Category: Taxes and Retirement

A Roth IRA can provide a great way to build up savings for retirement. These accounts allow funds to grow on a tax-free basis. And, provided that the account owner meets just a few requirements, all the money contributed and earned in a Roth IRA account may also be withdrawn without…

The IRS has published its official 2013 changes reflecting annual inflation adjustments and tax table updates from the recently passed Fiscal Cliff legislation, officially known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Key changes include: For 2013 the 39.6 percent tax rate has been reinstated for individuals whose income exceeds $400,000 ($450,000 for married…

[Updated for 2013-2014 tax filing season] Thanks to the so called fiscal cliff deal reached last year there were a number of impacts to taxes in 2013 which you need to be aware of when filing your 2014 taxes. Changes were in the form of updated federal tax rates, new…

Under the latest Biden tax proposals, there is talk of restoring the the tax benefit limitation of itemized deductions to 28 percent of value for those earning more than $400,000. The proposal would also restores the Pease limitation on itemized deductions for taxable incomes above $400,000 that is discussed below…

You would think that figuring your income that is subject to taxes would be easy. Unfortunately, with our overly complex federal tax system the IRS has multiple definitions of income and it’s important to understand the difference between these because not only can it affect how much you pay in…

Most people have heard about Individual Retirement Account (IRA) plans which provide self-administered tax advantaged retirement saving options. For most people two types of IRA options are best - a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. But choosing the right option depends on a variety of factors that include, how…

After several years the IRS has raised Roth IRA contribution levels, along with the annually indexed income qualification levels that allow eligible contributions. This is good news for those looking for tax effective ways to manage their retirement savings. [See this article for the latest Roth IRA limits] Unlike 401(k) and Traditional…

Being the finance wonk that I am, I rather enjoy reading some of the tax advice that the big accounting firms put out for their clients. While their target audience (based on their $250 to $500 hourly fee) is clearly higher net worth individuals, you can glean some pretty useful…

The Washington Post had two graphics that neatly summarize the impacts from the fiscal cliff. This is the number one topic in the world of finance and almost all Americans will be impacted by the potential fallout in some fashion. My opinion is that Congressional Republicans and the Obama administration will reach some form…

[Updated for 2022] - See the latest IRA limits and changes in this article. The IRS has published the latest retirement plan limits following the release of Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) figures for next year.  This was the second consecutive year of increases to contribution limits, as shown in…

See the latest Capital Gains rates and exclusions in this article. _____________ [Updated following Fiscal Cliff Deal] With legislation now in place to avert the fiscal cliff many investors will be breathing a sigh of relief as the tax rates on capital gains, dividends on investments did not rise as…

A secret recording from a closed-door fund raiser had Mitt Romney saying, "47 percent of Americans believe that they are victims...I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives...My job is not to worry about [votes from] those people. These are people who pay no income tax.…

The WSJ recently published two excellent graphics which show how long $1 million of retirement savings would last based on a given rate of after-inflation growth. Definitely provides some insight into how much you will need to save and most likely you will need more than you think. Particularly if…