Because of its asset protection and tax advantages, the limited liability company has become a popular choice for form of entity. While it is relatively easy to form a limited liability company, it is important to note that various “post-formation” action is necessary to derive the intended benefits from the limited liability company.
One key change for business taxpayers under the 2025 Tax Act concerns the tax treatment of “domestic research or experimental expenditures” (often also referred to as “U.S. R&D” costs). Also, the 2025 Tax Act permanently enacts into law the provision from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that created the “qualified business income” deduction – generally allowing a 20% deduction with respect to the “qualified business income” from partnerships, S corporations, and sole proprietorships.
It has been stated that the limited liability company has become more popular than the corporation as the basic form of entity to do business in the United States. A critical document with any limited liability company is the operating agreement. When an operating agreement for a limited liability company fails to fully cover the six key issues described here in accordance with the understandings of the limited liability company’s members and managers and applicable law, such operating agreement is a poorly-drafted, inadequate operating agreement.
President Trump announced a new immigration proposal – what he referred to as a “gold card”. The “gold card” green card program would potentially replace the existing EB-5 immigration program. Although it has been reported that the Trump administration may be considering combining the “gold card” green card proposal with the EB-5 investment program in some manner.
With the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the “Texas Top Cop Shop December 3” injunction, the Supreme Court’s decision only related to the nationwide injunction issued in the Texas Top Cop Shop case; it did not at all relate to the nationwide injunction issued in the Smith case. As a result, as of January 24, 2025, the general advice remained that reporting companies that had not yet made filings with FinCEN to comply with the BOIR requirement of the CTA should hold off on doing so.
President-elect Trump has proposed various new specific exemptions from income tax liability. First, he would exempt tips from income tax liability. Second, he would exempt overtime pay from income tax liability. Third, he would exempt Social Security benefits from income tax liability. There is no guarantee that some or any of President-elect Trump’s tax proposals will be enacted into law.
There are two types of reporting companies – “domestic reporting companies” and “foreign reporting companies.” It is important to remember that reporting companies that were formed or registered to do business in the United States on or before December 31, 2023 are required to comply with applicable “FinCEN” reporting by January 1, 2025 and reporting companies that were formed or registered to do business in the United States during 2024 are required to comply with applicable “FinCEN” reporting within 90 calendar days after receiving notice of such formation or registration.
“Buy sell” agreements often are funded by life insurance policies. Life insurance proceeds can affect the “estate tax” valuation of a deceased business owner’s ownership interest. And can have material implications for the terms of “buy-sell” agreements, business valuations, and other estate tax liability and estate planning issues.
Succession is an important issue in estate planning. Usually, succession is discussed in terms of an asset owner’s or business owner’s death. Who should succeed me as owner and manager of my assets or business on my death? A less often discussed, but also significant, issue is succession in disability situations.
Simplicity can be advantageous in making decisions concerning your business. On the important decision of choice of entity, based on simplicity, it may seem appropriate to use an Illinois entity to operate an Illinois business. By using an entity formed in a different state than Illinois to operate an Illinois entity, there will be additional complexity from having to comply with the legal requirements of Illinois and another state. However, for some Illinois businesses, this complexity may be overridden by certain benefits from using non-Illinois entities.
For many years, Delaware has been a leading state in which to achieve asset protection. Besides its broad recognition of tenancy by entirety and “pro-debtor” charging order law, Delaware was one of the first states to authorize the use of series limited liability companies.
Immigrant obtaining a Green card involves one negative cost – United States taxation. United States green card holders are subject to United States income taxation on their worldwide income. This can expose United States green card holders to double taxation if any of this income is also subject to taxation in their native country or another foreign country.