Business & Finance

Employee or Contractor? Businesses Must Beware of Changing Rules

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Paul Lopez, director and COO of Tripp Scott. When is a worker with your business an employee – or an independent contractor? The answer is critical and can vary for the same worker depending on what agency you’re dealing with, in which state or with the federal government. And oh, yeah: it’s ever-changing. On March 11, it will change again. A Biden Department of Labor (DOL) rule will take effect with guidelines on determining who […]

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Yes, Copyright Laws Do Apply to Churches (and Other Non-Profits)

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Stephanie Mazzola, a director at Tripp Scott. Even given the growing media sophistication of people of all ages and walks of life, the assertion continues to be made: copyright laws don’t apply to churches. But they do, so let’s examine the increasingly complex application of copyright laws in the church context.   Bill Davell: Why should our church worry about copyright laws?   Stephanie Mazzola: Christians more than anyone else should respect copyright laws. The […]

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AI and You: Let’s Be Careful Out There

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Paul Lopez, COO of Tripp Scott. The ChatGPT artificial intelligence app and its competitors can do very cool things.  More than 100 million consumer and business users have reportedly employed these AI tools to compose articles, letters, essays, scripts, academic papers, resumes and job applications, work assignments and homework; generate images; develop code and software; analyze customer data; and create business plans and strategies. People in our profession have even used AI apps to write […]

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Charitable Giving Strategies: How To Be A Bigger Blessing

“It is more blessed to give than to receive,” said the Lord Jesus. And Americans – and especially people of faith – take that exhortation seriously. Our contributions of nearly half a trillion dollars in 2020 alone were greater than the entire gross domestic products of most European countries. And more than 80 percent of giving is done by individuals, much of it to faith-based organizations. A question too few generous Americans ask, however, is how they should give. Charitable giving strategies exist to give more, and more effectively, and they are not just for the wealthy: surprisingly, according to […]

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Palm Beach Atlantic University to Celebrate American Free Enterprise Day

American Free Enterprise (AFE) Day has been a tradition at Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University for nearly 40 years, dating back to 1984. Since its founding, this event has celebrated our American heritage and freedoms and promoted our free enterprise system. All about free enterprise PBA’s commitment to our free enterprise system is unique within higher education today; nowhere else is this distinctive recognition of the American free enterprise system so immersed in the traditions of a university. PBA not only requires a course on the American free enterprise system, but it also sponsors this grand celebration annually to honor […]

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What Should I Consider When Choosing a Contractor?

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Rob Meacham, a director with Tripp Scott. Scratch a Floridian and you’ll uncover a story of a contractor relationship gone wrong. Let’s look at common contractor problems along that “gamut” along with key steps to take to prevent them.   Bill Davell: What are contractor problems to anticipate and head off?   Rob Meacham: Most obvious: the contractor doesn’t do what he or she promised (or advertised) – not completing the work expected, getting it […]

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National Christian Foundation South Florida Reflects on 20 Years of Impact

In March of 2003, Fort Lauderdale community leaders and hundreds of churches joined forces during Spring Break to host BeachFest, led by the late Evangelist Luis Palau, which attracted hundreds of thousands of attendees and resulted in more than 5,000 decisions for Christ. As this unprecedented event reached its crescendo after years of planning, Stephan Tchividjian, CEO and Co-Founder of the National Christian Foundation, said, “We began to ask, what has this started and how could we carry this momentum on?” That conversation led to the founding of what is now the National Christian Foundation of South Florida (NCFSF), a […]

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What cool existing invention do you wish you had thought of to invent yourself?

This month. Good News Wants To Know… what cool existing invention do you wish you had thought of to invent yourself? Having begun my illustrious sales career in the office supply business, it should not be surprising that my selection would be the ubiquitous Post-It Note. Hardly a day goes by without using one or seeing one in use in a variety of shapes and colors. The fact that the discovery was accidental only makes it even more appealing. That’s my story and I am sticking (lightly) to it! Mike McDermott, PA, Seniors Real Estate Specialist, The Keyes Company This […]

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Educating the Whole Person

Now more than ever, students are looking for whole-person education with an ethical, Christian perspective. Professor Gregory Rummo, Lecturer of Chemistry at Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University, wrote about the value of Christian higher education in his essay below.    College Is Not a Waste of Money, Time or Talent   College was the best four years of my life. I looked up to my professors as if they were sages on stages. For three of those four years, I worked for the university as a teaching assistant and laboratory technician in the chemistry department. The faculty made me feel […]

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Working Two Jobs? Stay on a Solid Footing with Your Employer(s)

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Jennifer Wahba, an associate with Tripp Scott.   In today’s economy, many Floridians find themselves needing to work two jobs just to make ends meet. Others pursue outside employment to fulfill personal interests and aspirations or to pursue a career transition.  But a second job can give rise to some ticklish situations. After all, we can agree that your employer has an interest in: Ensuring workers are in a position to satisfy the job’s requirements and are […]

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