Minimum Income Tax Filing Requirements Depending on your situation, you may or may not be required to file income taxes. If your income is less than the standard deduction you are not required to file an income tax return. For single filers, this amount is $12,000, if you are married filing jointly this amount [...]
Medicaid Trust A Medicaid trust is a useful tool for Medicaid planning. A Medicaid trust is an irrevocable trust that must follow certain guidelines to be valid. In this article, we will go over the basics of Medicaid trusts. Qualifying for Medicaid Each state has its own Medicaid systems in place. Arizona's Medicaid program [...]
Variable Annuities Variable annuities are a type of investment that is sold by insurance companies. They offer tax-deferred growth and the potential for an income stream during retirement. In this article, we will go over exactly what variable annuities are, how they work, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. A Brief Explanation Variable [...]
Bad Investment Advice to Watch Out For Bad investment advice is given every day, even by the most experienced well-meaning advisors. This is due to human error and the simple fact that no one can accurately predict the future. But there is bad investment advice that you can watch out for and avoid. These [...]
Cryptocurrency Taxation Cryptocurrency taxation has come to the forefront of headlines due to a recent IRS announcement. The IRS is sending out 10,000 letters to taxpayers who did not report cryptocurrency income or gave incorrect reports. This leads many to question, what is involved in cryptocurrency taxation? IRS Notice 2014-21 [...]
More Celebrity Estate Planning Mistakes Many enjoy reading celebrity estate planning mistakes because they have a hard time believing people with so much money and so many resources available to them can make such mistakes. But their mistakes can be simple, practical ones. We should be aware of these and learn from them. In [...]
Viatical Settlements Viatical settlements allow you to benefit from the value of your life insurance policy before you pass. In this article, we will go over the basics of viatical settlements to help you determine if using one is right for you. What is a Viatical Settlement? Viatical settlements are a type of investment. [...]
Real Estate Investment Trusts Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are a type of investment. They can be a helpful addition to your current portfolio. In this article, we will go over what exactly real estate investment trusts are and how they work for investors. The Basics REITs are entities that invest in income-producing [...]
Estate Tax Estate tax is an often-misunderstood form of taxation. In this article, we will try and clear it up. We will go over the basics of what estate tax is and how it works with inheritance and gift tax. Estate Tax Basics Estate tax is a tax on the portion of a deceased [...]
Beneficiary Deeds-Advantages and Disadvantages Beneficiary deeds are a type of estate planning document. Like any estate planning document, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using one. What works best differs from person to person, depending on their situation. In this article, we will go over the advantages and disadvantages of using a beneficiary [...]
