Income Tax Planning in Retirement
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Health Care Tax Strategies
Health care or long-term care can eat up a big part of a retiree’s budget – or the budget of a retiree’s children. Fortunately, the tax law can help pay for a big part of that burden. Deductions for medical expenses seemed to disappear when the rules were changed in 1986. Now, you can deduct […]
Beat Taxes On Social Security Benefits
The 90% marginal tax bracket is alive and well. Most people believe that such high marginal tax rates ended with the 1981 and 1986 tax cuts. For most taxpayers, they did. But those high marginal tax rates exist today and are reserved for retirees. Many of you who recently completed your federal income tax returns […]
Should I Empty My IRA Early?
It is not always a good idea to keep money in an IRA as long as possible. In most cases, it makes sense to let income and gains compound tax deferred for many years. But that can change as you get older. You might benefit by taking more money out of an IRA than you […]
Fresh Start For Your IRAs
The IRS recently created a tremendous opportunity to improve your financial and estate planning. In a surprise to everyone, the IRS in early January issued new rules for taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from IRAs and other qualified retirement plans after age 70 1/2. The previous rules, described in detail in my Retirement Tax Guide, […]
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Accounts
Most of you invest through both tax-deferred accounts (such as IRAs) and taxable accounts. You also own both stock and bond investments. To maximize after-tax returns, you want to know which investments should be primarily in the taxable accounts and which in the tax-deferred accounts. First, don’t let the taxes drive your portfolio allocation. Decide […]
The Benefits of Hiring Your Spouse
The solution to your health insurance problems can be very simple and can give you an IRS-approved tax break. The strategy also can generate several additional tax advantages. This solution, which I have recommended for years, is to hire your spouse to work in your business. As part of the business’s benefit plans, you offer […]
Revealed: Tax-Saving Secrets Of The Rich
Few things indicate wealth, success, and good works like having your own charity. For generations, the super wealthy have had their own charitable foundations. Foundations come with a lot of restrictive rules and are expensive to maintain. Now, innovations make it possible for anyone to have a charitable foundation at very low cost and with […]
Secrets Of Effective Gift-Giving
To paraphrase Archie Bunker, from a holiday episode of “All In The Family,” the gift-giving season is at our throats again. Gifts are a great estate planning tool, because they get property out of your estate and to your heirs ? and the gifts can avoid taxes. Let’s look at ways to ensure these gifts […]
