What you need to know about myRAs
1. What is a myRA?The myRA (rhymes with IRA) is a new workplace retirement savings account discussed by President Obama in the State of the [...]
Flexible Spending Accounts: Spend-down rule relaxed
Recent changes announced by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) modify the "use-it-or-lose-it" rule that applies to health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs). Plan sponsors will now [...]
IRS Tax Guidance on Same-Sex Marriage
Guidance issued in response to recent Supreme Court decisionThe Treasury Department and IRS guidance was issued in response to the recent Supreme Court case striking [...]
ATRA 2012: In-plan Roth conversions and tax-free IRA charitable contributions
Retirement Provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), enacted to avoid the fiscal cliff, includes two [...]
Implications of the Supreme Court’s 2012 health care decision
On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a landmark decision, that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the provision [...]
Effect of the JOBS Act on start-up companies and their investors
You may have heard that the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on April 5, 2012, makes [...]
Coming soon to an IRA portfolio near you: Longevity Annuities?
Photo courtesy Margan Zajdowicz. If a significant portion of your retirement assets are held in a retirement account like an IRA, how can you accomplish [...]
New data on the solvency of Social Security and Medicare trust funds (2012)
Reports Show Challenging Financial Outlook for Social Security and MedicareEvery year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds release reports to Congress [...]
What’s next with the Estate Tax? (2012)
What is the future of the federal estate tax? All we know for sure is that no one knows anything; it's all speculation. So, let's [...]
Long-term care insurance: companies leaving the marketplace
The Long-Term Care Dilemma: Insurers Leaving, Premiums IncreasingIf you've planned for long-term care, you've done well because there's a pretty good chance you or your [...]
Current tax changes: keeping track of new and expiring provisions (2012)
A number of significant federal income tax provisions expired at the end of 2011, a fact that might be easily overlooked with so much attention [...]
Tax deduction for Long Term Care insurance increased
The Internal Revenue Service has raised the income-tax deduction limit for Long Term Care (LTC) policy premiums that are paid in 2012. As in the [...]
New cost-basis reporting rules being phased in
Calculating Cost Basis Gets Easier This YearBrokers must track and report cost basis to both you and the IRSAnyone who has ever been baffled by [...]
2012 Tax Deadline Pushed to April 17th
Aptly Named: "Emancipation Day" Taxpayers will have until Tuesday, April 17, to file their 2011 tax returns and pay any tax due because April 15 [...]
Global Stock Market Retrospective: 2011
U.S. STOCKS HELD UP RELATIVELY WELL IN 2011 It was a weak year for equities, but foreign markets had it worse. 2011 had a definite [...]
Believe it: US is now net exporter of petroleum
Liam Pleven and Russell Gold, writing for the Wall Street Journal, point out an amazing fact, one that certainly flies in the face of conventional [...]
Life is made of stories…
What does it take for the stars to line up? We will never know the answer to that question. Gazing upwards, watching and waiting, time [...]
States owe Uncle Sam $38B for unemployment insurance
Sara Murray, reporting (1) for wsj.com, reports on the $38 Billion owed to the federal government by 27 states for unemployment benefits. At a tricky [...]
The Stand-Up Desk Craze is (easier on the) back
Jim Carlton writes in the Wall Street Journal about the 'new' trend in workplace desks: standing up to work. I tried this once, and I [...]