Happy New Year! There’s always a lot to look forward to in January. But there’s a lot to look out for, too, like new tax scams that appear annually. We discussed various text and email tax scams in a November blog post. In it, we said the IRS will never contact you via telephone, email, or… Read More

2022 is in the rearview mirror, and most people are glad to see it go. It was a year of high inflation and low investment returns, the worst in over a decade. It’s difficult to know if 2023 will be better than its predecessor, but one thing is sure. Regardless of what happens next year,… Read More

As we head into the new year, thoughts turn toward end-of-year tax filing. Many people have one thought: “How can I keep more of my hard-earned paycheck?” In earlier posts, we covered tax-saving vehicles for education, like 529 Plans and IRAs for retirement. But there’s another one involving health insurance you may not be familiar with; a Health Savings… Read More

You don’t hear much talk about it anymore, but the Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, has been around for a long time, and it’s a tax system that taxpayers can’t afford to ignore completely. Though most taxpayers will never be subject to the AMT, it can be a rude surprise if you are. That’s because… Read More

The end of the year brings about an inevitable round of questions regarding tax returns, especially what is (and isn’t) legal to claim. One potentially thorny question is who can be claimed as a dependent. IRS rules cover almost every conceivable scenario, including housekeepers. That’s beyond the scope of this article. Still, we will get… Read More

This has been a tough year for individual stock investors, but there is still a little good news even when some market indices percentages are down by double digits. That’s because those assets may be sold at a loss to help you offset gains in other stocks. They can also help you offset some of… Read More

What do the Mafia and fruitcake have in common? They’ve both been used by forensic accountants to help businesses ensure accounting oversight. Forensic accounting is a type of accountancy that involves deep and often complicated investigation of business and finance data. It has put Al Capone in jail and uncovered one of history’s most prominent… Read More

It’s sad, but texting scams have become part of life. Some are ham-fisted and easy to recognize. Maybe you’ve seen a few like these. “You’ve won a major award!” Yeah, right. “Your package is pending.” Uh-huh. “This is your bank, and we are closing your account.” That one always generates an eye roll. As we’ve become savvier at dodging some of… Read More

Ahh, little fall babies. Those cuties bundled up in the crisp autumn air can bring a smile to anyone’s face. And they give new parents so much to look forward to, like those first steps, dance recitals, ball games, and birthday parties. Oh, and college tuition. Yep, the time to start planning for your child’s… Read More

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual inflation rate in January 2022 soared to 9.1 percent. Though it had cooled a bit to 8.2 percent by September, plenty of Americans still feel inflation’s sting. In tough times like these, it’s a little ironic the IRS would come riding in to help, but… Read More