
Just like its color counterpart, a little white dress looks great on all skin tones and body types in the right shade and silhouette. We’ve spotted the winter white trend on Taylor Swift and Queen Bey and completely nixed the whole “no white after Labor Day” rule. (Pssh, what fashion rules?) If you’re ready to jump on the other side of the color spectrum for this year’s holiday festivities, we found 17 flawless frocks that will warm you up to the idea of trading in your LBD for a LWD this winter. Party on!
1. Little White Lies Lace Shift Dress ($180): While there won’t be much (if any) snow falling in our neck of the woods, the delicate sheer sleeves of this snowy white collared dress still give us the shaken-snowglobe effect. Paired with burgundy booties and a sleek mane, this look transitions seamlessly from day to night.
2. Clove Sequin Shift Dress ($118): Sequins. Stripes. Snowy white. What more can you ask for in a wintry party dress?
3. ASOS CURVE Exclusive Textured Mono Dress With Asymmetric Hem ($60): This minimalist dress means business, people. While it isn’t completely white, we still love the embellished waist and asymmetrical hemline to add a bit of visual interest.
4. Self Portrait White Reflections Midi Dress ($464): From the deep part, sleek waves and crop top/midi skirt combo, we feel like this is a look we’ve seen (and double tapped) on Jessica Alba. The mesh panel accented with chevron arrows and a crisp collar — all of these design details come together for a #winning look.
5. ASOS Midi Dress in Knit With Sheer Overlay ($85): Here’s one you won’t need to pair with tights. Let your curves do all the talking in this midi dress and add some sparkle with a pair of statement earrings.
6. River Island Pleat Front Shift Dress ($91): This sleek shift takes a cue from Kate Middleton’s signature silhouette, and we love a dress with pockets. Layer on a couple of thin bangles or midi rings to complete the look.
7. Patterned Lace Shift Dress ($25): We’ve yet to meet a geometric pattern we didn’t like. This long-sleeved lacy number is the right amount of boho glam.
8. Cut Out One Sleeve in Texture Dress ($66): Show up in this stunning one-shoulder dress and get ready for all the compliments to come your way. Seriously, this one’s a head-turner.
9. ASOS Picnic Skater Dress ($85): The pleated skirt on this skater dress is meant for dancing and twirling.
10. River Island Peplum Scuba Dress ($72): It’s not a party until you pop out the peplum. Throw in a ruffle cascade with a scalloped hem, and it’s going to be a night to remember. You’ll want to show these details off, so an updo works best with this dress.
11. American Rag Plus Size Cap-Sleeve Metallic A-Line Dress ($55): Get gorgeous with this ultra-flattering silhouette. Think about how lovely this would look peeking out from under a bold winter statement coat.
12. Eliza J Embroidered Sequin Midi Dress ($178): Okay, the sequin embroidery on this shift dress is stun-ning. If you’re looking for a picture perfect number to wear for your winter engagement photo sesh, this one’s it.
13. TNFC Lola Sequin Skirt Dress ($53): You guys, the search is over! We found the ultimate NYE party dress. (This sequin skirt reminds us of The Rainbow Fish’s gorgeous scales.)
14. Modamix Plus Size Sequined Sheath Dress ($170): With this dress on, good times are bound to happen. Even if you don’t plan them, it’s like the universe knows you’re ready to let your hair down and shake it off.
15. Rhinestone & Sequins Dress ($50): We love watching Christmas light displays, and with this dress on, you’ll be a walking strand of icicle lights. Throw on a pair of tights to keep warm.
16. Lace Insert Bodycon Dress ($18): This dress has peek-a-boo lace panels that mimic a snowflake’s intricate (and microscopic) detail. Swipe on a plum lip and a thin cat eye, and you’re set.
17. Byron Lars Carissima Sheath ($258): Whether you’ve got a fancy pants dinner party coming up or you want to impress your SO’s parents this holiday, this sheer panel dress is classy and sassy.
Will you rock a LWD to one of your holiday soirees? Tell us which one is your fave 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