We love our four-legged friends here in Maine. You’ll often see people bring their dog along with them on their adventures, whether that be to the beach, the lake, the mountains or even a brewery patio in Portland. Which makes sense, many of us recognize and cherish the emotional support and companionship our pets provide.  Continue Reading »

Kress v. United States In a gift tax case teeming with valuation issues, one notable aspect was that, in valuing the minority shares of an S corporation, both parties’ experts applied a C corporation tax rate to the company’s earnings, and the court, without ado, accepted the practice. To what extent this court’s position reflects  Continue Reading »

Most employers try to strike a balance between encouraging healthy habits on the part of their employees and acting as a surrogate nanny. But as the use of e-cigarettes has become increasingly popular, the question of whether or not to allow vaping at work can be a thorny one to tackle. According to the Wall  Continue Reading »

Summer is fast approaching, which means many small businesses here in Maine are gearing up for their busiest time of year. Of course, an increase in workload requires an increase in labor to handle it — and that often means hiring teenagers who are out of school for the summer. Hiring young people can be  Continue Reading »

Have you been thinking about your drug use policies? Recent trends in the labor market and drug enforcement has encouraged some employers to revise their drug use policies. Here are some of the issues to keep in mind when ensuring your company’s strategy is effective and up-to-date. Changes in the Workplace Generally speaking, workplace drug testing  Continue Reading »

75% of all child support is collected through employer-based income withholding orders (IWOs), says the federal Office Of Child support Enforcement (OCSE). That totaled $32 billion in the most recent figures. According to the Census Bureau, nearly half of the country’s 13.4 million custodial single parents have some type of child support arrangement in place,  Continue Reading »

There are approximately 38 million private sector employees in the United States who lack access to a retirement savings plan through their employers. Now, momentum is growing in Washington, D.C. to fix this situation by letting small employers take advantage of multiple employer defined contribution plans (MEPs). Is an MEP an option for you and  Continue Reading »

The ways medical professionals and patients interact continues to change thanks to telemedicine. Your Maine-based company may already have telemedicine available, and it’s a benefit to both you and your employees. Nearly three-quarters of employers with at least 500 workers said they make telemedicine services available, according to a survey by the Mercer consulting firm.  Continue Reading »

Is your company ready for Generation Z? Demographers and generation-focused marketing experts have begun talking about some of the differences they see in Gen Z, the newest group to enter the job applicant pool. There is no current consensus on the start of this generation—the dividing line between Millenials and Gen Z may be as  Continue Reading »

Violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for 461 summer camp employees is going to cost a Miami prep school almost $700,000 according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). (DOL News Release 18-1191-ATL) After an investigation, the school will pay $635,269 to the camp counselors and was also assessed $47,578 in civil money penalties  Continue Reading »