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 Steven I. Hurok The CPA Journal September 2019 On July 1, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 (TFA), enacting changes to the IRS’s organizational structure, customer service, enforcement procedures, management of information technology, and use of electronic systems, with a focus
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 Financial planning is a generic term for all of the services that CPAs perform that deal with a client’s individual wealth. It is also a specific term that relates to a single service that is performed. In this article, Sidney Kess will
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
By Sidney Kess and Michael Kelley The CPA Journal April 2019 For many investors in art, coins, or fine wine, their investments are their passion. This joy can turn into tax pain, however, when it comes time to sell. The capital gains tax on collectibles is considerably higher than almost
By Sidney Kess and James R. Grimaldi The CPA Journal February 2019 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) contains both positive and negative news for Roth IRAs. Sidney Kess and James R. Grimaldi, in their article titled “New Risks and Potential Rewards in Roth IRAs,” published in
