When you die, you leave behind your estate. Your estate consists of your assets — all of your money, real estate, and worldly belongings. Your estate also includes your debts, expenses, and unpaid taxes. After you die, somebody must take… Read More
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Transferring Your Family Business
As a business owner, you’re going to have to decide when will be the right time to step out of the family business and how you’ll do it. There are many estate planning tools you can use to transfer your… Read More
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Strategies for Maximizing Retirement Contributions Before Year Ends
Rounding out another year comes with a long list of things to get done. Between the holiday rush and the end of the year, you might not have thought about your year-end tax planning, specifically maximizing your retirement account contributions. If you… Read More
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Tax Planning Actions to Take Before the Year Ends
With the end of the year in sight, now is the time to begin assessing your 2023 tax obligations to see what you could do to reduce your bill. As a first step, ask the professional advisors from Baltimore-Washington Financial… Read More
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ABCs of Financial Aid
It’s hard to talk about college without mentioning financial aid. Yet this pairing isn’t a marriage of love, but one of necessity. In many cases, financial aid may be the deciding factor in whether your child attends the college of… Read More
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Tax Tips: Long-Term Care Insurance
Your chances of requiring some sort of long-term care increase as you age, and long-term care insurance (LTCI) can help you cover your long-term care expenses. Although tax issues are probably not foremost in your mind when you buy LTCI,… Read More
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Understanding the Net Investment Income Tax
If your income hits a certain level, you may face an additional wrinkle in calculating your taxes: the net investment income tax (also referred to as the unearned income Medicare contribution tax). This 3.8% Medicare tax applies to some or… Read More
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Minimizing Estate Taxes
The act of giving away your property, either during life or at death, will probably be subject to one or more of several types of taxes (collectively referred to here as estate taxes), either on the federal level, state level,… Read More
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How Medicare-Related Taxes Affect High-Income Individuals
The health-care reform legislation enacted in 2010 included Medicare-related taxes that first took effect in 2013. These taxes target high-income individuals and families. Here are the basics: ADDITIONAL MEDICARE PAYROLL TAX If you receive a paycheck, you probably have some… Read More
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Choosing an Income Tax Filing Status
Selecting a filing status is one of the first decisions you’ll make when you fill out your federal income tax return, so it’s important to know the rules. And because you may have more than one option, you need to… Read More
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Tax Planning Tips: Disability Insurance
The income you receive from disability income insurance may or may not be taxable. The taxability of disability income insurance benefits depends on what type of benefits you receive, whether the premiums were paid with pretax or after-tax dollars, and who… Read More
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Capital Gains Tax
What is capital gains tax? Capital gains tax is imposed on gains realized from the sale of capital assets such as a home, an investment, or a business interest. Special maximum tax rates generally apply to long-term capital gains; these… Read More
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Tax Benefits of Home Ownership
In tax lingo, your principal residence is the place where you legally reside. It’s typically the place where you spend most of your time, but several other factors are also relevant in determining your principal residence. Many of the tax… Read More
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Am I Having Enough Withheld?
If you fail to estimate your federal income tax withholding properly, it may cost you in a variety of ways. If you receive an income tax refund, it essentially means that you provided the IRS with an interest-free loan during… Read More
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Tax Tips: Health Insurance
Your health insurance coverage probably came in handy several times over the past year. It all seemed so simple at the time—you paid a deductible, and your insurance usually kicked in the rest. But what do you do at tax… Read More
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Taxation of Investments
It’s nice to own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Nice, that is, until it’s time to fill out your federal income tax return. At that point, you may be left scratching your head. Just how do you report your investments… Read More
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Education Tax Credits
It’s tax time, and your kitchen table is littered with papers and forms. As if this isn’t bad enough, you recently paid your child’s college semester bill, and you don’t know where you’ll find the money to pay the taxes… Read More
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Qualifying for the Home Office Deduction
Working from home can certainly provide you with personal benefits, such as a flexible schedule and more family time. But increasing numbers of people are discovering the tax advantages as well. It’s no secret that you generally can’t deduct certain… Read More
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Personal Deduction Planning
Taxes, like death, are inevitable. But why pay more than you have to? The trick to minimizing your federal income tax liability is to understand the rules and make the most of your tax planning opportunities. Personal deduction planning is one… Read More
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Record Keeping for Your Own Business
Keeping good business records will not only help you stay in business but may also help you increase profits. Your business records let you analyze where your business is and where it’s going. They point out potential trouble spots and… Read More
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Tax Withholding
A common question we encounter is: How much in taxes should I have withheld from my paycheck? This is a frequent thought once the prior year’s tax returns have been filed and individuals are looking ahead to the current year. Reviewing… Read More
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Understanding Personal Tax Credits
Have you ever thought that you’re paying too much income tax? You may be, if you’re not claiming all of the tax credits for which you are eligible when you file your federal tax return. These credits may significantly reduce… Read More
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Taxes Are Changing! What Do We Do?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We are going to work our way through a 1040 (individual income tax return) and give the highlights of the tax changes. The first item on the return that changed is alimony. Starting in… Read More
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Tax Planning for the Self-Employed
Self-employment is the opportunity to be your own boss, to come and go as you please, and oh yes, to establish a lifelong bond with your accountant. If you’re self-employed, you’ll need to pay your own FICA taxes and take… Read More