If you’re remarried and have children from a prior marriage, you may worry about how you’ll equitably divide your estate among loved ones. A qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust may help. It’s structured to provide future security to spouses and children as well as tax benefits — even if estate tax laws change over time. […]
If you’re financially successful or expect to become so, taxes are or will become one of your biggest expenses — and most people want to minimize their tax obligations. Roughly two-thirds of Americans say that they pay too much in federal income taxes, according to a poll earlier this year from the University of Chicago Harris […]
Every type of company needs to devise a philosophy, strategy and various policies regarding compensation. Family businesses, however, face additional challenges — largely because they employ both family and nonfamily staff. If your company is family-owned, you’ve probably encountered some puzzling difficulties in this area. The good news is solutions can be found. Perspectives to consider Compensation […]
Employees, self-employed individuals and employers all pay Social Security tax, and the amounts can get bigger every year. And yet, many people don’t fully understand the Social Security tax they pay. If you’re an employee If you’re an employee, your wages are hit with the 12.4% Social Security tax up to the annual wage ceiling. […]
If you’re age 50 or older, you can make extra “catch-up” contributions to certain types of retirement accounts. Many people fail to capitalize on this opportunity because they haven’t looked at the significant impact these extra contributions can have on their retirement-age wealth. If you’re worried that you won’t have enough money saved to be financially […]
From the minute they open their doors, business owners are urged to keep a close eye on cash flow. And for good reason — even companies with booming sales can get into serious trouble if they lack the liquidity to compensate employees and pay their bills. Here are four ways businesses can better control cash […]
The next quarterly estimated tax payment deadline is June 17 for individuals and businesses, so it’s a good time to review the rules for computing corporate federal estimated payments. You want your business to pay the minimum amount of estimated tax without triggering the penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. Four possible options The required installment […]
When manufacturers buy, build or improve their facilities, it involves a substantial investment. But these expenses generally can’t be immediately deducted for tax purposes. Fortunately, there may be another approach that will allow you to accelerate your depreciation deductions: a cost segregation study. Understanding Depreciation For assets with a useful life of more than one year, […]
When business owners and their leadership teams meet to discuss strategic planning, the primary question on the table is usually something along the lines of, “How can we safely grow our company to reach the next level of success?” That’s certainly a good thing to ask and answer. But in today’s highly transparent world, where businesses […]
Are you an older taxpayer who owns a house that has appreciated greatly? At the same time, you may need income. Thankfully, there could be a solution with a tax-saving bonus. It involves taking out a reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgage basics With a reverse mortgage, the borrower doesn’t make payments to the lender to pay […]