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The U.S. Congress passed new tax law provisions in December 2019 that went into effect on January 1, 2020. Some of those laws involve important changes affecting individuals and tax-exempt organizations, including the SECURE Act that delays the IRA required minimum distributions from age 70-1/2 to 72, relaxing the 529 plan distributi...

For understandable reasons, the United States has adopted a series of laws designed to prevent U.S. taxpayers from taking advantage of foreign trusts as tax shelters from U.S. income taxation. The obvious application of these laws is when a U.S. citizen is attempting to transfer cash or income-producing assets to an offshore Trust. When dealing wit...

The new year brings with it new tax-savings opportunities, including larger tax exemptions and exclusions, and new rules governing most retirement accounts. This advisory includes charts showing these figures for 2020 as well as this year's income tax brackets. A list of strategies and tips to consider in your tax planning this year follows eac...

In this U.S. election year there are not only the current administration's tax reform to consider, but also those of the Democratic presidential candidates. With the possibility of a new president on the horizon, significant changes to the tax code may be on the way.

After stagnating in the U.S. Congress for much of 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was quickly picked back up and added to legislation, bringing changes that impact individuals saving for retirement, retirement plan participants, and retirement plan sponsors. See how the changes will impact you, including...

The SECURE Act was recently signed into law in the U.S. It was a landmark legislation that may affect how you plan for retirement. Most of the provisions went into effect in 2020, which means now is the time to consider how these new rules affect your estate and tax planning. For the second part to this series, see How the SECURE Act...

Families often find it challenging to talk about long-term plans and wishes of their aging parents. But it’s never a good idea to wait until there’s a crisis to rally family members together on a plan that will address mom or dad’s needs and wishes regarding healthcare, living arrangements, and long-term financial care. Knowing how to get the conve...

As covered in the first part of the SECURE Act series, one of the key provisions of the Act is the partial elimination of the “stretch” or “life expectancy payout” for beneficiaries of retirement plans. In this second part in the series, a closer look is taken to see how that may affect your estate planning and the...

To adapt to the unprecedented pace of change across the tax landscape, companies must focus on embracing a total tax liability mindset—a holistic understanding of the sum of all taxes across the entirety of the organization. Once viewed as a compliance-driven, back-office function, effective tax planning is now crucial to business perfor...

In periods of elevated volatility such as the fourth quarter of 2018—when we saw the largest quarterly decline in the U.S. market, as measured by the S&P 500, since the third quarter of 2011—investors have many opportunities to harvest losses. Preserving tax benefits by avoiding wash-sale violations becomes even more important durin...

The SECURE Act contains many changes for individuals with retirement plans as well as small businesses with retirement plans. Changes include distribution provisions of an inherited IRA, planning with trusts, a later start for required minimum distributions, and incentives for small business owners and employees. There are also other non-retirement...

By leveraging the power of your investment portfolio through securities-based lending, you can free up available cash by using a portion of your eligible portfolio holdings as collateral. While there are potential risks in borrowing against your portfolio, they can be managed for a host of needs, ranging from asset purchases to wealth planning...

The IRS recently released the April 2020 interest rates used for estate planning purposes. As expected based on recent market conditions, these rates are at or near all-time lows. These low rates, combined with potentially-depressed asset prices and temporarily-high estate and gift tax exemptions (currently over $23 million for a married coupl...

After the death of a retirement plan participant or IRA owner, non-eligible designated beneficiaries of a retirement account (other than a Roth) will experience an acceleration of taxable income and the loss of tax-deferred growth that was available before the enacted SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement). This is the t...

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") was signed into law. The CARES Act provides emergency assistance to individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act is divided into two divisions: Division A includes programs to benefit individuals, companies, an...