Financial planning for business owners differs from regular W-2 employees and should be handled differently. These are 3 steps business owners should take: Step 1: Plan for Volatile Earnings This is especially true if you operate a business that ebbs and flows with economic cycles, such as construction and real estate. However, company specific changes […]
IRA
Unorthodox Emergency Funds
We are all told to set aside 3 – 6 months’ worth of expenses in a traditional savings account towards an emergency fund. It’s not a bad idea, but what if that isn’t enough for an uncommon occurrence and you’re in a bind? There are a few alternative options to accessing a larger amount of […]
Would This Have Predicted Bitcoin’s Peak?
Starting a few tax seasons ago, the IRS started to ask the question. “At any time during 2020, did you receive, sell, send, exchange, or otherwise acquire any financial interest in any virtual currency?” What does this have to do with the price direction of Bitcoin? Let me explain. Tax preparers have to ask this […]
Don’t Do This
There is one financial transaction that I strongly discourage clients from doing and here’s why . . . Do not withdraw from your retirement accounts early! Here are the reasons why I hear most people want to withdraw from their retirement accounts: Purchase a house Pay for expenses while unemployed As a temporary loan, with […]
COVID-19 Tax and Financial Updates 03-27-2020
There have been a lot of tax and financial announcements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some highlights of updates as of this writing: Tax Updates Tax deadlines: The Treasury Secretary announce that the tax deadline for all businesses and individuals is delayed from April 15th to July 15th. Additionally, they will be able […]
How Long Should You Save Your Tax Returns and Financial Records?
The IRS says that you should normally keep your records for 3 years, and for some situations you should keep them for 6 to 7 years. However, I strongly disagree and here is what you should do and how to do it: Tax returns: Do you want to know the prudent answer to how long […]
5 Financial Truths
There is a lot of information out there about finances, and it’s hard to figure out what is exactly true or not true. Always seek the truth, especially from someone that is not trying to sell you something. Here are some examples: College: We are led to believe that all of our children must go […]
Don’t Make These Easily Avoided Financial Mistakes
We are all not perfect and everyone makes mistakes. However, the key is to avoid these financial mistakes as much as possible: Penny wise and dollar dumb: The actual expression is penny wise and pound foolish, but I still remember a partner from my first job saying this to a client (maybe it’s the American […]
Do You Have Too Many Financial Accounts?
How many financial accounts should you have both personally and for your business? These days it is so easy to open up accounts, but if there is no strategy for having a lot of accounts, then it can create unnecessary chaos and even increase your accounting and tax preparation costs. Let’s look at the pros […]
Deadline Approaching: Should You Make a Retirement Plan Contribution?
The due date for your tax return is fast approaching and so is the deadline to make a contribution to your IRA or a SEP-IRA if you own a business. Should you make the contribution, save the cash, or pay off some debt? Reasons to Make the Contribution: Let’s assume that you have the extra […]