Tax Deductions and Retirement
Found 38 Articles.
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The Overlooked Triple Tax-Saving Estate Planning Tactic
Estate planners agree that one of the most underused strategies is the charitable remainder trust. That might change. New trends are making CRTs more attractive. Taxpayers with appreciated property should take a fresh look at CRTs as part of their retirement and Estate Planning strategies. In a CRT, an individual transfers appreciated property to the […]
How to Maximize Shelter and Growth in Second Homes
Stocks and second home sales both soared during the 1990s. They parted ways in the 2000s. While stocks turned south, prices of second homes continued to climb. It is no coincidence. More people are turning to second homes as investment alternatives. The National Association of Realtors reports that purchases of second homes for investment purposes […]
New Rules On Tax Free Home Sales
The IRS recently made it easier to cash out a principal residence tax free by plugging gaps and uncertainties in the 1997 rules on tax-free gains. The IRS filled the gaps in ways that are generous to taxpayers. Previously, anyone with a deductible home office had to separate the tax basis and sale proceeds of […]
Most Overlooked Deducations
Many taxpayers don’t take all the deductions to which they are entitled. Some think all the good deductions were eliminated in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Others are afraid that the IRS will audit them for taking certain deductions. A lack of good records is the problem for a number of taxpayers. For most […]
How Social Security Can Help Your Spouse
A key issue everyone faces is when to begin Social Security benefits. One aspect of this decision that is easy to overlook is how the choice could affect a spouse’s lifetime income. We’ve discussed when to begin Social Security benefits in past visits, most recently in the May 2002 issue (available in the Archive of […]
The Best Charitable Strategy
The greatest charitable giving innovation of the last decade might be the donor-advised fund. These funds actually have been around for some time, but they were concentrated on the local level. Few national funds existed, promotion of the funds was almost non-existent, and no effort was expended to make the funds accessible to most people. […]
Deductions For Diets?
The IRS surprised tax advisors and generated a lot of headlines last spring by expanding tax write offs for weight loss programs. In the past, the IRS had ruled that no part of the cost of weight loss programs was deductible. The new ruling reverses that, expanding the medical expenses that are potentially deductible by […]
An Alternative Estate Planning Strategy for Deducting College Expenses to Save Tax
The Holy Grail for many taxpayers is to deduct college expenses paid for a grandchild or a child. With a little planning, you can do just that using a strategy known as the college unitrust. It can make a lot of sense if you have a charitable intent to go along with the desire to […]
