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Tax-saving ways to help pay for college — once your child starts attending
If you have a child or grandchild in college — congratulations! To help pay for the expenses, many parents and grandparents saved for years in tax-favored accounts, such as 529 plans. But there are also a number of tax breaks that you may be able to claim once your child begins attending college or post-secondary…
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Act now to reduce your business’s 2022 tax bill
It’s been a tumultuous year for many businesses, and the current economic climate promises more uncertainty for the short term, if not longer. Regardless of how your company has fared so far in 2022, there’s still time to make moves that may reduce your federal tax liability. Read on for some strategies worth your consideration.…
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How the new SECURE 2.0 law may affect your business
If your small business has a retirement plan, and even if it doesn’t, you may see changes and benefits from a new law. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 Act (SECURE 2.0) was recently signed into law. Provisions in the law will kick in over several years. SECURE 2.0 is meant to…
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Valuing tangible property donations isn’t as simple as you may think
A new refugee resettlement charity had only just begun operating when its director realized something: She wasn’t sure how to value the many donations of clothing and household goods community members had dropped off. Was value simply the price her not-for-profit would charge if it sold the goods in a rummage sale or on an…
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Why you might want to file early and answers to other tax season questions
The IRS announced it opened the 2023 individual income tax return filing season on January 23. That’s when the agency began accepting and processing 2022 tax year returns. Even if you typically don’t file until much closer to the mid-April deadline (or you file for an extension), consider filing earlier this year. The reason is…
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Year-end spending package tackles retirement planning, conservation easements
On December 23, 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The sprawling year-end spending “omnibus” package includes two important new laws that could affect your financial planning: the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act (also known as SECURE 2.0) and the Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act. Bolstering retirement savings The original SECURE Act,…
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Run the numbers before donating appreciated assets to charity
Are you charitably inclined? If so, you probably know that donations of long-term appreciated assets, such as stocks, have an advantage over cash donations. But in some cases, selling appreciated assets and donating the proceeds may be a better strategy. That’s because adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations on charitable deductions are higher for cash donations.…
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Unused PTO a problem? Consider a contribution arrangement
A new year has arrived. For many businesses, this means employees’ paid time off (PTO) arrangements have reset. And at companies with “use it or lose it” policies, workers have likely left a few or perhaps many unused hours on the table. It’s a growing problem. A July 2022 survey conducted by Sorbet, a provider of…
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Update on remote auditing
Remote work became a buzz topic when the United States went into lockdown mode in 2020 to combat the effects of COVID-19. Like many companies, audit firms quickly shifted to remote auditing with video conferencing and drones. Now that the country has largely reopened, will auditors continue to work remotely? Remote auditing “definitely continues to…
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A single parent’s estate plan should address specific circumstances
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent. This is more than three times the share (7%) of children from around the world who do so. If your household falls into this category, ensure your estate plan properly accounts for your…
