Insights

What’s an Internship Program?
Internships have been receiving special attention lately with the popular Robert Di Nero movie The Intern and a lawsuit brought against Fox Searchlight Pictures by former unpaid interns claiming compensation. Against this backdrop of entertainment and law, what is an internship? What are the ...Read More

When Farm Income Declines: How to Address Child Support and Spousal Maintenance
Calculating a farmer’s income for child support or spousal maintenance is often the result of averaging income over several years. This makes sense when a farmer’s income is constantly moving up and down. Over the past few years, averaging the last three to five ...Read More

The Veterans Preference Act
With the drawdown of the U.S. Military, many veterans are entering the workforce. Many public employers, and some private employers, have gone out of their way to hire veterans. While most of these are highly motivated and capable employees, there are some terminations from ...Read More

What is a “Bonding Year” For the Minnesota Legislature?
Minnesota legislators and legislatures often refer to even numbered years as \"bonding\" and odd years as \"budgeting.\" However, there is no constitutional or other legal provision requiring \"bonding\" vs. \"budgeting\" years. The informal distinction simply means that in odd years, the legislature hopes to ...Read More

Financial Concepts for Small Business Owners
Minnesota business owners need to have a clear understanding of concepts such as budgeting, pricing strategies and cash flow in order to succeed. Some might think that they only need a business plan if they are going to seek equity or debt financing, but ...Read More

Having a Gambler’s Outlook Could Help Entrepreneurs
Most new commercial ventures fail within their first five years, and entrepreneurs in Minnesota and around the country are frequently warned that taking action without meticulous planning beforehand could be a recipe for disaster. However, some of the most successful business owners in America ...Read More

Crowdfunding and Commercial Real Estate Investments
Commercial real estate investments have long been attractive to investors in Minnesota and around the country. Historically, only a very limited subset of the population was actually able to invest in commercial real estate because of the large buy-ins required to do so.
In 2012, ...Read More

Garnishments
It is not uncommon for an employer to receive a Garnishment Summons and Disclosure Form from a creditor of its employee. The Garnishment Summons must include the full name of the debtor and the debtor\'s last known mailing address, the remaining unpaid balance of ...Read More

The Importance of Data Protection for Minnesota Companies
One truth to both life and business is that issues will arise. While some can be planned for, others will rise up unexpectedly despite the most proactive of plans. However, including data protection as part of a comprehensive business plan may limit the disruption ...Read More

Commercial Real Estate Prices May Not Rise This Year
Minnesotans who either are thinking about selling commercial real estate or investing in it might be interested in learning about Morgan Stanley\'s prediction for U.S. prices in 2016. According to the company, it believes that commercial real estate prices will stay flat, experiencing no ...Read More