Life insurance can provide peace of mind, but if your estate will be large enough that estate taxes will be a concern, it’s important to not own the policy at death. The policy’s proceeds will be included in your taxable estate and may be subject to estate tax. To avoid this result, a common estate…
Tips to maximize value and minimize taxes Every business owner should have an exit strategy that helps recoup the maximum amount for his or her investment. Understanding the tax implications of a business sale will help you plan for — and, in some cases, reduce — the tax impact. One option is to sell your…
Weighing your charitable giving options If leaving a charitable legacy is important to you, you may be thinking about establishing a private foundation or other vehicle for managing your philanthropic activities. Private foundations can be highly effective, but they’re expensive to set up and operate. Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are popular alternatives, but they also have…
You may be familiar with the rule that permits a business to deduct employee bonuses this year if it pays them within 2½ months after the end of the tax year. It’s an attractive year-end planning technique that benefits your business and your employees: You enjoy a tax deduction this year, while your employees needn’t…
You’ve relied on the professionals at Lewis & Knopf for years to offer tax and accounting services and expert guidance. We also want to offer a software solution that makes tax season simpler and less stressful for you. That’s why we’re excited to introduce TaxCaddy. TaxCaddy makes it easier and more convenient to share important…
If you’ve been thinking about ways to save on medical expenses, now may be the perfect time to open a Health Savings Account (HSA). Thanks to persistent inflation, the IRS recently announced historic bumps to contribution limits for HSAs, making planning for health savings more beneficial than ever! What is an HSA? Established in 2003…
Most of the time an expense that may be tax deductible needs to be paid by the end of the year for which the expense will be claimed. However, there is an exception to that rule. IRA contributions for the prior year can be made after the close of the year if made by the…
If you hire a domestic worker to provide services in or around your home, you probably have a tax liability that you don’t know about – or one that you do know about but are ignoring. Either situation can come back to bite you. When the worker is your employee, your liability includes both withholding…
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who actually enjoys the process of filing taxes. Having said that, it’s absolutely something that you’re supposed to do like clockwork every single year. Of course, there is a myriad of different reasons why you may have fallen behind. You could be going through something of a major life…
All of us dream of one day being able to retire – to finally be able to relax and enjoy the lifestyle we worked so hard for. However, you’ll need a significant amount of money to do it, which is where a lot of Americans begin to worry. Saving for retirement is a constant fear…
