The expiration of the Bush-era estate and gift tax laws presents a sobering picture for farmers. Even moderately-sized farmers may be facing the loss of part of their family farm due to estate taxes starting in 2011 because Congress is ignoring this particular issue. Stay tuned and talk to your Congress representative sooner, rather than [...]
I follow several Ag news sites and blogs. Two of my current favorites:
Humane Watch
Indiana Prairie Farmer
I also have clients, colleagues and friends who keep me well-supplied with links to websites and articles of interest. Frequently, these are hyper-negative reports and rants about livestock farming operations that compel me to walk away from the computer [...]
Law for Change is a new website of legal resources that bills itself as “The Legal Forum for Social Innovation.”
(From the site) “This site combines in one place a broad menu of legal information prepared by leading law firms and lawyers specifically tailored to the needs of social entrepreneurs and innovators, social enterprises, [...]
RSA (Royal Society for the Arts) has a series of animated short lectures which discuss some pretty interesting stuff — the one posted below is “The Secret Powers of Time.” Once you finish this, you’ll find yourself watching more. Fascinating.
The Secret Powers of Time
Follow up to an earlier post — One of my clients just received one of the first “File or be Revoked” letters from the IRS. I’ve attached a copy, you can see what it looks like.
05-24-10 IRS 990 Notice
Note that for this particular nonprofit, the year end in question was September, 2008, so they are [...]
The IRS blitzed the media in the past week about getting the 990 (particularly the on-line 990N) filed by the May 17 deadline. Dire consequences of losing your §501(c)(3) status have been promised.
The IRS 990N website was clogged for the few days before, and the day of, the deadline. If you couldn’t get online during [...]
I’m a big fan of the Discovery Channel show, “Dirty Jobs.” Mike Rowe is a sensible “everyman” who not only tells it like it is, but shows it like it is. Last fall, he was the keynote speaker at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis (my FFA-member daughter was delighted at the chance to see [...]
Come dressed appropriately for a business meeting (cover as many
tattoos as possible)
Turn your cell phone off (unless you are in the life saving business)
Show up on time
There is a difference between an excuse and a reason (call me for
clarification)
Everyone makes a mistake (even you) so develop a forgiving spirit
The opinions of others can be respected [...]
This is the 21st Century, folks, and we are smarter, more technologically savvy, and have the lessons of the past century to guide us. So, what are we doing for the environment in the 21st Century?
Take a look at the NYT article published on Earth Day, 2010:
For Earth Day – 7 New Rules to [...]
Every year, my clients ask what charitable deductions can be claimed on their tax return. Sadly, I have some clients who meticulously track their charitable contributions, only to be told that they cannot itemize, so they have no benefit from their deductions.
What are the rules for charitable deductions? The IRS has a nice “Ten Tips” [...]
If you would like to learn more about agriculture law or nonprofit governance, you can find me at workshops throughout the state of Indiana. Check out the new page “upcoming workshops” at right for more information. When available, links will be added with details and registration information.
It’s been nearly a year since Lawlatte.com “went live,” and to my shame, I’ve been slow in completing content for this website. As of today, you can find Agriculture information posted on the Ag Side of the website. This is just a start – more information and resources will be posted, sometime in the hopefully-not-too-distant [...]
The Network for Good has a great article about trends affecting online fund raising in 2010. With the economic continuing its sluggish movement toward recovery, nonprofits will need to aggressively pursue all available options to maintain their budgets – or, at the very least, minimize negative trends.
Check it out:
5 Trends That Will Affect Online Fund [...]
My math skills are exceedingly moderate. Though I have the “times table” etched in my brain from childhood drills, I still have to stop and think to get the answer. I always check my work with a calculator.
Yet, I enjoy the beauty and magic of mathematical concepts. The logic to solving a math problem and [...]
It is so easy find and use text and images from the Internet. People forget that someone created that content (whether prose or picture), and the person who creates it, owns it.
Lately, I’ve had inquiries about how folks can protect their creative works from being used (or abused) through the Internet. While I’m not sure [...]
