Sometimes the news brings into focus the need for estate planning even when you "don't have an estate." This news story about a teen who alleges she was denied the ability to choose her caregivers or even leave the hospital is one example. It happened last year and did not happen here in Colorado, but these sort of things happen in too many places too often.
Attracting and Keeping Good Employees in Colorado
There has been much in the news recently about Colorado's low unemployment rate. This is good for workers, but hard on business owners. As this Denver Post article points out, businesses large and small have had to become creative and aggressive in their hiring practices.
5 Reasons Your Single-Member LLC Needs an Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is a contract that controls the operations of your limited liability company's internal affairs. This includes the interactions between the members of the LLC, it managers, and the limited liability company itself. You may think that an operating agreement is not necessary for your single-member LLC. After all, do you really need a written agreement with yourself?
THE DANGERS OF REVOKING A LIVING TRUST
Several clients have come to me recently seeking to revoke, or having revoked, their living trust. The one who just left my law office exemplifies the reason we don't recommend full revocation of a living trust.
When Is A Worker An Independent Contractor?
Many businesses prefer to hire workers as independent contractors because there's often less overhead and fewer expenses such as taxes. However, if you misclassify an employee as an independent contractor you could face big problems. Here's how the federal law differentiates between the two.
When disagreements arise in the family business
Whether as kids fighting over who gets the next turn on the swing or as adults arguing over politics during Thanksgiving dinner, you and your siblings have had your share of disagreements over the years. The occasional quarrel among relatives is usually resolved without too much drama, but when it comes to Colorado families that own businesses together, a fight can turn disastrous.
A small disagreement between you and your siblings has the potential to affect your relatives, employees, customers and company success if the fight goes unresolved. Let’s say, for example, that your brother accuses you of taking money from petty cash for personal expenses. You insist that if you ever borrowed money from the company, it was in small amounts and you always repaid it promptly, but your brother does not believe you. The fight escalates until you threaten to quit, which upsets your parents because your skills are vital for the company’s success. In turn, the tension makes employees fearful for their jobs.
HBO Sheds Light on Dangers of Guardianship of the Elderly
On June 3, 2018, John Oliver, Lily Tomlin, William Shatner, and others spent some time on Oliver's show Last Week Tonight addressing a decidedly unfunny topic: Guardianship. If you didn't see it, you can find it here. The piece has gotten some attention elsewhere in the media, including TIME magazine.
Running a business together after a divorce is challenging
While you were married, the thought of building a business together was romantic and exciting. As the years passed and your business grew, the job became challenging but rewarding. Unfortunately, like many marriages in Colorado, your relationship did not survive, although your company is still doing well. When married business partners divorce, the dynamics of a company are likely to change. It will affect everyone involved, from you and your spouse to your associates, clients and employees. Is it possible to save your business after your marriage died?
There are many answers to this question. You and your ex may decide to run the company as you always have. One spouse could offer to buy out the other’s share in the business or, if worse comes to worst, you may both shut down the company. It all comes down to how friendly or willing to negotiate you and your ex are with each other.
Are you ready to start your own business?
Many people dream of owning a business one day. Maybe you envision running a pizza restaurant with your spouse and kids and grandkids one day, or perhaps it is a sleek Tech startup you see yourself leading. Whatever it is you imagine, there are a few steps, often more than a few, to turn a daydream into reality.
How do you know if you are ready?
4 essential tips for writing a business plan
Are you considering starting a new business? If you want to be successful and get funding, you will need to have a thorough plan. While you may think that writing a business plan is intimidating, you do not need to do anything fancy to put together a solid document.
As long as you have passion, vision and organization, you can write a compelling and informative company plan. Here are our top tips for crafting a business plan.
