Tax savings can be found in the elections you make! Tip Category: Deductions Every year is an election year when it comes to making decisions on your annual income tax return. Here are four common examples that can create tax savings opportunities if you elect the correct option. 1. Tax filing status. Typically, filing a joint …
Hike in Social Security Benefits Announced for 2025
2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) changes Tip Category: Retirement The Social Security Administration announced a 2.5% boost to monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 2025, another rate drop versus last year's increase of 3.2%. The increase is based on the rise in the Consumer Price Index over the past 12 months ending …
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Understanding Tax Terms: Contemporaneous Records
Everyone needs to know what this means! If you have problems getting to sleep at night and you turn to the IRS tax code for help, you might find some vocabulary that is very foreign to you. One of the more uncommon words used by the IRS is the term "contemporaneous." So what does it mean and …
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Those Pesky Records!
What do I need to keep? Each of us needs to keep records that substantiate our tax return or other important life events for as long as they are needed. So what does this mean? The basic retention period. Federal tax return substantiation is generally three years from the later of the tax return filing due …
Estate Taxes: What EVERYONE Should Know
Tip Category: Planning Most taxpayers ignore the federal estate tax, thinking they will never be touched by it. Unfortunately, you do this at your own peril. Why? Because states often have this tax AND politicians have a habit of frequently changing the rules. The most recent change is scheduled to take place after 2025. The best …
How to Maximize Deductions for Assisted Living
Tip Category: Deductions It's possible that someone in your family will need assisted living care at some point in their life. This care can be at an assisted living facility, a nursing home, or in their own home. Often, assisted living care is expensive and not fully reimbursable by typical health insurance policies. Thankfully, there is …
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Tax Surprises for the Newly Retired
Tip Category: Retirement You’ve got it all planned out. Your retirement savings accounts are full, you have started receiving Social Security benefits and your pension is ready to go. Everything is planned. What could go wrong? Here are five surprises that can turn your plan on a dime. 1. Health emergencies and long-term care. When a …
Understanding Tax Terms: Head of Household
Tip Category: Deductions The tax term head of household is one of the more misunderstood tax phrases inside the U.S. tax code. However, if your situation warrants head of household status, there are two big tax benefits: First, a higher standard deduction. Second, lower effective tax rates for virtually every income level. This is great, but …
Reminder: Third Quarter Estimated Taxes are Due
Now is the time to make your estimated tax payment Tip Category: Planning If you have not already done so, now is the time to review your tax situation and make an estimated quarterly tax payment using Form 1040-ES. The third quarter due date is now here. Due date: Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 You are required …
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A Dozen Tax Planning Triggers
Tip Category: Planning Now is the tax planning season. Those that treat tax filing as an event and not a process often are the ones paying more than they need. So how do you go about moving from the event to planning? By looking at triggers that should stimulate a discussion. Here are some of the …
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