On Father’s Day, Morgan Bux celebrated with her dad Big Daddy Bux and asked him to team up with her to buy the fast-growing Green Earth Air Conditioning and Heating, LLC in Buda from the Green Earth retiring owner Gaia. Morgan suggested to Big Daddy that he invest her inheritance in Green Earth and work with her to grow the business as part of his own retirement and estate planning. Big Daddy’s tax and estate planning lawyers outlined a plan. Morgan’s business consultant recommended the formation of a Green Earth advisory team to support her after the purchase and developed a long-term plan for management growth and business expansion. To complete the purchase, should Morgan buy the assets or Gaia’s membership interest in the Green Earth limited liability company? Often buyers would rather purchase the company’s asset while sellers prefer to sell the stock / membership interest in the entire company. Why is that? What would Morgan and Big Daddy prefer?
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Company Management
Selling Mom’s Business – Asset or Stock Sale?
Angelica Bux and her son Duke own a fast-growing, family business Blue Skies Air Conditioning and Heating, LLC in Cotulla Texas. Angelica plans to retire by selling Blue Skies to Duke to fund her retirement. Their business consultant developed their near-term plan to expand and maximize their business’ value. More recently, their tax and estate planning lawyers outlined an effective tax transition plan and the formation of a Blue Skies’ advisory team to support Duke’s management after the sale. To complete the purchase, should Duke buy the assets or Angelica’s membership interest in the Blue Skies’ limited liability company? Often buyers prefer to purchase the company’s assets, and sellers would rather sell the entire company. Why is that? Does an inter-family sale affect their decision?
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The Corporate Transparency Act: What Your Company Needs to Know About the New Federal Reporting Requirements
Last month’s post explained how setting up a dummy company can help seal a deal. Unfortunately, dummy companies can be used for far more nefarious purposes, including money laundering, terrorism financing, and tax fraud. For example, the New York Times and 60 Minutes revealed how high-end real estate has been snatched up by dummy companies linked to foreigners with ties to organized crime, despotic regimes, or both.
They were able to use dummy companies to anonymously move money into the United States, because most States do not require organizers of corporations or LLCs to disclose their true owners. That’s the case in Texas. The certificate of formation for a Texas corporation must identify its initial directors but not its shareholders. And the organizer of a Texas LLC can conceal its members by setting the company up as a manager-managed LLC and then appointing a non-member as the manager. While the ability to conceal the company’s owners is good for a buyer seeking to obtain a lower price or discourage competitive bidding, it presents a significant challenge for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
To combat the illicit use of dummy companies, Congress enacted the Corporate Transparency Act. It was tucked away in the National Defense Authorization Act, which became law on January 1, 2021, when Congress overrode President Trump’s veto.
The Corporate Transparency Act generally requires corporations, LLCs and other similar entities to file reports on their beneficial ownership with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the Department of the Treasury beginning next year. While the Corporate Transparency Act was aimed at malign actors using dummy companies, its obligations, like the rain, fall on the just and unjust alike. Millions of companies will have to file new reports on their beneficial ownership with the federal government, regardless of whether they are dummy companies or engaged in any illegal activity. While the scope of those reporting obligations are not clear yet, here’s what your company needs to know now:
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New to Texas? Considerations for Moving Your Business to the Lone Star State
If you’re new to Texas, you’re not the first from California to sing about it. In their 1964 album, The Beach Boys sang about being a “Long Tall Texan.” Nowadays, there’s a lot more to moving to Texas than just singing a song. This is the first of a series addressing tips for moving the entirety of your business and you into the Lone Star State.
If you intend to continue to conduct business in your home state, you should strongly consider having two separate and distinct entities, books, employees and accounting systems. Generally speaking, it’s easier to start a business in Texas than it is to terminate your business ties in your departing state – together with the on-going payment of all of the departing state’s taxes and fees. You should strongly consider the following:Continue Reading New to Texas? Considerations for Moving Your Business to the Lone Star State
Can your Company be Protected from the Risk of an “Unfit to Work” Partner?
The President of First Bank of Buxboro Ernest “Big Daddy” Bux is growing older, and he’s showing it. Despite tightening bank regulations on lending and credit documentation, Big Daddy seems to be getting even more lax. Moreover, just last week – during important loan renewal negotiations with the Bank’s largest customer – Big Daddy could not remember the name of the company or the name of its principal. Do the directors of First State Bank owe any legal responsibility to the FDIC as the insurer? Do the Bank directors have any legal responsibilities to the Bank? What about Big Daddy, personally, does he have rights?
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Defining a Win in Litigation: Saving Reputational Costs
If your business provides consumer-oriented goods or services, your reputation is very important to you. When I use the term “consumer-oriented,” I mean goods or services that are primarily used for personal or household purposes. That is not to say that businesses that do not directly affect consumers are not worried about their reputations. In fact, they are, because reputation means everything.
Suppose one of your customers claims one of your employees stole an item while they were at the customer’s home making repairs. You interviewed all of the employees who were at the customer’s home. None of them saw the item in question. You speak to the homeowner, and discover that your employees were working in a completely different part of the house than where the homeowner keeps the item. You looked in the company vehicles and do not see any evidence of the item. The only thing supporting the customer’s claim is that the customer was not home at the time your employees were there. The customer files a police report. Your team cooperates, and the police do not find sufficient evidence to support any charges. The customer is insistent that your employees took the item, and is threatening to sue. What do you do?
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Mass Shootings – Who’s Responsible?
Last month, a gunman entered an El Paso Walmart, shot and killed 22 people and injured more than two dozen others. A local El Paso attorney filed suit against Walmart claiming that store had insufficient security. Besides the shooter “Malo,” is the retailer Walmart responsible? What about the property manager? The property owner? The architect who designed the retail store?
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Family Matters: Can a Family Business Succeed Without Maximum Valuation and Sound Estate Planning?
Struggling these last several months with the family dynamics and dilemmas of transitioning his family business to the next generation, Big Daddy Ernest Bux, 65, now turns to ordinary, practical considerations. What are Big Daddy’s businesses worth, and do they have sufficient value/cash flow to accomplish his plans? Will Big Daddy’s estate planning cover the estate taxes and transfer estate assets consistent with his plans and goals?
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Family Matters: Can a Family Business Succeed Without a Written Exit Plan?
Continuing to deliberate about when and how to exit from his family business, Big Daddy Ernest Bux, 65, considers yet another task on his checklist: Determine Exit Strategy. He’s already Identified Successors and Decision Makers, and Planned for Contingencies. Yet to be tackled are Establish Goals, Plan Entity Structure and Transfer, Complete Estate Planning, and Implement Document Maintenance and Control. Asking his banker last week about a new loan to expand his business, Big Daddy learned that his banker cannot give him a business loan without seeing a complete exit plan. How is an exit strategy different from last month’s thoughts on identifying successors?
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Family Matters: Can a Family Business Succeed Without Identifying Successors?
Realizing that at 65 it’s time to talk about succession of his family business – especially Buxboro State Bank, Big Daddy Ernest Bux identified his checklist: Identify Successions, Identify Decision Makers, Plan for Contingencies, Establish Goals, Plan Entity Structure and Transfer, Complete Estate Planning, Determine Exit Strategy, and Implement Document Maintenance and Control. To succeed, what does identifying successions and decision makers look like for Big Daddy’s family business?
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