
You know you’re obsessed when you start planning for Halloween on November 1 (us). You know you’re a Halloween addict when you create any excuse to throw a costume party (us!). You know you’re beyond ready for a month-long celebration of Halloween when you’re thinking how you can recreate an eye catching look out of every pop culture moment when it’s only May (US!). The first step is acceptance, right? ;)
1. Nicki Minaj + Beyoncé in “Feeling Myself”: Grab your fellow confident gal pal, an inflatable pool and modern-yet-TBT looking (and ***flawless) bodysuits — pink fur coats required. Then splash around in that inches deep pool while giving off endless swag vibes that Queen Bey + Nicki showcase in the TIDAL exclusive (ugh, really?!) music video. Change the game with these outfits. (via Nicki Minaj Facebook)
2. Taylor Swift + Her Girl Army in “Bad Blood”: It’s time to take revenge on your frenemies — by looking utterly badass with your posse of GFs. Corral your girls, throw on some leather + wigs, grab those prop weapons and get ready to get down at a house party, the club or the street. Pro tip: Don’t forget those Band-Aids for the bullet holes ;) (via YouTube)
3. Britney Spears + Iggy Azalea in “Pretty Girls”: Travel back to the ’80s a la Brit + I-G-G-Y with your prett-ay girls. Give your hair a crimp, put on any + all neon (spandex is a plus) and you’ll be having the boys flock to you like bees to the honey. Unless it’s ladies night, then just wipe the floor with ’em (and that mega hairsprayed ‘do). (via @thenewclassic)
4. The New One Direction or the Solo Zayn Malik: You may still be recovering from the loss of Zayn from the British boy band but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your bro on solo or with your friends. Relive the memories by dressing up as the four man band or ride alone — man bun and all — like Z in a casually cool two-piece. (via Jason Merritt/Getty + Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
5. Pitch Perfect 2‘s Das Sound Machine: Yes, we *love* the Barden Bellas, but how great was the German acapella group in the hit sequel?! No need to answer, they were aca-mazing and so was their all black, mostly mesh attire. Find all the dark pieces in your closet put ’em on, then go intimidate some tiny ladies named Anna Kendrick. Oh, and if you’re going as the female lead of Das Sound Machine, you better be rocking a half top knot. (via Richard Cartwright)
6. Kimmy Schmidt: If your style is all about spring colors like the famous Indiana mole woman, this look will be as easy to pull off as deciding you’re having candy for dinner (because you’re an adult). After placing as much pastels, patterns and florals on you as you possibly can to accomplish the look of a third grader you’ll be ready to blast “Peeno Noir” all night long while taking endless hashbrown no filter selfies. (via Eric Leibowitz/Netflix)
7. Empire‘s Cookie Lyon: Become the boss lady that’s hidden inside of you by taking on the persona of this matriarch for an evening. Bring together all of the most gaudy, yet fashionable clothing you can find, throw it all on then walk into any room with all the confidence, boo-boo kitty. (via Empire Facebook)
8. Princess Charlotte: If you’ve got a newborn, the royal baby is the only way to go with your family costume. Stick out from the royal family crowd with a Princess Charlotte blanket lookalike. Bonus points if you rock that floral dress AND you’ve got a little guy that matches his pop in a all-blue outfits ;) (via Chris Jackson/Getty)
9. Lauren Conrad’s Minnie Mouse: The only thing better than dressing up as Mickey’s lady is completing the look with Lauren Conrad’s out-of-control adorable M-squared Kohl’s collection. Seriously, deck yourself out in all things Disney without feeling too cheesy or childlike. You’ll look so chic as Minnie this way it’ll totally be acceptable to wear this costume at work + the party. (via LC Lauren Conrad Facebook)
10. An Apple Watch: Those looking to go the tech route with their costume know going with the iPhone is so 2008. Stay relevant at the parties this year by making your costume the latest arm candy. Really impress everyone and show up as the Apple Watch Edition — gold paint and all. (via Apple)
11. Crazy Music Festival Outfit: Coachella may be in the rearview mirror but we’re hitting the summer, which means an endless assortment of music fests. Draw style inspo from the Governor’s Ball, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and more for a fashionable, borderline ridic Halloween look. Essentials will most likely be boho chic tops + skirts, a flowy hair do and plenty of accessories to go around, FYI. (via Brit + Co)
12. Avenger‘s Black Widow: If you’re a fan of kicking butt and looking fierce in a cat suit you better snatch up Scarlett Johansson’s signature Marvel outfit. Find yourself a Hulk and you two will be a mega couple at any spot you hit up (just don’t make him angry ;) (via Avengers Facebook)
13. Mad Men‘s Final Looks: The AMC drama may have sadly ended but that doesn’t mean the fashion has to die with it. Let the styles of the early ’70s live on through your costume, whether you want to emulate Peggy’s modern prep look, Betty’s sophisticated outfits or Joan’s sultry fashion. (via AMC)
If Halloween was this weekend who would you be dressing up as? Let us know in the comments.
(Featured photo via @nickiminaj)
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