Taxes
The Joy of Making Tax-Efficient Charitable GiftsBy Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, Third Quarter 2007
At this time of year we stop to count our blessings. If this is also the time you make charitable gifts, consider ways to make gifts in the most tax-efficient manner. For most of us, that’s easier said than done. Making taxefficient gifts requires coordination of disparate parts of your finances: daily cash flow, income and estate tax planning, insurance coverage, and saving for long-term goals.
Taxing Matters
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, First Quarter 2006
Hope springs eternal for a simpler tax code in our country. But how does one plan personal taxes while waiting for this tax simplification to arrive? There must be more than just getting the tax forms completed and signed each year, all the while feeling that the whole process is beyond your control, abusively complicated, and stunningly expensive.
Planet AMT
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, First Quarter 2004
Imagine that you are taken away to Planet AMT, a distant planet identical to ours where the people enjoy chocolate, the beach, and time with their family. In fact, this planet differs from ours only in the way its people shop. Take, for instance, a newly wed couple on Planet AMT searching for a new home. They do not yet command the financial resources necessary to purchase a new house, so they decide to rent out half of a vacant duplex until they can afford their dream home.
What the New Tax Law Means For You
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, Second Quarter 2003
President Bush signed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 on May 28, 2003, making official a law expected to cut taxes by over $300 billion.
A New Idea for IRAs
By Paula H. Hogan, CFP, CFA, and John A. Herbers, Esq. Journal of Financial Planning, May 2003
All financial planners work with clients who have IRAs (individual retirement accounts). Many of our clients have multiple IRA accounts, often with different custodians or issuers. Before the recent simplification of the “minimum required distribution” rules, these multiple IRAs created many headaches for our clients, for us, and for the other advisors, just in making sure the right amount was distributed from the IRAs after our clients turned 70 1/2.
Tax Planning Ideas From The New Tax Law
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, Second Quarter 2002
You may have heard about EGTRRA, the new tax law formally known as the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001—and promptly dismissed the news as numbingly boring. But this new law, along with some other regulatory updates, has made several changes effective this year that could be quite profitable for you or someone in your family.
Tax Law Update
By Paula H. Hogan
Spring 2001
During the quarter Congress passed a major new tax bill, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. This "tax relief act" creates the largest tax cut in more than twenty years. But it also provides a tangle of new provisions with an unprecendented array of time-delayed benefits with effective dates that span ten years, in addition to some changes that are retroactive.
How Two Wrongs Can Make A Right In-Kind Charitable Contributions
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, Second Quarter 2001
Here is a case where two wrongs may make a right. Most of us have more stuff in our homes than we want or truly need. Especially in times of transition, cleaning out material possessions that no longer have use or personal meaning can become a high priority. Maybe it’s finally time to get rid of the family’s outgrown baby clothes and riding toys because you now believe that that stage of your family life is over.
Roth IRA Conversions
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, September 1998
So what is the big deal about Roth IRA Accounts?
Tax Planning Memo
By Paula H. Hogan
September 1997
Congress passed a major tax bill over the summer. This memo summarizes some of the key changes in the tax code and how they may affect you.
Beyond Tax Maximization: A Citizen's View of the Tax Code
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, December 1997
As travelers to distand lands., most US citizens could explain the fundamental features of our democratic way of life, including hte importance of the seperation of church and state, the balance in power between the state and federal levels of government, and between the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the Federal government, in addition to the central nature of the freedom of speech and of assembly in our culture. But how many could explain the key features of our Internal Revenue Code and how this tax code reflects - and protects - our democratic way of life?
Turnips & Taxes
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, September 1996
Here are several examples of small details in the tax rules with potentially big effects on your finances.
Tax Laws
By Paula H. Hogan
Quarterly Note, First Quarter 2008
On August 10, 1993 President Clinton signed a tax bill imposing the most significant individual tax rate increases since 1968. While the financial press and your accountant have provided good summaries of the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993, here are highlights affecting investements.
