What are the advantages and disadvantages of forming a corporation?

The world’s largest companies are formed as corporations. Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are all corporations. These companies are worth billions of dollars and they are what you will always see and hear on a business or stock trading news. Unlike a sole proprietorship or a partnership, a corporation is a business that is recognized by law as a separate legal entity with its own powers, responsibilities, and obligations. The defining feature of a corporation is its legal independence from the people who create it. If a corporation becomes insolvent, its owners and shareholders will not be liable beyond their equity investments in the corporation – creditors cannot go after the stockholders’ personal assets to exhaust their debts. This attribute is called limited liability. A corporation sounds very promising, but before sole proprietors and partners decide to incorporate their businesses, we should first study the following advantages and disadvantages of a corporation. Read more