The new year and the re-election of President Barack Obama brought about a small shift in the economy and in the playing field for small businesses. This year, with the recent fiscal cliff talks, there were some changes made to the taxation of small businesses. As tax season is upon us, it’s a good time to discuss some of these changes. Here are three overlooked business tax breaks you can claim when you file this year and next:...
Employee wellness is a good thing. Employee wellness programs can be a good thing, so encouraging employees to participate in employee wellness programs can be a good thing. But forcing employees to participate in employee wellness programs lest they be charged for their health care insurance? That can be a bad thing, especially when employee wellness programs require employees to submit a significant amount of personal medical details in the process....
Giving a job reference for a former employee who left on good terms is rarely a problem for employers. But what about giving a bad reference for a former employee who was fired or otherwise left your employment on bad or unpleasant terms? Employers may be torn between warning a future employer about the person they are considering bringing on board and the potential consequences of giving a negative reference....
Cyber insurance shouldn’t be foreign to small business owners, and it can potentially keep your homefront secure. More and more, companies are turning to cyber insurance policies to safeguard their online reputations. From mom-and-pop shops to big corporations, CNBC reports that cyber insurance is helping businesses insurance against cyberattacks and other online threats. What do you need to know about cyber insurance to make it work for your business? Cyber insurance seeks to insure companies against liability from cyberattacks....
Casey Anthony has finally reached a settlement with a search-and-rescue group that spent about $100,000 looking for her missing 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Anthony was convicted in 2011 of lying to police, but acquitted in her daughter’s killing. The search group, Texas EquuSearch, sued Anthony to cover its expenses in searching for Caylee. EquuSearch brought many volunteers to Florida and claimed that its funds were drained in the futile search. But despite the settlement, it is unlikely that the group will see any money soon, if at all, because of the fact that Anthony, 26, has filed for bankruptcy....
The AP today reported that, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, nearly 1 in 8 U.S. households with a mortgage was recently either behind in loan payments, or facing foreclosure. Worse yet, one economist indicated that the housing market isn’t expected to recover until after the unemployment market recovers … Considering the state of the employment market, the same economist noted this might just be, well, no time soon. In light of the dire statistics and forecasting, there are likely many people wondering about ways to avoid foreclosure....
Whether it’s for Christmas, a birthday, or just because, gifting a dog, cat or other animal doesn’t always end up like you see on TV. In fact, animal rights groups routinely explain that pets are not good gifts because they are living beings, not toys. Young children may not understand this, and can easily injure young animals like puppies and kittens, by being too rough with them. Apart from the practical considerations for the gift’s recipient, such as the expense and time required to take care of a pet, there are a few legal considerations....
The first lawsuits have already been filed after a West Virginia chemical spill contaminated the water supply for more than 300,000 people in nine counties. At least five people were admitted to area hospitals “for symptoms that could have been caused by Thursday’s chemical leak into the Elk River,” according to The Register-Herald of Beckley, West Virginia. Affected residents are under orders not to use the water from their own taps....
“No shirt, no shoes, no service,” is a policy commonly posted in many retail businesses. But what about your employees? Should you prevent them from going barefoot at work? Small businesses often require customers to wear shoes because of liability concerns, such as: What if a barefoot customer steps on something and then sues for her injury? Similar concerns are afoot when employers institute policies against going barefoot at work. But as far as the law is concerned, employee footwear is generally required in only a few specific circumstances....
On March 14, the Senate passed S. 1813, also known as MAP-21. The bill, which has not yet been passed by the House, would require all new motor vehicles, starting with model year 2015, to be equipped with an “event data recorder” or black box. Privacy advocates are concerned about the legislation, but the truth is that 85% of all new cars each year are equipped with some sort of recording device....
When interviewing prospective employees or interns, it’s important to keep your questions legal. Nonchalant questions about someone’s birthday or children might seem like a nice way to break the ice. But from a legal standpoint, such questions might flirt with unlawful employment practices. Here are 10 questions you’ll generally want to avoid when interviewing: Are you married? Questions that pertain to a person’s marital status or sexual orientation, including maiden names or being addressed as “Mr....
Even small businesses doing well may need to brush up on the U.S. bankruptcy code – particularly if they lease property. The uptick in bankruptcies declared by commercial landlords makes it vital to know: what happens to a commercial lease when the landlord declares bankruptcy? As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by mall developer General Growth Properties was the largest real estate bankruptcy filing in U....
Most Americans – 56 percent – are in favor of red-light cameras being used at intersections, according to a new survey by FindLaw.com. The survey comes as New Jersey pulls the plug on its red-light cameras (they were turned off overnight, the Asbury Park Press reports); several other states and cities have taken or are considering similar steps. Supporters of the cameras say they are an effective tool for ticketing dangerous drivers....
Many are willing to pay a high price for beauty. But a finger? That’s too high. Maria Luisa Gerardo visited TJ Nails in Phoenix, AZ to get her nails done, which she has done regularly for the past decade. But at her last appointment, the technician nicked her finger with a manicure tool. Though this can occasionally happen, this time her finger swelled immensely the next day. How can a simple pleasure go so wrong?...
Oklahoma has been one of the most aggressive states regulating a woman’s right to an abortion, passing 20 abortion restrictions in the past five years. But its latest proposal might be its most extreme yet. This week, the Oklahoma state legislature is contemplating a bill that would require a woman seeking an abortion to first get written permission from her male sexual partner. The bill is almost certainly unconstitutional, and critics of the bill worry that it could do untold damage to women’s autonomy and reproductive rights in the meantime....
Quick, a customer is choking on his couscous. Call 911! Or not? If a customer chokes, gets sick, injured, or has a medical emergency at your business, do you have a duty to help them? Is it enough to call 911? Do you have to take extraordinary measures to save them? Should you train your employees in CPR or the Heimlich? Or, can you sit idly by without fear of criminal or civil liability?...
When it comes to onboarding new employees and keeping old employees current regarding new policies or changes in the industry, training is an essential part of any business. A properly trained workforce can accomplish more and represent your business much better than an untrained workforce. However, training is costly, and if training is a required, then it must be paid. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered employers must pay for training if the training is required, related to the employment, conducted during normal working hours, or requires actual work be performed during the training....
College graduates should be allowed to discharge student loans in bankruptcy, an influential bankruptcy lawyers’ group recommends. And there’s a renewed effort to push the change through Congress. It’s not the first time the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys has called for a revision to how the bankruptcy code treats student loans. But with outstanding student loans (which altogether topped $1 trillion in 2011, according to Forbes) now eclipsing credit-card debt (about $800 billion), the lawyers’ group is calling for urgent action....
Starbucks Coffee Co. is recalling over 500,000 coffee grinders, because of a defect that poses a laceration hazard to people using the small appliances. The 530,000 Starbucks Barista® Blade Grinders and Seattle’s Best Coffee® Blade Grinders being recalled were sold at Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee locations nationwide from March 2002 through March 2009, for about $30 each. The grinders were manufactured by China-based Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co. Ltd....
On Tuesday afternoon, a 14-year-old driver plowed an SUV containing two other juveniles through a red light in Houston, colliding with a pickup truck driven by Silvia Zavala. Zavala was killed in the crash, and the teens claim they were fleeing a man who brandished a semiautomatic handgun at them, after they threw eggs at his car as a prank. Now, the juvenile driver is facing adult murder charges. The alleged gun-toting pursuer remains at large....
