Ideas & Insight

Are you thinking about setting up a retirement savings plan for yourself and your employees, but you’re worried about the financial commitment and administrative burdens involved in providing a traditional pension plan? Two options to consider are a “simplified employee pension” (SEP) or a “savings incentive match plan for employees” (SIMPLE). SEPs are intended as […]

The housing market in many parts of the country is strong this spring. If you’re buying or selling a home, you should know how to determine your “basis”. How it works You can claim an itemized deduction on your tax return for real estate taxes and home mortgage interest. Most other home ownership costs can’t […]

If you were to ask your IT staff about how tech support for remote employees is going, they might say something along the lines of, “Fantastic! Never better!” However, if you asked remote workers the same question about IT support, their response could be far less enthusiastic. This was among the findings of a report […]

As a business owner, you should be aware that you can save family income and payroll taxes by hiring your child and putting them on the payroll. Here are some considerations. Shifting business earnings You can turn some of your high-taxed income into tax-free or low-taxed income by shifting some business earnings to a child […]

When you file your tax return, you must check one of the following filing statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Who qualifies to file a return as a head of household, which is more favorable than single? To qualify, you must maintain a household, which for more […]

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law in early March, aims at offering widespread financial relief to individuals and employers adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The law specifically targets small businesses in many of its provisions. If you own a small company, you may want to explore funding via the Small Business […]

If you have a life insurance policy, you may want to ensure that the benefits your family will receive after your death won’t be included in your estate. That way, the benefits won’t be subject to federal estate tax. Current exemption amounts For 2021, the federal estate and gift tax exemption is $11.7 million ($23.4 […]

Are you considering buying or replacing a vehicle that you’ll use in your business? If you choose a heavy (SUV), you may be able to benefit from lucrative tax rules for those business vehicles. Bonus depreciation Under current law, 100% first-year bonus depreciation is available for qualified new and used property that’s acquired and placed […]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees and their families have lost group health plan coverage because of layoffs or reduced hours. If your business has had to take such steps, and it’s required to offer continuing health care coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) […]

The new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides eligible families with an enhanced child and dependent care credit for 2021. This is the credit available for expenses a taxpayer pays for the child care of qualifying children under the age of 13 so that the taxpayer can be gainfully employed. Note that a credit reduces […]