As a digital creator, you know the feeling of pouring your heart and soul into a project. To have it stolen, copied or distributed without your permission is a gut-wrenching experience. It can also be frustrating because it can damage your reputation eventually. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your digital creations. One of which is Digital Rights Management (DRM). What is digital rights management? Digital rights management (DRM) can control access to digital content, prevent copying and limit usage to specific devices or users. Digital creators can use DRM to protect their conten ..read more

Buying a franchise generally helps you skip some of the birthing pains of starting your company from scratch. For example, because most franchises already have established brands, you might not have to invest too much in creating name recall for your business. You might be able to save some money on marketing because of this. However, buying a franchise is not a decision people should rush to make. It helps to consider the following before proceeding with your purchase. Rules Franchise contracts usually include terms on what franchisees can and cannot do while running the business. For instanc ..read more

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is putting off estate planning until it’s too late. Procrastinating puts you and your estate at risk, as you may end up incapacitated with your healthcare and financial decisions being left in the hands of someone you don’t trust. Additionally, your assets may wind up with someone you never wanted to inherit in the first place. While you can create an estate plan that protects your interests and your assets, you have to make sure that you go about the estate planning process correctly. Far too many people think that they can adequately plan on their ..read more

Life is uncertain. Even if you plan every single detail of your day, you never know what might happen to you and when it might happen. Thinking ahead and finding a way to protect your hard-earned assets for the benefit of the people you care for in case something happens to you is a good practice. One of the ways you can do this is by entering into a trust agreement. A trust is an agreement wherein a person, known as a grantor, grants another person, known as the trustee, the right to hold, manage and distribute their properties and assets to a certain extent and for the benefit of the benefic ..read more

Attracting an investor is a huge accomplishment for a small business. It helps the company boost its brand while giving its owner a sense of pride that their business idea, product or service is worth funding. But before the investment relationship begins, the parties must enter into a contract. But which one? An investor-investee contract An Investor Rights Agreement (IRA) is an agreement between an investor and a company that outlines the rights and responsibilities of each party. For instance, the document outlines the rights the investor may have such as rights to voting, inspection and ri ..read more

Business organization presents the most complicated issues for a prospective business owner. The type of business and its mission statement, competition in the market and plans for growth matter, but so do other issues. Who will manage the business? How will I insulate myself from liability? How do I determine the distribution of profits? Does the business pay taxes or do I? The advantages afforded to the right individuals who choose a general partnership—the most common business organization—also come with several disadvantages. What are the advantages? A general partnership has a simple defi ..read more

When entering into a business with your partners, you share common goals and priorities. But when one of the partners has a change in priority, they may decide to leave the organization. When that happens, another partner may exercise their right to buy the departing partner out of the business. But what does “buying out your partner” mean? This simply means buying their share of the company. What is in it for you? Before taking any action, you have to decide why you are interested in the buyout. You may want to ask yourself the following questions: What do I want to achieve with the buyout? I ..read more

There’s more that you can do with your estate plan than most people realize. But unless you know your options, you may miss out on the opportunities that best support your vision of the future and the protection of your loved ones and your assets. Therefore, it’s wise for you to educate yourself on the estate planning vehicles that may be best positioned to effectuate what you hope to get out of the estate planning process. How you can use your estate plan for good There are a lot of ways to use your estate plan for the betterment of others and to further causes that you believe in. Let’s look ..read more

The idea of starting a business is thrilling and it is not unusual to become engrossed in the excitement of developing your brand and getting your goods and services out there. However, there is more to establishing your business than crafting a business name and finding a perfect store location. There are factors you should consider and requirements to follow when starting your business. Crucial elements for business formation A business does not come to fruition overnight. It is a process of studying the products and services, finding the perfect location and exploring all the possibilities ..read more

One of the best things about being an adult is being able to make our own decisions. A will allows you to make decisions involving your assets that will impact your loved ones after you are gone. However, creating a will requires more than just writing down on a piece of paper that your son will get your car after you die. Texas courts require will creators, or testators, to follow certain rules to validate their will. As a testator, there are certain mistakes you should avoid while creating your will. These mistakes may result in the invalidation of your will or make it much more difficult fo ..read more