To stay current with all that’s happening in the financial world and beyond, I do quite a bit of reading. Here are a few items I came across this past week I thought were worth sharing.
[Read more…] about 3 interesting things I saw this weekCharity
Tax Efficient Donations Under the New Tax Law
Did you spend a couple hours this past tax season digging up receipts only to find that you didn’t have enough deductions to itemize? You weren’t alone. Because of the near doubling of the standard deduction as a result of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA), the number of households itemizing deductions went from 47 million in 2017 down to an estimated 18 million for 2018. (Source: Joint Committee on Taxation)
It remains to be seen what impact this may have on charitable contributions. Charities are concerned the loss of tax efficient donations may reduce their 2019 fundraising as many people come to realize they did not get a tax benefit for their generosity.
Are you in a position where you’re no longer able to deduct your donations? There may still be a way you can give to your favorite charities and be rewarded by the IRS.
[Read more…] about Tax Efficient Donations Under the New Tax LawMiscellaneous End of Year Tax Stuff (short)
One of the big tax law changes for 2018 is the doubling of the standard deduction. If you find yourself among the millions of Americans that who have itemized deductions in the past but will no longer need to, think about pulling some of your normally deductible activities forward into 2017. This way you may be able to one last time get the tax benefits you would otherwise lose. A couple of end of year tax ideas: [Read more…] about Miscellaneous End of Year Tax Stuff (short)
Year End Planning Items
It inevitably seems like the week between Christmas and New Years becomes one big to-do list where we try to remember and then accomplish it all before the calendar flips.
At the risk of giving you more things to tackle, here are a few financial items to review. Some may help lower the tax bill while others are just good to do on an annual basis. [Read more…] about Year End Planning Items