Articles & Videos
How to Choose an Investment Advisor
How to Choose an Investment Advisor Finding a reliable source for investment advice has always been a challenge. It’s especially difficult in today’s investment environment. There’s no shortage of places to turn for advice. The shelves at the bookstores are filled with “experts” offering their perspectives on how and where to invest. The financial pages…
Here’s a 15-item checklist of low-hanging tax tips for financial advisors
Here’s a 15-item checklist of low-hanging tax tips for financial advisors It’s tempting to put April 15th behind you, but here’s how you can plan for next year: With April 15th behind us, many people put tax issues onto the back burner until they’re staring at the next deadline. Alan Olsen, managing partner at Greenstein,…
How To Stay In Control Of Your Company
How To Stay In Control Of Your Company Have you ever watched the popular ABC program Shark Tank? This “reality” show allows entrepreneurs and business owners to pitch their business ideas or products to five extremely wealthy investors who are successful entrepreneurs in their own right. The panel of “shark” investors even includes Dallas Mavericks’…
Family Limited Partnerships: Pros and Cons
Family Limited Partnerships: Pros and Cons A new approach to managing family wealth, the family limited partnership (FLP) has become popular in recent years. As an alternative, a Family Limited Liability Company may be used with similar results. These techniques offer several possible advantages: Family Limited Partnerships • consolidation of assets for convenient management; •…
Taxpayers May Claim Deductions for Vacation Homes
Taxpayers May Claim Deductions for Vacation Homes Updated: 3/22/13 Taxpayers are allowed to claim deductions for their primary residence and one vacation or second home. In the case of the main residence, tax breaks are usually limited to mortgage interest and property tax deductions. However, there are more deductions available when you own a second…
Employee Retention: Reasons Employees Leave
Employee Retention: Reasons Employees Leave Workers still consider a competitive pay and benefits package to be indispensable, but employers need to offer more than that to keep employees satisfied and on the job. Nearly all of the workforce (96 percent) rated a fair salary as very or somewhat important and 93 percent said the same…
The 7 Traits of an Exceptional & Successful Entrepreneur
By Robert Moment Though some people seem to have the Midas touch and easily turn everything to gold, most of us have to give our endeavors lots of time, effort and the sweat of our brow before seeing things come to fruition. The simple truth is that the majority of us are simply not born…
How to Organize a Seminar or an Event
By Matt Bacak Seminars and events have always been implemented as a holistic experience for participants. Thus, organizing a seminar an event requires extensive planning and preparation with most work implemented at least a few months before the actual event. Most of the time, seminars seem to run like clockwork with all events flowing smoothly…
Real Estate Agents are Same as Brokers for “Real Estate Professional Rule” for Passive Losses
Real Estate Agents are Same as Brokers for “Real Estate Professional Rule” for Passive Losses Taxpayer victory in Tax Court Real estate agents can claim the real estate professional exception to the passive loss limitations. The I.R.S. tried to argue that the taxpayer needs to be a “Broker” not a just an “Agent” to meet…
10 Tips to Reduce Your Tax Burden
10 Tips to Reduce Your Tax Burden Updated: 1/3/13 With the start of a new year, tax season will soon be upon us. For 2012 returns, the tax filing deadline is April 15, 2013. Now is a good time to look for tax reduction strategies in preparation for filing your tax return. Here are ten…
Avoiding the AMT Trap
Avoiding the AMT Trap Updated: 10/23/2014 More and more taxpayers are finding a hidden tax on their individual tax returns. The alternative minimum tax (AMT) attempts to ensure that high income individuals who benefit from the tax advantages of certain deductions and exemptions will pay at least a minimum amount of tax. This tax was…
Hidden Costs of Estate Settlement
Hidden Costs of Estate Settlement As you look for ways to improve the financial outlook for your family, give extra attention to your choice of an executor for your will. Generally, the fee for settling an estate relates to the responsibilities of the job, not to who does the job. That means that anyone you…
Self Employed Refinancing Problems – What Can Business Owners Expect?
Self Employed Refinancing Problems – What Can Business Owners Expect? By Tristan Hunt Self Employed Borrowers at Greatest Risk of Foreclosure It’s a hot topic. Millions of self-employed borrowers who purchased or refinanced a home in the past 5 years under liberal “stated income” or “no documentation” mortgage programs are finding they cannot qualify to…
How to Raise Children That Become Entrepreneurs
How to Raise Children That Become Entrepreneurs By Lauren Hidden Ever since my kids can remember, I’ve worked from home. Sometimes I have to remind them that I’m not sitting home playing with their toys or eating bon-bons when they’re at the babysitter or at school, but for the most part they “get it”. As…
Transferring Assets to a Second Spouse (and to children from the first)
Transferring Assets to a Second Spouse (and to children from the first) Elizabeth and Thomas Carr (names fictitious), both in their late 60s, each have one child from a prior marriage. During the 30-plus years of their marriage, they each have accumulated an estate of over $5 million. The full $1.5 million credit against estate…
The Roth IRA Advantage: A Closer Look
The Roth IRA Advantage: A Closer Look Since its debut in 1997, the Roth IRA, naturally enough, has been sold mainly as a retirement account. To be sure, the prospect of a stream of tax-free income to support a comfortable retirement is a powerful stimulant. To earn that freedom from taxes, you do have to…
Classification of Accepted Patterns of Reorganization
Classification of Accepted Patterns of Reorganization The seven acceptable patterns of reorganization may be classified into three categories: Acquisitive, Divisive, Re-capitalizing. Acquisitive reorganizations Type “A,” “B”, “C,” and acquisitive D, in which one Corporation acquires another corporation’s stock, assets, or some combination of both. Divisive reorganization Type D involves the division of one corporation into…
Details of Patterns of Reorganization
Details of Patterns of Reorganization • “A” Reorganization • “B” Reorganization • “C” Reorganization • “D” Reorganization • “E” Reorganization • “F” Reorganization • “G” Reorganization “A” Reorganization Type “A” Reorganization consists of • Merger • Consolidation Both involve the acquisition of one company’s assets by another. Merger Explanation: • Target transfers its assets and…
“B” Reorganization
“B” Reorganization Type “B” involves the acquisition of stock of one corporation by another, and the target corporation becomes a subsidiary of the acquiring, as a result. Requirements of “B” Reorganization 1) The acquisition must be one of a series of acquisitions that are part of an overall plan to acquire the requisite control. 2)…
“C” Reorganization
“C” Reorganization The target corporation must liquidate as part of the plan of reorganization unless the IRS waives this requirement.’ As a result, the shareholders of the target corporation become shareholders in the acquiring corporation. In determining the tax consequences to the liquidating target, the reorganization provisions govern-not the liquidation rules of §§ 336 and…