
March is Women’s History Month, the perfect time to celebrate strong women — from vision science closing the gender gap to those giving positive body image advice. And here’s the great thing: You can read about a lot of these women in their own words. More and more #girlbosses are entering into the publishing world lately, and we are thrilled. So bookworms, here’s your definitive reading list for Women’s History Month (or any time throughout the year when you want to feel empowered).
1. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem ($28): What better way to kick off the celebration than reading a memoir by an iconic feminist. Gloria Steinem has done — and continues to do — so much for women everywhere that we couldn’t think of a more appropriate read for this month.
2. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ($9): This transcript of a TED Talk by an award-winning novelist is required reading for all 16-year-olds in Sweden. How amazing is that?!
3. What Will It Take to Make a Woman President? by Marianne Schnall ($17): Relevant right now for obvious, Hillary-related reasons, read up on why there hasn’t ever been a woman president, and why it’s time for that to change.
4. All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister ($27): A book that celebrates the single girl lifestyle in a way you’ve probably never thought of, this pick dives into the massive social and economic impact single women have always had on our society.
5. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling ($25): Mindy’s always been an unapologetic, body-positive feminist, and her new book is chock-full of that energy — plus some really amazing life advice.
6. Rising Strong by Brené Brown ($27): Brené’s TED Talk is famous for diving into vulnerability, shame and courage in a completely new way. Now she’s written this guide to life, featuring a very important message: “Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness.”
7. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes ($25): Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t think Shonda Rhimes is a completely brilliant badass? If there is, we don’t want to meet them. Read about what happens when you say YES to life in this amazing memoir.
8. The Feminist Utopia Project: Fifty-Seven Versions of a Wildly Better Future edited by Alexandra Brodsky and Rachel Kauder Nalebuff ($20): Ever had the frustrating experience of having someone ask you, “Well, what’s the alternative?” when you point out sexism? This book is chock full of answers you can use.
Which of these is going on your Women’s History Month reading list? Tweet us about it @BritandCo!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
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