
During Milan’s Menswear Fashion Week, photographer Vanni Bassetti of Getty captured looks on the street, and what he found has us (almost) wishing for even more cold days so we can rock some of these cold-weather styles. Just because you have to layer up doesn’t mean you can’t make the look your own. These street style mavens know how to accessorize a winter coat, adding unexpected pops of color to make their look Fashion Week-worthy. So let’s keep it toasty, shall we?
1. Pants-less in the Winter: Who needs leggings when you’ve got over-the-knee boots? With a chunky oversized sweater and the most perfect cat-eyed sunglasses, this look has us all wondering, “Is she wearing shorts under there?” (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
2. Blue Hues: There’s something so classic and slightly Scandinavian about this gray-blue combo. We noticed so many women in Milan wearing their coats like capes, so we’re going to go ahead and snag their sophisticated style. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
3. Long Plaid Coat: We’re getting slight Seattle-grunge vibes from this look, in a high-fashion way. This vintage ensemble pulls together so many earthy tones, topped off by an adorably skater-boy knit hat. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
4. Menswear Inspired: This oversized Rick Owens coat not only looks super warm, but also super stylish, especially with the pop of the Alexander McQueen top underneath. Her understated jewelry gives this menswear-inspired look the feminine touch it needs. A closer look reveals understated jewelry and a slouchy clutch that’s to die for. How much do you love that shade of orange? (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
5. Perfect Faux Fur Hat: Elena looks super cozy in her Russian-inspired faux fur hat, which has us wondering if we could pull off the look as well as she does. Her red sweater is reflected in her whimsical choice of red socks, which pull it all together. Gotta keep the feet warm, you know. A close-up on her ViaVela14 shoes shows just how much fun personalized accessories can be. These Italian shoes come with velcro letters, so you monogram them yourself. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
6. A Little Bit Nautical: We love a touch of nautical, especially when it’s accented by awesome leopard-print shoes. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a navy peacoat. A close-up shows her killer green Prada clutch, which looks like it could fit everything you need and more. And that kelly green is on point. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
7. Boho Hat: Sometimes, a classic camel coat is all you need to look like a fashionista. But throw on a great felt boho hat, and your look is complete. Her Fjallraven bag might seem like the practical choice, but it ties the whole schoolgirl-chic look together. And we never hated a bag for being practical. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
8. Kerchief Skirt: A kerchief skirt doesn’t have to be limited to warm-weather ensembles when it’s accented with leather and a turtleneck. This look is total rock-and-roll gypsy, but with beautiful minimal jewelry. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
9. Furry Details: Nothing keeps you as warm as faux fur does, so why not keep your belongings warm as well? That bag adds a trendy pop of color to this look, while the baby blue faux fur stole, accented with what looks like feathers, is too much fun. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
10. ‘70s Style: Between the coat and the geometric silk scarf, we’re definitely getting ‘70s vibes from this look. Her style reminds us of the fresh-faced supermodels of a different era. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
11. Shades of Gray: From white to black, this look runs the gray color spectrum. We love her platinum hair, and those Fendi sunglasses are calling our name. This is just more proof that a long wool coat is the perfect signature statement piece for the winter. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
12. Leather Look: This leather ensemble is actually a Calvin Klein dress that looks as fierce as it does warm. Who needs a coat when your dress does double duty? (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
13. Open Toes: Your toes don’t have to go into hiding in the winter. A wintry open-toe platform heel is totally acceptable, and when you’re wrapped up in a cocoon like this Ferragamo long coat, you won’t even be worried about feeling a chill. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
14. Splash of Hot Pink: Any monochromatic look needs a good splash of color, and hot pink is obviously the best choice. Also, when you’re rocking a coat you designed yourself at Milan’s Menswear Fashion Week, like Joy Lee, you can wear tights with your Nikes any time you want. (Photo by Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
So do you need a long wool coat now or what? What about a new faux fur accessory? Let us know in the comments!
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