If you’re a frequent reader, then you’re well aware that our fearless leader Brit Morin happens to be pregnant right now! In fact, she is due in less than a month, and we’re getting so excited to meet the newest member of the Brit + Co family. Aside from excitement about and good wishes for this new addition, there’s one thing that came instantly to mind when Brit let us know the big news: Halloween costumes for hip mamas-to-be!
We’ve got a mix of classic baby-bump-friendly costumes, punny costumes and even a techie one! Read on to see how to create your own clever maternity Halloween costume. As with so many of our killer costumes, major props to Misty Spinney for bringing each of these ideas to life.
We’ll kick things off with a fried egg, sunny side up of course. This punny costume is fun because of the whole “egg” thing, but also because it takes a matter of minutes to put together! Just add felt!
1. Sunny Side Up
2. Treasure Troll
What you need:
– a brightly colored wig
– nude or tan bodysuit or slip
– gem
The key here is getting that wig just right. It’s like back combing on major steroids. The other key? You’ve gotta completely own this look. Like we said, it’s a bold move for anyone to wear what is basically a nude suit, so make sure you have fun with it.
Next, we’ve got everyone’s favorite pregnant teen, Juno! Channel a little bit of attitude and apathy, grab an empty Slurpee cup, and you are well on your way.
3. Juno
What you need:
– orange and white striped shirt
– plaid skirt
– jeans
– hoodie or cargo jacket
– sneakers
– Slurpee!
If you grew up in the ’90s, you might have a few of these pieces in the closet at your parent’s house… especially that plaid mini!
Of course, you can always BE a pumpkin. It’s easy, classy and still gets you points in the clever department.
4. Classic Pumpkin
What you need:
– orange leggings
– orange Boo! t-shirt
– black felt
– optional: mini plastic pumpkin
We found a t-shirt that already had BOO! printed on it and add the Jack-O-Lantern face with hot glue and black felt. So simple.
Drumroll please… it’s time for the official bun in the oven costume! We’ve seen a few iterations of this idea online, so had to throw our DIY skills into the ring as well.
5. Bun in the Oven
What you need:
– cardboard box
– silver spray paint (get a friend to help you!)
– black sharpie
– silver duct tape
– paper towel rod
We turned a box into the oven for this one. Spray paint most of the box silver, then create the door by painting it black. We used a paper towel rod to act as the oven handle. Add a few knobs and shoulder straps, and you’re just about there.
We had to get a little geek chic action in here as well. This one uses a working iPad to display your baby’s very first photo, the sonogram. (Note: this could also be a cool idea if you wanted to turn yourself into a Magic 8 Ball.)
6. See-Through Sonogram Belly
What you need:
– black dress
– black t-shirt (you’ll be cutting this open!)
– iPad mini + case
– VELCRO® Brand Sticky Back for Fabrics
– VELCRO® Brand Stick Back Dots
First, the base outfit. Wear a black dress or a black t-shirt. Then, get another black t-shirt that you’ll layer over it. Trace your iPad mini onto the shirt while you’re wearing it. Cut a hole that is about 2 inches smaller than what you traced, all around. Next, save a copy of your sonogram onto your an iPad mini (or tablet). Then, get a cheap iPad case. Add VELCRO® Brand Stick Back Dots to the back of the iPad case. Now, add VELCRO® Brand Sticky Back for Fabrics onto the base dress or shirt. Layer your t-shirt over it, and voila!
You know what other icon has a jolly belly? A garden gnome! :)
7. Garden Gnome
What you need:
– blue hoodie
– black belt
– black leggings
– cotton balls (to create a beard)
– white card stock (beard base)
– red card stock (for the hat)
– a giant glass stein (for water, of course!
This costume is a cinch to create. After you’ve tracked down a blue hoodie, fire up the hot glue gun to create the cone hat and cotton ball beard. Fill up a giant glass stein with water and prepare for a LOT of strangers to ask you to take selfies.
That’s right. We turned Brit’s belly into Miley’s wrecking ball. Please don’t make the mistake of taking this too literally — it’s simply a fun play on one of the most iconic songs of 2013. Miley face/tongue optional.
8. Wrecking Ball
What you need:
– black leggings or jeans
– black t-shirt
– aluminum foil
– silver duct tape
– chain
– Barbie (to turn into Miley, duh)
Simply wrap the belly in aluminum foil and use thin pieces of silver duct tape to attach it. Give Barbie a haircut that mimics Miley, and there you have it.
Bonus points if you’ve got a couple friends who are down to dress as anonymous backup dancers ;)
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