Advising
Q. It’s time for us to begin saving for our child’s education. We’ve heard a great deal about Section 529 college savings plans. What are the advantages? A. The advantages can be significant. Sec. 529 plans include both prepaid tuition programs and college savings plans. Because you mentioned the latter specifically, let’s focus on those. Basically, a college…
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After a robust job market over the last few years, layoffs are now on the rise. Through November 2023, employers have announced nearly 690,000 job cuts this year, an increase of 115% over the same period last year, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. This is the highest January-through-November total since 2020. Prior to…
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Planning Is Essential if You’re Inheriting Assets If you’re in line to receive a significant inheritance, your feelings may range from exhilaration to relief, not to mention a great deal of sadness for the loved one who has passed. Indeed, a large infusion of cash or assets can be overwhelming. Generally, when you receive an inheritance,…
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Beware of the Wash Sale Rule When Harvesting Tax Losses If you lose money on a stock investment in a taxable brokerage firm account, the good news is that you can usually harvest a tax-saving capital loss deduction by selling that stock before year end. However, the wash sale rule might come into play, causing your…
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Builder’s risk insurance provides protection for a structure that is damaged during construction. These policies are usually broad. In fact, the coverage is generally extensive enough to include construction equipment and machinery, as well as materials, fixtures and appliances — all vital parts of a completed structure. It can also cover temporary structures, such as office…
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Update on New Retirement Account Catch-Up Contribution Rules The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act brought numerous changes to the retirement and estate planning landscape in late 2019. Congress followed up with the SECURE 2.0 Act in late 2022. This law introduced some additional taxpayer-friendly changes, including an increase in the limits for…
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What Employers Should Know about Health Savings Accounts Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a tax-smart way to cover an individual’s uninsured medical expenses, as well as certain other out-of-pocket medical, dental, vision, hearing, long-term care expenses and insurance premiums. Your business can set up HSAs for qualifying employees. Then the business can fully or partially fund…
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Given the power and accessibility of technology, many companies have been allowing employees to work from home for years — either some or all of the time. The COVID-19 crisis accelerated this trend, as many businesses closed offices and facilities and some employees are still working from home. Working from home isn’t possible for every job,…
Read MoreEstate Planning Isn’t Just for the Wealthy Thanks to today’s favorable federal gift and estate tax rules, most people haven’t amassed enough wealth to worry about federal estate taxes. However, even if you haven’t had the good fortune to win the lotto or inherit millions from a wealthy relative, you still need an estate plan to…
Read MoreBusinesses Should Be Cautious About Accepting or Using Checks Check fraud costs individuals, businesses and financial institutions billions annually. And, yes, this continues to hold true in today’s high-tech world of e-commerce. Forged checks have always been a problem, but with inexpensive laser printers and easily accessible paper, check fraud is hanging around because many companies…
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