Individual and business taxpayers may experience financial losses resulting from sudden damage or destruction to their property. Physical loss due to fire, windstorms, hurricanes, and…
For most students, the price of higher education is steep and getting steeper. Annual increases in the cost of higher education have consistently outpaced the…
Getting Married
A Tax Perspective Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
More than 2.1 million couples get married in the United States each year (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage_divorce_tables.htm). Few probably give any thought to the tax implications of their…
Getting Divorced
A Tax Perspective under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Despite the best of intentions when couples say, “I do,” more than a few will find themselves eventually saying, “I don't.” Aside from the emotional…
Buying or selling a home is one of the most significant financial transactions many individuals engage in. The authors examine the various ways in which…
Because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), more individuals—90% of taxpayers, by some estimates—will decide to prepare their own tax returns. With the…
The gig economy is a sector of the workforce in which people do not have long-term employment. Those in the gig economy are contingent workers—freelancers,…
Young people are not taught enough about financial literacy. Schools do not teach kids the basics about the value of money, how to save, how…
Getting Older Without Family
Addressing Personal, Legal, and Financial Concerns
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) projects that by 2030, approximately 16% of women will be between 80 and 84 years old and childless…
The high costs of long-term care affect an increasing number of individuals and their families. According to Genworth's 2016 Cost of Care Survey (http://bit.ly/2ngymTT), the…
Moving to Another State
Financial, Legal, and Tax Issues
Americans average 11.7 moves over their lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (“Calculating Migration Data Using ACS Data,” http://bit.ly/2pRvXxn). People move because of a job,…
In Brief Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is a profoundly emotional event that also raises many important financial questions. Financial planners can help provide…
First Look at the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Impact on Individuals at Different Stages of Life
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) made dramatic changes to the rules for individuals that affect tax planning at all stages of…
The birth or adoption of a child brings joy to parents, grandparents, and other family members and friends. It also means financial challenges for families.…
Collectibles, such as art, wine, jewelry, and coins and stamps, have long been important assets to individuals, particularly high-net-worth individuals. Art collectors say that the…
First Look at the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
Impact on Investors
The year 2017 was a dramatic time for investors. The stock market rose by about 40%, swelling most investor portfolios and retirement savings. The Tax…
Individual retirement accounts are a popular and effective method of saving for retirement. For some individuals, however, there is a catch: starting at age 70½,…
ICYMI | Identity Theft
Tax and Financial Considerations
Identity theft continues to be a serious issue for individuals and businesses. According to Javelin Research's 2016 Identity Theft Study, $15 billion was stolen from…
(http://bit.ly/2yMsBi1), individuals gave $281.86 billion in 2016, nearly 4% more than the prior year. How do high-income taxpayers—defined here as income of $200,000 or more—fit…
Windfalls can come from good fortune, such as winning the lottery—or bad fortune, such as a legal settlement for medical malpractice. Whatever the cause, the…
Most people have risk management needs that go beyond life and health insurance. For familiar coverage, they may be price-conscious, looking for the least expensive…
For most students, the price of higher education is steep and getting steeper. Annual increases in the cost of higher education have consistently outpaced the…
Birthdays can be important milestones for legal, financial, and tax purposes. For tax purposes, some rules apply on the date of a birthday, some apply…
With the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, the editors of The CPA Journal thought it appropriate to re-present this article from December 2016…
As the unemployment rate continues to drop and some visa programs are put on hold, an increasing number of younger people may find it easier…
Starting a Business from Home
Legal, Tax, and Financial Concerns
It is easy for just about anyone to start a business from home. Whether people have left an office job because of downsizing or retirement,…
When individuals think about Social Security, they most likely focus on present or future retirement benefits. Millions of people, however, receive benefits from two other…
The high costs of long-term care affect an increasing number of individuals and their families. According to Genworth's 2016 Cost of Care Survey (http://bit.ly/2ngymTT), the…
In Brief With the Baby Boom generation facing retirement, America may soon witness the largest wealth transfer from one generation to another in its history.…
According to the Federal Reserve (https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/), there was nearly $1.4 trillion in student loan debt outstanding in September 2016. About 60% of all college graduates…