
In case you couldn’t tell, we can’t get enough of the fruit print trend. Not only do we think you can’t go wrong with fruit print clothing, but we are also utterly obsessed with fruit print home decor. We’ve even rounded up 27 of our favorite sweet pieces!
1. When Life Gives You Lemons Print ($26): When life gives you lemons, definitely frame them because this is the cutest thing ever.
2. Plum & Bow Fruity Bath Mat ($24): Call off the search. We’ve officially found the coolest bath mats ever. And at only $24, it’s completely acceptable to buy it in both colors.
3. Lemon + Lime Salt and Pepper Shakers ($14): Because plain salt and pepper shakers are far too boring. These lemon and lime shakers are sure to shake up your kitchenware.
4. Measuring Cups ($24): Um, have you ever seen better measuring cups than these? I think not. Plus, this is kind of a 4-in-1 product. Four fruits for the price of one!
5. Pineapples Tea Towel ($25): It’s no secret that pineapples are the frontrunner of this trend, so we find it completely necessary to cover everything in them, including this tea towel.
6. Plum & Bow Apple Hook ($8): Hang all of your fruit printed clothing on this green apple hook.
7. Urban Outfitters Pineapple Candle ($20): Just saying, this candle comes in B+C colors. Isn’t that reason enough to own it in all three colors?
8. Anthropologie Tiered Fruits Sculpture ($298): Fruit is a classic summer centerpiece. Who says it has to be real?
9. Pineapple Cutting Board and Cheese Tools ($35): We’ve one-upped this whale cheese board with this way cool pineapple cutting board. And it comes with cheese tools, too!
10. Anthropologie Pineapple Print Pillow ($168): Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Oh wait, sorry ;)
11. Homefires Pink Pineapple Rug ($39): Spice up your front porch with a pineapple welcome mat.
12. Zazzle Orange Fruit Clock ($29): Orange you glad we shared this clock?
13. Plum & Bow Banana Hook ($8): Hook ‘em horns bananas. Add this to your collection along with the apple hook!
14. Lime Pillow ($35): This lime pillow is the perfect way to spice (or sour!) up your sofa.
15. Blue House Dish Towel ($18): This vibrant dish towel is kind of cray, but we think it would be a great addition to any trendy kitchen.
16. Zazzle Kiwi Fruit Pillow ($29): If you already plan on buying the lime and pineapple pillows, you might as well add kiwi to the pillow salad!
17. Grocery List Notepad ($11): Cutest. Grocery List. Ever.
18. La Piña Print ($28): This simple little pineapple print is ready to spruce up your kitchen or add a note of tropical hospitality to your foyer.
19. Plum & Bow Ceramic Fruit Box ($14): Store your jewelry in this adorable ceramic lemon box.
20. Plum & Bow Juicy Pillow ($29): Bring a little sunshine into your home with this pillow.
21. Pineapple Ice Trays ($14): Pineapples are the new cubes. Kind of like how orange is the new black ;)
22. Pineapples Pillow Cover ($35): Are you tired of the pineapples yet? We aren’t. This one takes an orange spin on the trend.
23. Sliced Fruits Table Runner ($48): This table runner will give your tabletop the citrus pop you’ve been looking for.
24. Plum & Bow Ceramic Fruit Box ($14): Store all of your dainty fruit necklaces in this strawberry ceramic box.
25. Fruit Wedge Tumbler ($10): Keep it classic with these simple glasses. They would be great at any BBQ.
26. Watermelon Dessert Plate ($14): This is the summer dessert plate you’ve been waiting for. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to munch off of this plate?!
27. Limes Patterned Wall Clock ($45): Just in case you didn’t get enough lime with the pillow, here’s the matching clock.
Are you totally on board with the fruit print trend? Let us know your favorite piece in the comments 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:
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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