Contributing to Your Employer’s 401(k) Plan: How It Works
If you’re fortunate to have an employer that offers a 401(k) plan, and you don’t contribute to it, you may wonder if you should participate. In general, it’s a [...]
Business Automobiles: How the Tax Depreciation Rules Work
Do you use an automobile in your trade or business? If so, you may question how depreciation tax deductions are determined. The rules are complicated, and special limitations that apply [...]
Casualty Loss Tax Deductions May Help Disaster Victims in Certain Cases
This year, many Americans have been victimized by wildfires, severe storms, flooding, tornadoes, and other disasters. No matter where you live, unexpected disasters may cause damage to your home [...]
Plan Now For Year-End Gifts With the Gift Tax Annual Exclusion
Now that Labor Day has passed, the holidays are just around the corner. Many people may want to make gifts of cash or stock to their loved ones. By [...]
Delinquent Taxpayers May Experience Passport Issues
Let's say a person is planning to take a plane trip out of the country. And further suppose that individual owes the federal government a fair amount of back taxes. [...]
Pocket a Tax Break for Making Energy-Efficient Home Improvements
An estimated 190 million Americans have recently been under heat advisory alerts, according to the National Weather Service. That may have spurred you to think about making your home [...]
A Tax-Smart Way to Develop and Sell Appreciated Land
Let’s say you own highly appreciated land that’s now ripe for development. If you subdivide it, develop the resulting parcels, and sell them off for a hefty profit, it [...]
What Can You Do to Lower Your 2023 Tax Obligation?
It's hard to believe that 2023 is already half over. Although summer is a time for vacations and relaxing in the backyard, you can't afford to take a break from [...]
Retirement Account Catch-up Contributions Can Add Up
If you’re age 50 or older, you can probably make extra “catch-up” contributions to your tax-favored retirement account(s). Is it worth the trouble? Yes! Here are the rules of [...]
Inheriting stock or other assets? You’ll receive a favorable “stepped-up basis”
If you’re planning your estate, or you’ve recently inherited assets, you may be unsure of the “cost” (or “basis”) for tax purposes. How do the rules work? Under the [...]
Poor Planning Can Lead to Double Taxation of Trusts
Different states have different rules for determining whether a trust is a "resident" for income tax purposes. State tax liability can depend on the location of settlors, trustees or beneficiaries. [...]
The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty: Who Can It Be Personally Assessed Against?
If you own or manage a business with employees, there’s a harsh tax penalty that you could be at risk of paying personally. The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) [...]
Address Digital Assets in Your Estate Plan
Today, almost everyone owns some sort of digital asset — and some of these assets can be quite valuable. But if your estate plan doesn't account for digital assets properly, [...]
Cutting the Kiddie Tax Down to Size
Despite its name, the "kiddie tax" is anything but child's play. If you're not careful, this provision of the tax code can result in children having to pay significant extra [...]
When Can Seniors Deduct Medicare Premiums on Their Tax Returns?
If you’re 65 and older and have basic Medicare insurance, you may need to pay additional premiums to get the level of coverage you want. The premiums can be [...]