Tag: taxes

With Donald J. Trump now America's 45th president many are now asking if he can bring around the economic change promised while on the campaign trail. A lot of people voted for him as a change agent and from an economic point of view at least are hoping he can…

It's not breaking news that you should be saving for retirement. Most employed people understand this fact, so hopefully, you are setting some cash aside for your golden years despite your day to day living expenses. The tricky part of retirement financial planning is figuring out how much you should…

[Latest update]  Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have now passed a combined tax reform bill along party lines for President Trump's Tax Reform measures under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. See the table below that contrasts changes from earlier versions in each chamber versus what is in the final…

[2017 COLA update] Its been a few years with relatively minor COLA (cost-of-living-adjustment) increases but even with the marginal 2017 COLA increase of 0.3%, over 12 million Americans will pay higher taxes in 2017 as the maximum taxable earnings (wage base) subject to social security also increased from $106,800 to $110,100. You can see the previous…

For the majority of tax filers mid-April is the deadline to file their tax return. Even if you don't have enough money to pay your entire tax liability you must take action. Inside your head, you scream, "I need more time!" But before you stress out realize that the IRS offers…

I regularly receive reader questions asking me to clarify the difference between a Roth IRA and Traditional IRA plan. Both are excellent retirement investment vehicles, but based on your income and tax situation one may be a better first choice than the other. Shown below is a table with some key differences…

The IRS has released its latest individual employee contribution annual limits for those participating in employer sponsored retirement programs covering 401(k), 403(b), 457 and Government Thrift Savings (TSP) plans. Changes are shown in the table below. The contribution limits are indexed to inflation and as a result are adjusted annually by the…

Tax return processing and refund payments continue to be bumpy this year given IRS budget cuts and introduction of several tax changes under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. With over 160 million returns expected to be filed this tax season, many tax filers can expect processing delays beyond the standard…

I have received variations on this question over the last few years and when I saw this article in the WSJ I had the answer to my question.  The national average fee for 2014 returns will be $273, according to a survey by the National Society of Accountants. This fee is…

Answer: About 17 percent according to a report by the Tax Foundation. This figure is based on the average U.S. wireless bill and includes the amount for federal, state and local taxes and fees. Larger metros not surprisingly have higher than average wireless taxes on their residents. In New York City…

Millions of Americans contribute to an employer sponsored 401K or traditional IRA (Individual Retirement Account). And over the last few years the government has steadily been increasing the maximum contribution people can make to ensure that folks can build a larger nest egg during retirement. But thanks for the low inflation environment…

The following are 8 signs that you may owe the  Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), or the rich-mans tax, this year. You or your household fall into the high income category (generally $250,000 or more), which means that a good part or all of your AMT exemption is phased-out. You have…

See this article for the latest IRS updates to federal tax brackets and standard deductions. ____________ Below are the 2014 IRS federal tax brackets based on annual inflation adjustments. Given the low inflation environment there were only moderate increases in tax brackets, standard deductions and to the personal exemption. The main changes…