529 plans are a favored way to save for college due to the tax benefits and other advantages they offer when funds are used to pay a beneficiary’s qualified college expenses. Up until now, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) treated grandparent-owned 529 plans more harshly than parent-owned 529 plans. This will change […]
Stock Market Risks in the Spotlight
During March 2021, the widening availability of COVID-19 vaccinations, signs of improving economic conditions, and a third, $1.9 trillion stimulus package brought about more optimistic growth projections. Even though a healthy economy could be good news for many businesses and the financial markets, rising inflation expectations caused a multi-week sell-off in U.S. government bonds that […]
Tips for Managing an Inheritance
As the beneficiary of an inheritance, you are most likely to be faced with making many important decisions during an emotional time. Short of meeting any required tax or legal deadlines, don’t make any hasty decisions concerning your inheritance. Identify a Team of Trusted Professionals Tax laws and requirements can be complicated. Consult with professionals […]
Child Tax Credit for 2021: Will You Get More?
If you have qualifying children under the age of 18, you may be able to claim a child tax credit. (You may also be able to claim a partial credit for certain other dependents who are not qualifying children.) The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 makes substantial, temporary improvements to the child tax credit […]
Signs of a Scam and How to Resist It
Although scammers often target older people, younger people who encounter scams are more likely to lose money to fraud, perhaps because they have less financial experience. When older people do fall for a scam, however, they tend to have higher losses.1 Regardless of your age or financial knowledge, you can be certain that criminals are […]
Deduct 100 Percent of Your Business Meals under New Rules
Since 1986, lawmakers have limited business meal deductions: first to 80 percent, and then to 50 percent (unless an exception applies). But on December 27, 2020, in an effort to help the restaurant industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers enacted a new, temporary 100 percent business meal deduction for calendar years 2021 and 2022. […]
IRS Focuses on Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrencies have gone mainstream. For example, you can use bitcoin to buy far more than you would think. To see, try googling “What can I buy with bitcoin?” You will get more than 350,000 hits. But using cryptocurrencies has federal income tax implications that may surprise you. With the price of bitcoin having gone through […]
Tax Planning for the New $142,800 Base for Self-Employment Taxes
What happens when lawmakers enact a new tax? It starts small. It looks easy. In 1935, the self-employment tax topped out at $60. Those 1935 lawmakers must be twirling in their graves with the new rules for 2021, which levy the following taxes: A self-employment tax of up to $21,848, which comes from the 15.3 […]
Don’t Let Debt Derail Your Retirement
Debt poses a growing threat to the financial security of many Americans — and not just college graduates with exorbitant student loans. Recent studies by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) reveal an alarming trend: The percentage of older Americans with debt is at its […]
Can Creditors Take Your Retirement Savings? It Depends
Given the immense financial hardship inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a rise in personal bankruptcies could be waiting in the wings. For those whose livelihoods have been hit the hardest, it might be important to review the creditor protections that apply to their retirement accounts. The extent to which assets are protected can vary significantly, […]
