Tax planning
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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Tax breaks aren’t prime reason for high-net-worth philanthropy, study finds
Maria Teijeiro | OJO Images | Getty Images Tax breaks aren’t the primary incentive for philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy, according to BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s inaugural Charitable Giving Study. The report, polling 200 individuals with wealth ranging from $5 million to more than $25 million, found the top three motivators were personal satisfaction, connection to […]
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IRS insists destruction of 30 million files of taxpayer data won’t affect payers
alfexe | iStock | Getty Images Filers won’t be affected by the IRS decision to destroy data for millions of taxpayers, the agency said in a statement Thursday. The IRS tossed an estimated 30 million so-called paper-filed information returns in March 2021, according to an audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The […]
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Tax professionals ‘horrified’ by IRS decision to destroy data on 30 million filers
courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images An audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed the IRS has tossed data for millions of payers, sparking anger from the tax community. The material, known as paper-filed information returns in accounting parlance, is sent yearly by employers and financial institutions, and covers taxable activity, such […]
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Here’s why a Roth individual retirement account conversion may pay off in a down market
Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images Soaring inflation, interest rate hikes and the war in Ukraine have sparked ongoing stock market volatility. But there may be a bright spot: the chance to save money on a Roth conversion. The strategy allows higher earners to sidestep the earnings limits for Roth individual retirement account contributions, […]
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Over 60 million tax returns could be completed automatically, study shows
Tom Werner | DigitalVision | Getty Images The IRS may have the ability to automate nearly half of tax returns, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The agency could correctly auto-fill an estimated 62 million to 73 million returns with information it already has, covering 41% to 48% of […]
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TurboTax owner Intuit to pay $141 million to customers ‘unfairly charged’
Kimberly White | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Intuit, the owner of popular tax filing software TurboTax, will pay $141 million in restitution to millions of low-income Americans who were “unfairly charged” for services that should have been free, according to a multistate agreement announced Wednesday. TurboTax also agreed to reform its business practices. […]
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