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Followup to Alert About the COVID-19 Virus

Posted on March 12, 2020 by

In a followup to yesterday’s e-alert about the COVID-19 virus, please note the CDC has updated its travel advisory as follows: All travelers should avoid nonessential travel to China, Iran, Western, Northern and Central Europe (see CDC website for map), and South Korea (Level 3 Travel Health Notice); Older travelers and those who have chronic […]

Panicked Over COVID-19? Keep Calm and Read on…

Posted on March 11, 2020 by and

Should you ban nonessential business travel? Can you prevent an employee from taking that cruise? What if an employee refuses to go home when she is sick? Here are some answers to those questions and more! What should employers do right now? On March 10, Jay Butler, Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control […]

Isn’t an Online Financial Power of Attorney Form Good Enough?

Posted on February 27, 2020 by

When people ask me what they can do to make things easier for their loved ones if something happens to them, the first question I ask is if they have power of attorney documents in place. A good financial power of attorney (“POA”) is one of the most important estate planning documents you can have. […]

Did You Know That?

Posted on February 21, 2020 by

There are many legal rules covering farms – rules that producers might not be aware of. A farm building may not be covered by standard insurance. Farm buildings are exempt from the state building code. And many standard insurance policies exclude coverage for buildings not built to a certain code. Consider the example of a […]

New I-9 Form Released!

Posted on February 4, 2020 by

On Jan. 31, 2020, USCIS announced a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. This new version contains minor changes to the form and its instructions. Employers should begin using this updated form as of Jan. 31, 2020. The notice provides employers additional time to make necessary updates and adjust their business processes. Employers may […]

Getting Started: Estate Planning for Young Families

Posted on January 15, 2020 by

For many people, the first time they start thinking about an estate plan is when they start to have family members that depend on them financially – typically, a spouse or a child. Let’s take, for example, a young married couple with young children. The couple may think they need a will, but they might […]

Call to Action: Review Your Estate Plan in Light of the SECURE Act

Posted on January 7, 2020 by

The federal appropriations bill enacted into law on December 20, 2019 changed federal law in ways that may affect your retirement assets, including 401(k) plans and IRAs.  Those changes, often referred to as the “SECURE Act,” may affect you during your lifetime and also the way those retirement assets may be distributed to your beneficiaries […]

Cheaper Gasoline Prices Means Decrease in Optional Standard Mileage Rates for 2020

Posted on January 2, 2020 by

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the optional standard mileage rates for computing the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, medical, and moving expenses for 2020, and the decrease in rates reflect the decrease in the fixed and variable costs of operating a vehicle.  Effective January 1, 2020, the optional standard mileage rates […]

Happy New Year! Pass the Champagne AND a Joint—Illinois Legalizes Marijuana Effective 1/1/2020

Posted on December 30, 2019 by

Here in Wisconsin marijuana is still illegal.  However, this week our neighbor Illinois becomes the 11th in our nation to legalize marijuana which may cause complications for Wisconsin employers who recruit or have locations in that state.  Our neighbor Minnesota has had marijuana legal for medicinal purposes since 2014 (recreational use is not yet legal […]

Upcoming Travel Plans? How to Temporarily Delegate Parental Authority

Posted on December 19, 2019 by

Picture this: you are lying on the beach in sunny Aruba, thinking about your best friend, Kristin, who valiantly volunteered to watch your three children while you and your spouse got away from the Wisconsin winter for the first time in ages – when all of a sudden you see a hotel staff member racing […]