Warning: College Scholarships May be Subject to Income Tax

Did you or someone you know receive a scholarship? Congratulations! Now, double check the details of your scholarship proceeds to ensure it doesn’t turn into a major tax liability later.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought many changes to American households – including the way scholarships are taxed for low-income college scholarship recipients. When students filed tax returns this past tax season, they were hit with a tax bill they didn’t see coming.

“Low-income students are already struggling to pay for college tuition, books, and living expenses. Now they must contend with this,” says Theresa Harris, a Chicago-based scholarship strategist at ScholarshipMomma. “Parents and students should inquire about the purpose of each award and the applicable tax treatment associated with all educational proceeds when they receive their financial aid award letters. Seek the assistance of a tax preparer for further guidance.”

If you are a degree candidate at a qualified institution, scholarships covering tuition and fees are tax-free. However, scholarships that cover non-qualified expenses, including room, board, and travel are taxable.  For grad school students, assistant-ships and fellowships may also be subject to taxes.

How is a taxable scholarship classified? It can be considered “unearned income” and is subject to the rules of the Child’s Investment and Other Unearned Income, also known as the “Kiddie Tax.” These rules are applicable if the child is under 19, or is a full-time student under age 24.

The Kiddie Tax was enacted in 1986 to prevent wealthy parents from transferring money to their children tax-free. Parents would take advantage of their children’s lower tax bracket to shift wealth and avoid paying taxes on some income. That’s why the kiddie tax classified these funds as “unearned income” and subjected the funds to the same tax rate as a child’s parent. This rule also went into effect for taxable scholarships.

For example, a student from a single parent household with an income of $30,000 who received a scholarship that covered $13,000 in room and board would be taxed at their parents’ rate of 12%.

All thanks to the new rules in place for applying the kiddie tax, scholarship recipients coming from economically depressed communities are now being taxed at the rates applicable to trusts and estates. The student who was previously taxed at their parents’ rate of 12% would now be taxed up to 37 percent – the same rate used to tax single filers with incomes over $500,000.

Here is the new tax structure for trusts and estates. This applies to unearned income (including scholarships) for those in the “kiddie tax” category:

• 10 percent on amounts up to $2550
• 24 percent on unearned income over $2,550
• 35 percent on amounts over $9,150
• 37 percent on amounts over $12,500

So, students who receive unearned income over $12,500 will be taxed the same as a single person with over $500,000 in taxable income.

A new bill is on the table that would completely change the unintended consequence of the 2017 tax law.  If the bill passes, college students won’t be punished with a tax rate as high as 37 percent. Instead, scholarship money would be taxed at a lower rate.

“Scholarships are a critical component of the financial aid package that is meant to make college more affordable,” says Harris. “This tax is an added burden, causing additional financial stress for students. Congress needs to act quickly to correct this error.”

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Black Enterprise Contributors Network 

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10 Black Business Leaders You Ought to Know (And Meet at BE’s All-New, Upcoming FWD Event)

Entrepreneurs assemble! In 10 days, BLACK ENTERPRISE will unveil what promises to be our most powerful, impactful business conference yet – FWD (for ‘FORWARD’). And at the event will be 10 black business leaders who represent some of the most successful, influential business leaders on the planet. Following their guidance and connecting with them at FWD may result in multi-fold growth in customers, market share and revenues

Our team has developed this event, which will be held at the Charlotte, North Carolina Convention Center from June 19 – 22, as a forum for instruction, inspiration and connection for businesses at every life cycle, from side hustles to second-generation enterprises. You will access the roadmap – including financing and certification – to successfully LAUNCH your venture. You will discover how to design strategic partnerships and scale-up strategies to GROW your business. You will learn the value of applying AI, VR and 5G and other tech tools to INNOVATE your company NOW!

One of BE’s event trademarks has been our exciting line-up of high-profile speakers – and FWD is no exception. This year you will hear success secrets from Isiah Thomas, former NBA Hall of Famer who serves as Chairman & CEO of Isiah International; Wendy Williams, the daytime talk show host who operates Wendy Inc., her diversified holding company; John Henry, partner of venture firm Harlem Capital and Viceland’s reality TV show, Hustle; Judge Glenda Hatchett, long-time television personality and founder of The Hatchett Firm; Ryan Leslie, Grammy-nominated artist and producer and creator of SuperPhone; Angela Simmons, a reality TV star known for being one of Rev. Run’s daughters who has grown into a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist in her own right; Malinda Williams, actress of Soul Food fame who along with tech maven Tariq M. Walker designed travel destination platform This Is Leaving; and Karen Civil, one of the nation’s top social media marketers/influencers.

Check out the profiles of 10 black business leaders who will be speaking at FWD – and go to our FWD Speakers Page to discover more entrepreneurial standouts.

 

10 Black Business Leaders You Ought to Know

 

Evens Charles, President & CEO

At the age of 25, Charles executed his first small transaction that required an out-of-pocket investment of $1,000 resulting in a $25,000 profit six months later. Today, he operates Frontier Development and Hospitality Group, one of the nation’s largest black-owned businesses with annual gross revenues of more than $50 million. As such, he controls a BE 100s company with a hotel portfolio of Marriott, Hilton and IHG hotels in urban and secondary markets such as Atlanta, Nashville, Tennessee, Columbus, Ohio, and the Washington, D.C – Baltimore corridor that’s worth more than $200 million. For entrepreneurs with a specific interest in real estate development, property management and hotel franchising, his session on “Open House! Turning Property into Profit” is a must-attend BE Talk.

 

 

Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President & CEO, McKissack & McKissack

McKissack Daniel is a civil engineer by training who comes from a long line of architects and builders and today runs a 114-year-old family business. She has grown this BE 100s company into a powerhouse in the construction industry that’s involved with some of New York’s largest projects including JFK Terminal One; LaGuardia Airport’s Central Terminal building redevelopment; Pacific Park/ Atlantic Yards Barclays Center and two of the city’s iconic African American-oriented landmarks, MART125 Cultural Center and The Studio Museum in Harlem. To learn more about general contracting as well as the longevity of multigenerational companies, FWD attendees should meet and listen to McKissack during her panel session, “Why You Need a Succession Plan.”

 

 

Mahisha Dellinger, Founder & CEO, CURLS Beauty Brands

Dellinger realized the need for products for her curly hair and transformed that desire into a multimillion dollar business. After leaving her post as Marketing Manager at Intel Corp., she developed the line of organic haircare products and gained shelf space at retailers such as Target, Sally Beauty, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS over the past decade. As such, she lists Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Issa Rae, Nia Long, Tia Mowry and Blair Underwood among her celebrity customers. She has used her success as a platform to inspire other entrepreneurs of color through conference and media appearances as well as her OWN Network television show, Mind Your Business with Mahisha. She will share her vital, business-building tips on the FWD Panel, “Growing Pains: How to Achieve Scale.”

 

 

Ash Cash Exantus, CEO, MindRight Money Management

This 15-year banking veteran, motivational speaker and best-selling author helps clients get on the wealth-building track through his financial education and media company, MindRight Money Management. He enables them to achieve their life goals by blending psychology and personal finance with music, pop culture and relevant news. He also delivers his message of fiscal responsibility, entrepreneurship and wealth empowerment as a regular speaker at national conferences as well as host of his eponymous radio program, The Ash Cash Show, which has a current reach of 2.2 million listeners. He will share his powerful message on the panel, “Solopreneurs: How to Set Up and Run a Business on Your Own.”

 

 

Charis Jones, Owner, Sassy Jones Boutique

Jones created an award-winning accessories brand deeply rooted in the belief of helping women feel confident about themselves. Leaving her position as a top-ranking corporate sales professional, Jones has built Sassy Jones into a multimillion dollar accessories brand in just two years. The key to her whirlwind success: Using digital technology to bolster relationships with her female clientele and showcase hand-crafted, global creations of women artisans. FWD attendees should find out more about her customer-engaging marketing strategies at her session, “e-Commerce: Global Reach Through Your Smartphone.”

 

Damian Mills, President & CEO, Mills Automotive Group

Mills started in the auto industry in 1992 as a salesperson while attending North Carolina A&T State University. Today, at 46, he’s one of the youngest innovators and most successful African American auto dealers in the nation. With 13 franchises in three states, Mills Auto Group has consistently been among the top five dealers on the ‘BE Auto 40’–BLACK ENTERPRISE’s yearly list of the largest black-owned businesses in the auto industry–and represents one of the largest black-owned businesses in the Charlotte metro area. Fittingly, he will receive the BE Auto Dealer of the Year Award at the event-capping Entrepreneurs Awards Gala.

 

Monique Idlett Mosley, Founder & Managing Partner, Reign Venture Capital

Mosley operates an early-stage investment firm that focuses on women and minority-led startups. Prior to becoming a VC, she served as CEO of Mosley Brands and Mosley Music Group, home to a multi-platinum roster of artists, including the iconic producer Timbaland, One Republic and Nelly Furtado, among others. Hear her BE Talk on “The Art of Collaboration.”

 

 

Michael Thompson, President & CEO, Fair Oaks Farms, LLC

Thompson, a corporate food services management veteran, has elevated Fair Oaks Farms into the nation’s largest minority-owned meat producer. The company is the considered the “gold standard” supplier of pre-cooked sausage, bacon, and other meat and poultry products for some of the world’s leading restaurant chains and retail companies, including McDonald’s and Walmart. Under his guidance, revenues have increased more than 300% and staffing has grown threefold, from 100 to nearly 300 employees. Particularly for those FWD attendees who aspire to build or expand eateries, distributors and manufacturers within the sector, you will be captivated by his participation on the “Delicious Dollars: Building a Food Business” panel as well as Fair Oaks Farms recognition as the BE 100s Company of the Year.

 

 

Adrienne Trimble, President & CEO, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)

Every attendee should try to connect with Trimble, who runs this leading supplier diversity and inclusion organization that matches more than 12,000 certified minority-owned businesses to its network of 1,750-plus corporate members. A known thought leader for advancing corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, she has served as General Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Toyota Motor North America. During her tenure at the automaker, she led its supplier diversity program from 2005 – 2012 and grew its diverse vendor base to reflect more than a 300% increase in total spend, topping nearly $3 billion. Who better that Trimble to discuss how to “Get Your Piece of the Billion-Dollar Pie” with leading supplier diversity managers.

 

Willie Woods. President & Managing Director, ICV Partners

Woods is the co-founder of this top-notch BE Private Equity Firm with $1.4 billion in capital under management. For close to 20 years, ICV has built its reputation for stellar management and growth by acquiring a range of lower middle-market companies in sectors as diverse as healthcare, food production and business services. Moreover, it has played a critical role in diversifying high finance through its recruitment of  African American Wall Street professionals and corporate managers who have proven adroit at maximizing the value of portfolio companies to produce superior returns. Attend Woods’ session on “The Art of Uncovering Alternative Finance” to discover different ways to raise capital for your business as well as join our salute to ICV as the 2019 BE Financial Services Company of the Year.

 

Learn more about FWD speakers and sessions that will boost your business at the BLACK ENTERPRISE FWD conference in Charlotte, North Carolina; June 19-22, 2019 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. 

Register for FWD today!

 

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This One’s for the Ladies film delves into black women’s sexuality

For many Black woman, the topic of sex can seem taboo. Unless its being rapped about in a song or portrayed in films, it’s seldom you hear Black women speak out loud about sexuality.

But director Gene Graham wants to change that. His documentary titled This One’s for the Ladies hit theaters yesterday. The NC17-rated film explores the world of male exotic dancers in Newark, New Jersey.

The twist in this documentary is the strippers featured are Black, and it focuses on the Black women who love them, Ebony reports.

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The film lives up to its NC17 rating by displaying plenty of frontal nudity. The documentary follows the lives of strippers from the New Jersey Nasty Boyz club, including a set of twins by the names of Tyga and Raw Dawg.

Graham noted in an interview with Jezebel that the documentary is also an exploration of class, community and sisterhood.

“They can be whoever they wanna be and do whatever they wanna do and express how they wanna express and have a couple of cocktails and, you know, touch some dick, and have a good time,” Graham says of the women in the film.

Although the strippers are a huge portion of the documentary, it also focuses on the women who frequent the club. They’ve even given themselves nicknames like Poundcake, C-Pudding and even a sister duo known as Double Trouble, according to Vanity Fair.

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The documentary includes interviews with the women and the male strippers to show their backgrounds as well as how they ended up in the exotic dancing world. Strippers and brothers Raw Dawg and Tyga’s back story is explained. In the film, they visit the housing project where they grew up and talk about how drug use affected their family. The film also highlights gun violence in Black neighborhoods, and how that has affected some of the characters.

This One’s for the Ladies is all about the ladies, but also about blackness, black bodies and the things that happen in our communities.

The post This One’s for the Ladies film delves into black women’s sexuality appeared first on theGrio.

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Black motorists are searched three times more than whites in Louisville

Black motorists in Louisville, Kentucky are being stopped and searched more frequently than their white counterparts.

About 20 percent of Louisville’s driving age population is Black, but they accounted for 33 percent of the stops and 57 percent of the 8,942 searches done on motorists, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

The Courier Journal reviewed 130,999 traffic stops in Louisville from 2016 to 2018 where citations were issued. Black drivers were disproportionately stopped and three times as likely to be searched as white drivers.

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Black motorists were searched 12 percent of the time they were stopped, versus 3.9 percent of the time for white drivers.

A victim of this statistic was Jamaj Johnson. The Louisville Metro Police pulled Johnson over for a failure to signal a turn. Johnson and a passenger with a baby were ordered to get out of the car. Johnson was then frisked and handcuffed while his car was searched by a drug-sniffing dog.

“All this for a turn signal?” Johnson asked one of the Ninth Mobile Division detectives who stopped him, according to a police body camera video. “You see a n—– and you automatically treat me like a criminal.”

The police found nothing in his car, and the case was later dismissed.

Similar scenarios continue to occur. The data shows that police found contraband in 72 percent of the searches of whites versus only 41 percent for African Americans.

LMPD spokeswoman Jessie Halladay said the department “does not target individuals based on race.” She said the department found no reason to believe policy was violated in Johnson’s stop in Newburg, a predominately black neighborhood, Courier Journal reported.

“We place emphasis on people committing the most crimes, especially violent crimes,” she said, and “we direct our resources where most crime is committed.”

She also mentioned that in the second division, where 81 percent of the driving-age population is black, a smaller portion, 77 percent, of those stopped were black.

Similar situations have also occurred in other cities due to racial bias according to Charles Epp, a University of Kansas professor and co-author of Pulled Over: How Police Stops Define Race and Citizenship.

“This sort of pattern indicates that officers are using less careful criteria for selecting black drivers for a search than white drivers for a search,” he said. “The basis for a search of a white motorist is more likely to be objective evidence of a crime; the basis for a search of black drivers is more likely to be the driver’s race.”

Police Chief Steve Conrad spoke before the Metro Council Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and acknowledged that the department has disproportionately stopped Black drivers. He also mentioned that African Americans are disproportionately represented in all aspects of the criminal justice system, including in arrests and incarceration.

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He said that the department has focused on six high-crime neighborhoods where predominately “people of color live” and that to make those neighborhoods safer, “people who live there are going to be stopped.”

But Conrad also agrees, the routine traffic stops “is something we should have done differently.”

— Stats from the Courier Journal

STOPS BY THE NUMBERS

Stops in which citations were issued, 2016-18

Total stops: 130,999

Whites: 78,686 (60%)

Blacks: 42,876 (33%)

Others: 9,509 (7%)

Searches

Total: 8,942

Whites: 3,480 (39%)

Blacks: 5,150 (58%)

Others: 312 (4%)

Percentage of those stopped who were searched:

Whites: 4%

Blacks: 12%

Others: 3.3%

Positive searches (contraband found)

Whites: 2,507 (72%)

Blacks: 2,107 (41%)

Others: 182 (58%)

SEIZURES BY THE NUMBERS

From stops in which citations were or weren’t issued, Jan. 1, 2018-April 9, 2019:

Total stops: 79,742

Firearms seized in 720 stops, or 0.9% of stops

Drugs seized in 4,128 stops, or 5.1% of all stops

Note: LMPD says about 7% of all stops result in searches

Source: LMPD data

The post Black motorists are searched three times more than whites in Louisville appeared first on theGrio.

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Busta Rhymes, Lil Skies, Too $hort set to perform at Michigan’s cannabis trade show

Last November, Michigan joined states like California, Alaska, and Maine in legalizing marijuana.

Finding places to purchase weed in Michigan can be almost impossible due to lack of dispensaries. But that won’t be the case during the Cannabis Cup.

One of the largest marijuana trade shows in the country honors Michigan’s best marijuana products, including strains, edibles, and cannabis-infused cuisine, Detroit Metro Times reports.

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“We’re showcasing our famous lamb chops, macaroni and cheese steak bites and chicken bites and portobello bites,” owner of local dispensary Food With a Twist Wayne White Jr. told ABC 7 in Detroit.

Any adult over the age of 21 can attend with a photo ID, no medical card is needed to enter, unless you’re between the ages of 18 – 20, according to Metro Times.

This event is also used as a time to gain knowledge about marijuana and even try exclusives before the weed actually appears in stores. This is a perk for a lot of Michigan citizens since the only place to purchase weed currently is provisioning centers, which require a medical marijuana card.

Patrons can also bring their own weed to the Cannabis Cup. Even though the main function of this two day event is to honor weed, it has also turned into a music festival.

Musical talent such as Busta Rhymes, Lil Skies, Trick Trick and Too $hort will perform during the festival as well. In the past, Lil Wayne, Machine Gun Kelly, Steve Aoki, 50 Cent, Nas, Melissa Etheridge, and Insane Clown Posse have all performed, according to M Live.

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Sponsored by High Times Magazine, the Cannabis cup is expected to have tens of thousands of guests to sit in on panels, seminars and educational classes all geared towards marijuana.

High Times Magazine editor Danny Danko told ABC 7 in Detroit, that he thinks this is the start of a new day in Michigan.

“Michigan is a place where I feel like there could be a rebirth of a certain economy here with cannabis,” Danko said.

The post Busta Rhymes, Lil Skies, Too $hort set to perform at Michigan’s cannabis trade show appeared first on theGrio.

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Rico Love Gets Passionate About Music, Entrepreneurship, and Values

Behind Rico Love is a creative, visionary and music industry educator that has produced, written, and contributed to hit records including Usher’s “There Goes My Baby,” Nelly’s “Just a Dream,” Trey Songz “Heart Attack,” Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation” feat Lil’ Wayne, and Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams.” He has also contributed to Grammy-winning works such as Beyoncé’s 2009 Best Contemporary R&B album “I Am… Sasha Fierce.”

Rico Love’s body of work is extensive. However, not only does he work as both a producer and artist within the ever-changing landscape of the music industry; he also invests in technologies that provide a greater platform for artist discovery and creativity. 

In an interview, Love spoke about the music industry, creating financial opportunities, and gives advice to young creatives.

Black Enterprise: How do you see yourself evolving as a veteran in the music landscape that exists today?

Rico Love: I am now 36-years-old, which is a dinosaur in the music industry, but I’ve been in the game since I was 17 years old. At first, you are bothered by how easily accessible things have become. When you get past the initial annoyance of the change, you adjust. I have been able to create different platforms for myself where I can add value. This includes adding value to myself through the creation of content for others, developing platforms for emerging artists, and also developing this with a financial strategy in play.   

Financially, how are you able to set yourself apart to either create or take advantage of opportunities when presented? 

I went through some of the most challenging financial times of my life because of my value system and unwillingness to compromise on my principles for a dollar. It’s about having the willingness and smarts and being open-minded to recognize what is a good opportunity and what is not. Even more important is building your brand to be strong enough to fit in many rooms. I can fit in the streets, in Hollywood, and corporate because I can articulate myself in all three parameters. I do not limit myself, but I don’t spread myself so wide that I alienate myself from being able to gain financially. 

Why is community currency important, and as a musician why must you connect and have a genuine appreciation for the communities that support you?

I am who I am. I don’t place a level of importance on things that I do in the sense that I don’t have to tell myself to do things for the community. It is who I am so it is already important for me to do things in the community. The value and substance of who you are is a natural thing. It can’t be coached up.  

What are you working on in the world of tech?

There is something I have in the works that allow creatives to create and build records the same way people create via Twitter or Instagram. A quick form transfer file that allows collaboration between creatives. For example, I start a loop and post it—someone else can join in on the creative process. if a piano player goes to my page they can add a melody to the loop. Musicians are able to watch and join in on the session and create a whole track real time. 

What are three key pieces of advice for young creatives?

• If you want to do something and you are willing to do it for 10 years for free then that is what you truly want. if you see someone doing something and you see it as a quick way to make money then it is not your passion. Stop focusing on simply trying to get a dollar because even if you become successful you are still pushing the culture back. 
• Elevate yourself and stop looking for people to validate you and elevate you. Create something people cannot refuse. Stop telling people what you need and starting being what they need. When you become what they need you do not have to ask people for anything. 
• Who are you? People do everything else in the world and try to figure everything else out but never define who they are. Figure out and discover who you are as an artist, as a person, and as a brand. Once you discover this, remain true to your core value and belief system and do not compromise this. 

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Black Enterprise Contributors Network 

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