4th Edition Nolo’s Quick LLC by Attorney Anthony Mancuso always up to date The law changes, but Nolo is on top of it! We offer several ways to make sure you and your Nolo products are up to date: 1 Nolo’s Legal Updater We’ll send you an email whenever a new edition of this book is published! Sign up at www.nolo.com/legalupdater. Updates @ Nolo.com 2 Check www.nolo.com/update to fi nd recent changes in the law that affect the current edition of your book. Nolo Customer Service 3 To make sure that this edition of the book is the most recent one, call us at 800-728-3555 and ask one of our friendly customer service representatives. Or fi nd out at www.nolo.com. please note We believe accurate, plain-English legal information should help you solve many of your own legal problems. But this text is not a substitute for personalized advice from a knowledgeable lawyer. If you want the help of a trained professional—and we’ll always point out situations in which we think that’s a good idea—consult an attorney licensed to practice in your state. 4th Edition Nolo’s Quick LLC by Attorney Anthony Mancuso FOURTH EDITION FEBRUARY 2007 Editor LISA GUERIN Production JESSICA STERLING Cover Photography TONYA PERME (www.tonyaperme.com) Proofreader ROBERT wELLS Index SONGBIRD INDEXING SERVICES Printer DELTA PRINTING SOLUTIONS, INC. International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 1932-17401 ISBN 1-4133-0565-2 Copyright © 2000-2007 by Anthony Mancuso. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher. Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the forms contained in this product when reproduced for personal use. Quantity sales: For information on bulk purchases or corporate premium sales, please contact the Special Sales department. For academic sales or textbook adoptions, ask for Academic Sales, 800-955-4775. Nolo, 950 Parker St., Berkeley, CA 94710. Acknowledgments A special thanks to Ilona Bray, Bethany Laurence, and Jake warner for help producing the first edition, and to all the Noloids at Nolo for their continued assistance in helping me keep alive another self-help law business resource. Table of Contents I Introduction Should You Consider Forming an LLC? ............................................................................................3 How to Use This Book ...............................................................................................................................9 What This Book Doesn’t Do .................................................................................................................10 Legal and Tax Experts ...............................................................................................................................10 Other Nolo LLC Resources ....................................................................................................................10 1 An Overview of LLCs Basic LLC Features ......................................................................................................................................16 Exceptions to Owners’ Limited Liability ........................................................................................25 Basics of Forming an LLC ........................................................................................................................34 2 The LLC vs. Other Business Structures Other Business Structures .....................................................................................................................43 What Is a Sole Proprietorship? ............................................................................................................44 What Is a General Partnership? ...........................................................................................................49 What Is a Limited Partnership? ...........................................................................................................54 What Is a C Corporation? .......................................................................................................................57 What Is an S Corporation?.....................................................................................................................68 What Is an RLLP? .........................................................................................................................................73 Deciding Between an LLC and Another Business Type .........................................................76 Business Structures Comparison Table ..........................................................................................79
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