Tax policy and rates have always been fluid, much more so than most people realize, as they only focus on it for short periods one time a year. You also don’t see many high school or college classes on the history of taxes and tax planning, unless you’re in accounting school. Like a distant relative [...]

Many estate plans were built around the old “stretch IRA” rules that allowed beneficiaries to take withdrawals over their lifetimes. However, under the SECURE Act, most non-spouse beneficiaries must now withdraw the entire balance of an inherited IRA within 10 years of the original owner’s death. While the 10% early withdrawal penalty does not apply [...]

It’s human nature, of course. We complain about our weight while in the line at the ice-cream stand. We complain about being tired, then stay up late playing the latest game on our smart devices. Humans are funny and contradictory animals. Have you ever noticed that when you’re in a conversation, people are quick to [...]

Have you ever had a “light bulb” moment?  I have been driving for many years. I’ve driven at least a million miles and I own a few cars (I collect certain types), and when driving my spouse’s car or one from the collection that I haven’t driven in a while, inevitably it’s time to gas up. I [...]

Don’t let your stockbroker off the hook when it comes to tax planning. Many people work with brokers when they buy and sell stocks. Many people now, because of the internet, also have become their own stockbrokers, doing their own research and trading on various platforms. Whether you use a professional or do your trades yourself, you still [...]

Many of our clients are business owners and we often have conversations with them in and around the value of their business. It’s easy to pin a value number on a business based on emotion; after all if you have built a business from scratch or bought somebody else’s business and made it your own, [...]

The answer to that might surprise you. Because, for the most part, the answer is yes.  However, sometimes they are only fair if you know how to “play the game”. Most people think only the wealthy can avoid paying income tax because they know how to play the game. Well, at a much lower level, everybody knows some of [...]

When you start tax planning with a new client, the first thing people often ask is why the accountant or CPA they are using doesn’t think or act the way you do in discussing the hunt for possible tax savings. After all, the current CPA is smart, trustworthy, running a successful accounting business and well [...]

At this time of year many people who were getting a refund have already filed their tax return. It leaves the remaining majority of folks who, despite having withholdings, are still going to owe additional tax. We talk a great deal about tax planning and changing behaviors to achieve better outcomes in the future, but [...]

There are many ways a tax return can be done that are all OK with the IRS, but only one of those ways nets the largest refund! People need to understand this across America, and we talk about tax planning constantly. We blog, tweet, post, email and on and on, yet we as an industry are not [...]