It is a common, but ill advised, practice in the household employment field to negotiate wages on a take home pay basis. We have illustrated many times how parents can get themselves into budgetary hot water when they agree to a take home wage without first doing the math to figure out what the out of pocket costs are too. Similarly, a nanny or senior caregiver who simply negotiates her wage on a take home pay basis often works against her best interest.

Modern businesses must have a good website to remain competitive, even if they aren’t an eCommerce business. Developing and maintaining a site though isn’t always cheap and easy. As these costs can mount quickly, business owners often want to know how to treat those costs when it comes to taxes. This post gives you a starting point for proper categorization of website development costs.

For many families, their pets are a part of their family and have just as many privileges and rights as the humans in the house. So, when it comes time to hiring a new household employee, it is important to keep your pets in mind during the process. If you plan on hiring a new nanny and you have pets in your home, this is something that you should discuss with potential candidates from the very get-go.

Once you find a wonderful nanny that works well with your family and that your kids love, it is easy to be protective of her and want her to be available all the time. But nannies have lives of their own and many of them want to have their own families. So, it’s important to be prepared for that fact and plan accordingly when your nanny announces that she is pregnant and will want to take maternity leave.

The Internet has become a must-have. It makes our lives easier and gives us the tools we need to research and find information with just a few clicks of a button. However, it also gives people the platform to write what they want to, which can be both good and bad. Because more and more people turn to writing reviews for businesses online nowadays, businesses have had to think about how to best respond to the reviews that are coming in about them. Unfortunately, bad reviews happen occasionally, and your response makes all the difference.  

Generally speaking, couples filing jointly are also jointly responsible for the tax obligation of their household. This means that the IRS can go after either spouse for the entire tax obligation, not just the part associated with their earnings. One exception to this rule is called an “Innocent Spouse.”

The short answer to this question is maybe.

Retirement planning is a vital part of financial health. Many people use a Traditional IRA to help ensure a comfortable retirement (you can help your household employee too). Building an IRA during your working life is only half the consideration; you should plan for distributions as well.

If you have hired a caregiver to help your aging parent with day to day care, you likely know that some days can be more challenging than others. Being a senior caregiver comes with rewards, but it can also be a difficult and stressful job. Supporting your caregiver goes a long way. Here are some tips on how you can support your parent’s caregiver for the long haul.

In the spring of 2019 the Social Security Administration (SSA) started sending out “no-match” letters. These letters are to inform employers that the W-2 given to an employee(s) has information that doesn’t match the agency’s files. Specifically, the information in question is the employee’s name and Social Security Number (SSN).