Archive for Personal Finance

Didn’t Get Your Economic Impact Payment? You Can Claim It on Your 2020 Return.

One of the more tax-troubling issues this year has been the distribution of what Congress referred to as the recovery rebates. You may know these payments as the Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) or stimulus payments, names that the IRS took the liberty of creating. These payments were meant to provide financial assistance to individuals and families struggling during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sold or Thinking of Selling Your Home?

In spite of (or in some cases, because of) the COVID-19 pandemic, and with near-record-low home mortgage interest rates, the housing market has been booming. September 2020 existing home sales were up 9.4% from August 2020 and 20.9% from 2019, according to the National Association of Realtors. If you sold your home this year or are thinking about selling it, there are many tax-related issues that could apply to that sale. To help you prepare for reporting the sale you may have already made or make you aware of what issues you may face if you are in the “thinking about” stage, this article covers the tax basics and some special situations related to home sales and the home-sale gain exclusion.

Is That Inheritance Taxable?

Are inheritances taxable? This is a frequently misunderstood taxation issue, and the answer can be complicated. When someone passes away, all of their assets (their estate) will be subject to estate taxation, and whatever is left after paying the estate tax passes to the decedent’s beneficiaries.

Asset Sales Versus Stock Sales: What You Need to Know

Selling a business is never a decision that should be made lightly. A business is something that you’ve likely worked hard to build from the ground up into the entity that you always hoped it could be – you don’t want to sell yourself short now that you’re moving onto bigger and better things. When […]

Are You Ignoring Retirement?

Article Highlights: Predicting Social Security Income Planning for the Future Employer Retirement Plans Tax Incentive Retirement Savings Plans Are you ignoring your future retirement needs? That tends to happen when you are younger, retirement is far in the future, and you believe you have plenty of time to save for it. Some people ignore the […]

ABLE Accounts And Individuals With Disabilities

Article Highlights: Asset limitations when receiving Medicaid or federal Supplemental Security Income $100,000 account limit Similar to Sec 529 education savings accounts Annual limit on contributions Qualified expenses Congress created Achieving Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts in 2014. Prior to the creation of the ABLE accounts, individuals with disabilities who were eligible for Medicaid or […]

Homeowner Energy Tax Credits Get New Life

Article Highlights: Home Energy-Saving Improvements Solar and Other Types of Energy Generation Systems Things to Consider Before Signing Up Recently passed legislation has given new life to two homeowner energy credits that had expired or were about to expire, providing renewed opportunities to homeowners wanting to take advantage of these credits and reduce their energy […]

Are Legal Expenses Tax Deductible?

Article Highlights: Legal Fees Associated With Personal, Living, or Family Issues Legal Fees Associated With Business and the Production of Taxable Income Examples of Legal Fees and Their Deductibility The Tax Benefit of Legal Fee Deductions A frequent question that arises is whether legal expenses are deductible. The answer to that question can be both […]

Important Reminder For Purchasing Your Health Insurance Through The Government Marketplace

Article Highlights: Determining Household Income The Advanced Premium Tax Credit Marketplace Estimate of Income Modified Adjusted Gross Income Who Is Family For Health Insurance Purposes? When applying for insurance through a state or the federal health insurance marketplace, you will be asked to provide an estimate of your household income for 2016. Your household income […]

Unpaid Debt Can Take Your Refund

Article Highlights: Bureau of the Fiscal Service Allowable Refund Offsets Disputing an Offset Injured Spouse Claim As the 2015 tax season approaches, you may be getting excited about your potential tax refund. However, that excitement may be premature if you have outstanding federal or state debts. The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) […]