And you have pay employment taxes for your friend and you wouldn't for a PM.  

I do have a 401k with my current employer with about $150k in mutual funds investments.

The education is required by your employer or the law to keep your present salary, status, or job.

I contribute to my IRA just enough to get the most matching contribution from my employer.

(3)  Would the foregoing strategy effectively reduce the net income of the company and thereby reduce the self employment tax (i.e., by making the interest on the loan ordinary income to the owner)?

If they have a employer you follow them from work, if you have a phone number you run a scam. 

Payments have to be made to the corporation so you will need a separate bank account, employer ID number, etc.  

It's the difference between a job and being the employer.

You can use bait stations around the home (make sure kids and pets can’t get to the stations) that will feed and eventually kill them outdoors.Once they eat the bait it makes them thirsty, mix the two (water and bait) and it’s lights out within a couple of hours up to a couple of days.

In California, and I assume some other states as well, according to the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) you are required to give a 90 day notice when you want to increase the rent.Unfortunately cities/counties without rent control can get away with a rental increase every 90 days and they take full advantage of it depending on demographics and economics i.e. employment and whether or not the home is in the path of progress.As @Daniel Roberts has so aptly inferred you should proceed with extreme caution.