Taxes could be one of your biggest expenses in retirement. But once you have an estimate for your tax burden in retirement, you can consider ways to minimize it. The first step towards creating a tax minimization strategy in retirement is looking at how your different sources of income will be taxed. Pensions If you have a private pension, your pensions payments could be taxed at ordinary income rates. They could also be subject to state [...]
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but what about a tax-deductible lunch? While many of your income sources can be taxed, there are strategies to help minimize your overall tax burden before and in retirement. An advantage of going to one professional for all of your financial planning needs is that everything from investment strategies to estate planning works together in one overall plan. Here’s how a financial advisor can help you [...]
We’ve entered a full year of living with the pandemic, and there have been several events during the year that could affect you this tax season. In April 2020, the CARES Act (Coronavirus aid, Relief, and Economic Security Aid) provided relief to individual Americans and businesses and temporarily altered some parts of the tax code. While this was almost a year ago, the implications for you may extend to this year’s tax season. Here are 5 [...]
Will your tax burden dramatically decrease in retirement once you stop receiving a paycheck? Maybe not – maybe it will increase. Between retirement account distributions, Social Security benefits, and investments, you may have reasons to review your tax strategy in retirement. We may be experiencing relatively low taxes right now, but the recent change in leadership in Washington and a growing national debt could change that. Let’s look at 3 reasons why your tax burden could [...]
Here come the holidays and everything that goes with them – traveling, cooking, buying gifts, and of course, spending time with the people we love. It’s a busy time of year when finances can take a back seat, but don’t wait to review your tax situation. Here are four things you can do by the end of the year that could help lower your 2020 tax bill. Review Your Retirement Account Contributions And Distributions Starting at [...]
The Social Security Administration recently made some important announcements that workers and retirees should note, including a Social Security benefit increase – and a tax increase. While it’s very unlikely that the program will ever disappear, we could see changes in the coming years due to the program's financial state. The Social Security trust fund was projected to run out in 2035, at which point about 79% of benefits would be payable.[1] Here’s how Social Security [...]
Most people assume that their tax burden will dramatically decrease in retirement once they stop receiving a paycheck, but this isn’t always true. A high tax bill is one retirement risk to be aware of and to try and mitigate. We may be experiencing relatively low taxes right now, but a change in leadership in Washington and a growing national debt could change that. Let’s look at 3 reasons why your tax burden could increase in [...]
The revised tax day date, July 15th, is upon us, and there are several important things to note, whether you’ve filed already or not. While our tax bill might only be at the forefront of our minds during one time of the year, the reality is that financial moves throughout the year can impact your tax bill in the short-term and for years to come. There could be opportunities to take advantage of that would help [...]
Long after the restaurants and hotels are open again, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will still be felt by many individuals and the country. During this time of widespread unemployment, less is collected in payroll taxes that fund Social Security, while emergency federal spending has increased significantly. Here are potential far-reaching effects of this pandemic on Social Security and taxes. The State of Social Security The 2020 Social Security report projects that the [...]
As the coronavirus spread, the government stepped in with unprecedented economic interventions, from direct payments to Americans, to relief for businesses. While these measures may be necessary to mitigate the damage done by the virus and the economic shutdown, they’ve also resulted in a ballooning of the national deficit.[1] U.S. government debt could soon rise to 130% or 140% of gross domestic product, as compared to last year when it was around 100%.[2] Many experts predict [...]