
Picture this: Your friend whips out a smartphone and yells, “Smile!” You freeze like a deer caught in headlights, plaster a fake smile on your face and strike a pose, pulling out all your old faves from your bag of tricks. You said “prunes” instead of “cheese” (thank you, Olsen twins). You pressed your tongue to the roof of your mouth and arched your back, all in an effort to serve up some couture realness. Yet you still failed to channel that perfect mix of natural and sexy. Don’t beat yourself up — looking flawless in photos is hard. Luckily, we can consult the pros (AKA our fave pose-happy celebs). Check out these tips on how to nail your next selfie just in time for end-of-summer shenanigans.
1. Bend your knee. Let’s start with the easy ones. When someone pulls out an iPhone, face the camera and slightly bend one leg, putting your weight on the straight leg like Alessandra Ambrosio does here. This pose shows off your curves if you’ve got ’em — and creates them if you don’t.
View this post on Instagram✨✨Thank you @jonathansimkhai for creating this masterpiece it was a pleasure to wear ✨✨ #CFDA #JDXJS
A post shared by Jourdan Dunn (@jourdandunn) on
2. Become the teapot. Follow Jourdan Dunn’s lead and put your hand on your hip, relax your shoulders and shift your weight to one side. This pose defines your waist and creates a long, statuesque line that’s anything but short and stout. Position your hand with your fingers toward the camera to show off your accessories and nail art.
View this post on InstagramYes Girl @irinashayk 💪🏻 Team Russia 🇷🇺 😘#doubletrouble @chapuyc
A post shared by Natasha Poly (@natashapoly) on
3. Never shoot from below. Never, ever, ever let someone take your picture with the camera below your eye line. Trust us (and Natasha Poly) — there are very few instances where holding the camera or phone below your eyes will result in anything but weird shadows or a disappearing chin. Keep the lens above your head to catch all of your best angles and elongate your swan-like neck.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Doutzen Kroes (@doutzen) on
4. Turn your head. Very few of us were born with a perfectly symmetrical face. Maybe you’ve got one eye that’s a smidge bigger than the other, or a lopsided smile — there’s an easy fix for that. Just turn your head a bit when you snap a pic, making sure to angle your chin down and focus your eyes ahead. Soon you’ll be a pro like Doutzen Kroes, who manages to hit the perfect tilt even while lying in bed.
View this post on InstagramLast night's moment with @Chanelofficial #J12XS
A post shared by Liu Wen (刘雯) (@liuwenlw) on
5. Cross your ankles. There’s nothing worse than trying to strike a casual pose in a photo but instead coming off unnatural and awkward. Avoid this misstep by crossing your legs at the ankles and placing your weight on your back leg, like top model Liu Wen.
View this post on Instagram@maxmoments captured this on set of a new @maybelline commercial 📽🍿💥
A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on
6. Create curves. Killer curves don’t always come easy. Luckily, there’s a pose that can help create that hourglass figure without plastic surgery or a thousand squats a day. Turn your good side toward the camera, putting one foot in front of the other while bending your front knee. Then, arch your back and tilt your head forward a bit. Place the hand closest to the camera on your hip (always put the hand closest to the camera on your hip), et voila — insta-curvaceousness.
View this post on Instagram🍾👠 it's all about the shoes 👠🍾
A post shared by Hilary Rhoda (@hilaryrhoda) on
7. Kick it back. How do you fake playful and confident without looking, well, crazy? Easy peasy! Just do a little kick like Hilary Rhoda. Turn your side to the camera, kick your leg back and lean back a smidge. Your booty will get a little lift while you create the illusion of ease.
View this post on Instagram#tbt to my Cannes after party, very not stylish moment.
A post shared by Bar Refaeli (@barrefaeli) on
8. Stick your hip out. Hello, Sassafras! If the powers that be forgot to give you the hips you crave and the waist you desire, then just fake ’em by posing in an exaggerated S-shape. Make sure to keep your arms slightly away from your body to allow light to shine through. If you’re feeling extra confident, pull a Bar Rafaeli and put both of your hands on your hips for a pose that is equal parts playful and flattering.
9. Look back at the camera. Once you’ve mastered the previous poses, you’re ready to move to the master of all signature stances: the peek over the shoulders. Break out this less-than-subtle pose when you’re ready to be noticed. Take a page out of Selita’s playbook and “casually” look over your shoulder and back at the camera. Keep your hands in front of you, slightly hunch your shoulders and don’t forget to smize. Reserve this look for group photos or next-level outfits with interesting back details.
10. Stand up straight. We know, we know. This is all a lot to take in. But if you’re going to remember one thing, let it be this classic piece of advice: Stand up straight. When in doubt, put your best foot forward, fix your posture, look straight at the camera and flash those pearly whites. You got this, girl.
Looking for more ways to nail your next selfie or group photo? Follow us on Pinterest!
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:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
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.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
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