Homeowners are individual taxpayers. Which means they’re eligible for a number of valuable tax benefits. A well-known example: Homeowners can deduct the interest paid on up to $1.1 million in mortgage debt for their primary home. And that’s just for starters. S corporations, on the other hand, offer many tax advantages but deny the homeowner benefits that individual taxpayers … [Read more...]
How to protect insurance death-benefits from estate taxes
Careful life insurance planning has always been important. But come December 31, 2012, smart planning will be more important than ever! That’s because the current $5.12 million exemption from estate taxes expires on that date, and lawmakers have pegged the 2013 exemption at just $1 million and increased the tax rate from 35 to 55 percent! But don’t despair. With tax-smart … [Read more...]
Don’t fear home-office depreciation recapture
Who’s afraid of the big bad home-office deduction? You shouldn’t be. Especially if what’s worrying you is depreciation recapture when you sell the home where your home-office is located. The truth is, there’s no reason to fear depreciation recapture when you claim a valid home-office deduction. You see, the simple fact is, depreciation tax benefits typically exceed … [Read more...]
Beware When Converting a Rental to Your Principal Residence
Thinking about converting your rental property or vacation home to a principal residence? Hoping to take advantage of the $250,000/$500,000 exclusion when you do? Then “caution” is the watchword. You see, the tax laws have changed and how you handle the conversion process can have a huge impact on how much you pay Uncle Sam. You’ll get all the facts when you read my new … [Read more...]
How to avoid the tax law’s “double whammy”
Should you buy an office and rent it to your business? Be careful! If you don’t know what you’re doing you could be engaging in a “self-rental” that limits your loss deductions and taxes your profits. In other words, handle things the wrong way and the IRS can get you coming and going. The good news? There’s a solution, and you’ll find out what it is when you read my new … [Read more...]