When planning your estate, you might be worried about estate taxes. The good news is that for many families, this is not something you need to worry about. In Texas, there is no state inheritance or estate tax. Additionally, the federal gift and estate tax exclusion is currently very high, sitting at $11.58 million for an […]
You’ve said your goodbyes and your furniture and household goods are on a truck. Soon you’ll be heading to Austin, Texas, ready to enjoy the warm weather and slower pace of life. You may not have given much thought to what your move might mean for income and estate taxes. But you should, particularly if you […]
Today we are sharing a post from the Special Needs Allicance newsletter The Voice. The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This edition of the Voice was written by SNA member, Robert B. Fleming. Robert is a partner in the Tucson, Arizona law firm of Fleming & Curti, PLC. He is a […]
If you or someone you know has received an inheritance, it is important for you to understand how to manage your basis “step up.” A “step up” in basis is the adjustment of the value of an appreciated asset – for tax purposes – upon inheritance. IRS Taxes An executor who has to file a federal […]
Estate planning is meant to be an ongoing process, not a one-time transaction. In the same way that you never stop budgeting, saving, and investing as you go through life, it is also sensible to see estate planning as a lifelong project. Let’s look at some of the considerations you should make now that the 2018 […]
While the end of the year is not quite here yet (but rapidly approaching), now is an opportune time to take a moment and start your year-end tax planning for 2018. This is particularly necessary this tax year because of the changes to the tax law that became effective in 2018. As a result of the […]
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Tax Act), it is estimated that fewer than 10% of Americans will itemize on their income tax returns. However, you only receive a deduction for charitable giving if you itemize. Therefore, the vast majority of Americans will not benefit from a charitable deduction under the Tax Act.
One option for those who are charitably inclined is to “bunch” charitable deductions together and to itemize every two or three years. This can be done via a large gift directly to the charity, prepaying a pledge for the following year, or, if you would like to have the ability to decide when and how to make the contributions in future years, through a gift to a donor advised fund.
“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes sweeping changes to the tax code, but few directly impacting retirement benefits.”
Now that the new tax law has passed, it is time to consider how it will affect your retirement benefits. The new law eliminates Roth recharacterizations and may make qualified charitable distributions even more popular, according to Natalie Choate in “What the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Means for Retirement Benefits.”
