Quick Incorporate

If you are wondering whether incorporating would be the right option to exercise for your business, it could be helpful to understand the elements of a corporation before making that decision. So, let us look at these elements.

The shortest definition of a corporation is that it is a legal entity created by a state filing, which has a separate existence from its owners. It is a creature of legal fiction because it is an artificial entity, which only exists in the contemplation of the law.

A corporation is created when your articles of incorporation have been completed, filed and approved by the proper authority, usually the state’s Secretary of State. Some states call the articles of incorporation a ‘charter’ or a ‘certificate of incorporation’. Read the rest of this entry »

Businesses can be incorporated online. Incorporation can be done filing papers and handing over the forms to the office of the Secretary of State where they will be incorporated. It can be done by the applicant or by a lawyer. If you chose to do it yourself, online medium offer a fairly easy way. There are intermediaries who will do if for you, but you must keep in mind that they are just service providers and don’t offer any legal advice.

There are many of service providers on the Internet who provide incorporation services. The services include filing the papers, providing registered agents for those states where the business is to be incorporated, name checking and final delivery of the documents. The charges include state filing fees that vary from state to state and service and shipping charges. If the incorporation process has to be expedited, the charges are usually higher. Read the rest of this entry »

LLC (limited liability company) provides the benefits of liability protection and pass through taxation features of sole proprietorship or partnership. Many small business owners prefer this form of corporation as it provides greater flexibility in management. The general characteristics of LLC’s are limited duration of existence, no double taxation and member or owner managed business. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to the term ‘offshore’ used in conjunction with company incorporation, the term ‘offshore’ generally refers to any jurisdiction other than one in which the company incorporated will conduct the majority of its activities.

Usually such a jurisdiction has some degree of taxation or reporting benefit attached that makes it attractive to the company owner, and the concept of incorporating a company offshore will bring at least one of the following five benefits to a business owner: - Read the rest of this entry »

The benefits of incorporating are numerous; personal asset protection, retirement fund allocation, durability, capital raising facilities, credit rating, multiple ownership and tax benefits. Yet, many entrepreneurs, upper tax bracket individuals and other small business owners fail to incorporate appropriately and protect themselves and their most prized accomplishments. In the United States, corporations are legal entities recognized as people. They can be filed as varying structures such as non profit organizations, profit organizations, fictitious persons and the such. Furthermore, corporations can very well outlive their owners and do not by default have a termination or dissolution date such as partnerships and other legal entities. However, having decided to incorporate is not the only decision that must be made by a small business owner. Many other choices such as where to incorporate, what entity structure to take on and the means of incorporation must all be decided prior to choosing a snazzy name or office location. Read the rest of this entry »