Stock without Certificates

Now that we are moving more and more into electronic records, can we dispense with stock certificates? Yes, we can, but for most closely held corporations, it may not be worthwhile to change to certificate-less stock. The failure to issue … Continue reading

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I Asked ChatGPT a Legal Question–Here’s What It Said

I posed the following question to ChatGPT: What is the difference between a corporation and an LLC? Here is the response generated by ChatGPT (with my comments in red): A corporation and a limited liability company (LLC) are two different … Continue reading

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What is a Professional Corporation?

According to the law in California (the Moscone-Knox Professional Corporation Act), a professional corporation is a corporation that is engaged in rendering professional services. In this context, “professional services” are any type of professional services that may be lawfully rendered … Continue reading

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Administrative Dissolutions

As previously posted on this blog, California law was changed (AB 2503) to allow the state to dissolve entities administratively instead of allowing zombie entities to remain on the rolls permanently. A word to the wise:  Abandoning the entity and … Continue reading

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Buy-Sell Agreements in the Articles of Incorporation

Under the Corporations Code, if there is a suit for involuntary dissolution, or if there is an election to dissolve voluntarily by shareholders representing only 50% of the voting power of the stock, the dissolution of the corporation and the … Continue reading

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Perils of Dissolution, or Hey, FTB, Where’s My Dough?

Sometimes a California limited liability company (LLC) or California corporation dissolves and files a final tax return which shows it has a refund coming, but the refund is $800 short. How could this happen? It’s because the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) … Continue reading

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Here’s One Way Not to Pay Taxes – Legally!

California charges a minimum franchise tax of $800 each year. This is a tax on the privilege of being a corporation. It doesn’t matter whether the corporation is profitable or even if it has any revenue. The state wants its … Continue reading

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Don’t go to MyFTB.com. It’s not the official site.

To access your MyFTB account, go to the FTB’s website: www.ftb.ca.gov . Note that the word “my” is NOT part of the URL. MyFTB.com has been reported as a malware site.

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Real Estate Withholding Credit for Pass-Through Entities

The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) has recently published a reminder about credit for real-estate withholding. According to the FTB: Pass-through business entities that pass through their income, deductions, and credits to the owners must also pass through the real … Continue reading

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