Stephen L. Nelson

How Do You Buy A Short Sale

Want to know about a great new investment opportunity? Real estate investments... or more accurately, real estate investment property you can acquire in a short sale purchase. The combination of short sale purchase discounts, a strong rental market in ... Read >

Analyzing Short Sale Rental Properties

Among the many other errors small real estate investors committed in the months and years leading up to the Great Recession, probably one stands out: Small real estate investors often didn't perform very quantitative analysis of their investments. They of... Read >

California Limited Liability Companies Create Tradeoffs for Real Estate Investors

In the tough California real estate market of the last two or three years, investors need every tool available for minimizing risk. And owning a property through a limited liability company should be considered. Unfortunately, California's handling of the... Read >

Setting Up a New Small Business in Washington State

If you live and work in Washington state, forming a new business isn't that complicated. Fortunately. Nevertheless you do need to walk through several steps in the right order to minimize problems later on: Step #1 -- Verify You're Starting a Business ... Read >

State Incorporation Boo-boos

If you're an entrepreneur thinking about starting a small business, you've probably researched already the costs and benefits of incorporation. But you probably also need to look into one key issue--the possible state incorporation mistakes you don't want... Read >

When Is Your Business Too Small to Incorporate?

Here's a crazy question: Is your business too small to incorporate? It's not a dumb question. Yes, incorporation limits the financial liability of the business's owners. And, sure, a corporation can save its owners payroll taxes (through the S corporation... Read >

LLC Versus Corporation: Choosing the Right Option

Entrepreneurs seeking to limit their business liability often ask if a limited liability company supplies better protection than a traditional corporation. And no wonder. You can hear knowledgeable attorneys and accountants argue passionately for eithe... Read >

Professional S Corporation Disqualification Rule Flawed

In the days leading up to the 2010 Memorial Day weekend, the congressional Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Jobs and Closing Loopholes Act. In the next few days, the U.S. Senate will probably also pass the bill. The mi... Read >

Perfectly Timing Your Subchapter S Election

Deciding to operate a business as an S corporation is usually a pretty simple decision to make because S status often saves a business thousands of dollars in taxes a year. Unfortunately, business owners often find the S corp timing rules confusing. Th... Read >

Three Simple Small Business Plan Secrets from a CPA

Want to do smarter business planning in the difficult new economy that is 2010? You'll create a better and more successful small business plan by following three, easy-to-grasp tips: Verify Profitability A first simple-sounding idea: You want to ver... Read >

Write a Business Plan for an Online Business

Business planning for a new Internet or online business can be tricky. In many cases, the businesses struggle along, unprofitably, for a period of time--so it's important in the beginning to keep the operation lean. However, while Internet businesses o... Read >

Alternatives to a Limited Liability Companies

A limited liability company often makes great sense for new businesses. The LLC option limits liability... and that's good obviously. And the LLC option serves up tasty tax benefits (in particular, the option to use the Sub S corporation election). How... Read >

Incorporating in Nevada vs. Incorporating in California: Making the Right Choice

Thinking about starting a business in California? If so, you've probably heard the rumors about incorporating in Nevada. Someone has surely whispered that you shouldn't incorporate in high-tax, busienss-unfriendly California. Instead, so you've heard, sma... Read >

Reviewing S Corporation Disadvantages and Drawbacks

CPAs love S corporations--and for good reasons: Typically, the S corp choice annually saves clients thousands of dollars in Social Security, Medicare and income taxes. Unfortunately, an S corporation disadvantages its owners with several problems (as e... Read >

LLC vs. LLP: Why an LLP may be better than an LLC

Llc vs. llp anxiety? No surprise there. Heck, every lawyer and CPA in the country appears to be gag-gag over the limited liability company option. And then, of course, if you've been even half observant, you'll undoubtedly have noticed that many big la... Read >