By Sidney Kess and Julie Welch The CPA Journal April 2020 The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act has many provisions relating to financial planning, especially retirement planning with IRAs and employer-sponsored plans. Among the provisions attracting the most attention is the curtailing of “stretched” inherited retirement assets.
By Sidney Kess and Julie Welch The CPA Journal February 2020 With stocks at or near record levels, prudent financial planning might call for taking defensive measures. One strategy could be to focus on dividend-paying stocks. Companies that make enough money to distribute some to shareholders tend to be financially strong,
By Usman Mohammad The CPA Journal February 2020 Edition Foreign asset reporting—including the reporting of foreign retirement plans—is a high priority for the IRS, which in 2019 listed the “failure to report offshore funds” as one of its “Dirty Dozen Tax Scams,” and has done so for several years running. Individuals
By Sidney Kess The CPA Journal January 2020 To fund the government through the end of its 2020 fiscal year and provide funding for various projects and purposes, Congress passed a massive spending measure just before adjourning for the Christmas holiday; this measure was signed into law on December 20, 2019.
By Sidney Kess The CPA Journal October 2019 Making Social Security decisions is relatively simple for seniors filing single tax returns. Assuming modest or no earned income, retirement benefits can begin as early as age 62. By age 70, however, the waiting game must stop; seniors who begin then receive the maximum
By Sidney Kess, James R. Grimaldi, and James A.J. Revels The CPA Journal October 2019 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) made dramatic changes to the rules for individuals that affect tax planning at all stages of life. These changes require financial planners to reorient their thinking about
By Sidney Kess and James R. Grimaldi The CPA Journal August 2019 At first glance, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) had little direct impact on the tax treatment of charitable giving. Drilling down, however, it has significantly affected donation-related tax benefits. Many individuals might not be
By Sidney Kess and Edward Mendlowitz The CPA Journal August 2019 Financial planning services can be a separate service or an add-on to tax or other services. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s (TCJA) simplification of tax returns for many individuals, the CPA’s role as a preparer is being diminished;
By Sidney Kess and Edward Mendlowitz The CPA Journal June 2019 Trusts enable individuals to ensure the financial health of loved ones long after they are gone, but only if they are properly set up and administered. Trustees bear a great personal responsibility in ensuring that the trust is handled properly.
By Sidney Kess The CPA Journal May 2019 The tax impact on investment income can be mitigated through the transfer of assets into retirement accounts. Not all accounts and investments are taxed equally, however, and the most efficient strategy is not always immediately apparent. Sidney Kess compares the three broad
