A Health Savings Account offers a tax-favored way for eligible individuals (or their employers) to set aside funds to meet medical needs. Among the tax benefits: 1) contributions are deductible within limits; 2) earnings in the HSA aren’t taxed; 3) contributions an employer makes aren’t taxed; and 4) distributions to pay qualified expenses aren’t taxed. […]
Author Archive | James B. Reynolds
Investment swings: What’s the tax impact?
Have your investments fluctuated wildly this year? You may have already recognized gains and losses. But nothing is decided tax-wise until all the gains and losses from 2023 trades are tallied up at year end. If you’ve had swings in the value of a tax-favored 401(k), traditional IRA, Roth IRA or SEP, there are no […]
Plan now for year-end gifts with the gift tax annual exclusion
Now that Labor Day has passed, the holidays are just around the corner. Many people may want to make gifts of cash or stock to their loved ones. By properly using the annual exclusion, gifts to family members and loved ones can reduce the size of your taxable estate, within generous limits, without triggering any […]
Selling your home for a big profit? Here are the tax rules
Many homeowners across the country have seen their home values increase in recent years. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median price of existing homes sold in July of 2023 rose 1.9% over July of 2022 after a couple years of much higher increases. The median home price was $467,500 in the Northeast, […]
The tax consequences of employer-provided life insurance
If your employer provides life insurance, you probably find it to be a desirable fringe benefit. However, if group term life insurance is part of your benefits package, and the coverage is higher than $50,000, there may be undesirable income tax implications.
Can you deduct student loan interest on your tax return?
The federal student loan “pause” is coming to an end on August 31 after more than three years. If you have student loan debt, you may wonder whether you can deduct the interest you pay on your tax return. The answer may be yes, subject to certain limits. The deduction is phased out if your […]
Pocket a tax break for making energy-efficient home improvements
An estimated 190 million Americans have recently been under heat advisory alerts, according to the National Weather Service. That may have spurred you to think about making your home more energy efficient — and there’s a cool tax break that may apply. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, you may be able to […]
Moving Mom or Dad into a nursing home? 5 potential tax implications
More than a million Americans live in nursing homes, according to various reports. If you have a parent entering one, you’re probably not thinking about taxes. But there may be tax consequences. Let’s take a look at five possible tax breaks.
Retirement account catch-up contributions can add up
If you’re age 50 or older, you can probably make extra “catch-up” contributions to your tax-favored retirement account(s). It is worth the trouble? Yes! Here are the rules of the road.
Inheriting stock or other assets? You’ll receive a favorable “stepped-up basis”
Are you planning your estate or have you inherited assets recently? You may not know the “basis” of assets for tax purposes. Under the current rules (known as the “step-up” rules), an heir receives a basis in inherited property equal to its date-of-death value. For example, if your grandmother paid $600 for stock in 1940 […]
