Certificate of Incorporation Help Guides

If you are interested in forming an S corp or C corp, you will not get far without filing articles of incorporation. Sometimes referred to as a corporate charter, this critical document establishes your business as an official corporate entity. Valid articles of incorporation outline essential information such as the company's name, where it is base...

According to the Conway Center for Family Business, the majority of United States businesses are family owned; upwards of 80 percent of businesses are family based. Even big businesses like Ford, Marriot, and Walmart are family held. These family-based businesses do more than just keep everyone employed and prospering; they also account for about 60...

You are ready to embrace the entrepreneurial life. This is an exciting time—but also one of uncertainty. Before you proceed with an LLC operating agreement or articles of incorporation, you will need to make arguably the most important decision of all: business entity classification. From sole proprietorship to C corp, options abound. Tread carefull...

You have developed a genius idea, drafted a mission for your company, and are ready to take the next step in the business formation process. Next up: your articles, which achieves legal recognition from your Secretary of State. As you proceed with developing your company's articles of incorporation or articles of organization, consider who you want...

When business professionals want to know the legal differences between a limited liability company (LLC) and a corporation, the underlying issue is which entity will benefit the business most. This is a complicated question that will depend on your business plan and issues like tax obligations, asset protection, foreign investment needs, and much mo...

Starting your own business can be exciting and deeply gratifying, but it is also rife with challenges—including numerous legal forms. Preparation is critical; without understanding the complications that lie ahead, it is easy to go about the process of business formation in the wrong order. Follow these steps to ensure you have a smooth and easy pro...

Real estate can be a great investment if you plan it correctly. Since the housing market bust in 2008, investors have been wary of starting back up in real estate, but home prices have made a significant recovery since then. Nonetheless, the......

As a business owner, you have several options when it comes to the legal structure of your business. Choosing the right model for your organization will depend on several key factors. How you feel about risk, any concerns you have about......

There are plenty of benefits to creating a separate business entity or corporation to run your business, from privacy to the protection of your assets. Where you form your corporation matters; some states are far more business friendly than......

If you have decided to start a new business, you will have a lot of important decisions to make. These decisions include what type of business entity you want to form (i.e. corporation, partnership, LLC, etc.), what types of products or......