A lot of people are confused right now about Congress' plans to raise taxes (more precisely, eliminate the Bush-era tax cuts) for people with incomes of $250,000 per year or more.
"I am starting a new Internet business in my spare time, and have considered forming a limited liability company (LLC) for this business. I also owe a ton of money to some people, and there's a good chance I may have to file personal bankruptcy in the next year to two years. I have heard that if an LLC has only one member, it doesn't really protect you because your 100 percent ownership interest in the LLC becomes just another asset your creditors can attack.
When it comes to purchasing products, Americans want their goods home-grown.
A plurality of voters continues to believe that the country’s economy will benefit from free trade, but they also think it will stunt job growth.
"My wife and I are looking to buy a business together. We heard about a great local business that's for sale, but when we inquired with the business broker handling the sale, we learned that it was already under contract to be sold. However, the broker told us the buyer was getting 'cold feet' and probably wouldn't want to go through with the sale. Since the buyer was getting a terrific price for this business, what this broker suggested is that we contact the buyer and offer to buy the limited liability company (LLC) he formed to acquire this business. That way, we could become the buyer under the contract of sale and close on this business without the seller changing the deal. The buyer would stay on board as the 'President' of the LLC and sign all of the documents at closing as if he were still the party in charge, so the seller wouldn't suspect anything.
Here are some more tax breaks America's small businesses really need.
When faced with a budget crisis, most Americans think "it's always better to cut taxes than to increase government spending because taxpayers, not bureaucrats, are the best judges of how to spend their money."
By the time you read this, the election of 2010 will be over, and we
will have some idea of what Congress will look like for the next two years.
Voters overwhelmingly prefer a free market economy to an economy managed by the government and think government economic control helps big businesses at the expense of small ones.
As a small-business columnist, I get at least several press releases a day from public relations firms around the country that are trying to get their clients a mention in this column. Most represent authors promoting their "new" ideas (sadly, few qualify), consultants trolling for clients or successful entrepreneurs selling their "how I did it" stories (mostly to investors or larger companies that may wish to buy them).
Most Americans feel the federal government has too much money and doesn't spend it well.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced today his committee’s intent to combat persistently low inflation and high unemployment rates, calling the situation “a case for further action.”
Americans continue to show a lack of confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking industry.
"I just recently started a social media website for people who share an interest in certain niche collectibles. I want people to contribute articles and other content to my website, but right now, I've spent all of my money on developing the website and don't have any left over to pay people with.
When it comes to the economy, the message from Americans is clear: Leave it in the hands of the private sector and not the government.
I was let go from my position last December and was asked to turn in the BlackBerry. I asked if I could download my information from the BlackBerry before returning it, and was told no. Immediately after I turned it in, the password was changed, so I couldn't access the data remotely.
Americans appear to be growing even more pessimistic about the job market and about their chances for getting ahead.
Americans continue to show little short-term confidence in the country's economic recovery but remain more confident in the long-term.
Despite a recent report that the United States is no longer technically in a recession, a plurality of Americans still don’t feel good about the country’s economy.
"I'm in discussions with a company that wants me to be a sales representative for them. Basically, I would get commissions 'to infinity' from any new customers I generate for the business within my assigned territory. I showed the brokers' contract to my attorney, and he isn't happy with the language.
