
Full disclosure: We started curating this roundup for the fellas. After all, the toiletry kit is classically for men and makeup bags are for women. But then we got distracted… and proven wrong. There are just too many travel bags out there for us ladies, so we’ve included options for some self-gifting for the upcoming heart-shaped holiday. But don’t worry, we haven’t totally forgotten the Y chromosome. We just can’t promise we won’t steal those as well.
1. Teacher’s Pet ($28): Class is in now session. The lesson: This bag is the cat’s meow.
2. Lattice Dopp ($50): Organic fabrics printed up with a traditional textile infused with Caribbean and British influences –– we bet you’d never guess that combo would look so good.
3. Monogrammed Dopp ($88): You might think this is just a traditional deodorant carrier, but you are wrong. Its leather pull can be monogrammed with whatever three letters you’d like. We suggest going with your initials.
4. Adirondack Kite ($129): Fleabags is the brand, but this little world traveler feels more at home in The Hamptons than in a roach motel.
5. Pendleton ($66): You know the patterns, and you love them. But taking your favorite Pendleton blanket on the road is a bit cumbersome. Here it is in a more manageable size.
6. West Elm Thomas Paul ($28): The outside is printed with suggested things to put in the pouch. We think toothbrushes, shaving cream, and lotion would also feel at home inside.
7. Oilcloth Bag ($20): Are we going to get down with gingham while we galavant around the globe? You better believe we are.
8. Wink Limited Edition ($36): Similar to TOMS, when you buy one of these limited edition lovelies, Wink gives one to someone else who needs a travel companion.
9. Reverse Denim Dopp ($30): It’s classic. It’s for men. It’s for women. It’s lovely.
10. Illustrated Canvas ($29): Made in Brooklyn, this cartoon case is committed to carried all your real-life, 3D, tangible bathroom supplies.
11. Tembea Set ($35): You think we wake up looking this good? Nah, we’ve got products galore. Three bags are definitely better than one.
12. Bric’s Life ($170): Honestly, you could carry this dandy out on the town as a clutch. But getting your ID out of the foldout might be a bit awkward.
13. Box Shape ($160): This item was hand shaped like a box for a reason. They wanted you to feel like you were opening a present every time you put your hands on it. Surprise! You got a half used tube of toothpaste.
14. Color Block Bag ($48): This is the most subtle form of color blocking we’ve ever seen, and we kind of like it.
15. Harris Tweed ($79): This one’s for the dapper gents and your adorable 80-year-old grandfathers.
16. Wild & Wolf Map Print ($44): We like the idea of taking this on our travels and putting little star stickers on every city and country we’ve conquered.
17. Mini Necessaire ($120): You guys. It has a rose gold zipper. Nothing else needs to be said.
18. Hey Handsome ($60): Coming off an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign, this cheeky Owen & Fred design won’t be available until February. Hello, backorders.
19. Love Bag ($50): It’s stocked with all your traveling essentials, and it’s got a good name.
20. Flatiron Nylon Davie ($60): We couldn’t do a toiletry kit roundup without at least one Kate Spade bag. We’re especially sweet on this one, all tied up in little bow ties.
21. Ikat Upholstery ($68): We put this at the end of our roundup for a reason. It’s limited production. You’re going to want to go and get yours now… before it sells out.
What’s your bag? Let us know in the comments below.
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