Employee Ownership Blog

There are a number of ways people can help the NCEO accomplish its mission of providing good information on broad-based employee ownership.

The annual Gathering of the Games meeting organized by the Great Game of Business is set for May 6-8 in St. Louis. The meeting is co-sponsored by the NCEO each year.

Lots of companies are looking at some form of repricing their underwater stock options. VM Ware, Tenet Healthcare, Marvel Technology, Integrated Silicon Solutions, and Maxim Solutions are among the estimated 50 or so companies that have repriced through December.

Representatives from the IRS have informally told ESOP advisors that they were putting on hold approving plan provisions that segregate ESOP accounts at termination until the agency comes up with a position on this issue.

Under prior law, German employees could receive an annual tax credit of 135 Euros on the purchase of shares in their company. Shares are typically offered at a discount, frequently 20%. The new law increases that to 360 Euros.

Change.org (not to be confused with the official Obama site of change.gov) is a nonprofit that is gathering ideas on policy to present to the new administration. Other prominent nonprofits will join in the effort.

We are interested in writing brief stories about how employee ownership companies are coping with the downturn, whether you have found ways to make money anyway or have come up with strategies to deal with necessary reductions in costs, hours, or work force.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the Tribune Company will have only a nominal effect on employee retirement benefits. The ESOP was formed in 2007 as a new plan (a prior ESOP was cashed out as part of the transaction). No existing employee funds were used to help fund the plan.

Limited liability companies are a popular form of corporate organization for smaller companies. They are taxed in much the same way S corporations are taxed, but, unlike S corporations, they do not have to distribute earnings pro-rata to owners.

On December 8, 2008, the IRS and the Treasury Department issued proposed regulations on the calculation of amounts includible in income under Section 409A(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and the additional taxes imposed by this section with respect to service providers participating in certain no

In the last two years, 10 of the 30 winners of the annual Winning Workplaces awards have been NCEO members (and a few more became members after learning about employee ownership at the meetings).

A common perception that data on how well closely held companies perform is hard to obtain is more myth than reality. But it can be hard to know where to find it. Inc.