
We might be a little obsessed with gold spray paint. Ok, maybe A LOT obsessed. Whether you want to update a piece of furniture or add some glam to a thrift-store find, spray paint is just the thing for a quick and easy DIY. And speaking of quick and easy, have you ever come across an IKEA hack that you loved and then realized it would take the whole weekend (including your Sunday Funday) to finish? If you want to work a one-off miracle for your IKEA finds, look no further than these 20 expensive-looking, budget-friendly IKEA hacks that were done using nothing more than a coat or two of gold spray paint.
1. Golden Lighting: Normally a golden desk lamp could set you back quite a bit, but with a touch of gold spray paint, you can add some style and class to your workspace for just a few dollars. (via Pennies for a Fortune)
2. Gilded Campaign Nightstand: White and gold will never go out of style, and we think the extra effort to paint the top of the nightstand gold is absolutely worth it. (via Style Me Pretty)
3. Dressed Up Dresser: Switch up a boring IKEA dresser with a bold, gold geometric shape. (via Camille Styles)
4. Geometric Lamp: Add some personality to a clear glass IKEA lamp by putting a geometric spin on the classic, gold-dipped look. (via Sewing in No Man’s Land)
5. Gilded Desk: Looking for a new desk? Well, maybe you should head to the hardware store for some gold paint instead of shelling out for a brand-new expensive desk. (via The Lifestyle Directory)
6. Gold Shelves: Whether you’re adding open shelves to your kitchen or dressing up some shelves you already have, the answer is definitely gold hardware. (via Design Manifest)
7. Side Tables: Why spend a fortune on side tables when you could update a pair of these IKEA tables for about the cost of a latte? (via Oh My Dear)
8. Touched With Gold: Proof that a little paint can go a long way, just adding gold knobs and painting the legs and base of this IKEA dresser gives it that Scandinavian-glam look we love. (via Smitten Studio)
9. Gilded Bookshelves: No one will ever guess where you got this pretty little number after you coat it in gold. (via Style Me Pretty)
10. Patterned Side Table: Play with pattern by adding some tape designs to a side table before attacking it with gold spray paint. (via Dwell Beautiful)
11. Magazine Holders: Instead of spending a fortune on updating your workspace, just pick up a can of gold paint and go to town on all your existing desk and storage supplies. (via Homey, Oh My)
12. Open Shelving: Jump on the open-shelving trend with some stylish gold-painted IKEA hardware and any rustic plank pieces you can get your hands on. (via Lay Baby Lay)
13. Pendant Lamps: You may not think adding gold paint to the inside of a lampshade is that impressive, but you’ll be amazed how much more stylish and elegant even a simple IKEA shade looks with this luxe update. (via Lulus)
14. Office Chair Chic: Isn’t it amazing how the simplest update like gold instead of silver can make this IKEA swivel chair look like a completely new piece of furniture? It’s a stylish piece of furniture that you definitely won’t mind having in your workspace. (via Hither and Thither)
15. Rustic Glam: Whether you need extra shelves in the kitchen, studio or office, you can’t go wrong with some gold-painted IKEA brackets and a couple pieces of rustic, unfinished wood. (via Houzz)
16. Dream Office: Anyone else insanely jealous of this workspace? Even though the DIY suggests gold leaf, we think a solid coat of gold spray paint would look just as good. (via Style Me Pretty)
17. Wall Sconce: Silver lighting is nice, but nothing beats that soft golden glow for a cozy and feminine look in the bedroom. (via Dwellings by Devore)
18. Golden Lamp: Basically any lamp looks better in gold — or copper, if you’re more into that shade. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, add some fun dashes of paint to the shade. (via Pennies for a Fortune)
19. Striped Candles: Technically this DIY calls for gold tape. But since it still only requires one item (another one of our faves: washi tape), we decided it still deserves to be included. (via Kristi Murphy)
20. Bar Cart: A bar cart is already a pretty chic item. Paint it gold to really take it over the top. (via Blush and Jelly)
What IKEA items have you updated using only gold paint? Share your projects and photos 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