Dads. We love them and we want to show them we care, but sometimes it can be tricky to find something affordable for The Man Who Has Everything. That’s why today we’ve teamed up with Hallmark Gold Crown to show you 13 ways to bring a smile to Dad’s face without emptying your piggy bank. We’ve got DIY projects, recipes and a handful of must-buys that Dad will love. Check out our list below.
2. DIY Beard Balm: Is your dad rocking a hipster beard these days? If so, he’s probably in need of some aromatic beard balm. Follow our tutorial and DIY this hair product yourself — we’ve even got a printable so you can label your jar!
3. World’s Best Dad Cupcake Mug: That’s right. This is an edible mug with a cupcake inside. Dads with a sweet tooth will go nuts for this version of the classic World’s Best Dad mug. Covered in fondant molded into a cup, this chocolate cupcake is all he needs for a Father’s Day win.
4. Kiddie Car Classics ($20+): This one is for the car-lover dad. Head to the garage (Dad’s favorite “room” in the house) and give him that classic car he’s always wanted. The mini version, that is. These collectors items will look great on his desk or a shelf in his man cave. Stick with the theme and bring him a beer in a Mustang pint glass, and tell him you love him in a car-themed card (or shall we call it a car-d?).
Engraved Drinkware
Whether your dad is a staunch beer drinker, a cocktail aficionado or a soda pop guy at heart, he’ll love an engraved cup. Pick up our Engraving Kit, which includes everything you need to make this adorable gift. All that’s left is to think up the perfect word or phrase that is SO your dad.
Millionaire’s Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Grab some tissue because Dad is going to cry tears of joy when he sees that you’ve combined his two favorite breakfast items. Bacon + cinnamon rolls = breakfast sent from heaven. Or sent from you — his lovely, amazing, smart, creative, thoughtful child. We’re just preparing you for the praise you’re going to get for these ;) Oh, and if you need more bacon recipe inspiration, check out this video featuring bacon s’mores. Can we say mouth-watering? Uh, yeah.
7. Customized Grill Tools ($17): Go for the quintessential dad gift and purchase some grilling tools for your barbecue-master dad.
Then take it to the next level by customizing your tool set with a wood-burning tool. Check out our post for the step-by-step. Don’t forget to pick up some burger fixin’s and some charcoal so that Dad can immediately use his present (and make YOU some dinner!).
Chocolate Toolbox
Nothing says “I love you Dad” like a tool box… Except a toolbox filled with chocolate tools. That’s right, tool molds exist, and they are just what you need to make Dad all kinds of tool-shaped treats. If Dad isn’t a chocolate lover, you can also use these to make homemade gummies!
10. DIY Bow Tie: Upgrade Dad’s wardrobe this year with a handmade bow tie. It sounds like a challenge, but this DIY is actually a cinch. Bonus points to whoever can find the most amazing patterned fabric for this project. Dads — they love a crazy patterned tie, amirite?
11. Open-Face Steak Sandwich: If all Dad really wants for his special day is a juicy steak, make his dreams come true with an open-face steak sandwich doused in drool-worthy balsamic sauce. The open face gives it a much more dramatic effect, since he can see the perfectly cooked slices of meat (who needs two pieces of bread anyway?!). Go for aesthetics, people.
12. DIY Cornhole: There’s no better gift you can give Dad than the gift of QT. And there’s no better way to spend QT than outside playing lawn games. This year, make your pop his very own cornhole set. Also, be a good kid and let him win ;)
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