Effective Tax Planning Starts Now!
With summertime activities in full swing, tax planning is probably not on the top of your to-do list. But putting it off creates a problem at the end of the year when there’s little time for changes to take effect. If you take the time to plan now, you’ll have six months for your actions…
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You Know You Need Tax Planning If…
Effective tax planning helps you make smart decisions now to get the future outcome you desire — but you need to make sure you don’t miss anything. Forget to account for one of these situations and your tax plans will go off the rails in a hurry: Getting married or divorced. One plus one does not…
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Manage Capital Gains Tax Tips
If not tracked and managed properly, capital gains tax can come as a large surprise at tax-filing time. In fact, many taxpayers don’t realize they have a capital gain until they get their 1099 form in January and see a capital gain distribution. Here’s what you need to know. Understand capital gains and their taxability…
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Dramatic Sales Tax Change
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the South Dakota vs Wayfair case that opens the door for states to impose sales tax on sellers outside their borders. The case highlights a new standard of business presence called “economic nexus” that may have major implications for businesses and consumers alike. Economic nexus explained The…
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Ideas to Improve Your Financial Health
No one likes to be blindsided by financial hardship. Listed here are 10 ideas to help ensure your financial situation stays healthy. Create a safety net. Plan to have a minimum savings balance to cover at least three months’ of expenses (ideally, this should be six to 12 months). If your reserves are light, start…
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Student Loan Forgiveness Creates New Tax Trap
There’s a new student loan repayment program that forgives some student loan debt if other payments are made. This new debt forgiveness is creating a tax surprise for the unsuspecting student. Here is what you need to know. The debt forgiveness program dilemma To combat the hardship of high student loan debt, a popular new…
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Five Tax Breaks for New Parents
New parents have their work cut out for them. Not only are they dealing with lost sleep, they also face the extra cost of raising a child. At least there are a lot of potential tax breaks available to them. Check out this list and share it with any new parents you know. Child Tax…
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How Long Will It Last?
Planning to replace common items Part of financial planning is having a sense of how much it will cost to replace your possessions when they break down or wear out. Many of the big-ticket consumer products may cost more to replace and wear out sooner than you think. An essential part of financial planning is…
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Become Debt-Free
The average household carries $137,063 in debt, while the median household income is less than $60,000, according to data from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Labor Department. While it’s easy to get into debt, it can be hard to get out. Here are five tips personal finance experts recommend to lower your debt burden: List…
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Is It Worth It to Amend Your Return?
Whether it makes sense to amend your return depends on which of these situations you’re in: If you owe the IRS If you discover an omission on your tax return that results in you owing additional tax, you need to correct it with an amendment and provide the tax due. Don’t delay if this is…
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