The Benefits—and Risks—of Gifting Before Year-End
With gift and estate taxes poised to rise meaningfully and the exemption scheduled to plummet, high-net-worth families should consider giving to family and philanthropy this year, even if that’s sooner than they’d anticipated.
read moreTax Cliff Enhances Potential Benefit of Roth IRA Conversion
With US federal tax rates poised for a potential hike next year, now is a good time to consider converting retirement assets to a Roth IRA. Conversions are now available to all investors, with no income ceiling in place.
read morePreparing for the Tax Cliff Ahead: Diversifying Concentrated Positions
With US tax rates potentially rising sharply in January, now is a good time to consider taking gains on concentrated stock positions and exercising stock options.
read moreThe Benefit of Transferring Wealth by Year End
With US gift- and estate-tax rates slated to rise on January 1, it may be wise to gift assets before year-end. As my colleague Andrew Auchincloss explains below, you still have a rare (but fleeting) opportunity to transfer wealth tax efficiently.
read moreMinimizing Taxes on Your Executive Compensation
Given the likelihood of higher US tax rates starting in January 2013, you’ll want to review the way you manage your compensation. Your cash bonus, executive stock options and large holdings of company stocks deserve careful review, as my colleague Richard Weaver explains below.
read moreSelling Your Business Before Taxes Rise
Planning to sell your business? Try to wrap up the deal before year end, when today’s highly favorable US capital gains tax rate is scheduled to expire.
read moreMaking Forecasts Reliable—and Useful
If there’s one thing you know about capital-market forecasts, it’s that they’re usually wrong. So why bother forecasting—or paying attention to forecasts?
read moreWorking Past 66: The Impact on Social Security Benefits
A reader of my recent article on when to take Social Security benefits asked whether my analysis would change if a person does not retire at age 66 and plans to work until age 70—and is earning more now than he expects to earn at retirement. That’s a good question.
read moreFoundation Strategies for an Era of Sub-Par Investment Returns
In my last post I argued that today’s unusually low prospective returns for bonds and near-normal prospective returns for equities will make it very difficult for foundations and endowments to achieve their long-term goals. Here’s our take on the alternative strategies that foundations and endowments should consider.
read moreWhen Should You Take Your Social Security Benefits?
Determining when to start receiving Social Security benefits can present a dilemma: Should you wait and receive higher annual benefits, or would you be better off receiving smaller payouts over a longer period?
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