Spring is in the Air…..
It’s that time of year when the days get longer and the weather warmer. We all think about spring cleaning and begin making our to-do lists. We thought this would be the perfect time to remind you about some of the things a small business owner should put on their list along with checking the fire detectors, alarm systems, and fire extinguishers.
Annual Business Reports: They are due April 1st and can now be filed on line. Please be sure to confirm that the information for your business is correct and that if any changes need to be made you do so using the correct forms. You can find the information by visiting the State of New Hampshire website: www.sos.nh.gov/corporate . You will need your business ID to login.
Corporate Taxes: Have you filed your corporate and payroll tax returns or paid your corporate estimated taxes? Check with your CPA to make sure your return has been filed or that you have filed for an extension of time to file the return. There are many important tax deadlines. The IRS provides a calendar of important tax dates for small businesses to help you stay current with your business’ tax responsibilities. Visit www.IRS.gov for more information and to obtain the calendar http://www.tax.gov/calendar/.
Insurance Policies: Is your renewal coming up soon? Are there any changes that your insurance carrier needs to be aware of? Did you make major purchases of equipment or acquire a new building? You may have changed locations, expanded, downsized, or changed employees. Make sure that you have adequate coverage for the current state of your business.
Leases: Is your building or equipment leases expiring soon? Knowing when these leases expire gives you the opportunity to renegotiate the terms. Do your homework prior to the expiration date to receive the most for your hard earned dollar.
I GOOGLED YOU…..
Is it normal to inform a person that you have made an overt-attempt to obtain information about them? Has the internet provided a mechanism to legalize stalking? Or is this behavior simply a sign of the times? The facts are wearisome: fifty million times a day, someone “Google’s” someone else’s name.[1]
As much as I protest, I acknowledge that it is inevitable. Just last week, a client told me that they did not know that I was in the Air Force. I asked how they knew that. The answer? You guessed it; “I Googled you”. My employer also candidly informed me of the information they obtained about me by way of “Google”. In fact, in 2008, over 22% of employers reported using Social Media sites to research job applicants. In June of 2009, that number climbed to 45%. Many employers would be discouraged from hiring an employee if they make some fundamental mistakes of public disclosure on the internet; making disparaging remarks about a former employer, posting photos of alcohol or drug use, or posting provocative or inappropriate information or photographs. Everything you do now is part of your permanent record, as many websites have a disclaimer that they retain the information and/or pictures for life.
I previously taught Social Media at a local university. During the first class, I turned on the overhead projector and “Googled” the student’s names. Certainly, this may have been embarrassing; but it was an important lesson that you never know who could be looking at your information on-line. My advice to the class was – Google yourself often.
If you have less than favorable information posted about you, there are a couple of steps you can take to eliminate this problem. The first is obvious: remove all negative content that you have control over, i.e. posts on Facebook or Twitter. Next, create positive information by way of posting a profile on Linked In, in which you can highlight your professional attributes and create a strong network of virtual professionals. Lastly, in the most extreme circumstances, you can hire a company who specializes in removal of negative information on the World Wide Web. This is commonly known as “scrubbing” your profile. The downside to this option is that it is fairly expensive.
For more information, contact Attorney Mike Fontaine (more…)
House Bill 1419
House Bill 1419, the Military Parents Rights Act is important proposed legislation that could become a new law that delineates parenting rights when a person serving in the military receives deployment orders. Under this House Bill, a Final Parenting Order will not be changed due to a deployment of any active duty military member or reservist. Rather than change the Parenting Plan, the Court would issue Temporary Orders for the period of deployment. Upon the request of the deployed parent, the Court may delegate all or part of his/her parenting time to a person he/she cohabitates with, or another person with a close and substantial relationship to the child, if it is in the child’s best interests.
Although I am a veteran and continually advocate for the rights of my fellow service members; I do not believe that this Bill adequately protects the fundamental rights of parents.
Consider this hypothetical: Dad and Mom have been divorced for ten years, and have a 12 year-old child. Dad is a U.S. Marine Reservist and gets orders for a one-year deployment in Iraq. He then “delegates” his parenting rights to his girlfriend. Mom believes that girlfriend should not be granted the same rights to her child as a parent normally would have. Mom believes that this right is affected because girlfriend is 23 years old, has no children of her own, and Mom believes girlfriend has questionable ethics and morals.
This is a slippery slope; to what end should the Court be permitted to grant “parental rights” to an individual who is in fact, not a parent.
For more information, contact Attorney Mike Fontaine
