Articles

Important to know how Medicaid could treat your home

Nursing home residents do not automatically have to sell their homes in order to qualify for Medicaid, but that doesn’t mean the house is completely protected. The state will likely put a lien on the house while the resident is living and attempt to recover the property after the resident has passed away. Medicaid (known as MassHealth in Massachusetts and Medi-Cal in California) will not count a nursing home resident’s home as an asset when determining

Read More »

Big changes come to retirement plans

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act changes the law surrounding retirement plans in several important ways: Stretch IRAS. The biggest change eliminates “stretch” IRAs. Under the previous law, if you named anyone other than a spouse as the beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other tax-favored retirement plan, the beneficiary could choose to take distributions over his or her lifetime and to pass what is left on to future generations (called the

Read More »

Will That Be Cash or Barter?

How swapping products and services could benefit your business Bartering, the act of trading goods or services with other goods or services instead of money, is more popular than ever. With high unemployment rates and cash flow being stressed, bartering is a good way to create value for your business. The new world of bartering Bartering traditionally worked something like this: You know someone who has something you need and you have something they need. You

Read More »

How Stay-at-Home Orders Change Money Habits

The most fruitful periods of growth often happen when they are the least expected. Teachers and parents call them teachable moments. By reflecting on how you handle the situation, you can learn a lot about yourself. The disruption caused by this year’s pandemic is a massive teachable moment for all of us regarding money. Here are three ways you can take advantage of our recent stay-at-home orders to improve your spending and saving habits. Take a

Read More »

Small Business Owners Get Good News on PPP Loan Forgiveness

Small business owners, self-employed workers and freelancers received some welcome news when Congress recently passed the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act. This new law clarifies how businesses can qualify to have all or a portion of its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiven. Here is what you need to know: December 31, 2020 is the new deadline to spend loan proceeds. When the PPP program was rolled out this spring, businesses were given 8 weeks after loan

Read More »

Help! My Stimulus Payment is Wrong or Missing!

Millions of Americans already received their economic impact payment. But what if you’re still waiting or your payment was for an incorrect amount? Here are some common scenarios why you may not have received your payment, or the payment you did receive was for an incorrect amount, and what you can do. Your payment was sent to a closed bank account. If you didn’t update your banking information or mailing address before your payment was processed,

Read More »

IMPORTANT! You May Owe a Tax Payment This Month

Find out if you owe the IRS an estimated tax payment You may owe the IRS a tax payment for your 2020 tax return and not know it. Most Americans have income taxes withheld from their paychecks, with their employer sending a tax payment to the IRS on their behalf. This year, however, many more Americans will have to write Uncle Sam a check to pay a portion of their 2020 taxes on or before July

Read More »

July 2020

This month: July 15 – Individual income tax returns for 2019 are due – C corporation tax returns for 2019 are due – 1st and 2nd quarter 2020 estimated tax payments due Other July 15 Deadlines – Gift tax returns – 2019 IRA contributions – 2019 HSA contributions

Read More »

Think twice before transferring your home to adult children

Your home might well be your biggest asset. Many times, parents think about giving their home to their adult children outright while the parents are still alive, or adding their names to the deed. While doing so might avoid probate when you die, it’s also likely to lead to significant gift tax consequences. And if anything happens that could affect your kids’ assets, such as a bankruptcy filing or a lawsuit, your home could suddenly be

Read More »

Where can you live to lower your estate tax?

In retirement, you might move to a different state for a wide range of reasons, such as being close to your kids and grandkids, or for a warmer climate. Another key thing to consider is the state estate tax. The federal estate tax applies to all U.S. taxpayers, whether they live in the U.S. or abroad. With the current federal estate tax annual exclusion set at $11.58 million, there are many taxpayers who wouldn’t owe an

Read More »
Email us now
close slider