Properly Funding Your Revocable Trust is the Key to Unlocking Its Benefits
If your estate plan includes a revocable trust — also known as a “living” trust — it’s critical to ensure that the trust is properly funded. Revocable trusts offer significant benefits, including asset management (in the event you become incapacitated) and probate avoidance.
Still Working After Age 70½? You May Not Have to Begin 401(k) Withdrawals
If you participate in a qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k), you must generally begin taking required withdrawals from the plan no later than April 1 of the year after which you turn age 70½.
2019 Q2 Tax Calendar: Key Deadlines for Businesses and Other Employers
Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines that apply to businesses and other employers during the second quarter of 2019. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you.
Transparency is Key with Related Party Transactions
In recent years, external auditors have focused more attention on related party transactions. Although related party transactions aren’t necessarily bad, they do raise some concerns about the risk of misstatement or omission in financial reporting.
Keep a Close Eye on Your Employment Records
Every employer needs to keep records on pay, hours, workplace injuries and the like. And, of course, the fun doesn’t end there — you’ve also got to maintain other documentation, such as job descriptions, annual objectives and performance reviews.
Stretch Your College Student's Spending Money with the Dependent Tax Credit
If you’re the parent of a child who is age 17 to 23, and you pay all (or most) of his or her expenses, you may be surprised to learn you’re not eligible for the child tax credit. But there’s a dependent tax credit that may be available to you.
2019 Adjusted Penalty Amounts for Health and Other Plans
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced in very late January the 2019 annual adjustments to the civil monetary penalties for a wide range of benefits-related violations. Legislation enacted in 2015 requires annual adjustments to certain penalty amounts by January 15 of each year.
Companion Piece: Create a "Road Map" for Your Estate Plan
No matter how much effort you’ve invested in designing your estate plan, your will, trusts and other official documents may not be enough.
There's Still Time for Small Business Owners to Set Up a SEP Retirement Plan for Last Year
If you own a business and don’t have a tax-advantaged retirement plan, it’s not too late to establish one and reduce your 2018 tax bill. A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) can still be set up for 2018, and you can make contributions to it that you can deduct on your 2018 income tax return.
Moving a Trust Over State Lines Can Offer Tax Savings and Other Benefits
People who live in states with high income taxes sometimes relocate to a state with a more favorable tax climate. A similar strategy can be available for trusts.