
Now that we’re officially Pet + Co, we wanted to support our friends over at the San Francisco SPCA who are still looking for a forever home. From puppies, kitties, dogs, cats and even a few adorable bunnies, we’re giving a sweet shout out to some of the pets that are currently up for adoption. Scroll on to find your new BFF, and then get ready to pick out their quirky accessories and cue up a movie or show for pet lovers.
1. Radar: Radar is a nice pooch that came from the local shelter. He will do well with caring adopters that can provide him daily exercise, some training, chances to mingle with other dogs of like size and lots of affection. Learn more about Radar here.
Age: 1 year, 9 months
Weight: 11lbs.
Gender: Male
Breed: Terrier, Chihuahua, Short Coat
Activity Level: Medium
Personality: Busy Bee
2. Pavlov: Pavlov is a curious pup looking for adopters that can commit to continuing his puppy education and socialization. He’s ready for a home with snuggles, playtime and lots of puppy-love! Learn more about Pavlov here.
Age: 3 months
Weight: 30lbs. 14oz.
Gender: Male
Breed: German Shepherd Mix
3. Danielle: This is a girl on the go! She is a bundle of energy and loves to share. Someone give this girl a job! It could be a sport or a task, but Danielle will do just about anything for a treat and some affection. She enjoys running, playing and training, and after all that, doesn’t mind some snuggle time. Learn more about Danielle here.
Age: 2 years, 7 months
Weight: 28lbs. 11oz.
Gender: Female
Breed: Australian Cattle Dog / Terrier
Activity Level: High
Personality: Jock
Adoptable Cats in San Francisco
1. Sister MC: Sister MC is an energetic all-black kitten. She’s outgoing and makes friends easily (since she’s such a sweetheart). If you’re looking for a wonderful girl to have in your life for a long time, than come by and meet Sister MC today. Learn more about Sister MC here.
Age: 6 months
Weight: 4lbs. 6oz.
Gender: Female
Personality: Lion Hearted
2. Mina is a sweet girl who loves to cuddle and play with noodle toys. She can be initially shy with new people, but warms up very quickly. Mina would do best in an indoor only home with patient adopters who can give her lots of play time and cuddles. Learn more about Mina here.
Age: 3 years, 9 months
Weight: 6lbs. 10oz.
Gender: Female
3. Rusty is an orange and white boy who needs a new forever home. He may take a moment to come out and meet you, but it’s just because he hasn’t completely adjusted to all the strange noises and smells at the shelter. Rusty is looking for an indoors-only home, with adults — and possibly older children — who will respect his space. Learn more about Rusty here.
Age: 11 months
Weight: 6lbs. 10oz.
Gender: Male
Adoptable Small Animals
1. Riley: Riley is a beautiful rabbit with fashionable eyeliner and adorable black ears peeking out from his white coat. He likes to approach new friends when he’s ready and once he does, he loves to get gentle pets between his ears and snuggle up after playtime. Learn more about Riley here.
Age: 1 year, 1 month
Gender: Male
All of these cats and dogs are looking for new families to love. See all of the available animals at sfspca.org, or come meet them at the two San Francisco SPCA adoption centers in the Fillmore and Mission Districts. Wherever you are, visit your local animal shelter and rescue groups to adopt a pet. Let’s stop the cycle of cruel animal mills who sell to pet shops and online. PS — Don’t forget to check out the SF SPCA’s puppy camandkitten cam!
Which fur baby do you have your eye on? Tweet @BritandCo and @sfspca and let us know!
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