May 29 is National 529 College Savings Plan Day! Do you know what a 529 plan is? Do you know how to use it? Let me explain. What is it? 529 College Plans were initially created to help families save money for higher education expenses for children, grandchildren, or others. They are named after Section
Taxes
Starting on July 15, the IRS will begin distributing a monthly Child Tax Credit payment to at least 39 million families, or almost 90 percent of families with children. The agency has created a new online portal to help families claim the correct amount. But the portal may have no way for claimants to add
In the latest episode of Tax Notes Talk, Tax Notes legal reporters Ryan Finley and Kiarra M. Strocko discuss the EU General Court’s judgments in Amazon and Engie and their effect on state aid rules. David Stewart: Welcome to the podcast. I’m David Stewart, editor in chief of Tax Notes Today International. This week: the state of state
A new rankings index is the first ever to rate states’ performance on fines and fees, and the results aren’t flattering. Every state received a failing score with the highest-ranking state — Washington — earning a 54 out of 100. Rounding out the top three are Oklahoma and Rhode Island, which shows that neither political
by Tax Notes State Commentary Editor Doug Sheppard In one of the most famous scenes from The Blues Brothers, Sister Mary Stigmata doles out rapid-fire corporal punishment with a ruler on Jake and Elwood Blues, then breaks it on Elwood’s head before Jake crashes down an adjacent flight of stairs in the ensuing chaos. “Get out! And don’t come back until you’ve redeemed yourselves,”
According to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, there is no clear rule to the effect that living in the land of the free and the home of the brave gives one a right to housing. Nonetheless, the Federal Government has supported affordable housing, in one way or another since the Great Depression. I haven’t found
This year and perhaps next could turn out to be the best time to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Income tax rates are likely to increase in the coming years. This year’s tax rates could be the lowest for the rest of our lifetimes. Lifetime income taxes could be substantially lower if
Today’s column addresses questions about retirement benefits after spousal benefits and possibly filing for and suspending retirement benefits, whether pensions count as income under the earnings test and when to apply for survivor’s benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which
The Biden Administration and Congress have proposed sweeping changes to the way long term capital gains are taxed both during your lifetime and after your death. Although none of these proposals are final, and may never become final, they do raise the question of what tactics are available to reduce or defer the taxes on appreciated
The promoters of Monetized Installment Sales got some bad news from the IRS earlier this month. The IRS released an analysis done by the Office of Chief Counsel outlining six, count them six, ways in which the transaction does not work as the promoters claim. The release will not stop the industry in its tracks, but it