Seniors: Can You Deduct Medicare Premiums?
If you are age 65 and older, and you have basic Medicare insurance, you may need to pay additional premiums to get the level of coverage you want. The premiums [...]
Why You Should Keep Life Insurance Out of Your Estate
If you have a life insurance policy, you probably want to make sure that the life insurance benefits your family will receive after your death won’t be included in your [...]
The Tax Aspects of Selling Mutual Fund Shares
Perhaps you’re an investor in mutual funds or you’re interested in putting some money into them. You’re not alone. The Investment Company Institute estimates that 56.2 million households owned mutual [...]
There Still Might Be Time to Cut Your Tax Bill With IRAs
If you’re getting ready to file your 2019 tax return, and your tax bill is higher than you’d like, there may still be an opportunity to lower it. If you [...]
Expanding a Corporate Business with a Tax-Free Merger
If a corporate business is seeking to quickly expand, it may be considering one of these options: Gaining control over another corporation's business (the target) indirectly via a merger transaction [...]
Beware of Deductions Claimed for Certain Business Expenses
To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your field of business. A necessary expense [...]
Why Buyers Love Asset Purchase Deals
Are you thinking about buying a business? How you structure the deal will affect the taxes owed by the buyer (you) and the seller (the other party). The Tax Cuts and [...]
Using Your 401(k) Plan to Save This Year and Next
You can reduce taxes and save for retirement by contributing to a tax-advantaged retirement plan. If your employer offers a 401(k) or Roth 401(k) plan, contributing to it is a [...]
Tax Planning for a Home in the Event of Divorce
For many people, the federal home sale gain exclusion is the single most valuable tax break available. But if you're getting divorced and selling a home, you may need to [...]
Multi-state Resident? Watch Out for Double Taxation
Contrary to popular belief, there's nothing in the U.S. Constitution or federal law that prohibits multiple states from collecting tax on the same income. Although many states provide tax credits [...]
Selling Securities by Year End? Avoid the Wash Sale Rule
If you’re planning to sell assets at a loss to offset gains that have been realized during the year, it’s important to be aware of the “wash sale” rule. How [...]
Understanding and Controlling the Unemployment Tax Costs of Your Business
As an employer, you must pay federal unemployment (FUTA) tax on amounts up to $7,000 paid to each employee as wages during the calendar year. The rate of tax imposed [...]
Year-End Strategies to Reduce AGI
Reducing your current-year adjusted gross income (AGI) is usually a tax-smart idea. Here are ten ways to reduce your AGI (and modified AGI) over the short and long run. Closeup [...]