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Important note: Information in these articles were deemed accurate by the author when written. The state of the art or law may have changed since the publication date. You must seek your own counsel to determine whether the law or its interpretation has changed, as well as the appropriate application to you and your situation of the information and ideas contained in these articles.
►The Price is Not the Cost: the Case of Housing
►What Will the IRS Do With the Extra Funding
►Withholding and “The Tax” Are Not the Same
►Strategic Errors and Costly Mistakes: IRAs, Roth IRAs and Conversions
►Central Planning and Energy Credits
►Solar and Other Residential Energy Credits
►Electric Vehicle and Charging Station Credits
►Viruses, Vaccines and Fascism
►April 15 Deadlines and “Mother-May-I” Extensions are an Anachronism: Extend the Season
►A New 1099 Will Give Us Nightmares
►Earn 7% on I-Bonds
►How to Avoid Dealing with the IRS
► Tax Season from Hell
► Why Track Home Improvements?
► How to Maximize Home Office Deductions
► Gift Now to Save Heirs Taxes
► Quotes on Current Events
►Taxes Will Increase After The Death of a Spouse The Only Question Is: By How Much?
►The War on Small Business is a War on People
►Catastrophic Economic and Financial Effects of the Lockdown
► Opportunities in a Collapse
► Decrease 401k Contributions!
► No RMD for 2020—Roll it Back!
► Ideas for Staying Healthy
► Maximizing the “Stimulus” Payment”
► Increase 401k Contributions!
• A Critique of the TCJA & How Future Acts Could Fix It
• Miscellany (529 plans and alimony under the TCJA)
• California and Other-State Non-Conformity to the TCJA
• Purging Old Records
• The "Great" Parts of the TCJA:
— Lower Tax Rates
— The New Non-Cash Flow 20% Deduction
— Massive Improvements for Estates and Depreciation Deductions
• Charitable donors, “bunching” and DAFs
• Avoid Draco-like penalties for late entities/1099s
• When the statute of limitations exceeds three years
• Plan for rental property fix-ups: save big tax $s
• IRS threatens Bitcoin/cryptocurrency users
• New rules for the higher education tuition credit
• Corporate tax rates should be zero
• A personal note
• IRA Charitable Transfers Dramatically Reduce Taxes
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Other Tax Law Changes
• Health Savings Accounts: Better and More Versatile Than Ever
• How to Save on Energy Costs
• Tax Disincentives to Work Go Hyperbolic
• Tax Disincentives that Discourage Doing the "Right" Thing
• Deferred Longevity Annuities Inside IRAs
• New Tax Return Deadlines
• Penalties for Failure to Issue Forms 1099 Way Outpace Infation
• Yin: Death & Taxes for Parents & Heirs
> What to sell, what not to sell
> How to structure IRAs before death
> What heirs need to do right away
• Yang: Wealth Creation & Preservation for Young Adults
• Financial History Repeats; Pension Promises Will Prove Unpayable
• How Much is One's "Fair Share"?
• IRS complicates our lives, but may save taxes
• $250K exclusion now limited for those whose homes were ever rentals
• Supreme Court to rule on King v. Burwell, determining the fate of the rule of law
• "Stupid" voters and a replacement plan
• Government lies because it's good for us
• Ensuring Charitable Deductions
• Business Auto Tax Deductions
• Medical Renaissance via Health Care Act
• Big Special Credit for CA Taxpayers
• Bitcoin Taxation — What a Mess
• Online Gambling Can Have Awful Results
• Who Should File FBAR (Foreign) Reports
• Penalty Relief for FBARs and Keoghs
• New IRS Phone Scams
• K-1’s for Investments Inside IRAs
• Timely Quotes
• Simplified Recording Keeping
• "Income Inequality"
• Roth 401ks vs. Roth IRAs
• The Bankers Are At It Again!
• Avoid Indirect IRA Rollovers
• Tax Return ID Theft Hits Attorney General Holder
• Smoothing Income with Roth Conversions can be Profitable and Easy
• Why Roth IRAs can be a Goldmine
• When Should Low-Income Workers Contribute to Traditional IRAs?
• Why Withdraw from Roth IRAs Last?
• Stable Tax Rate? Do a Roth Conversion!
• New Stealth Tax Rates on HENRY's
• The "Affordable" Health Care Act: Unaffordable New Taxes
• Doug's Rant on Intrusive Government
• Marriage Penalty Update
• Penalties for the Uninsured
• Other Thoughts on the Role of Government
• Tax Season Appointment Changes
• Inaccurate Extension Estimates
• DOMA & Taxes: Upsides & Downsides
• Tax Return Identity Theft
• Interest Rates Increases Will Affect Asset Values
• Strict Compliance vs. Substantial Compliance
• New Home Office Deduction Method
• Roth IRAs as a Tax Shelter — Redeaux
• The Downsides of Borrowing from Your 401k
• Room Rentals - Report Them or Lose Your Home?
• A libertarian perspective on the presidential candidates
• Exorbitant marginal tax rates
• Wealthy Californians may want to leave
• Is the capital gains tax rate really 15%?
• Average tax rates by income level
• Reporting foreign financial assets late may subject millions to draconian penalties
• Other bad penalties
• Can you deduct dog food?
• Should you refinance? Which is better—a 30- or 15-year loan?
• What a low down payment really costs
• Housing Crash: still a bubble, but (maybe) some can buy
• “Use” tax: CA gets tougher, but more realistic
• Spring Cleaning: How long should records be kept?
• Draconian penalties and foreign income & assets
• Broker elections for stocks & mutual fund sales
• Why higher taxes on the “wealthy” reduce wealth for all
• Increase the odds of surviving a tax audit with good record-keeping
• Computer-generated single-issue audits become more common
• Mail and e-mail scammers and spammers
• Client survey results and who do we think like?
• Earthquake Insurance: Time to buy?
• Dear Doug: Should I buy gold with IRA funds?
• Medicare premium surcharge: Another reason for Roth conversions
• Dear Doug: Confused over Roth conversions vs. Roth contributions
• Dear Doug: What if I need converted funds?
The Wealth of Individuals Part 8:
• "Income Averaging" is back via Roth conversions
Those with even a modest pension and IRA are often subject to exorbitant tax rates due to the way Social Security benefits are added to income. Roth conversions can greatly reduce the overall lifetime tax bite.
• Social Security, a flawed annuity, is what we have: use it wisely
Only 5% delay the start of Social Security past age 66 when, mathematically, at least 50% should do so. Are you among that half?
• Direct donations from IRAs can save many $s
• What is a libertarian: part 3, on compromise
• CA gets to vote on raising taxes: think first
• Audit and tax-collection stories
• Yet more myths of Roth conversions
• Incentivizing medical consumers: my story
• The Party’s Over—It’s Time to Accept It
• A Libertarian View of Wealth, Debt and the Limits of Government
• Is an LLC Right For You?
• Take Your Capital Gains?
• A Vote Against Unproductive Debt
• Doug tells his story
• Just what kind of “-ism” are we suffering with?
• The philosophy of a free market thinker
• The arrogance of some government officials
• Try to plan? Good luck!
• Roth IRAs as a tax shelter
• The unmatched flexibility & other advantages of Roth conversions
• Clients who should have called, but didn't
• Bankers & brokers I’d like to hurt
• 110% tax rates hit home
• Making Work Pay credit and kids
• Dick and Jane do finances
• Bubbles and Swan Dives
• New Workers’ Credit can Result in Underwithholding
• Wealth of Individuals, Part 6: Nothing is Forever
• Auto Donations: Kars 4 Kids
• More of Others’ Thoughts
• The only way to buy a timeshare
• Wealth part 5: when is 2% a fabulous return?
• CA puts the screw to savers and entrepreneurs
• My favorite blogs and Internet sites
• The economy, and history repeats itself
• Tax savings isn’t always worth the costs
• Other new tax laws, including some serious warnings
• CA voters get schizophrenic on out-of-control spending
• Problems and opportunities with refinancing
• Thoughts on the economic mess
• Assessing your tolerance to risk
• The alchemy of mutual fund profits
• Inherited assets can be mined for losses
• Contribution histories for Roth IRAs
• FoRGeD errors
The Wealth of Individuals - Part 3
• Wealth grows in spurts
• Many, including Social Security recipients, should consider Roth conversions
• Preventing future economic meltdowns
...Wealth and Crisis...
The Wealth of Individuals - Part 2
• How is wealth created?
• Socialism + crony capitalism = economic meltdown
• Dear Barack
• Dear John
The Medical Conundrum
• The importance of flexibilty
• Regulation is the problem; freedom is the cure
• Ranking the U.S. 37th in the world is political propoganda
• Alcoholics get away with murder. How?
• Are Health Savings Accounts better than IRAs?
• Elder Abuse and other financial thuggery
• Are reverse mortgages right for you?
Updates on contributions to retirement plans and health savings accounts
• Real estate succumbs to perfect storm
• Simplified recordkeeping simplified
• Real tax brackets for low income earners
• High-income earner Roth strategy
• Retiree-IRA-charity strategy
• Low-income IRA strategy
• How to take title to real estate
• Lower tax rates increase tax collections
• Prop. 82 will fail in its objectives and exacerbate
• California’s financial problems
• Towards a better understanding of Roth IRAs
• It’s deductible and saves zero tax. Huh?
• Real estate on the precipice
• How the new Bankruptcy law could affect all of us
• The Roth 401(k) and you
• Congressman notices the AMT
• Tax Myth of the Month: IRA confusion
• Misleading financial advertising
• Simplify your recordkeeping
• A cure for the high cost of medical care
• California government needs tough love
• Understanding the Alternative Minimum Tax
• Additional depreciation for some
• Covert tax brackets: false advertising
• Letting inflation do the work of Congress
• Letters to Doug: does collective social mood determine events?
• The Challenges of Breaking Even on Withholding Tax
• Upcoming IRS audit topics
• A Reduction in Income Requires Tax Planning Too
• Why paying tax now can be cheaper than paying tax later
