Scam Alert: Significant Increase in Texting Scams
To date, the IRS has identified and reported thousands of fraudulent domains tied to multiple text scams, known as smishing, targeting taxpayers. Recently, IRS-themed smishing has increased significantly. As such, taxpayers are reminded to be on the lookout for scams and schemes that could put sensitive tax data at risk – especially this latest IRS-themed […]
Tax Deductions for Homeowners
For many people buying a home – whether it’s a fixer-upper in an up and coming neighborhood or that custom home you’ve always dreamed of – is a milestone event. While there is often a steep learning curve associated with buying and owning a home, there are also some perks – at least when it […]
Understanding Marginal vs. Effective Tax Rates
Understanding marginal and effective tax rates is important for tax planning purposes; however, many taxpayers don’t fully understand the differences. Let’s take a closer look: Marginal Tax Rate The United States has a progressive tax system. The more money you earn, the higher your tax rate is and the more taxes you pay to the […]
Taking Early Withdrawals From Retirement Accounts
Many people find themselves in situations where they need to withdraw money from their retirement plan earlier than planned. Doing so, however, can trigger an additional tax on top of any income tax taxpayers may have to pay. Here are five things taxpayers should know about early withdrawals from retirement plans: 1. Early Withdrawal. An […]
Lending Money to a Friend? It Pays To Plan Ahead
Lending money to a cash-strapped friend or family member is a noble and generous offer that just might make a difference. But before you hand over the cash, you need to plan ahead to avoid tax complications for yourself down the road. Take a look at this example: Let’s say you decide to loan $15,000 […]
Pass on Wealth to Heirs Using These Strategies
Individuals with significant assets should take advantage of proven tax strategies such as gifting and direct payments to educational institutions to transfer wealth to heirs tax-free and minimize estate taxes. Rising inflation, a volatile stock market, and relatively low interest rates also provide additional opportunities. Let’s take a look at some of them: Gifting The […]
The Inflation Reduction Act’s Tax Provisions
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law on August 16, 2022, includes tax provisions affecting businesses, individuals, the clean-energy industry, healthcare, and more. Let’s take a look: Businesses Sec. 461(l) Business Loss Limitation. The pass-through tax deduction for small business owners (sole proprietorships, some limited liability companies, partnerships, and S-corporations) was enacted under tax […]
Roth IRAs: Put Your Child’s Summer Earnings to Work
With plentiful opportunities for teen employment this year, now is the perfect time to consider opening a Roth IRA for your minor child. Here’s what you need to know. What is a Roth IRA? A Roth IRA is a type of IRA that allows you to make after-tax contributions instead of pretax contributions, such as […]
