Tax

Now that Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal and replacement efforts appear to have collapsed, at least for the time being, it’s a good time for a refresher on the tax penalty the ACA imposes on individuals who fail to have “minimum essential” health insurance coverage for any month of the year. This requirement is commonly […]

In the quest to reduce your tax bill, year end planning can only go so far. Tax saving strategies take time to implement, so review your options now. These 3 tax saving strategies for mid-year can be very effective: 1. Consider your bracket The top income tax rate is 39.6% for taxpayers with taxable income […]

Do you own a vacation home that you rent out and use personally?  Make sure you understand the potential tax consequences of vacation homes: If you rent it out for less than 15 days: You don’t have to report the income. But expenses associated with the rental (such as advertising and cleaning) won’t be deductible. If you […]

As you plan your estate, don’t overlook the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax. Despite a generous $5.49 million GST tax exemption, complexities surrounding its allocation can create several tax traps for the unwary. Beware the Generation-skipping transfer tax when transferring assets. GST basics The GST tax is a flat, 40% tax on transfers to “skip persons,” […]

The IRA’s value as a retirement planning tool is well known: IRA assets compound on a tax-deferred (or, in the case of a Roth IRA, tax-free) basis, which can help build a more substantial nest egg. But if you don’t need an IRA to fund your retirement, you can use it as an estate planning […]

Holding joint title on property with one or more children or other heirs is a common estate planning “shortcut.” But like many shortcuts, it can produce unintended — and costly — consequences.  Know what to expect before owning assets with children or other heirs. Advantages There are two potential advantages to joint ownership: convenience and probate avoidance. […]

The IRS warns that tax professionals are increasingly the targets of phishing scams. Increase cyber security and beware of email that appears to be from friends, customers or companies. In conjunction with their Security Summit, the IRS has launched a campaign entitled, “Don’t Take the Bait” as part of their Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself series. […]

The tax consequences of the sale of an investment, as well as your net return, can be affected by a variety of factors. You’re probably focused on factors such as how much you paid for the investment vs. how much you’re selling it for, whether you held the investment long-term (more than one year) and […]

Last month, the IRS issued a Revenue Procedure that simplifies the Portability election extension. This allows certain estates to make a late portability election without first filing a ruling request. Portability is a tax law provision that permits a surviving spouse to take advantage of the deceased spouse’s unused combined gift and estate tax exemption […]

It’s common for a business to own not only typical business assets, such as equipment, inventory and furnishings, but also the building where the business operates — and possibly other real estate as well. There can, however, be negative consequences when a business’s real estate is included in its general corporate assets. Separate real estate from […]