To ensure that what you have built continues on, there needs to be a plan for succession. For some people, they have spent years grooming a child or other family member to take over, wanting the business to stay in the family. Others look to sell to a third party for a quick way out that will also give them a nest egg for their next phase of life. However, there is a third option–transferring the business to your employees. READ MORE

Passing Along a Benefit, Not a Burden

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law August 3, 2018 Business Law, Estate Planning

Most business owners have their estate planning prepared because they are worried about what will happen to their business after they are dead. However, proper estate planning has the added benefit of allowing you to make plans for what will happen if you are incapacitated or needing to be away from your business for an extended period of time. READ MORE

Estate Planning When Not All of Your Kids are in the Family Business

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law April 25, 2018 Asset Protection, Business Law, Estate Planning, Trustee, Trusts

Owning your own business can be a great endeavor that takes a lot of passion and drive. Many small business owners focus on the day-to-day management and growth of the business, rather than thinking about a time when he or she may not be in the business. This is a far too common mistake. Future plans for your enterprise are even more important when one child works in the business but the others do not. Keeping the peace among your children after you are no longer able to participate in the business requires careful balancing of your estate plan. READ MORE

Estate Planning Best Practices Gleaned From Famous Celebrity Deaths

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law March 16, 2018 Asset Protection, Business Law, Estate Planning, Guardians for Minor Children, Healthcare, Personal Representative, Power of Attorney, Tax, Trustee, Trusts, Wills

Discussing death can be awkward, and many people would prefer just to ignore estate planning all together. However, ignoring—or even putting off—such planning can be a huge mistake, as these celebrity stories will highlight.

The next time one of your relatives tells you they don’t want to talk about estate planning, share these famous celebrities’ stories to get the conversation started. Such cautionary tales offer first-hand evidence of just how critical it is to engage in estate planning, even if it’s uncomfortable. READ MORE

Business Conflict: Tips for Settling Business Disputes Part 2

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law November 10, 2017 Asset Protection, Business Law

Last week I discussed the importance of knowing how to negotiate business deals and mitigate conflict whenever possible. Besides being a financial drain, business disputes can also create conflicts that require precious time and energy to resolve. Setting clear boundaries and realistic expectations when making professional agreements is essential in setting yourself up for positive outcomes.

Although avoiding conflict is preferred in professional matters, it is imperative to be prepared to handle business disputes properly when the need arises. Following these valuable tips will increase your chances of a positive outcome when business disputes must be settled. READ MORE

Business Conflict: Tips for Settling Business Disputes Part 1

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law November 3, 2017 Business Law, Estate Planning

First and foremost, remember that costly conflict most often arises because the agreement process was not properly handled to begin with. The ideal time to surface conflicts is in the beginning of a relationship by creating clear boundaries and expectations, using the agreement process. The best agreement process will support both parties to share the parts of themselves they may typically hide while making an agreement, while at the same time, asking the hard questions they may not ask.
It’s often difficult to see the things we are hiding when making agreements, or to ask the challenging questions, and that’s why it’s so helpful to have a trusted advisor support you each time you are entering into an agreement with anyone, whether it be a new team member, a business partner, or a strategic partner.When the agreement process is used to create each of your agreements, and before you ever finalize a deal of any type, the number of expensive business disputes you will have will be greatly diminished, if not eliminated completely. READ MORE

Do You Have a Business Succession Plan In Place?

by Tara Cheever ~ Attorney at Law October 17, 2017 Business Law

Most businesses are not sufficiently liquid to keep the company going and the owner’s family thriving, in the event of death. But with the right plan in place, you can ensure the people you care most about are well provided for if anything happens to you. With a succession plan in place for your business, you can rest easy knowing that if anything happens to you, the people you care about most — your family, clients and customers, your team and partners — will be well cared for, in just the way you want. READ MORE