LLC, S, or C? If it all sounds hopelessly obscure, you may well benefit from a quickie course on the current set of business-entity options available to business owners. Limited-liability companies, a new corporate option in many states, have been gaining popularity, but there are still tax benefits and other financial advantages to S and C corporate structures as well.
Choosing a Business Entity in the 1990s, a free guide published by accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand, offers a valuable discussion of when and why each type of corporate structure makes sense. The 71-page paperback is an oasis of clarity in a publishing field that is often a wasteland of legal and tax jargon.
Coopers & Lybrand's analysis of the factors to consider when choosing a business form is blessedly short but wise enough to deserve a place in an M.B.A. class. Also useful: charts that detail each entity's advantages and disadvantages with regard to other corporate options. To request a copy write Coopers & Lybrand, "Choice of Entity," National Tax Services, 1800 M St. NW, Washington DC 20077-5984.