Includes index.

Working for yourself : The good, the bad, and the ugly -- Working for yourself : the good -- Working for yourself : the bad -- Working for yourself : the ugly -- Choosing the legal form for your business -- Sole proprietorships -- Corporations -- Partnerships -- Limited liability companies (llcs) -- Choosing and protecting your business name -- Choosing a legal name -- Choosing a trade name -- Choosing a trademark -- Choosing an internet domain name -- Conducting a name search -- Home alone or outside office -- Pros and cons of working at home -- Restrictions on home-based businesses -- Deducting your home office expenses -- Pros and cons of an outside office -- Leasing a workplace -- Deducting your outside office expenses -- Obtaining licenses, permits, and identification numbers -- Business licenses -- Employer identification numbers (EINs) -- Sales tax permits -- Insuring your business and yourself -- The health care reform act ("Obamacare") -- Disability insurance -- Business property insurance -- Liability insurance -- Car insurance -- Workers' compensation insurance -- Other types of insurance -- Ways to save on insurance -- Pricing your services and getting paid -- pricing your services -- Getting paid -- Taxes and self-employed -- Tax basics for the self-employed -- IRS audits -- Ten tips to avoid an aduit -- Reducing your income taxes -- Reporting your income -- Income tax deducation basics -- Business use of your home -- Cost of business assets -- Car expenses -- Travel expenses -- Entertainment and meal expenses -- Health insurance -- Start-up costs -- The bane of self-employment taxes -- Who must pay -- Self-employment taxes -- Earnings subject to SE taxes -- Paying and reporting SE taxes -- Outside employment -- Paying estimated taxes -- Who must pay estimated taxes -- How much you must pay -- When to pay -- How to pay -- Paying for the wrong amount -- Rules for salespeople, drivers, and clothing producers -- Statutory employees -- Statutory

independent contractors -- Taxes for workers you hire -- Hiring people to help you -- Tax concerns when hiring employees -- Tax concerns when hiring independent ocntractors -- Record keeping and accounting made easy -- Simple bookkeeping -- How long to keep records -- IF you don't have peoper tax records -- Accounting methods -- Tax year -- Safeguarding your self-employed status -- Who decides your work status? -- What happens if the government reclassifies you? -- Determining worker status -- The IRS approach to worker status -- Tips for preserving your IC status -- Retirement options for the self-employed -- Reasons to have a retirement plan (or plans) -- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) -- Employer IRAs -- Keogh plans -- Solo 401(k) plans -- Roth 401(k) plans -- Retirement plans if you have employees -- Copyrights, patents, and trade secrets -- Intellectual property -- Copyright ownership -- Patent ownership -- Trade secret ownership -- Using nondisclosure agreements -- Using written client agreements -- Reasons to use written agreements -- Reviewing a client's agreement -- Creating your own client agreement -- Putting your agreement together -- Changing the agreement after it's signed -- Drafting your own client agreement -- Essential provisions -- Optional provisions -- Sample client agreement -- Using letter agreements -- Reviewing a client's agreement -- Make sure the agreement is consistent with the client's promises -- Make sure the contract covers at least the basics -- Provisions to avoid -- Provisions to consider adding -- Client purchase orders -- Help beyond this book -- Mediation and arbitration -- Filing a lawsuit -- Finding and using a lawyer -- Help from other experts -- Doing your own legal research.