
In our opinion, one of the best parts about being a part of the maker community is that you get to see all kinds of neat things that other people create. We’ve always been amazed by letterpress printing, specifically letterpress printed cards. They’re simplistic, yet so witty and creative — making them fabulous additions to all gifts (they’re practically gifts in themselves)! With the start of the New Year, now’s a great time to stock up on birthday cards to give out throughout 2014. Here are 27 letterpress birthday cards that we found to be extremely clever.
1. Healthy Cake ($5): A perfect card for your friends who are constantly trying out every crazy diet that pops up. The tiny sentence at the bottom definitely makes this one of our favorites. (via Richie Designs)
2. Chic Birthday ($5): Didn’t you hear?! Getting older is in. (via Richie Designs)
3. Not So Happy ($5): Ha, this one makes us giggle. We’re loving the handwritten font as well! (via Life is Funny Press)
4. One-of-a-Kind ($5): We absolutely love the colors in this, but nothing tops the message. Whether or not you end up giving it to a twin, it’s hilarious! (via Farewell Paperie)
5. No Bad Dance Moves ($6): Very, very true. Time to bust out the Sprinkler, everyone! (via Farewell Paperie)
6. Bangin’ Birthday ($5): Everyone loves a pun. Plus, she created another one for your bearded friends! (via Made by Michelle Brusegaard)
7. View Master ($4): This card goes out to all our ‘ 80s and ’90s kids. Pairing this card with an actual View Master would definitely make it the best gift ever! (via Smudge Ink)
8. Barrel of Fun ($4): Wait, it’s a mini brain teaser and a birthday card in one? Even better. (via Smudge Ink)
9. Mr. Handsome ($6): This badge-shaped card was made just for your tough guy! (via HAMMERPRESS)
10. Forever 29 ($5): Me? Thirty?! There must be some mistake. (via Kiss and Punch)
11. Sad It’s Not Mine ($5): Let’s be real. The cake, the presents — we all wish it was always our birthday. (via Paper Bandit Press)
12. Your Actual Age ($5): Truthful? Yes. Hilarious? Of course! (via McBitterson’s)
13. Crapping Your Pants ($5): Oh, the circle of life (props if you thought of the Lion King). (via Brown Dog Paper)
14. Un-pho-gettable ($5): Puns are always welcome on any card that we purchase. Food-related ones get bonus points. (via Kiss and Punch)
15. Checklist ($1): This is perfect for you Forgetful Joneses who never seem to remember anyone’s special day each year. You can even use it for more than just a birthday! (via Quiet Tiger)
16. Classified ($5): We did what last night?! (via Bench Pressed)
17. Prescription for Fun ($5): Yes, getting older means taking more medications. But here’s a prescription you’ll actually want to receive! (via a. favorite design)
18. Age Meter ($5): I think I’m somewhere between awesome and perfection ;) How about you? (via a. favorite design)
19. Next Year ($5): Well, there’s something to look forward to! (via The Little Blue Chair)
20. Vintage ($4): Bringing the vintage trend into birthday cards? Yes, yes, yes! (via pixies & porcupines)
21. Error 404! ($5): Technological humor is the best humor ;) (via Sign Fail)
22. You’re Still Pretty ($5): Some pretty good consolation for the pretty but aging birthday gal (or guy)! (via McBitterson’s)
23. Older, Not Up ($5): A great card for all of your friends who are still kids at heart. (via MLK&toast)
24. Only if You’re Cheese ($4): More food-related humor? Check. (via SweetWater Letterpress)
25. A Long Time Ago ($5): We’re all about the simplicity and subtle insult of this card. (via MLK&toast)
26. Mad Lib ($6): Who doesn’t love a good ol’ Mad Lib every now and then? It’s both a game and good wishes in one. (via eva b paper goods)
27. Now Let’s Party ($5): Let’s cut to the chase — we all really came here to party! (via Typecase Industries)
Which card is your favorite? Drop us a line down 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