As we stand waist-deep in tax season, most Americans are scouring the earth looking for legal ways to reduce their tax bill or increase their refunds before they file their taxes. It seems like this scouring has become more voracious as time goes on and is probably correlated to the overwhelmingly negative U.S. Congressional Job Approval highlighted below. This mindset most likely explains why...
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Financial Resources & News
SECURE 2.0 Provides New Retirement Savings Options in 2024
The SECURE 2.0 Act, passed in December 2022, made wide-ranging changes to U.S. tax laws related to retirement savings. While some provisions were effective in 2023, others did not take effect until 2024. Here is an overview of some important changes for this year. Matching student loan payments Employees who make student loan repayments may receive matching employer contributions to a workplace...
RMD Relief and Guidance for 2023
In early 2022, the IRS issued proposed regulations regarding required minimum distributions (RMDs) to reflect changes made by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019. The IRS has held off on releasing final regulations so that it can address additional changes to RMDs made by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, which was passed in late 2022. In the meantime, the...
Congress Tells Treasury to Expect SECURE Act 2.0 Technical Fixes
In late May 2023, Congress sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel saying that it will introduce legislation to correct several technical errors in the SECURE Act 2.0. The letter, signed by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), chair and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, respectively, and Representatives Jason Smith (R-MO)...
Five Ways SECURE ACT 2.0 Changes the Required Minimum Distribution Rules
The SECURE 2.0 legislation included in the $1.7 trillion appropriations bill passed late last year builds on changes established by the original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE 1.0) enacted in 2019. SECURE 2.0 includes significant changes to the rules that apply to required minimum distributions from IRAs and employer retirement plans. Here's what you need to...
Tis the Season for Tax-Friendly Giving Strategies
You may donate money to charitable organizations throughout the year, for no other reason than your heart-felt desire to support causes that you care about. But if philanthropy is important to you, keep in mind that the associated tax breaks could potentially increase your ability to give. You might consider a more strategic approach to charitable giving, possibly as part of your year-end tax...
Important IRS Rule Changes Regarding Inherited IRAs
By: Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, Senior Financial Planner I am under the firm belief that as long as the IRS exists, we have job security. Trying to understand and interpret the IRS feels akin to reading hieroglyphics with no formal training. Often the IRS will create a new rule, but it generally takes time for them to interpret and clarify the ruling. We have seen this occur with rules around how...
Tax Planning Strategies to Reduce Your Tax Burden Now (2022 Update)
By: Arash Navi, CFP®, CPA, Controller & Wealth Manager Our goal is to help our clients build and grow their wealth and tax planning plays an important role in this process. We recommend that you mark your calendar to review your finances in the first week of October, annually. Take this time to review your income for the year from employment, businesses, investments, or any other...
The Best Strategies for your Required Minimum Distributions
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager The current rule states that you must take your first Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) by April 1st of the year after you reach 72 and annually thereafter by December 31st of each year. When the SECURE Act became law on December 20, 2019, the RMD age was pushed back from age 70.5 to age 72. Plans affected by RMD rules are: 401(k) plans, 403(b)...
The 4 Biggest Mistakes People Make with IRA Rollovers
By: Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, Senior Financial Planner For many individuals, their retirement account(s) is their largest asset outside of maybe their home. Over $500 billion is rolled over annually from workplace retirement plans to Individual Retirement Accounts(s) (IRAs). According to the Department of Labor (DOL), the decision to roll over assets from a workplace retirement plan to an IRA is...
Summary of the House of Ways & Means Tax Proposals
“If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.” - Otto von Bismarck Over four long days and through 66 amendments, the House of Ways and Means Committee, the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives, wrapped up the mark-up of the Build Back Better Act. The recommendations for spending and/or revenue...
IRS Extends Rules to Put Back RMDs Taken for 2020
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that anyone who already took a required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020 from certain retirement accounts now has the opportunity to roll those funds back into a retirement account following the CARES Act RMD waiver for 2020. Some individuals had already taken out their RMD for the year prior to the CARES Act and had little recourse after the...
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