Taxes

A self-directed IRA lets you invest your retirement account in nontraditional investments. But a recent Tax Court decision shows the dangers of taking shortcuts and not setting up and operating a self-directed IRA the right way. In the case, the taxpayer had a SEP-IRA. The custodian was a national bank. The taxpayer set up a

Yesterday, May 20, 2021, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced S. 994, the “For the 99.5 Percent Act,” to “reinstate estate and generation-skipping taxes, and for other purposes.”. This Act amends the Internal Revenue Code by increasing the gift and estate tax rates from 40% to a high of 65% and decreasing over the basic exclusion

When Joe Biden ran for president, his campaign platform included dozens of relatively specific tax proposals. They ranged from expanding refundable tax credits for low- and moderate-income households to increasing payroll taxes for high-income workers to major changes in the way the US would tax multinational corporations. And, with a few notable exceptions, President Biden’s

On May 19, Colonial acknowledged that it paid $4.4 million worth of bitcoin to the hackers. Well, with bitcoin’s drop, the value might be less now, but the key to taxes is what the value was at the time of payment. In the case of some hacks, the cost of being frozen out is just

Expanding the child tax credit in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 marked an inflection point for social welfare programs in the tax code. The increase in the credit’s value and eligibility changes for households with very low incomes also marked an increase in the progressivity of the tax system. Although the extension of

Today’s column addresses questions about how Social Security survivor’s benefits are calculated if the record holder dies before filing for their retirement benefit, eligibility for benefits on the record of a first spouse after remarriage and taking spousal benefits before full retirement age. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the

There’s a lot of talk in Washington about a compromise infrastructure bill that would include a hike in the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. Bad idea! This segment of What’s Ahead lays out why. Proponents say this tax hasn’t risen in years, and is thereby lagging inflation. And they also point to the

President Biden and Democrats and Republicans in Congress have begun a fascinating game of three-dimensional chess over Biden’s $2.2 trillion infrastructure spending plan and the way to pay for it. As the game begins, it may be worth looking at where public opinion stands on infrastructure spending and how it should be funded. To start,

Its tax day folks and the process of preparing them can be difficult if not arduous, even though for several years now the IRS has advocated for a free filing system to make it easier for Americans to complete them. Over 40% of Black Americans make less than $40,000 per year, putting them at an

With the standard deduction being so high, fewer and fewer US households go the itemized route. Although this does help simplify your tax returns, many of us can be short-changing ourselves by taking the easy way out. Here are 8 tax tips along with some of the most overlooked tax deductions that you still have