Tax planning
These midyear tax strategies can trim next year’s bill from the IRS and reduce ‘unwelcome surprises’
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao | Moment | Getty Images 1. Review tax withholdings When starting a new job, you fill out Form W-4, covering how much your employer withholds from your paychecks for federal taxes. But you need to revisit those withholdings, especially for major life changes such as marriage, having children or starting a side business. […]
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There’s a growing interest in direct indexing as the investing trend becomes ‘democratized’
As demand grows for specialized portfolios, a trend known as direct indexing is quickly becoming an option for more investors. Rather than owning a mutual or exchange-traded fund, direct indexing is buying the stocks of an index to achieve goals like tax efficiency, diversification or values-based investing. Traditionally used by institutional and high-net worth investors, […]
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Tax return backlog is still ‘crushing the IRS’ — and taxpayers — as pileup exceeds 21 million, agency watchdog reports
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on April 7, 2022. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images The IRS backlog of tax returns has swelled over the past year, despite efforts to clear the pileup, according to an agency watchdog. There were 21.3 million unprocessed paper returns as of […]
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Tax pros ‘very skeptical’ about expanded IRS voice bots for payments plans
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images If you get a tax bill and want help from the IRS to set up a payment plan, newly expanded voice bots may make for faster phone service, according to the agency. But some tax professionals are doubtful about the new plan to reduce wait times. Artificial intelligence-driven IRS […]
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One key problem has 1 in 4 expats ‘seriously considering’ or ‘planning’ to renounce U.S. citizenship
Valentyn Semenov / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images While many filers dread tax season, Americans living abroad face even bigger yearly burdens — and those are frustrating enough that some want to ditch their U.S. citizenship. Roughly 1 in 4 American expatriates is “seriously considering” or “planning” to renounce their U.S. citizenship, according to […]
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Here’s how to fight a higher-than-expected property tax bill
Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images If the value of your home ballooned during the Covid pandemic, you may receive an inflated property tax assessment in the mail. There are ways, however, to combat a higher bill, experts say. Despite double-digit growth in single-family home prices, property taxes only increased by 1.8% in 2021, […]
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The IRS is working to increase its audit rates for higher earners
Jeffrey Coolidge | Photodisc | Getty Images The IRS is working to boost its audit rates for the wealthiest Americans, according to a statement recently released with the agency’s annual Data Book, covering activities for the 2021 fiscal year. While plummeting audits have drawn scrutiny from Congress, percentages have doubled for filers making over $100,000 to more […]
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Investors revisit muni bonds amid higher yields and strong credit
David Jakle | Image Source | Getty Images It’s been a tough year for municipal bonds, with investors cashing out amid rising interest rates. However, higher yields and strong credit may be sparking a shift, experts say. While investors piled a record-breaking $96.8 billion of net money into U.S. muni mutual and exchange-traded funds in […]
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Tech workers’ company shares slid in 2022 – and so has their wealth. Three steps they can take
Tech workers paid in equity are watching their wealth slide alongside their employers’ share prices this year, but the news may not be as bad as it seems. The Nasdaq Composite is down 23% for the year and is well entrenched in a bear market. Higher interest rates tend to hit tech companies especially hard, […]
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Capital gains may have triggered hundreds of billions more in individual taxes for 2021, analysis shows. How to trim your tax bill
The U.S. Department of the Treasury building Julia Schmalz | Bloomberg | Getty Images Some investors may be grappling with the sting of higher-than-expected capital gains for 2021 and losses in 2022. But experts say tax-planning opportunities may soften the blow. Individuals paid significantly more taxes this season, and the surge in capital gains in […]
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