Earnings in a regular corporation are double-taxed—the corporation pays income tax on the net earnings, and then the shareholders pay income tax when they receive dividends on those earnings. In contrast, under Subchapter T of the Internal Revenue Code, a cooperative can avoid some of the traditional corporate double-tax.

The amount of money that cannot be clawed back after the transaction even if there are future problems.

A producer owned co-op for farmers to be able to market their crops together and/or purchase inputs together to reduce costs and eliminate "middle men" in the value chain.

An ESOP distribution policy articulates the timing, form, and method in which participants receive their account balance when they retire, leave the company, or become deceased.

Types of transactions with an employee ownership plan which, if engaged in, would or could create some kind of legal liability, e.g., "self dealing" or other forms of conflict of interest.

Replicable, out-of-the-box worker-owned businesses that provide a pathway to work for DREAMers and undocumented individuals.

“Silver tsunami” refers to the large cohort of Americans entering their retirement years as the baby boom generation, born 1946 to 1964, continues to age. The term is used to highlight the economic opportunities created by an aging population and the challenges it may pose

Any change of the portion of equity or debt components of a company's balance sheet with the intent to change the equity owned by an EO Plan (such as ESOP or EOT)

Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

The price the EO plan paid for the shares when first acquired, including it they were acquired with debt and then released later at higher or lower values. Four methods that can be used in computing the cost basis of the employers securities in the ESOP.

A corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its owners. Corporations possess many of the same rights and responsibilities as individuals. They can enter contracts, loan and borrow money, sue and be sued, hire employees, own assets, and pay taxes.

The Davis-Bacon Act requires that all contractors and subcontractors performing construction, alteration excess of $2,000 pay their laborers and mechanics not less than the prevailing wage and fringe benefits

Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.

Form 1099-PATR, Taxable Distributions Received From Cooperative, is a form sent to taxpayers to allow them to report distributions received from a cooperative.

Common stock is not just a piece of paper—or, these days, a digital entry—but a ticket to ownership in a company

Case studies of companies who were previously EO and demutualized, sold to a strategic or financial buyer, or closed.

A consumer-owned electricity distribution co-op. These power about 56% of the land mass of the United States.

A line of credit, abbreviated as LOC, is an arrangement between a financial institution, usually a bank, and a customer that establishes a maximum amount that the institution will allow the borrower to access or maintain. Unlike a loan, which is typically a one-time thing, a line of credit remains open. It’s like a pool of money you can dip into that’s not yours.

When employees are given an option, and they decide to, laterally transfer 401k assets to finance the ESOP transition. This results in more cash made available to the selling owner at the time of closing.

In an internal capital account cooperative, the co-op’s net worth is reflected in a system of internal capital accounts. Each member has an individual capital account (ICA) to keep track of their portion of the co-op’s net worth and reflect the value of the member’s relative equity in the co-op

A "poison pill" is a defensive strategy used by companies to deter hostile takeovers. It sets a trigger point, typically a threshold of stock ownership, beyond which any acquiring shareholder faces significant dilution of their stake.

The threshold rate of return is the minimum return that an investor can expect to achieve when investing in a project. It is influenced by the risk of the investment, the liquidity of the investment, and inflation

The history of employee ownership which includes some easily defined pivotal moments such as the passing of ERISA in 1974 thanks to Louis Kelso and Russell Long

Rebalancing is an annual process for cash-holding ESOPs that ensures all plan participants have the same percentage breakdown of cash and company stock that the overall ESOP trust holds. Rebalancing does not increase or decrease the face value of an ESOP participant’s account balance

The definition of the sales funnel (also known as a revenue funnel or sales process) refers to the buying process that companies lead customers through when purchasing products. The widest part of the funnel represents the phase when potential customers become aware of the product or service, and the funnel eventually narrows to represent the customer purchasing (and repurchasing) the product or service.

A golden share is a special type of share that grants its holder veto power over changes to a company's charter, ensuring control over critical decisions. This share typically holds at least 51% of voting rights and is issued by both private firms and government entities.

A budget is an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time. A budget can be made for a person, group of people, business, non-profit, government, country, or just about anything else that makes and spends money.

Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 136 was issued by the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board to address changes to audits of employee benefit plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (including ESOPs).

Senior debt is borrowed money (often from bondholders or banks that have issued revolving credit lines) that a company must repay first if it goes out of business.

Unusual circumstances for EO companies, e.g., publicly traded EO, bank as EO sponsor, LLC ESOP's, etc.