A home is the most valuable asset many people own. So, it’s important to remain aware of the tax impact of home ownership and to carefully track the debt you incur to buy, build or improve your home – known as “acquisition indebtedness.” Among the biggest tax perks of buying a home is the ability [...]
Sponsors of defined benefit plans – commonly known as pensions – might be facing tighter scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Labor. Just last year, at an ERISA Advisory Council meeting, the agency’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced that it had ramped up pension audit operations in its Philadelphia office and later decided to [...]
If you’re currently taking care of your children and elderly parents, count yourself among those in the “Sandwich Generation.” Although it may be personally gratifying to help your parents, it can be a financial burden and affect your own estate plan. Here are some critical steps to take to better manage the situation. IDENTIFY KEY [...]
Nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans pay executives at some time in the future for services to be currently performed. If you participate in such a plan, or your business offers one as an employee benefit, it’s critical for everyone involved to abide by the applicable tax rules. Of course, in the hectic course of the [...]
How to Enter Bills in QuickBooks It’s not as much fun as creating invoices, but the bills must be paid. Here’s how QuickBooks helps. We’re in a bit of a transitional period with business bill-paying. Some paper bills still come via the U.S. Mail, however you may also be getting some through email. Others don’t [...]
The notion of bartering may conjure an image of a crowded, bustling medieval bazaar. Dusty travelers, famers perchance, haggle with merchants over textiles or metal tools. Live chickens are exchanged for handspun cloth and, eventually, everyone goes home happy. Although usually less dusty, these types of transactions continue to occur in today’s high-tech modern world. [...]