
Antlers, skulls, furry beasts of the wild on your wall – in case you haven’t herd, taxidermy is trending in a big-game way. But before you start dressing head to toe in buffalo plaid, grabbing your musket, and going all Jeremiah Johnson all over mother nature’s ass, let’s have a chat. We’ve stuffed this post full of animal-friendly finds to get the look without anyone having to put a finger on a furry-faced little critter.
1. Faux Antlers: Before, we thought things could either be hip or adorable, but never both. Then, we saw this, and we had to rethink everything we ever thought we knew. (via Alissa Burke)
2. LEGO Kit ($28): We know lots of you are going to disagree with us, but we don’t care. We’re saying it anyway. We totally prefer this to making drones and robots.
3. Quick Kitsch Makeover: We can’t bring ourselves to show you what this piece looked liked before its brilliant makeover. You just have to click over to see what this little lovely started as. FRIGHTENING. (via Just Something I Made)
4. Goldie The Wall Hanging Ram ($70): There’s lots to like about this sheep thrill. It was made by a husband and wife team (our favorite!), no animal was harmed in its making, and if you’re an Aries, you obviously need it hanging in your room.
5. Paper Rabbit Kit ($40): Chloe Fleury made a kit that allows you to have a cubic little rabbit on your wall. And no scissors or glue are necessary to do it.
6. Painted Antler ($89): One merry morning, Cassandra Smith decided to paint geometric designs on antlers. The results are totally gorgy, so much so that it’s turned into a full-time business for her. Oh, and don’t feel bad for the bucks of the world. She only uses shed antlers, which means they’re 100% cruelty free.
7. Vintage Inspired Posters ($70): If having something protruding from your wall is just a little much for you, take the a scientific approach with prints bookend with two pieces of rustic wood.
8. Gold T-Rex ($125): Just don’t let Little Foot know you bought this. He will totally freak out.
9. Pop Fizz Clink: We’re not sure what antlers have to do with drinking, but we’re game (pun definitely intended). (via The Ultimate Little Miss)
10. Paper Sculpture: Does anyone else suddenly feel like watching Labyrinth? (via Tail of Wood)
11. Human Taxidermy: A little bit scary and a whole lot awesome, we know Halloween is a ways off, but it doesn’t hurt to start planning now. (via Look Book)
12. Domestic Trophies: We’ve talked about Rachel Denny’s knitted works before, and we’re talking about them again… because, I mean, just look at them. (via Rachel Denny)
13. King of the Jungle ($30): He just can’t wait to be king… of your living room.
14. Cardboard Taxidermy ($30): Laser cutters are getting in on the rustic fun too. Obviously, we approve.
15. Walrus Bust ($1,250): It’s amazing what price grocery store bags and a few hundred staples will fetch these days.
16. Savannah Story Bust ($68): If you’re not quite ready to swing that kind of cash for the walrus, Anthropologie comes right back at you with a more affordable and equally awesome version.
17. Washi Tape: It kind of goes without saying that we’re all about this washi-tape variety. (via Occasional Vanity)
18. Frederique Morrel Tapestry Taxidermy: This is the actual Parisian apartment where the husband and wife team behind Frederique Morrel live. Awe doesn’t even begin to describe what we’re feeling right now. (via Corner Story)
19. Wedding Guest Book: That’s right, you’re about to ask your prissy aunt Winnie to sign a vintage cow skull as a keepsake from your wedding day. Charmed, we’re sure. (via A Beautiful Mess)
20. Bicycle Hanger: And then there’s a whole ‘nother type of beast that you wrestle with and conquer on your daily commute. (via Inner Design)
21. T-Rex ($89): Please say that you have a ridiculously gullible friend who will believe this is a real t-rex head that you stole from a museum.
22. Horn Is Where The Heart Is ($15): Keys, necklaces, small clutches, these horny little bastards are willing to hold it all for you.
23. Seafoam Elephant ($105): Duh, you need it.
Ready to revive the taxidermy fad? Let us know in the comment below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures