Tax planning

We're dedicating this column to tax alpha because accountants who are financial planners are uniquely positioned to deliver it. But just what, you may ask, is "tax alpha"? If "alpha" is the return generated by an advisor's skill in picking and managing investments, then "tax alpha" protects that return and generates a boost by making sure that taxes don't eat away more of a client's wealth than absolutely necessary.

Helpful hints for exempt organizations and their advisors

For taxpayers who owe taxes with their tax returns, the IRS has provided ten tips about how to pay.

U.S. taxpayers would need to pay an average of $1,259 more a year to make up the federal and state taxes lost to corporations and individuals sheltering money in overseas tax havens, according to a report.

The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing last week to discuss the perennial issue of the tax extenders, the temporary tax provisions that expire year after year and are usually renewed.

As the political fight over raising taxes for high-income Americans fades away, so are predictions for negative economic fallout.

President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, reported adjusted gross income of $481,098 for 2013, down 21 percent from last year, according to tax returns released yesterday by the White House.

“Old-world” economies charge higher inheritance and estate taxes than “new-world” economies, according to a study by UHY International.

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and in recognition of the importance of the topic New York-based CPA John Vento is partnering with members of Congress from the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus to speak at high schools and universities in the New York metropolitan area.

Investors try to maximize investment returns while managing the level of risk in their portfolios. But only after-tax investment returns are truly available to the investor. Tax consequences should be considered before making any investments. Tax treatment, good or bad, can have a significant impact on an investment decision.

Whether they realize it or not, taxes ended up going up for most taxpayers last year, despite the extension of the Bush tax cuts at the beginning of last year.

Nearly half of Americans prepare their own taxes, according to a new survey, and most of them seem to be convinced they are taking advantage of all the tax breaks available.

The Internal Revenue Service is providing transition relief to owners of individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities relating to the application of a one-rollover-per-year limitation of the Tax Code.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has held a pair of family estate executors liable for the unpaid taxes of the estate.

CCH is warning participants in the NCAA college hoops March Madness brackets that any of their winnings in the office pool will be subject to taxes.

Policy makers on both sides of the partisan divide, from Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew to Mitt Romney’s economic adviser Glenn Hubbard, favor expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. This rare harmony holds the potential to reshape the debate on bridging the growing opportunity gap.

Charitable donations typically drop off after the surge at the end of the year, and soon after that clients can compile their list of their contributions from the previous year so they can provide this information to their accountants.

There weren’t a lot of surprises in the President’s Budget, set at $3.9 trillion for fiscal year 2015, which was released on March 4.

President Obama released his budget plan on Tuesday, with proposals for expanding a number of tax breaks along with the budget of the Internal Revenue Service.

The Internal Revenue Service is providing advice to taxpayers and tax preparers this tax season on the various tax credits and tax-related provisions under the Affordable Care Act.