With the holidays and year-end approaching, you might be considering making gifts of stock or cash to family members and loved ones. By using your annual exclusion, those gifts-within generous limits-can reduce the size of your taxable estate. For 2022, the annual gift exclusion is $16,000. This covers gifts you make to each recipient [...]
If you have a parent entering a nursing home, taxes are probably the last thing on your mind. But you should know there may be several possible tax benefits. MEDICAL EXPENSE DEDUCTIONS The costs of qualified long-term care, including nursing home care, are deductible as medical expenses to the extent they, along with [...]
A wise person – who may or may not have been an accountant – once said, “Simplicity is the key to a family budget.” However, the budget should also be comprehensive enough to cover all necessities. To find the right balance, a budget should cover two distinct facets of family members’ lives: the near term [...]
If your company benefits include group term life insurance paid by your employer, a portion of the premiums paid for the coverage may be taxable. Depending on the amount of coverage you’re provided, some of it may create undesirable income tax consequences for you. The cost of the first $50,000 of group term life insurance [...]
Do you pay premiums for Medicare health insurance? If so, you may be able to combine them with other qualifying health care expenses and claim them as an itemized deduction for medical expenses on your individual tax return. This includes amounts for “Medigap” insurance and Medicare Advantage plans, which cover some costs that Medicare Parts [...]
Married couples may not be able to save as much as they need for retirement when one spouse doesn’t work outside the home – perhaps so that spouse can take care of children or elderly parents. In general, an IRA contribution is allowed only if a taxpayer earns compensation. However, there’s an exception involving a [...]