Most people have April 15 “tattooed on the brain” as the deadline for filing their federal income tax returns. What you may forget is that the gift tax return deadline is one the very same date. So, if you made large gifts to family members or heirs last year, it’s important to determine whether you’re [...]
Incentive stock options (ISOs) are a popular form of compensation for executives and other key employees. They allow you to buy company stock in the future at a fixed price equal to or greater than the stock’s fair market value on the ISO grant date. If the stock appreciates, you can buy shares at a [...]
Many people dream of retiring early so they can pursue activities other than work, such as volunteering, traveling and pursuing their hobbies full-time. But making this dream a reality requires careful planning and diligent saving during the years leading up to the anticipated retirement date. It all starts with retirement savings accounts such as IRAs [...]
Do you have investments outside of tax-advantaged retirement plan? If so, you might still have time to reduce your 2019 tax bill by selling some investments – you just need to carefully select which investments you sell. BALANCE GAINS AND LOSSES If you’ve sold investments at a gain this year, consider selling some losing investments [...]
Some medical expenses may be tax deductible, but only if you itemize deductions and you have enough expenses to exceed the applicable floor for deductibility. With proper planning, you may be able to time controllable medical expenses to your tax advantage. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made bunching such expenses beneficial for some [...]
Traditional and Roth IRAs can be relatively “safe” retirement-savings vehicles, depending on what they’re invested in. But a drawback is that they limit your investment choices. A self-directed IRA gives you more flexibility in your investment choices but comes with greater risk as well. GAINING MORE CONTROL A self-directed IRA is simply an IRA that [...]