Watch Out for Capital Gain Distributions in 2008

Despite widespread stock market losses in 2008, several mutual fund companies have announced that they will make capital gain distributions to shareholders in mid-December.

This is a double whammy to investors because shareholders who hold mutual funds in taxable accounts must pay taxes on those capital gain distributions even if those capital gains were reinvested in the fund.  This may seem unfair when 1) you didn’t receive the money, and 2) your fund suffered a large loss for the year.

So why do mutual fund companies distribute capital gains to shareholders when the fund itself has incurred a loss for the year?  There are three reasons that funds are making payouts, even though they’re up to their ears in losses:

First, emerging markets and energy funds had big gains when the year began and realized some gains along the way. Then they suffered redemptions, which means that those gains have to be spread among fewer shareholders (i.e., the shareholders who did not bail have to pay the price for those who are trying to time the market).

Continue Reading Watch Out for Capital Gain Distributions in 2008

Donating Your RMD To Charity - Law Extended for 2008 & 2009

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows IRA owners age 70 1/2 or older to make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year from their IRA to a charity. The provision became available for IRA distributions taken after Aug. 17, 2006 and originally only applied through the end of 2007.  Note: the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extends this law to include 2008 and 2009.

Distributions can be made from taxable funds in an IRA or Roth IRA, but not from employer plans or SEP and SIMPLE IRAs. The distribution will not be taxable to you, but you don’t get to deduct the charitable contribution on your tax return. This is more advantageous to taxpayers because even though you get a charitable deduction if you take the IRA withdrawal and report that amount in income, many taxpayers do not itemize, and therefore they don’t always get to take advantage of the deduction.

The direct transfer from the IRA to the charity can also satisfy a person’s required minimum distribution for the year. If you are charitably inclined, it may be best to contribute from the IRA, at least up to the RMD amount thereby avoiding that amount being included in income. This will lower your adjusted gross income (AGI) and might avoid or lessen the amount of Social Security benefits that are taxed.

The reduction in AGI can also increase tax deductions, exemptions or credits that are pegged to AGI either in terms of specified amounts or as a percentage of AGI. The distributions are deemed to come from income first if the IRA has non-deductible contributions. This contrasts with the normal pro-rata rule that applies to other IRA distributions where there are after-tax funds in the IRA.

Continue Reading Donating Your RMD To Charity - Law Extended for 2008 & 2009

Say Goodbye to 2008 with Some Smart Tax Moves

December’s a busy month with holiday preparations, but it’s not too late to focus on last-minute tax savings. Consult with your tax professional to see if these might work for you:

Do an AMT sweep: One of the reasons why it’s wise to consult a tax adviser before you start accelerating deductions is that certain people over $75,000 find themselves more susceptible to the alternative minimum tax if they proceed. The AMT is an alternative taxation process that’s figured separately from your regular tax liability and you have to pay whichever tax is higher. State and local income taxes and property taxes, for example, are not deductible when figuring the AMT. Under the regular rules, medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income can be deducted under the regular rules, but under the AMT, that threshold is 10 percent. Also, under regular rules, interest on up to $100,000 of home-equity loan debt is deductible no matter how the money is used, but under the AMT, the deduction holds only if the money was used to buy or improve a primary or second home. It pays to check your AMT risk before you execute any end-of-the-year tax-savings strategy.

Check investment gains and losses: After the market drops we’ve seen this year, it’s likely you have some capital losses in your taxable investment accounts.  It might make sense to sell and offset them against any capital gains you’ve realized this year. Such losses can offset 100 percent of capital gains plus up to another $3,000 in ordinary income. Any losses in excess of that number can be carried forward to the next tax year.  Note: According to Morningstar.com a lot of mutual funds are expected to distribute capital gains to shareholders, despite funds being down 30-40%.  Check your mutual funds to see if you are expected to receive a capital gain distribution; if so, it might make sense to do some tax loss selling before the December distribution to avoid another taxable event.

Continue Reading Say Goodbye to 2008 with Some Smart Tax Moves

Get Your Charitable Donations Lined Up Before The Holidays

There’s a special sinking feeling as you approach Dec. 31 and realize you’ve done no tax planning whatsoever. That includes big issues like end-of-the-year investment decisions, and the smaller ones - like that stuff you no longer use piling up in the basement.

Charitable giving is an important part of tax planning at year-end, so let’s look at the cash and noncash aspects of giving. It makes sense to contact a tax expert or financial planner to talk about what giving makes sense for you:

You have to itemize: Only individual taxpayers who itemize their deductions on Schedule A can claim a deduction for charitable contributions. This deduction is not available to people who choose the standard deduction, including anyone who files a short form (1040A or 1040EZ).  However, there has been talk about allowing “above the line” charitable deductions, so I’m hopeful that this tax law will change soon.

Get out the checkbook: Uncle Sam likes a record. To deduct any charitable donation of money, a taxpayer must have a bank record or a written communication from the charity showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution - and it definitely helps to have both. Bank records mean canceled checks, bank or credit union statements and credit card statements. Bank or credit union statements should show the name of the charity and the date and amount paid. Credit card statements should show the name of the charity and the transaction posting date. For payroll deductions, the taxpayer should retain a pay stub, Form W-2 wage statement or other document furnished by the employer showing the total amount withheld for charity, along with the pledge card showing the name of the charity. If you remember the IRS being satisfied with personal bank registers or scribbled notes to document the donation, they’re not anymore.

Continue Reading Get Your Charitable Donations Lined Up Before The Holidays

Key Provisions in The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008

On July 30, 2008, President Bush signed H.R. 3221, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (the “Act”).

The Housing Act is intended to revamp the housing finance industry, encourage home ownership and help prevent foreclosures. Below is a summary of some of the tax provisions in the bill that will affect current and future home owners:

* The Hope for Homeowners Program: The Act creates a new Federal Housing Authority (FHA) program designed to help borrowers in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Eligible homeowners may be able to pay off their original (foreclosing) lenders with a fixed-rate, 30-year-term mortgage for up to 90 percent of the appraised value of the property.

Eligible homeowners are those who originated their loans before January 1, 2008, spend more than 31 percent of their monthly income on their mortgage, and are currently in danger of foreclosure. Borrowers would have to share future equity with the FHA. The program is completely voluntary; banks may elect not to participate. The program begins on October 1, 2008 and ends in September of 2011.

Continue Reading Key Provisions in The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008

What to Do with Your Tax Refund or Other “Found Money”

Garrett Planning Network Provides Thirteen Smart Ideas

(Lee’s Summit, MO) February 24, 2008 - After concluding their tax preparation activities, many people will see that they are entitled to a refund from Uncle Sam. “Whether you refund is large or small, you are wise to determine now what you will do when that check arrives,” says Sheryl Garrett, CFP®, author of Personal Finance Workbook For Dummies® (Wiley, November 2007) and founder of the Garrett Planning Network (www.GarrettPlanningNetwork.com). “Don’t fritter it away or spend it on a whim.”

On a recent teleconference, network members brainstormed thirteen ways taxpayers can put this “found money” to work:

1. Put the entire amount, up to the maximum allowed by law ($4000 for an individual in 2007 unless you are age 50+, then the maximum contribution is $5000; $5000 for an individual in 2008 unless you are age 50+, then the maximum is $6000), into a Roth IRA assuming your income falls below the government thresholds (the phase out for singles in 2007 is $99-$114,000 and in 2008 it’s $101-116,000; for married couples in 2007, the phase out is $156-166,000 and in 2008, it’s $159-$169,000).

If you are saving for higher education funding needs, withdrawals of regular contributions to a Roth IRA are not subject to tax or penalty and can be made at any time, and you can take a “qualified distribution” (one that is made after a 5 year holding period, beginning on the first day of the first year for which the contributions were made), if one of the following applies: (1) you are a first-time home buyer, (2) you are age 59 1/2 or older (3) the distribution is due to death or disability. If your earned income for 2007 is higher than the phase-out thresholds, put your “found money” into another qualified retirement plan such as a 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan if your employer offers one. Consider contributing to a traditional IRA if you have maxed out contributions to your employer-sponsored plan or if a Roth IRA is not an option.

Continue Reading What to Do with Your Tax Refund or Other “Found Money”

Don’t forget the Energy Tax Credits

Just a quick reminder…

If you made improvements to your home in 2006, you may be eligible for one of the Energy Tax Credits.

Improvements such as adding insulation, replacement windows and energy efficient furnaces and air conditioning units all qualify.

The credit ranges from $50 to $500 depending on which improvements you made and how energy efficient the improvements are.

To qualify for the credit, you will need to keep your receipt and you should also have a manufacturer’s certification statement that shows the specifications of the product.

For more details about the credits available and the requirements please visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#s1

Tags: income tax credit, tax deduction, energy tax credit

Several tax law changes not included on 2006 forms

Be careful if you are preparing your own tax return this year; there are several tax deductions, credits and other provisions that are NOT listed on the tax forms.

The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 was passed in December 2006, after the IRS completed and printed the tax forms for 2006.  Fortunately, several tax provisions that were scheduled to expire were extended, and several new tax provisions were created by this tax act.  Unfortunately, since the IRS had already printed the tax forms for 2006, these new and extended tax provisions are not included on the forms.

The provisions that will affect most taxpayers are the tuition and fees deduction, teacher-related expenses, and the deduction for sales taxes paid. 

Most tax software will have updated information on these tax provisions, so you should use tax software or see a tax professional to have your taxes prepared this year.  You should not attempt to prepare your return by hand this year, or you could miss a deduction/credit that was passed after the forms were printed.

For more details, see IRS Notice IR-2006-195, or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov

Tags: income taxes, tax act, tax preparation

Can you deduct your home office?

Do you have a home office?  Do you know if it qualifies for the home office deduction?

The IRS has actually relaxed it’s position on home office in the last few years, so you may qualify, even if you didn’t previously.

To qualify for the home office deduction, your home office must:

1. Be your principal place of business, or
2. Be used to meet clients, customers or patients, or
3. Be a separate structure not attached to your home.

Most solo professionals have their home office in their home, so we’ll focus on the first two requirements:

Meeting clients, customers and patients is pretty self explanatory.  If you use your home office to meet with clients, you qualify.

Place of business is a little harder to define.  Basically, you have to use your home office regularly and exclusively for management and administrative duties of your business, and you must not have another location where these activities can be conducted.

Still not sure if your home office qualifies?  Check out IRS Publication 587 - Business Use of Your Home, or the article The Home Office Tax Deduction.

Tags: taxes, home office deduction, self employed

The AMT to be repealed?

A bill has been introduced into the Senate to repeal the AMT tax this week.

If you’re not familiar with AMT, it is the Alternative Minimum Tax, created to keep higher income taxpayers from paying too little income tax.  Unfortunately, the AMT has never been adjusted, so many middle income taxpayers have fallen victim to the AMT in recent years.

The Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 provided some AMT relief by increasing the AMT exemption amount, but this is just a one-year fix.

Without permanent changes to the AMT tax, more and more middle income taxpayers will be subject to this tax each year.

The legislation that was introduced into the Senate calls for the death of the AMT tax.  Click here to read more.

Tags: income tax, AMT, alternative minimum tax

Next Page »