Tips

Looking for ways to ensure there’s some extra money at the end of every month? Cut out these 4 expenses.

Just because affordable is in front of affordable luxury, it doesn’t mean you should afford it. There are lots of big ticket luxuries that we’d love to indulge ourselves in but we responsibly deny ourselves on a regular basis only to make those big ticket purchases when it is most wise. But as a reward for saying no, we often fall prey to making “affordable” luxury purchases.

Here are a 4 luxuries that are costing you thousands of dollars:

1. The 5-Dollar Daily Coffee
It’s no surprise to see this on this list. But remember a time when if you wanted coffee before work, you just made it yourself? Or went to a diner and was completely happy with cup of .79 cents coffee? While lattes are delish, they can be a steady leak in your monthly budget.

2. Premium Cable
Cable companies know what they are doing. They always seem to have that one channel that has that one show or sporting event that you just have to have and that coaxes you into signing up for a couple hundred channels that are worthless to you. A lot of times premium cable can triple your bill. Some households are paying up to $250 per month in cable. Before making sure you get to see that one show to avoid spoilers, think about what you are giving up for it. What else could you do with an extra $100 a month? What would that hundred dollars look like invested in solid growth mutual fund?

3. Express Shipping
Sure it’s a modern marvel that you can be in North Carolina and with a touch of a button have a new gadget delivered from Seattle the next day. But does it really make a difference if you have it tomorrow or next week? You’ll be just as excited, if not more, when it comes in.

4. The Unused Gym Membership
You want to go to the gym. You have really great intentions about going. And you say you are going to go someday. But you’re afraid that if you cancel it, you’ll be admitting failure...that you gave up and you’ll never go back. Well if you’re paying for it and not going, you’re failing at responsibly managing your budget. Try establishing a workout at home and when you’ve proven to yourself that you can manage getting the full value of a gym membership, go ahead and go back. But for now, go ahead and cancel it.

We’re pros at helping people identify ways to save and manage money. We’re here to help. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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Grandparents can help with college and lower taxable income.

A grandparent helping their grandchild pay for college can be a win all around. When a grandparent that contributes to a 529 savings plan, it lowers assets within the grandparent’s estate. This helps lowering estate tax.

Another great thing about a grandparent who owns a 529 college savings plan is that the account isn’t taken into consideration when the grandchild is applying for financial aid.

Grandparents and other taxpayers can contribute $70,000 at one time to a Section 529 college savings plan. It should be noted that $14k is the annual gift deduction amount and the $70k accounts for what would be spread out over five years and in this case can be made at once. A married couple can contribute up to double that amount to a grandchild’s 529 plan account by “splitting” the gift.

We’re always happy to help you set up a 529 or provide any other service that helps you meet your goals for saving for college. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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Travel expenses for charity help lower your taxes.

The IRS allows you to deduct your expenses when traveling for a charity cause. However there are a few criteria that you need to meet to be able to qualify for the deduction.

• The charity work that you are doing has to be the primary purpose of your trip. You can’t take a “vacation” and do a little charity and say it was an out-of-pocket expense for a charity. But you are allowed to enjoy yourself on the trip however.
• Maybe you are a doctor and performing the duties of a doctor as a part of your charitable contribution however, you cannot claim the value of the service as a deduction. Your expenses on the other hand are eligible for deduction.
• The organization you are volunteering for also much maintain a tax-exempt status with the IRS. So make sure you ask before you claim the deduction.
• As for what qualifies as a deduction, check out the following: transportation costs (airfare, taxis, ferries etc.), lodging and meals.

If you have any questions about what qualifies for the deduction, we’re happy to help. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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So your friend was in a pinch and you thought they’d be good for it and they weren’t. It’s not all bad; you can lower your taxable income as a result.

Maybe you loaned money to a friend to help with a struggling situation. But now it’s beginning to look like you are never getting paid back.

Good ol’ Uncle Sam is there to help you take the sting out of never seeing that money again. As long as the debt has zero value, you may qualify for a deduction up to $3000.

This is different than an investment. This type of loan is considered a “non-business” bad debt. Non-business bad debt is considered a short-term capital loss. You don’t have to wait until the payment is due to consider it worthless; you just have to be able to prove that there is a qualifying reason that it won’t be repaid. Also, you must claim the deduction in the year that it becomes worthless.

If you need help understanding whether or not you qualify for the deduction, we’ll be happy to help. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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Many businesses regularly overlook 3 common mistakes that wind up costing them dearly and obstructing their path to a successful venture.

A lot of business owners go into business because they are good at making widgets or good at providing a service. New business owners quickly find out that managing financial operations is quite a monumental task. It’s common for business owners to encounter the following pitfalls:

Neglecting To Clearly Identify Desired Results

Zig Ziglar once said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” A lot of business owners make it a “goal” to just have more money coming in than going out. It’s much more beneficial to specify exactly what you want to achieve in your business so you can plan finances appropriately. Money is the number one thing that holds businesses back from achieving desired results. But if you plan for it and work through it with a trusted professional advisor, the sky's the limit for your business.

Incorrectly Forecasting Costs

There are always unexpected costs that come up. Maybe a competitor launched a campaign that’s taking away market share and you need to respond to stay competitive. Or maybe insurance didn’t cover as much of accident as you thought it would. These things come up. We’ve been advising businesses for years and can help you identify those costs that can blindside you and wreck your budget.

Unsuccessfully Adjusting

Every month you should make it a point to evaluate what you’ve spent so far and what’s changed about your financial landscape. Remember, while a plan is practical and wise, you were also making plans based on older knowledge and circumstances. Things change quickly in this economy and it’s imperative you adjust to stay on track.

We’re always here to offer advice on preparing a budget and helping you make real-time assessments while you are living out said budget. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

How does the government shutdown impact the IRS?

The 16-day government shutdown came at a pivotal time for the IRS as they were prepping their complex systems for the 2014 tax season. Only 10% of IRS were open during the government shutdown. This put the IRS behind by almost 3 weeks.

The tax date that taxpayers could start filing was January the 21st. Now with the delay, the IRS will not be accepting returns until at least January 28th–however no later than February 4th. The IRS will be confirming the dates sometime in December.

IRS systems are highly complex as they need to be altered every year to accommodate new tax laws. This requires an enormous effort from a programming and quality assurance perspective. The IRS had also increased the workload as they were stepping up measures to better identify fraud and inaccuracies.

We’re always up to date on what is going on with the IRS and how the shutdown has impacted new tax laws and the tax season timeline. We’re always happy to help you navigate your tax situation by planning and preparing you for the 2014 tax season.

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Bundle expenses for itemized deductions.

Will your itemized deductions for 2013 be right around the standard reduction amount? If so, you can bundle expenses for every other year and claim the standard deduction in the in between years. Over two years, this will significantly cut how much income you’re taxed on.

For example, the standard deduction for those filing jointly is $12,200. And let’s say your only deductions for 2013 are $4k in property taxes and $8k in home mortgage interest. If you go ahead and pay your property tax of $4k in 2013 for 2014, you can claim $16,000 in deductions for your 2013 return. The following year, you can claim the standard deduction of $12,200 but only have about $8k in mortgage interest.

You can do the same if you are filing individually ($6,100) or head of household ($8,950).

If this seems tricky, we’re here to help you with advice. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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Deferring income could lower your taxes!

If you work for yourself and pay your taxes in cash, it may be a good idea to hold off on sending out invoices until towards the end of the year. And if your clients pay you net 30 or 60, there’s a good chance you won’t receive payment until 2014. By doing so, you can lower your tax bracket which will lower your taxes.

Another way you can defer income is to make deductible purchases this year that you have been planning on making in 2014. This will lower your taxable income and save you money on taxes you could owe.

Besides just saving money on taxes, there are other good reasons you’d want to defer income. For example, you may want to make sure you hit certain thresholds for credits like child tax credits, education tax credits, etc.

Of course you can’t do this every year because it will catch up with you as you would be just postponing paying but it can be a great strategy situationally when you’re transitioning between tax brackets.

We’re always here to offer advice on when it is right for you to defer income. Everyone has a unique situation and it’s always best to get advice from a professional that understands where you are financially.

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Did you know anyone paid for babysitting has to report that income to the IRS? Or let’s say you and a neighbor want to trade cars, you’ll still have to pay taxes on what the fair market value of the car you bartered. But not all income is taxable. Here are some examples of income you don’t have to pay taxes on:

• Rebates from manufacturers
• Gifts that are not more than the annual exclusion rate
• Inheritances
• Child support paid to you
• Damages payouts
• Frequent flyer miles you earned from business trips and then used for personal trips

There are other types of income that are tax-free under certain conditions. Here is a look at those:

• Reimbursements for qualified adoptions
• Selling items on Craigslist is taxable income. But if you make it a charity tag sale where 100% of the sales goes towards charity, it’s nontaxable.
• You don’t have to pay taxes on life insurance proceeds paid to you as the result of someone’s death but, you do have to pay taxes when you cash in a life insurance policy.

The IRS recommends that when you make these types of deductions, you use CPA or Enrolled Agent. We’re always more than happy to help you find ways to keep more of your money at tax time as well as giving advice throughout the year for tax strategies.

Important: ALL income has to be reported. Even if it is income that is nontaxable.

Give us a call today to start saving your taxes.

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College tuition is rising. In fact, it has risen in costs 500% since 1985! It is outpacing inflation by 121%. Not only is it outpacing inflation but it has eclipsed rising healthcare costs by 286%! Yikes!

The average student goes in debt for about $20,000 and 8% of students have a loan of $40,000 or more. So what is the best way to save for college to ensure your children aren't swamped in debt for all of their career?

Here's the best way to be ready to pay for college:

1. The first thing you should is set up an Education IRA or an Education Savings Account. The great thing about this type of savings account is that it's tax free! This type of savings account yields much more interest than a typical savings account. Depending on when you start saving, you can save more than 3 times as much for college by investing in this type of structure.
2. 529 Plans can be a nice addition to the ESA if you want to save more. However, some the options for these can very. Some will freeze your options or make automatic changes based on your child's age. Make sure you pick one you have control over. As always, our firm can help you with this.
3. A less ideal plan is to set up a UTMA or UGMA which stands for Uniform Transfer to Minor Act or Uniform Gift to Minor Act. In this scenario, the custodian of the child maintains control of the account until the child reaches 21 or 18 under a UGMA. Also the child once in control of the money doesn't have to use it for school.

Everybody's financial situation is different so, we're always here to help you understand what's best for you and your family's financial future. Give us a call and we can walk you through what's going to work best for you!

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