With Republicans controlling both the White House and Congress, there is an increased likelihood of tax reform legislation hitting the debate floor. Proposals by President Trump and the House Ways and Means Committee appear to support the reduction of marginal tax rates and modification of itemized deductions which will mute the taxable benefits of gifting … Continued
Good news: It’s only March and your tax return has been filed! Bad news: It wasn’t by you. It’s a problem that is all too common these days and one that unfortunately could affect you this tax season. You try to file your tax return only to have it rejected as it has already been … Continued
In the alphabet soup of estate planning jargon, the acronym QPRT is one of the more familiar — if not fully understood — terms and it represents a popular and rather common technique for potentially passing significant wealth amongst generations using family homes with little or no gift or estate tax consequence. The letters stand … Continued
Now that we are well into the final quarter of the year, it’s time to think ahead to what is approaching taxpayers in just few short months. At this time every calendar year, the various government agencies release updated figures for a range of items such as retirement contribution limitations, gift & estate tax exemptions … Continued
In June of this year, Microsoft announced plans to acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all cash deal. This is great news for LinkedIn shareholders and this is only one of 32,203 M & A deals announced during 2016 which total value estimated at $3.6 trillion¹. The shareholders of LinkedIn or many other … Continued
Even at the ripe old age of 100, the Federal Estate Tax – also affectionately known as the ‘death tax’ – is still steeped in controversy. When it was first instituted in 1916 during the height of World War I, it was seen by supporters as a reasonable way to enhance U.S. revenues in case America joined … Continued
Utilizing Home Equity to Meet Long-Term Needs and Objectives The term downsizing typically connotes difficult decisions, often conjuring up images of harsh corporate layoffs. But downsizing also commonly describes the sensible and often rewarding —even cathartic — act of moving from a large house into a smaller and more manageable living arrangement. Of course, … Continued
Since 1993, the federal government has incentivized investment in small businesses through favorable tax treatment in order to keep the economic engine running. Those efforts have proven successful, as small businesses created nearly two million of the roughly three million private-sector jobs generated in 2014 and more than seven million of the 11 million jobs … Continued
“He who will not economize will have to agonize.” – Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) For thousands of years people have been told to adhere to a budget, and today the thought seems as daunting as ever. This can be especially true for those who live in a high cost area such as San … Continued
Many families hold philanthropy as an important family value and strive to find ways to give efficiently, perhaps accomplishing additional objectives in the process. Investors, having lived with low interest rates for many years, are starting to see signs that rates may gradually rise. That begs a question: are there unique financial planning opportunities worth … Continued