Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the federal estate tax exemption increased to $13.99 million, or $27.98 million for married couples filing joint tax returns. This means that individual taxpayers can transfer up to $13.99 million in assets to their heirs (or up to $27.98 million for married couples filing jointly) during life or at death without […]
In 2019, the IRS reassured ultra-high-net-worth families that any gifts they make between 2018 and 2025 to remove assets from their taxable estates under the generous but temporary provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) would not lose those tax benefits when the estate-tax lifetime-exclusion reverts to its pre-TCJA level in 2026. The […]
If you purchase a qualifying new or previously owned plug-in or hybrid electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) this year, you may qualify for a tax credit. Generally, the credits are nonrefundable, meaning they can only reduce your tax liability to zero; you cannot get back more on the credit than you […]
With 2025 well underway, certain calendar-year trusts and estates still have a small window of opportunity to reduce their 2024 income tax liabilities and those of the trusts’ beneficiaries provided they act before March 6, 2025. Under a special IRS rule, trustees have 65 days after the start of a new year to distribute trust […]
Cosigning loans for friends or family members can spell financial disaster and ruin otherwise healthy relationships. While it is not unusual for parents to cosign for a child’s student loans, car loans or even a mortgage, doing so can damage parents’ credit scores and leave them liable for paying off the entire debt plus interest. […]
One of the many things individuals learned from the pandemic is that the unexpected can happen, and the best way to be prepared is to have a plan in place that meets your evolving circumstances. It is wise to proactively take stock of your physical and financial health throughout various stages of life and consider […]
The IRS released its annual inflation adjustments to various provisions of the tax code for tax year 2025. It is important to recognize that some of these tax rates, limits and deductions available in 2025 are scheduled to expire at the end of the year under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, […]
The SECURE Act’s elimination of stretch IRAs poses a challenge to many high-net-worth account owners who had hoped to pass their savings to the next generation and allow inheritances to continue growing tax-free over beneficiaries’ lifetimes. Under the law, non-spouse IRA beneficiaries must withdraw the entirety of inherited IRA accounts within 10 years of the […]
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA can be a smart option for individuals seeking tax-free growth and the flexibility to take tax-free withdrawals in retirement or pass their savings to future generations free of federal income tax. However, employing this strategy contains significant financial implications that individuals must address and carefully plan for […]
The IRS recently announced the 2025 contribution limits individuals with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) may contribute to their workplace health savings accounts (HSAs) to help pay for rising healthcare expenses. HSAs are triple-tax-advantaged accounts that eligible workers may fund with pre-tax dollars and withdraw tax-free when used to cover a broad range of qualifying healthcare […]