Professional Resources

CPA Resources

This resource guide is provided for accountants and their clients to use when questions arise about their personal estates and business finances. The information on this page is a guide and not legal advice. L&C’s experienced advisors are available to meet with clients to review their concerns and issues.

• Estate Planning
  • Unified Credit Amounts
  • Estate Tax Rate Schedule
  • Generation Skipping Tax Exemption Amounts
  • Gift Tax Exemption Amount
• LLC Tax
  • Gross Receipts Charts
  • Deferral Limitations on Contributions to Some Common Retirement Plans
  • Deferral Limitations on Contributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Domestic Per Diem Rate
• Accounting Associations

Business Names

People looking to start a new business often want to pick a name for the business. However, one is not free to pick just any name. The name cannot infringe upon a trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, nor may it infringe upon a trademark registered with the California Secretary of State. Unfortunately, the Secretary of State does not yet maintain a searchable public database of trademarks. However, it does maintain the California Business Search, a searchable public database of corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships.

Furthermore, a person who does business under a name other than his or her given name must file a fictitious business name statement in the county where he or she does business. Most counties, including Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles Counties maintain searchable public databases of fictitious business names.

Under California law, one may not use a business name that is confusingly similar to one already on file with the Secretary of State's office, nor may one do business in a county under a name confusingly similar to one already being used in that county. To determine whether your name is available, you should check each of these resources before you invest time and money in developing the goodwill of your business under a name you may be forced to change later.

Licensure

Before starting business, you should determine whether your business needs to be licensed. Most cities, such as the City of Riverside, have a business license requirement, but some counties, such as the County of Riverside, have no such requirement. If you need to determine whether your business or profession is licensed by the State of California, you should check with the California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency.

Also, when doing business with others, such as lawyers, real estate agents, insurance agents, and contractors, it can be helpful to confirm that the individuals in question are validly licensed and have not previously been disciplined.

Business Planning

Many new businesses struggle due to a lack of up-front planning. The first step towards success includes the creation of a business plan. The United States Small Business Administration provides detailed information regarding business plans with the actual plans used by numerous companies operating in a variety of industries. In addition to providing information on business plans, the SBA also provides information on financing, marketing, employees and taxes.

DISCLAIMER
This is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice, legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. You should consult with your own professional (Accountant, Lawyer, Tax Advisor) regarding the application of this information to your own situation. Neither the information provided, nor any response to it is intended to create an attorney-client relationship or privilege of any kind.

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