
There’s a new sweet treat dominating dessert bars everywhere, and we’re not talking cupcake towers (that’s sooo last year). Donut walls have been popping up at weddings, baby showers and parties everywhere as a sweet backdrop. Because, let’s face it, what says celebrate more than an eye-popping display of sugary goodness? Whether you’re looking to add a little flare to your next party or just your weekly Sunday brunch get-together, this sweet display of doughy art will take your dessert game to the next level — literally. Scroll on for 16 donut walls that prove this Insta-worthy food trend is here to stay.
1. Kid’s Party: What kid doesn’t love donuts with sprinkles? But be sure to add a few plain glazed ones for the picky eaters in the crowd.
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2. Craft Party: Donuts are a perfect snack for your crafting circle’s next get together. You can eat them with one hand — no fussy plates and utensils necessary. Make ’em pink for a tropical display like this one.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kate Dutka (@lavishcandysweetology) on
3. Anniversary: Commemorate your love by celebrating with a *ring* of a different color — a donut ring. This colorful donut wall makes this anniversary party something extra special.
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4. Black Tie: Donuts can be fancy too, if you decorate them in the right colors. Black and white with silver and gold sprinkles provide an elegant backdrop to even a formal gala.
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5. Boho Wedding: When boho wedding really does mean laid back, skip the cake and go for a donut wall instead. It’s so much more fun when guests can eat with their fingers.
6. Birthday: It’s your day, so celebrate your birthday with all the things you love most. And who doesn’t *love* a wall of donuts?
7. Baby Shower: When the guest of honor is eating for two, make sure donuts are on the menu. Painting the pegboard the appropriate color can be a fun way to announce the baby’s gender, and you can color-coordinate the donuts to match.
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8. Labor Day: Arrange rows of solid-color donuts in the shape of our flag. Kids young and old will flip out when they see it. Hang some pegs low for the smallest tots to reach.
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9. Office Treat: Oh em gee — if every meeting served donuts, the world would be a better place. You’ll be everyone’s BFF if you do this at your next kick-off meeting.
10. Oscars Party: A donut pegboard is an easy way to arrange your Oscar-viewing goodies. Bonus: Everyone can mingle and fill out their Oscar ballots while they eat.
View this post on InstagramFinished up another pallet project. Turned out dope. #donutwall. #jesuswasacarpenteryeezyhemadebeats
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11. DIY Triumph: This board is upcycled from a wooden pallet. How appropriate to hang your celebration goodies on the very thing you’re celebrating. DIY success for the win!
View this post on InstagramPick a donut. . . any donut! #donutbar #doughnuts #donutwall
A post shared by Kate Dutka (@lavishcandysweetology) on
12. National Donut Day: Mark your calendars for next Donut Day, and then have one of each. Invite some friends ’round, because sweet treats always taste better when shared.
13. Corporate Events: This wall of donuts is so tall that you need a reacher-grabber to nab a treat. This is one corporate event everyone will remember!
14. Weddings: A donut wall serves double duty as both a dessert table backdrop *and* photo booth. This black and white wall of donuts totally suits this fun-loving bride and groom.
15. All-Occasion: A donut wall makes the perfect centerpiece to almost any celebration. Think outside the donut hole and frost pretzels and other *hangable* goodies as well.
16. Just Because: Do you really need a *good* reason to eat more donuts? Build a donut wall for your next get-together and your friends will be doing the happy dance.
If you *love* food trends like these donut walls, follow us on Pinterest for more.
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:
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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.
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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