
If you’re a post-grad guy or gal, then you’re probably on a mission to find your first “big kid” job. Whether you’re hoping to land a sweet gig at Google or launch a successful fashion career, sooner or later, you’ll have to figure out where you want to work after college. To make your job search a little easier, Glassdoor has rounded up the 25 Best Cities for Jobs in 2015. Keep reading to find out whether your dream city made the list.
1. Raleigh, NC: Making the top of the list, Raleigh, NC is ranked the best city for jobs in 2015. This location is home to health and tech companies and schools such as Duke University and North Carolina State. Raleigh also offers tons of job openings and a high job satisfaction.
2. Kansas City, MO: One of the top reasons Kansas City is a great location for job seekers is its affordability. It also offers many job opportunities for registered nurses, sales engineers and accountants.
3. Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City is another top pick because of its high job satisfaction and affordable housing. If you happen to work in business, this location would be a great choice for you!
4. Austin, TX: For music lovers, Austin is a great city for young professionals seeking a location with awesome nightlife. Not only did Austin receive a high hiring opportunity score from Glassdoor, but it’s also home to employers such as Whole Foods Market and Electronic Arts.
5. Seattle, WA: Are cute and quirky coffee shops a must-have for the next city you call home? Then the Rainy City should definitely be on the top of your list. As the fifth best city in the country for jobs (Amazon and Microsoft, people!), Seattle offers job opportunities with high growth and high pay.
6. Salt Lake City, UT: Home of Sundance Film Festival and Imagine Dragons, Salt Lake City ranks high in hiring opportunities and job satisfaction. This city is also a great location if you’re looking to work in pharmacy, project management or retail.
7. San Jose, CA: Want to be in commuting distance of tech giants like Google and Facebook? San Jose is at the heart of Silicon Valley and offers plenty of job opportunities with high growth.
8. Louisville, KY: You’re going to need a big and beautiful hat if you plan on relocating to Louisville. As the home of the infamous Kentucky Derby, Louisville offers affordable housing, high job satisfaction and a median salary of $40,000.
9. San Antonio, TX: Famous for the Alamo and its stunning River Walk, San Antonio also made it to the top of the list. There are a handful of cool employers like iHeart Media and USAA.
10. Washington, D.C.: Although Washington D.C. is one of the most costly locations in the United States, it happens to be the largest employer in the country. If you’ve been thinking about living in a city rich with history and job growth, this is a great location for you!
11. St. Louis, MO: Nestled in the Midwest, St. Louis is an affordable city offering lots of cultural sites and entertainment.
12. San Francisco, CA: What’s not to love about living and working in San Francisco? While it might be a little pricy to live here, there are a lot of opportunities to grow your career and earn a higher income (How does $70,000 sound?!).
13. Columbus, OH: Any Ohio State fans around here? If so, you’ll be happy to know that Columbus also made Glassdoor’s list of top 25 best cities for jobs.
14. Dallas – Fort Worth, TX: Here’s another Texan city that made the top of Glassdoor’s list. With a median salary of $50,000 and median cost of housing at $157,900, Dallas is another super affordable city for job seekers.
15. Boston, MA: Thinking about heading to the East Coast? Consider giving Boston a chance. This coastal city offers amazing food, wicked museums and art galleries, and of course, the Boston Red Sox!
16. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: If you love the cold and lots of snow, the Twin Cities might be a good choice for your career. Not only are there plenty of job opportunities, but the median salary is $52,000 (which means you’ll be making enough cash for frequent trips to the Mall of America).
17. Atlanta, GA: If you’re craving a much warmer climate, Atlanta might be a better choice. Known for its tourist attractions such as the World of Coca-Cola and Fox Theatre, Atlanta offers a variety of things to do and affordable living.
18. Memphis, TN: Thinking about launching a music career? Then you definitely should head to Memphis. Home to the king of rock ‘n’ roll, Memphis is a very trendy location for young professionals in the music industry.
19. Indianapolis, IN: In the heart of endless corn fields is the beautiful city of Indianapolis. This location is the ultimate destination for college basketball, nightlife and of course, the Indianapolis 500. If you’re looking for affordable city with everything at your fingertips, Indianapolis is *the* place to be.
20. Chicago, IL: Chicago is definitely a popular destination for graduates seeking a taste of the city. This Midwest metropolis offers affordable housing, abundant employment opportunities and lots of art, music, shopping and nightlife to enjoy.
21. Houston, TX: If you’re looking for a city where you can stretch your paycheck, Houston is definitely a great choice. The median cost of housing is $157,900 and the median salary is $52,000. Sounds good to us!
22. Baltimore, MD: Nicknamed Charm City, Baltimore is a great destination for beer and music lovers. There’s also a variety of unique communities with affordable housing options.
23. Richmond, VA: With amazing mountains, beautiful rivers, a rich culture and a growing art scene, Richmond is the perfect place for anyone seeking adventure. It also offers a strong job satisfaction rating and a median salary of $43,000.
24. Pittsburgh, PA: Touting a low unemployment rate and affordable housing, Pittsburgh is a great location for any professional looking to live in a big city without the high costs. It’s also on its way to becoming a greener city and offers a great food scene.
25. Nashville, TN: Otherwise known as Music City, Nashville is known for its 120+ live music venues, awesome nightlife and tasty restaurants for foodies. If you’re looking to go “down south” to launch your career, then Nashville is an awesome pick.
Did your favorite city make the list? Tell us where you’d like to start your career in the comments below!
(h/t Glassdoor)
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