FAQs Archive - Page 10 of 13 - Ready. Set. Incorporate!

What are “issued shares” or “stock”?

Good question. This concept often gets confused with “authorized shares”. Issued shares are those shares that the corporation has actually “issued”, i.e., transferred to a shareholder. This can be in the form of a certificate, and that can be typical in a small business. In larger businesses, the ownership of issued shares is usually a journal entry in the corporation’s books and records, or with the broker. The number of issues shares cannot exceed the number of authorized shares.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What are directors?

Directors are the individuals who make up the board of directors. Due to the responsibility these individuals have, it’s common for the business to obtain insurance to cover the directors (aka D&O insurance) for the decisions they make, even though the fact of the corporation is supposed to shield – sometimes things don’t go the way you expect . . . pesky lawyers!!

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What is a dividend?

Hopefully something that you have plenty of! A dividend is the cash (or property) that is transferred from the corporation to its shareholders after all expenses are paid, including the corporation’s taxes. Only C Corporations pay “dividends”; S Corporations make “distributions”, since S Corporations themselves do not generally pay taxes. A dividend is not a deductible expense of the corporation.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What’s a “distribution”?

In lay terms, a distribution is another way of saying a payment to a shareholder, partner or member of the business’s profit. Typically the distribution is in the form of cash, but sometimes it’s in the form of property like an asset. What you receive typically depends on your percentage interest in the business. So [...]

September 2nd, 2020|0 Comments

What does a CEO do?

A CEO is the Chief Executive Officer. This is the person responsible for over-seeing all of the day-to-day activities of the corporation. Sometimes LLCs have CEOs. The CEO is the face of the company, and so larger businesses tend to hire a CEO that has appeal to the public to encourage investment in the business, or to attract new customers. The CEO, when it comes to extraordinary decisions, seeks and takes direction from the board of directors. The CEO can be, but need not be, a shareholder.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What does a CFO do?

The Chief Financial Officer, also sometimes known as the treasurer, handles the financial aspects of the corporation or LLC. In larger businesses, the CFO becomes an advisor to the CEO, conferring on best approaches for increasing business or investment. In a very small business, the CEO and CFO are frequently the same person, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What does a corporate secretary do?

Corporate secretaries are the unsung heroes in the officer world. They are responsible for the grunt work of the corporation or LLC, making sure i’s are dotted, t’s crossed, taking corporate minutes, and frequently interacting with the business’s lawyer to make sure paperwork and corporate housekeeping are all in order. In a very small business, the corporate secretary is frequently the same person as the CFO and the CEO. In larger businesses, you’ll want to try to make the CEO and corporate secretary two different people, since there may be occasion when refinancing or issuing shares to a corporate investor will require that the secretary attest to the identity of the CEO, which gets awkward when it’s the same person. The position of Secretary is required under California law.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

What does a COO do?

The position of Chief Operating Officer is not required under state law, but businesses that are growing, or intend to grow, will almost always have one. The COO is responsible for the day-to-day of the business, and usually reports to the CEO. And so I know I said that that’s the CEO’s job; in larger businesses, those responsibilities are handed over to the COO, so that the CEO has more time to develop new strategies to grow the business.

July 12th, 2015|0 Comments

Should my corporation (or LLC) have a Vice President?

It depends. A vice president in your corporation (or LLC) is tasked with acting on behalf of the CEO or President of the entity. This could come in handy if you, presumably being the CEO, aren’t available to sign a particular emergent contract. In your absence, the VP would act on your behalf with all [...]

October 30th, 2020|0 Comments

Why do some corporations (or LLCs) have a President instead of a CEO, or both?

Strictly speaking, every California corporation is required to have a CEO. So the real question is whether your corporation should also have a President. The President of a corporation is typically tasked with general supervision, direction and control of the business and officers of the corporation. Practically, though, where there’s already a CEO, the President might be [...]

October 30th, 2020|0 Comments

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