Carried Interest Lower Tax Rate

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Edward Brownlee

Carried interest is a share of profits from a private equity, venture capital, or hedge fund paid as incentive compensation to the fund’s general partner.

Carried interest typically is only paid if a fund achieves a specified minimum return.

In most cases, carried interest is considered a return on investment and taxed as a capital gain rather than ordinary income, usually at a lower rate.

Because carried interest is typically distributed after a period of years, it defers taxes in the manner of an unrealized capital gains.

Carried interest on investments held longer than three years is subject to a long-term capital gains tax with a top rate of 20%, compared with the 37% top rate on ordinary income.

Critics argue taxing carried interest as long-term capital gains allows some of the richest Americans to unfairly defer and lower taxes on the bulk of their income.

Defenders of the status quo contend the tax code’s treatment of carried interest is comparable to its handling of “sweat equity” business investments.

Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/carriedinterest.asp

Taxing Unrealized Gains: A Politically Dum Ideal

Posted on September 9, 2022 by admin

“Honestly, I [Mark Cuban] don’t think Elizabeth Warren knows that’s all what she’s talking about when she deals with this. I think she just likes to demonize people that are wealthy, and that’s fine, it’s a great political move for her, but I just don’t think that they really understand the implications of taxing unrealized gains.” ~ Mark Cuban

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon., has proposed a so-called mark-to-market version of the capital gains tax. Put more simply, investors would pay capital gains taxes each and every year in which their assets go up in value, instead of only when they are sold.

Additionally, President Joe Biden wants to introduce a new tax that targets the wealthiest families in the country. It’s called the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax—except that it doesn’t only tax billionaires, it isn’t a minimum tax, and it’s not really a tax on “income” either. But it is a tax . . . so at least they got that part right!

A wealth tax would apply to assets traded in liquid markets, like stocks and bonds, and to illiquid assets like real estate, private companies and complex investments.

This tax on unrealized gains would be not only difficult to implement but also could devastate markets, especially liquid markets, where stocks, bonds and commodities trade.

The annual tax would also apply to illiquid investments like the value of a private company, real estate and other complex investments.

This means that every year, these assets need to be revalued to determine if their worth went up or down (you can write off the estimated loss if the value of the company, or real estate, if realized), but this means annual appraisals for essentially every investment you own.

Unrealized Capital Gains

Capital gains—which are profits (or potential profits) from an investment that goes up in value after you buy it—can either be realized or unrealized.

Unrealized capital gains show you how much your investment has increased in value before you sell it. Once you sell an investment for a profit, you now have realized capital gains.

The difference is that unrealized gains are only on paper—they’re not really real —while realized gains represent real money that’s in your pocket.

Whenever a stock or investment you own is worth more than what you bought it for, you can sell it for a profit—and those profits are called capital gains.

If you decide to hold on to the stock and not sell it, then what you have are unrealized capital gains. After all, you can’t just walk up to your grocery store cashier and pay for milk and eggs with your stock—no matter how much it’s worth on paper.

Problems With an Unrealized Capital Gains Tax

There are three significant reasons why any proposal to make this a reality probably won’t make it too far.

1. A new unrealized capital gains tax would be a headache to enforce.

For a tax like this to work, thousands of taxpayers would need to evaluate the value of all of their assets every single year. That raises the question: How in the world would the IRS—which is already understaffed and overburdened as it is—be able to audit all those filings?3

2. The proposed tax probably doesn’t have enough support in Congress.

“wealth tax” proposals have hit a brick wall on Capital Hill every time it has been proposed. It doesn’t look like this one is any different.

It’s important to remember, Congress treats the release of the budget from the White House more like a list of suggestions than something that’s written in stone.

3. A tax on unrealized capital gains might be unconstitutional.

It may be ok legal to tax unrealized capital gains. The Constitution makes it extremely tough for the government to impose direct taxes. In fact, Congress had to pass a constitutional amendment just to put a federal income tax in place.6

Basically, any tax that is passed must be spread evenly among every person in every state. And a tax on unrealized capital gains could be considered a direct tax because it’s a tax on the personal property of a select group of people.

References:

Qualified Dividends vs. Ordinary Dividends

Posted on August 4, 2022 by admin

The distinction between Qualified and non-Qualified dividends has to do with how you’re taxed on those dividends.

Qualified dividends are taxed at 15% for most taxpayers. (It’s zero for single taxpayers with incomes under $40,000 and 20% for single taxpayers with incomes over $441,451.)
Ordinary dividends (or “nonqualified dividends”) are taxed at your normal marginal tax rate.

The concept of qualified dividends began with the 2003 tax cuts. Previously, all dividends were taxed at the taxpayer’s normal marginal rate.

The lower qualified rate was designed to fix one of the great unintended consequences of the U.S. tax code. By taxing dividends at a higher rate, the IRS was incentivizing companies not to pay them. Instead, it incentivized them to do stock buybacks (which were untaxed) or simply hoard the cash.

By creating the lower qualified dividend tax rate that was equal to the long-term capital gains tax rate, the tax code instead incentivized companies to reward their long-term shareholders with higher dividends. It also incentivized investors to hold their stocks for longer to collect them.

Qualified Dividends

To be qualified, a dividend must be paid by a U.S. company or a foreign company that trades in the U.S. or has a tax treaty with the U.S. That part is simple enough to understand.

Importance of dividends

From 1871 through 2003, 97% of the total after-inflation accumulation from stocks came from reinvesting dividends. Only 3% came from capital gains.”

To put this into perspective, take a look at the example used by John Bogle, where he writes: “An investment of $10,000 in the S&P 500 Index at its 1926 inception with all dividends reinvested would by the end of September 2007 have grown to approximately $33,100,000 (10.4% compounded). If dividends had not been reinvested, the value of that investment would have been just over $1,200,000 (6.1% compounded)—an amazing gap of $32 million.” The reinvestment of dividends accounted for almost all of the stocks’ long-term total return.

Dividends are an important consideration when investing in the share market as they provide a reliable source of return while you wait.

References:

https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/stocks/dividend-stocks/601396/qualified-dividends-vs-ordinary-dividends

Tax Planning | NerdWallet

Posted on December 10, 2021 by admin

“You work hard, so it’s important to understand how taxes affect your income and personal finances.”

Tax planning is assessing your financial situation in order to maximize tax breaks and minimize tax liabilities in a legal and efficient manner.

Taxes can have a major impact on your financial future and investing plans. Planning ahead for these costs can make your financial plan much more tax efficient. While many people only think about taxes when they’re filing in the spring, tax planning should be a year-round matter, since all financial and investment decisions you make have a tax impact – even if that impact won’t be felt right away.

Tax rules are complicated, but taking some time to know and use them for your benefit can change how much you end up paying (or getting back) when you file. Here are some key tax planning and tax strategy concepts to understand:

1. Understand your tax bracket

You can’t really plan for the future if you don’t know where you are today. So the first tax planning tip is get a grip on what federal tax bracket you’re in.

The United States has a progressive tax system. That means people with higher taxable incomes are subject to higher tax rates, while people with lower taxable incomes are subject to lower tax rates. There are seven federal income tax brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.

No matter which bracket you’re in, you probably won’t pay that rate on your entire income. There are two reasons:

You get to subtract tax deductions to determine your taxable income (that’s why your taxable income usually isn’t the same as your salary or total income).
You don’t just multiply your tax bracket by your taxable income. Instead, the government divides your taxable income into chunks and then taxes each chunk at the corresponding rate.

For example, let’s say you’re a single filer with $32,000 in taxable income. That puts you in the 12% tax bracket in 2020. But do you pay 12% on all $32,000? No. Actually, you pay only 10% on the first $9,875; you pay 12% on the rest. If you had $50,000 of taxable income, you’d pay 10% on that first $9,875 and 12% on the chunk of income between $9,876 and $40,125. And then you’d pay 22% on the rest, because some of your $50,000 of taxable income falls into the 22% tax bracket.

2. Tax deductions and tax credits

Tax deductions and tax credits may be the best part of preparing your tax return. Both reduce your tax bill, but in very different ways. Knowing the difference can create some very effective tax strategies that reduce your tax bill.

Tax deductions are specific expenses you’ve incurred that you can subtract from your taxable income. They reduce how much of your income is subject to taxes.
Tax credits are even better — they give you a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax bill. A tax credit valued at $1,000, for instance, lowers your tax bill by $1,000.

3. Standard deduction vs. itemizing

Deciding whether to itemize or take the standard deduction is a big part of tax planning, because the choice can make a huge difference in your tax bill.

What is the standard deduction?

Basically, it’s a flat-dollar, no-questions-asked tax deduction. Taking the standard deduction makes tax prep go a lot faster, which is probably a big reason why many taxpayers do it instead of itemizing.

Congress sets the amount of the standard deduction, and it’s typically adjusted every year for inflation. The standard deduction that you qualify for depends on your filing status, as the table below shows.

What does ‘itemize’ mean?

Instead of taking the standard deduction, you can itemize your tax return, which means taking all the individual tax deductions that you qualify for, one by one.

Generally, people itemize if their itemized deductions add up to more than the standard deduction. A key part of their tax planning is to track their deductions through the year.
The drawback to itemizing is that it takes longer to do your taxes, and you have to be able to prove you qualified for your deductions.
You use IRS Schedule A to claim your itemized deductions.
Some tax strategies may make itemizing especially attractive. If you own a home, for example, your itemized deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes may easily add up to more than the standard deduction. That could save you money.
You might be able to itemize on your state tax return even if you take the standard deduction on your federal return.
The good news: Tax software or a good tax advisor can help you figure out which deductions you’re eligible for and whether they add up to more than the standard deduction.

4. Popular tax deductions and credits

There are hundreds of possible deductions and credits out there, and they all have their own rules about who’s allowed to take them. Here are some big ones (click on the links to learn more).

Tax break	What it’s generally for
Adoption credit	Costs of adopting a child
American Opportunity credit	College education costs
Capital loss deduction	Losses on stock sales (to offset capital gains)
Charitable contributions	Giving money, cars, art, investments, household items or other things to charity
Child and dependent care credit	Day care and similar costs
Child tax credit	Being a parent
Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled	For people or their spouses who retired on permanent and total disability
Earned Income Tax Credit	Money for people below certain adjusted gross incomes
Home office expenses	A portion of your mortgage or rent; property taxes; utilities, repairs and maintenance; and similar expenses if you work from home
Lifetime Learning credit	Undergraduate, graduate or even non-degree courses at accredited institutions
Medical expenses	Unreimbursed medical costs over a certain threshold
Mortgage interest	The interest portion of mortgage payments on a primary home
Property taxes	Property taxes on real estate
Residential energy tax credits	Installing things that make a home energy-efficient
Saver’s credit	Contributions to an IRA for people with incomes below certain thresholds

5. Tax records

Keeping tax returns and the documents you used to complete them is critical if you’re ever audited. Typically, the IRS has three years to decide whether to audit your return, so keep your records for at least that long. You also should hang onto tax records for three years if you file a claim for a credit or refund after you filed your original return.

Keep records longer in certain cases — if any of these circumstances apply, the IRS has a longer limit on auditing you:

Six years: If you underreported your income by more than 25%.
Seven years: If you wrote off the loss from a “worthless security.”
Indefinitely: If you committed tax fraud or you didn’t file a tax return.

Category	Items
Income	W-2 form(s). Bank statements. 1099-MISC. 1099-INT. 1099-DIV. Brokerage statements. Alimony received. K-1 form(s).
Expenses & deductions	Receipts. Invoices. Alimony paid. Statements from charities. Gambling losses.
Home	Closing statements. Purchase and sales invoices. Insurance records. Property tax assessments.
Retirement accounts	Form 5498 (IRA contributions). Form 8606 (nondeductible IRA contributions). 401(k) statements. Distribution records. Annual statements.
Other investments	Transaction data (including individual purchase or sale receipts). Annual statements.

6. Tax strategies to shelter income or cut your tax bill

Deductions and credits are a great way to cut your tax bill, but there are other tax planning strategies that can help keep the IRS’ hands off your money. Here are some popular tax planning strategies.

Tweak your W-4

A W-4 tells your employer how much tax to withhold from your paycheck. Your employer remits that tax to the IRS on your behalf.

Generally, the more allowances you claim on your W-4, the less money will be taken out of your pay to go toward taxes. Claim fewer allowances on your W-4, and more of your pay should appear on your check.

Here’s how to use the W-4 for tax planning.

If you got a huge tax bill when you filed and don’t want to relive that pain, you may want to increase your withholding. That could help you owe less (or nothing) next time you file.
If you got a huge refund last year and would rather have that money in your paycheck throughout the year, do the opposite and reduce your withholding.
You probably filled out a W-4 when you started your job, but you can change your W-4 any time.

Put money in a 401(k)

Your employer might offer a 401(k) savings and investing plan that gives you a tax break on money you set aside for retirement.

The IRS doesn’t tax what you divert directly from your paycheck into a 401(k). In 2020 and 2021, you can funnel up to $19,500 per year into an account. If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute up to $26,000.
While these retirement accounts are usually sponsored by employee self-employed people can open their own 401(k)s.
If your employer matches some or all of your contribution, you’ll get free money to boot.

Put money in an IRA

Outside of an employer-sponsored plan, there are two major types of individual retirement accounts: Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs.

You have until the tax deadline to fund your IRA for the previous tax year, which gives you extra time to do some tax planning and take advantage of this strategy.

The tax advantage of a is that your contributions may be tax-deductible. How much you can deduct depends on whether you or your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work and how much you make. You pay taxes when you take distributions in retirement (or if you make withdrawals prior to retirement).
The tax advantage of a is that your withdrawals in retirement are not taxed. You pay the taxes upfront; your contributions are not tax-deductible.
Earnings on your investments grow tax-free in a Roth and tax-deferred in a traditional IRA.

This table illustrates these accounts in action.

ROTH IRA	TRADITIONAL IRA
Contribution limit
$6,000 in 2020 and 2021 ($7,000 if age 50 or older)	$6,000 in 2020 and 2021 ($7,000 if age 50 or older)
Key pros
Qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. Contributions can be withdrawn at any time.	If deductible, contributions reduce taxable income in the year they are made.
Key cons
No immediate tax benefit for contributing. Ability to contribute is phased out at higher incomes.	Deductions may be phased out. Distributions in retirement are taxed as ordinary income.
Early withdrawal rules
Contributions can be withdrawn at any time, tax- and penalty-free. Unless you meet an exception, early withdrawals of earnings may be subject to a 10% penalty and income taxes.	Unless you meet an exception, early withdrawals of contributions and earnings are taxed and subject to a 10% penalty.

Open a 529 account

These savings accounts, operated by most states and some educational institutions, help people save for college.

You can’t deduct contributions on your federal income taxes, but you might be able to on your state return if you’re putting money into your state’s 529 plan.
There may be gift-tax consequences if your contributions plus any other gifts to a particular beneficiary exceed $15,000 in 2020.

Fund your flexible spending account (FSA)

If your employer offers a flexible spending account, take advantage of it to lower your tax bill. The IRS lets you funnel tax-free dollars directly from your paycheck into your FSA every year; the limit is $2,750 for 2020 and 2021.

You’ll have to use the money during the calendar year for medical and dental expenses, but you can also use it for related everyday items such as bandages, pregnancy test kits, breast pumps and acupuncture for yourself and your qualified dependents. You may lose what you don’t use, so take time to calculate your expected medical and dental expenses for the coming year.
Some employers might let you carry over up to $550 to the next year.

Use Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSAs)

This FSA with a twist is another handy way to reduce your tax bill — if your employer offers it.

In 2021, the IRS will exclude up to $10,500 of your pay that you have your employer divert to a Dependent Care FSA account, which means you’ll avoid paying taxes on that money. That can be huge for parents, because before- and after-school care, day care, preschool and day camps usually are allowed uses. Elder care may be included, too.
What’s covered can vary among employers, so check out your plan’s documents.

Maximize Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

Health savings accounts are tax-exempt accounts you can use to pay medical expenses.

Contributions to HSAs are tax-deductible, and the withdrawals are tax-free, too, so long as you use them for qualified medical expenses.
If you have self-only high-deductible health coverage, you can contribute up to $3,550 in 2020. If you have family high-deductible coverage, you can contribute up to $7,100. For 2021, the individual coverage contribution limit is $3,600 and the family coverage limit is $7,200. If you’re 55 or older, you can put an extra $1,000 in your HSA.
Your employer may offer an HSA, but you can also start your own account at a bank or other financial institution

“Filing your taxes can seem overwhelming. But you can tackle tax season one step at a time while you take advantage of money-saving opportunities.”

While many Americans only think about taxes in the weeks before the federal tax deadline, you will need to keep on top of tax planning year-round. By knowing the rules, paying attention to withholdings and keeping an eye out for benefits all year, you’ll be able to maximize benefits and minimize prefiliners errors.

References:

Billionaire’s Income Tax

Posted on November 23, 2021 by admin

“Some liberal lawmakers hope the “billionaire tax” will eventually be extended to millionaires.”

A ‘Billionaires Income Tax’ would be a fundamental change in how the tax system operates in the United States, and open up a new revenue stream for the Treasury. The wealth tax plan would “get at the wealth of the richest Americans that currently goes untaxed until assets are sold”, according to Roll Call.

The Senate has proposed a special new tax on the uber wealthy, think billionaires, that Democrats will use to help pay for their next big multi-trillion dollar ‘Build Back Better’ fiscal spending package. The proposed tax on the net worth of billionaires’ stock holdings, real estate and other assets could help Democrats accomplish goals of raising taxes on the wealthy and funding their pet social safety net and climate programs.

The Senate Finance Committee Chair wants to “begin requiring people with more than $1 billion in assets, or who earn more than $100 million in three consecutive years, to begin paying capital gains taxes each year on the appreciation in value of their assets, regardless of whether they are sold”, Politico reported.

For too long, billionaires have played by a different set of rules that allows them to cheat the system & pay nothing in taxes. @RonWyden's Billionaires Income Tax is a crucial step to crack down on tax avoidance schemes so the richest Americans pay what they owe. https://t.co/pAaXUDqC0Z

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 27, 2021

The ‘billionaire tax’ plan would reportedly hit around 700 Americans and generate several hundred billion dollars in tax receipts. “We have a historic opportunity with the Billionaires Income Tax to restore fairness in our tax code, and fund critical investments in American families,” said Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). “The Billionaires Income Tax would ensure billionaires pay tax each year, just like working Americans.”

The proposal, should it pass Congress and be signed into law by the President, would almost certainly be challenged in federal court on its constitutionality. The Constitution restricts so-called direct taxes, ‘a term referring to levies imposed directly on someone that can’t be shifted onto someone else’. There’s a big exception for income taxes, as a result of the 16th Amendment, which allows Congress to tax income and earnings. (All current taxes are either forms of income tax or levies on transactions).

The proposed plan would tax people on the appreciation of their publicly traded marketable securities. Effectively, the plan would tax billionaires’ assets on any gains or appreciation in value of those assets. For example, if that asset became worth $110, they’d only owe on the $10 gain. And, the proposal would begin by imposing a one-time tax on all the gains that had accrued before the tax had been created.

Stocks, bonds and other publicly traded assets, marketable securities, would be assessed the levy each year. Harder-to-value assets like real estate or ownership stakes in privately held businesses would not be taxed until they are sold, but would then face an interest charge designed to approximate the tax people would have faced if they had been publicly traded assets.

Capital losses

Under the proposal, a billionaire subject to the tax whose asset values take a dive during the year would have two options. They could choose to:

Carry those losses forward to offset potential future mark-to-market gains, or
Carry them back to a year within the previous three to generate refunds for taxes paid on unrealized gains.

Carrybacks could only offset prior mark-to-market tax, not taxes paid on other income.

Nevertheless, the plan would incentivize the wealthy to move into non-publicly traded assets in order to avoid having to pay the IRS. And if the billionaire wealth tax survives the certain court challenges under the current conservative Supreme Court, you can safely bet that many liberal leaning states will follow suit and implement their own version of a billionaire or millionaire wealth tax.

This new billionaire tax on wealth, instead on income, is a tax that some liberals lawmakers hope will eventually be extended to include every millionaire in assets, regardless of actual net worth. However, Congress always seem able to devise work arounds to exclude their own financial assets and the assets of their big re-election campaign donors from these extremely regressive tax policies.

Additionally, this proposal, if enacted into law, would dramatically impact compound growth of assets and, would have the unintended consequences of slowing job creation and capital investments in the U.S.

Billionaire Tax Dead On Arrival After Manchin Blasts Proposal Mere Hours After Its Release https://t.co/QPdEx9z287 pic.twitter.com/SR6iUA8dqf

— Forbes (@Forbes) October 27, 2021

Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said that the billionaire tax will leave the rich thinking: “I don’t want to invest in the stock market, because as that goes up, I gotta get taxed. So maybe I will instead invest in a ranch or in paintings or things that don’t build jobs and create a stronger economy.”

References:

61% of Americans Paid No Federal Income Tax in 2020 | CNBC

Posted on August 21, 2021 by admin

By Robert Frank, CNBC Wealth Reporter and a leading authority on the American wealthy

“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” Albert Einstein

More than 100 million U.S. households, or 61% of all taxpayers, paid no federal income taxes last year, according to a report from the Tax Policy Center.
The pandemic and federal stimulus led to a huge spike in the number of Americans who either owed no federal income tax or received tax credits from the government.
The main reasons for the spike — high unemployment, large stimulus checks and generous tax credit programs.

More than 100 million U.S. households, or 61% of all taxpayers, paid no federal income taxes last year, according to a new report.

According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, 107 million households owed no income taxes in 2020, up from 76 million — or 44% of all taxpayers — in 2019. The main reasons for the spike — high unemployment, large stimulus checks and generous tax credit programs — will largely expire after 2022, so the share of nontaxpayers will fall next year.

61% of American households paid no federal income taxes in 2020 — up from 44% in 2019. The top quintile paid 78% of taxes. https://t.co/zB0Bz8f7B1

— Robert Frank (@robtfrank) August 18, 2021

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the policy response to it led to an extraordinary increase in the number of American households that owed no federal individual income tax in 2020”, writes Howard Gleckman, Senior Fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

The share of Americans who pay zero income taxes is expected to stay high, at around 57% this year (2021), according to the Tax Policy Center.

“Congress can raise taxes because it can persuade a sizable fraction of the populace that somebody else will pay.” Milton Friedman

In contrast, the top 20% of taxpayers by income paid 78% of federal income taxes in 2020, according to the Tax Policy Center, up from 68% in 2019. The top 1% of taxpayers paid 28% of taxes in 2020, up from 25% in 2019.

In 2021, Congress increased the size of the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and the child and the dependent care tax credit — all of which erased the federal taxes owed for millions of American families.

Twenty million workers lost their jobs. Many were low-wage workers who were paying very little income tax before the pandemic hit. Effectively, no household making less than $28,000 will pay any federal taxes this year due to the credits and tax changes, according to the Tax Policy Center. Among middle-income households, about 43% will pay no federal income tax.

Federal income taxes do not include payroll taxes. The Tax Policy Center estimates that only 20% of households paid neither federal income taxes nor payroll taxes. And “nearly everyone” paid some other form of taxes, including state and local sales taxes, excise taxes, property taxes and state income taxes, according to the report.

“We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” Winston Churchill

“There is a dichotomy between how capital is taxed in this country and how labor is taxed. That seems wrong to me, to have these two sources of wealth that are taxed so differently”, according to Billionaire philanthropist John Arnold.

References:

Strategies to Reduce Taxes

Posted on June 29, 2021 by admin

Taxes are one thing retirees tend to have a little control over, as long as they do deliberate tax planning.

Accumulating sufficient assets for retirement is a critical part of retirement income planning, according to Bill Thomas, Financial Adviser, Thomas Financial Services. However, it’s just as important to preserve what you’ve saved over the 25 or 30 years that you may live in retirement. That’s where deliberate tax planning comes in.

It is likely that taxes will increase during your retirement, potentially reducing your income and cash flow. Instead of fretting over increasing taxes, now is the time to figure out how to create a tax-efficient retirement where you can maximize deductions and credits while minimizing taxes.

Getting into the 0% tax bracket may be possible and easier than you think. All it takes is a smart tax strategy that allows combining tax credits and deductions, accumulating more long-term capital gains, or benefiting from qualified dividends.

You can legally decrease or completely eliminate your tax bill by taking advantage of some of the perks in the tax code.

Qualified dividends follow three rules:

The dividend must have been paid by a U.S. corporation or a qualifying foreign company. The dividends must be deemed as qualified in the eyes of the IRS and cannot be listed as a non- qualified dividend.
You’ve held the stock paying the dividend for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that begins 60 days before the ex-dividend date.
Use the long-term capital gains rates shown above to see the taxable income and filing status for the 0% tax brackets.

Being an investor requires a strategy to reduce your taxes. For many, it’s tempting to buy stocks and sell them as soon as the price shoots up. But if you hold on to your investments for an over a year — you’ll be eligible for long-term capital gains tax rates.

Simply put, it pays to be patient in the stock market. If you sell a stock that you’ve owned for a year or less, you’ll have to pay a short-term capital gains tax, which can be as high as 37%. Once you’ve held an investment over the one-year mark, you’ve hit the long-term capital gains threshold.

Getting into the 0% tax bracket may be easier than you think. All it takes is a smart strategy that allows you to combine tax credits and deductions, accumulate more long-term capital gains, or benefit from qualified dividends.

Make tax-smart investing part of your tax planning

The potential impact of tax-smart investing techniques over time. As the accompanying graphic shows, employing tax-smart investing techniques over time may have a significant impact on your long-term returns. The longer you apply these techniques, the greater the potential impact.

Each line represents a client’s hypothetical value from tax-smart investing techniques at various starting dates, based on a starting portfolio value of $1 million.

Though taxes might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to how you want to spend money in retirement, planning strategically can mean more income and cash flow for the things you love.

References:

Tax Planning

Posted on June 18, 2021 by admin

“It may feel good at tax time to get a refund, but remember that the money you’re getting back is money you loaned the government at no interest.”

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Skip filing your taxes, and the tax agents will come calling. And when they do, you’ll likely face penalties and interest — and even lose your chance to receive a tax refund.

Unless your income is below a certain level, you will have to file federal income tax returns and pay taxes each year. Therefore, it’s important to understand your obligations and the way in which taxes are calculated.

Every year, everyone who makes money in the U.S. must fill out a prior calendar year tax return and file it with the IRS by April 15th. The process inspires dread among anyone who performs this task without the help of an accountant. The forms are complicated, and the definitions of terms like “dependent” and “exemption” can be difficult to understand.

Tax Basics and Taxable Income

There are two types of income subject to taxation: earned income and unearned income. Earned income includes:

Salary
Wages
Tips
Commissions
Bonuses
Unemployment benefits
Sick pay
Some noncash fringe benefits

Taxable unearned income includes:

Interest
Dividends
Profit from the sale of assets
Business and farm income
Rents
Royalties
Gambling winnings
Alimony

It is possible to reduce taxable income by contributing to a retirement account like a 401(k) or an IRA.

A person can exclude some income from taxation by using a standard deduction amount determined by the government and a person’s filing status or by itemizing certain types of expenses. Allowable itemized expenses include mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable contributions, and medical expenses.

Anyone can make an honest mistake with regard to taxes, but the IRS can be quite strict. And since everyone’s tax situation is a little different, you may have questions.

Allowed Deductions – Deductions and Tax Exemptions

The IRS offers Americans a variety of tax credits and deductions that can legally reduce how much you’ll owe. All Americans should know what deductions and credits they’re eligible for — not knowing is like leaving money on the table.

Most people take the standard deduction available to them when filing taxes to avoid providing proof of all of the purchases they’ve made throughout the year. Besides, itemized deductions often don’t add up to more than the standard deduction.

But if you’ve made substantial payments for mortgage interest, property taxes, medical expenses, local and state taxes or have made major charitable contributions, it could be worth it to take this step. These tax deductions are subtracted from your adjusted gross income, which reduces your taxable income.

The government allows the deduction of some types of expenses from a person’s adjusted gross income, or gross income minus adjustments. A person can exclude some income from taxation by using a standard deduction amount determined by the government and a person’s filing status or by itemizing certain types of expenses. Allowable itemized expenses include mortgage interest, a capped amount of state and local taxes, charitable contributions, and medical expenses.

Depending on who you are and what you do, you may be eligible for any number of tax deductions and exemptions to reduce your taxable income. At the end of the day, these could have a significant impact on your tax exposure. Starting with the standard deduction, the links below will help you determine how to shrink your income — for tax purposes, of course.

Common Tax Credits

Tax credits are also another way to reduce your tax exposure and possibly obtain a tax refund when the dust settles. Many people don’t realize that a tax credit is the equivalent of free money. Tax deductions reduce the amount of taxable income you can claim, and tax credits reduce the tax you owe and, in many cases, result in a nice refund.

The IRS offers a large number of tax credits that encompass everything from buying energy-efficient products for your home to health insurance premium payments to being in a low- to moderate-income household. The key to benefiting from these credits is examining all of the purchases you’ve made throughout the year to see if you are owed money.

There are 17 tax credits for individuals you can take advantage of in five categories:

Education credits
Family tax credits
Healthcare credits
Homeownership and real estate credits
Income and savings credits

Taxes: What to Pay and When

Most Americans don’t look forward to tax season. But the refund that a majority of taxpayers get can make the tedious process of tax filing worth the effort.

When you’re an employee, it’s your employer’s responsibility to withhold federal, state, and any local income taxes and send that withholding to the IRS, state, and locality. Those payments to the IRS are your prepayments on your expected tax liability when you file your tax return. Your Form W-2 has the withholding information for the year.

The U.S. has a pay-as-you-go taxation system. Just as income tax is withheld from employees every pay period and sent to the IRS, the estimated tax paid quarterly helps the government maintain a reliable schedule of income. It also protects you from having to cough up all the dough at once.

When you file, if you prepaid more than you owe, you get some back. If you prepaid too little, you have to make up the difference and pay more. And, if you’re like most wage earners, you get a nice refund at tax time.

But if you are self-employed, or if you have income other than your salary, you may need to pay estimated taxes each quarter to square your tax bill with Uncle Sam. You may owe estimated taxes if you receive income that isn’t subject to withholding, such as:

Interest income
Dividends
Gains from sales of stock or other assets
Earnings from a business
Alimony that is taxable

So, it’s important to remember that taxes are a pay-as-you-go. This means that you need to pay most of your tax during the year, as you receive income, rather than paying at the end of the year.

There are two ways to pay tax:

Withholding from your pay, your pension or certain government payments, such as Social Security.
Making quarterly estimated tax payments during the year.

This will help you avoid a surprise tax bill when you file your return. If you want to avoid a large tax bill, you may need to change your withholding. Changes in your life, such as marriage, divorce, working a second job, running a side business or receiving any other income without withholding can affect the amount of tax you owe.

And if you work as an employee, you don’t have to make estimated tax payments if you have more tax withheld from your paycheck. This may be an option if you also have a side job or a part-time business.

It may feel good at tax time to get a refund, but remember that the money you’re getting back is money you loaned the government at no interest.

References:

Investment Risks and Taxes

Posted on June 8, 2021 by admin

No investment is completely free of risk.

When it comes to investing, it’s critical to understand that no investment is 100% safe and all investments come with risk. Unlike when you store your money in a savings account, investing has no guarantees that you’ll earn a return. When you invest, experiencing a financial loss is a possibility.

Investing means that you’re putting your money to work into a financial asset in the expectation of getting a positive return. Yet, where there’s the chance of financial gain, there’s always going to be the chance of a financial loss. Investment risk and investment reward are two sides of the same investing coin.

On the other hand, saving — which is basically parking your money in an account so it’ll keep its value.

Some investments are considered safer than others, but no investment is completely free of risk, because there’s more than one kind of risk, according to SoFi.

Different Types of Risk

Investors who choose products and strategies to avoid market volatility may be leaving themselves open to other risks, including:

Inflation risk – An asset could become less valuable as inflation erodes its purchasing power. If an investment is earning little or nothing (a certificate of deposit or savings account, for example), it won’t buy as much in the future as prices on various goods and services go up.
Interest rate risk – A change in interest rates could reduce the value of certain investments. These can include bonds and other fixed-rate, “safe” investment vehicles.
Liquidity risk – Could an asset be sold or converted if the investor needs cash? Collections, jewelry, a home, or a car could take a while to market—and if the owner is forced to sell quickly, the price received could be lower than the asset is worth. Certain investments (certificates of deposit, some annuities) also may have some liquidity risk because they may offer a higher return in exchange for a longer term, and there may be a penalty if the investor cashes out early.
Tax risk – An investment could lose its value because of the way it’s taxed. For example, different types of bonds may be taxed in different ways.
Legislative risk- A change in law could lower the value of an investment. For example, if the government imposes new regulations on a business, it could result in higher costs (and lower profits) for the company or affect how it can serve its customers. Or, if taxes go up in the future, savers who put all or most of their money into tax-deferred accounts [IRAs, 401(k)s, etc.] could end up with a hefty tax bill when they retire.
Global risk – An investment in a foreign stock could lose value because of currency problems, political turmoil, and other factors.
Reinvestment risk – When an investment matures (think CDs and bonds), the investor might not be able to replace it with a similar vehicle that has the same or a higher rate of return.

Taxes

“Worried about an IRS audit? Avoid what’s called a red flag. That’s something the IRS always looks for. For example, say you have some money left in your bank account after paying taxes. That’s a red flag.” Jay Leno

Taxes are a key consideration for investors – and not one that investors might think about when logging into their brokerage account. Yes, $0 trades are exciting, but don’t forget about taxes — which are an investors “biggest expense” or every traders “silent partner”.

The key to taxes is to not just think about taxes in tax season, because there’s not that much you can do besides contribute to an IRA.

When it comes to tax planning, most of it has to be done before the year is over. One strategy that’s very useful is tax-loss harvesting. Essentially, it allows investors with any sort of investment losses to use that to offset any gains, reducing the amount of taxes owed.

Investors can use the tax-loss harvesting proceeds to buy something else, and it can even be very similar. Or they can use the money to rebalance. “Don’t hesitate to take losses and use them to your advantage,” said Hayden Adams, director of tax and financial planning at Charles Schwab. “You’re likely to have losses and tax-loss harvesting is a great way to rebalance to get back to proper risk tolerance.”

The key for investors is to know the rules and work within them.

References:

Meme Stock Risks

Posted on June 6, 2021 by admin

“There’s a problem with the memes (a stock that has gone viral online, drawing the attention of retail investors) because the people who are investing will lose a very substantial amount of money.” Thomas Peterffy

Definition: A meme stock is a stock that has seen an increase in volume not because of the company’s performance, but rather because of hype on social media and online forums like Reddit. For this reason, these stocks often become overvalued, seeing drastic price increases in just a short amount of time.

The big problem with the so-called “meme”stock, which are assets powered higher on social-media sentiment and not on fundamentals, is that inexperienced investors will be saddled with real losses when stocks like AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC), and GameStop Corp. (GME), eventually come back down to Earth.

The escalation in the values of these companies, like AMC and GameStop, don’t align with their prospects for earnings or revenue in the near or midterm.“There’s a problem with the “memes” because the people who are investing will lose a very substantial amount of money,” Thomas Peterffy, founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers Group Inc., said.

Peterffy said that the good thing about the surge in memes is that it will likely bring more young investor into the fold, but they will likely learn a hard lesson in the process.

Selling Short and short squeeze

Selling short means investors are betting that the asset will fall in value. The investments in AMC and GameStop originally started out as organized short-squeezes by a cadre of individual investors who had identified that a number of companies were heavily shorted by hedge funds, according to MarketWatch. These individual investors surmised, correctly, that those stocks could be pressured higher if enough buyers collectively swooped in.

A short squeeze is when many investors looking to cover short positions start buying at the same time. The buying pushes the share price higher, making short investors accelerate their attempts to cover, which sends the shares spiraling higher in a frenzy.

Short sellers, who bet a stock will fall, provide potential fuel for stock rallies when they’re wrong. If the stock jumps, instead of falling, the short sellers are forced to buy the stock to stop their losses from growing.

Lesson learned

Trying to identify a fundamental narrative that can justify meme stocks’ price and market cap are admittedly difficult. Still, it is an exercise that might provide some insights for meme stock investors. Essentially, when the music stops for the meme stocks like AMC and GameStop, investors could be looking at big capital losses.

References:

Brownlee Global: Gratitude to Greatness

Helping People Live the Lives They Want

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