
While it pains us to bid farewell to summer backyard bashes and cocktails, fall is already upon us. It’s time for our favorite fall festivities: football, wardrobe changes and autumn eats. And as the weather starts to cool down, we’re definitely starting to develop a hankering for those fall comfort food staples. We’ve got 14 fall soups that are guaranteed to earn a well-deserved spot on your list of “warm fuzzies, guaranteed” recipes.
1. Tofu and Pumpkin Laksa: Between the rich seasonal menus at our favorite coffee shops and bars (pumpkin beer, anyone?), sometimes you just have to prep something flavorful and healthy. Luckily, this laksa is light and delicious enough to help balance out our other fall indulgences. (via Stylejuicer)
2. Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup: Honeycrisp apples are almost in season, and we’re so pumped to give this soup a go. And as if we needed another reason to get cooking, the cinnamon pecan crumble sounds too good to be true. (via Half Baked Harvest)
3. Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala: Okay, so this isn’t exactly soup. But you can’t deny the warm, fuzzy feeling you get after devouring this creamy, flavorful dish. And having it ready for you as soon as you’re home from work? It doesn’t get any better than that. (via The Roasted Root)
4. Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup: This simple-to-make soup is big on flavor. We want to grab a bowl, curl up on the couch and fire up our Netflix account just thinking about it. (via Minimalist Baker)
5. Ginger and Lemongrass Infused Thai Soup: Want to try something a little different than the chicken noodle/tomato variety of soup this season? We’re obsessed with this creamy coconut milk soup — the crispy tofu seriously makes it. And the combination of ginger, lemongrass and garlic also makes this a kick-ass soup for kicking a seasonal cold. (via Sobremesa Blog)
6. Homemade Tomato Soup: On the other hand, sometimes you just gotta go with a classic. Tomato soups have been a favorite for good reason — that rich, cheesy goodness is hard to deny. And did we mention that this recipe contains bacon? (via Pinch of Yum)
7. Cauliflower, Kale and Chickpea Curry: Need a new #MeatlessMonday dinner go-to? This hearty soup is a super easy way to enjoy those delicious seasonal veggies. (via The First Mess)
8. Lasagna Soup: As if that one-pot lasagna wasn’t enough, this ricotta-topped goodness will have you curled up with a book and a blanket in no time. (via Damn Delicious)
9. Smoky Tortilla Soup: Forget the chicken noodle soup — it’s tortilla soup that heals the soul. We recommend adding some crushed tortilla chips for some tasty texture play. (via Vegetarian Ventures)
10. Spicy Lentil Soup: Looking for something with a little kick? This soup is full of our favorite fall veggies and is sure to clear up those sinuses. Bonus! (via the Kitchn)
11. Thai Red Curry Soup: This easy-to-make soup is sure to keep you warm on a chilly fall night. The vibrant flavors of the red curry and fall veggies have earned it a permanent spot in our dinner rotation. (via Damn Delicious)
12. West African Peanut Soup: This spicy, rich soup will definitely hit the spot on those chilly fall nights. We recommend adding some diced sweet potato and extra Sriracha for some bonus taste points. (via Noms for the Poor)
13. Coconut Curry Soup: Imagine all of the flavor of your favorite takeout soup, ready in your kitchen in 15 minutes. No pants or delivery charge required. (via The Woks of Life)
14. Chicken Noodle Soup: We know, what kind of list would this be if we didn’t include this soup staple? Beat your seasonal cold and indulge in the ultimate couch potato comfort soup via your slow cooker. (via Hello Healthy)
What is your favorite fall soup? Share your recipe in the comments!
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