Wealth management

Beginning on January 1, the Internal Revenue Service plans to limit the number of e-file signature authorization documents for filing Form 1041 estate and trust tax returns to a single 1041 return rather than multiple returns.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has voted to propose rules aimed at increasing access to capital for smaller companies.

Switzerland’s 300 banks have enlisted an army of auditors, lawyers and in-house workers as they race to meet a Dec. 31 deadline on whether to seek U.S. amnesty for helping American clients evade taxes.

“It’s never too late for tax planning,” a wise CPA once told me. “You’ve got till the ball drops to take action, and if you do it later than that, then you’ve got an early start for next year.”

U.S. banking industry groups are pressing regulators to clarify accounting for certain securities under the Volcker Rule after lenders complained the Dodd-Frank Act measure may force them to take writedowns.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on in-plan Roth Individual Retirement Account rollovers, that is, rollovers within a retirement plan to designated Roth IRAs in the same plan.

The popularity of the shelter, known as the Walton grantor retained annuity trust, or GRAT, shows how easy it is for the wealthy to bypass estate and gift taxes.

Top 100 Firm Marcum LLP’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Practice has released a list of top tax planning tips for married same-sex couples to help guide them on what they will need to file taxes since the federal government officially recognized same-sex marriage for tax purposes.

The digital edition of the December 2013 issue of Accounting Today is now available.

Nonprofit-focused accounting software maker Serenic Corporation is now offering free trials of Serenic Navigator Express, a cloud-based version of the company’s flagship accounting product designed to track multiple funds, manage expenses against budgets, and produce timely, accurate reports.

U.S. Wealth Management chairman and CEO John Napolitano discusses the unappreciated qualities that make up a great financial planner, in an interview with Accounting Today editor-in-chief Daniel Hood.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Fifth Third Bank’s holding company, Fifth Third Bancorp, on Wednesday and its former chief financial officer, with improper accounting of commercial real estate loans during the financial crisis.

A roundup of financial planning news from the previous month

Identifying the qualities of a top-notch financial planner

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board plans to hold a meeting next Wednesday to discuss re-proposing a requirement for auditing firms to disclose in the auditor’s report the names of the engagement partner and certain other participants in the audit.

The Internal Revenue Service has released final regulations for the Net Investment Income Tax that was included in the Affordable Care Act.

Host Analytics is now offering a tool to instantly move Microsoft Excel models into a centralized, cloud environment to facilitate financial planning and reporting.

With only weeks remaining in 2013, many Americans have finalized their financial planning for the year, thinking they’ve done all they can to maximize tax savings. But many do not know there are still a number of opportunities to do some last-minute finagling to save as much as possible.

A group of corporate governance and policy organizations is urging audit committees at public companies to strengthen their public disclosures so they can convey key elements of their critical work to investors and stakeholders more effectively.

The International Accounting Standards Board has introduced a new hedge accounting model as a major step forward in the financial instruments project on which it has been collaborating with the Financial Accounting Standards Board.