Technology Law Blog, IT Law & Articles | Foster Swift

What Business Owners Need to Know About the New Tax Law

Michael C. Zahrt, Olivia K. Reid (Law Clerk) — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:00:01 -0400

This past July, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”) was enacted, completely altering the landscape of tax and estate planning for business owners. One of the most significant changes? A permanent increase to the federal gift and estate tax exemption.

Yes, you read that right, permanent.

Under the new law, individuals can now transfer up to $15 million tax-free during their lifetime or at death. For married couples, that amount doubles to $30 million. These exemption limits will also increase over time to account for inflation. This is a major shift from past rules that ...

The Impact of PPP Loans on Mergers & Acquisitions

Taylor A. Gast, Michael C. Zahrt — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:00:02 -0500

With the addition of new rules from the SBA (Small Business Administration), business & tax law attorneys Taylor Gast and Mike Zahrt discuss these updates regarding the impact of PPP Loans on Mergers & Acquisitions activity.

Recent Questions Regarding PPP Forgiveness Applications

Taylor A. Gast, Michael C. Zahrt — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 09:00:03 -0400

As PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan Applicants await for banks to open their portals and begin accepting forgiveness applications, Foster Swift Business & Tax attorneys Taylor Gast and Mike Zahrt discuss recent updates regarding applications along with answers to common questions to consider regarding the next steps in the loan process.

Click the thumbnail below to view the full video.

This video is meant to provide general information and SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE. If you seek legal counsel or need help in determining how this information applies to a specific situation, contact a Foster Swift business attorney before taking any action. Our attorneys can help assist you in making the best decisions for your circumstances.

Protect Your Business From Competitive Intelligence

Michael C. Zahrt — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 09:00:04 -0500

The term "competitive intelligence" is the process of legally gathering information about one's competitors to gain a strategic advantage in the marketplace. Large corporations will have strategic intelligence experts as a part of their marketing department. These experts specialize in discovering promotional activities, sales figures, and other information about the company's competitors. Ideally, strong competitive intelligence enables a company to predict the strategy of a competitor and adapt with a strategy of its own that will result in an advantage in the marketplace.

The good news is that small and medium-sized businesses are not usually the targets of professional competitive intelligence experts. However, a business owner would be wise to protect itself from amateur intelligence gathering by its competitors. Competitive intelligence gathering begins by identifying the strategy of your own business and how your competitor's strategy will interfere. Then the intelligence gathering begins.