Latest from Tax & Wealth Advisor Blog - Page 3

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has issued a reminder to taxpayers who pay estimated taxes that they have until June 15 to pay their estimated tax payment for the second quarter of tax year 2021 without incurring a penalty.
Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that isn’t subject to withholding, including income from self-employment, interest, dividends, rent, gains from the sale of assets, prizes, and awards. Taxpayers may also have to pay estimated tax
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: Reminder–Deadline For Q2 Estimated Tax Payments Is June 15

The IRS extended the deadline for individual taxpayers to file and pay taxes to May 17, 2021 in Notice 2021-21. However, Monday, May 17 is the deadline for more than just individual returns. Here is a list of some other May 17 deadline items that IRS has noted:

  • Individual return extension requests. Taxpayers can extend the deadline beyond May 17, 2021 by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.


Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: Reminder–May 17 is the Deadline for More Than Just Individual Returns

Businesses can now claim a 100% deduction on restaurant meals through the end of 2022, the IRS announced. The IRS released guidance today, April 8, which temporarily allows businesses a full deduction for food and beverages purchased from restaurants, starting after December 31, 2020 and before January 1, 2023. Importantly, the full deduction only applies to food purchased from take-out and dine-in restaurants. The deduction does not apply to pre-packaged food or groceries. Additionally, food from third-party facilities operated
Continue Reading Breaking–IRS Says Restaurant Entertainment Expenses Fully Deductible

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”)  announced late yesterday that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.

The postponement applies to individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax. However, the postponement does not apply to estimated tax payments that are due on April 15, 2021. These payments are still
Continue Reading IRS Officially Delays Tax Deadline to May 17

The Internal Revenue Service is planning to delay the April 15 tax filing deadline as it grapples with a massive backlog of 24 million returns it has yet to process since the 2019 tax year. The agency is considering setting the filing deadline for either May 15 or May 17, but a decision has not been finalized. May 15 is a Saturday and the IRS typically delays filing deadlines that fall on a weekend or holiday to the next
Continue Reading IRS to Delay Tax Deadline to Mid-May

You will experience various changes in circumstances during your life. Some of these changes will warrant updates to your estate planning documents.  Indeed, estate planning is often a lifetime process of implementing the proper legal arrangements in the event of your incapacity and upon your death.

Consider updating your estate plan upon any of the following events:

Tax Law Changes

What might have been a proper estate plan under the tax laws that existed at the time you created
Continue Reading When Should You Update Your Estate Plan?

A little less than a month ago, the IRS reversed its original  position, and stated that businesses can deduct expenses paid for with the proceeds of a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, as further detailed here.  However, in guidance issued on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue clarified that expenses that are paid with the forgivable PPP funds (in the first round) are not deductible for Wisconsin income/franchise tax purposes and must be added back to Wisconsin
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: Wisconsin Department of Revenue Says Expenses Paid with First Round Forgiven PPP Loans are Not Deductible

Businesses can now deduct expenses paid for with the proceeds of a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The IRS, in Revenue Ruling 2021-2 issued today, reversed its original position that prohibited businesses with PPP loans from “double-dipping” by paying expenses with a forgivable loan, then writing off those expenses. Congress, in the latest COVID-19 relief bill, as we explained further here, explicitly stated that such expenses were deductible, forcing the IRS to reverse course.
This ruling is
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: Breaking News–IRS Says Expenses Paid with Forgiven PPP Loans are Deductible

Late Monday, Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill that includes a provision that allows business owners to claim tax deductions for expenses covered by Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan proceeds. The bill goes to President Donald Trump today, who is expected to sign it into law.
Among other tax provisions, the bill specifies that business expenses paid with forgiven PPP loans are tax-deductible. This supersedes IRS guidance (as we previously discussed here) that such expenses could
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: New Covid Relief Bill Says Expenses Paid with Forgiven PPP Loans are Deductible

It is becoming increasingly common for people to get divorced and then remarried. In these situations, one or both spouses entering into a new marriage usually has children from a prior relationship. Anyone who has children from a prior relationship and remarries should review their estate plan and make any necessary updates to ensure their assets are distributed according to their wishes.

Under Wisconsin law, the assets of a deceased spouse who dies intestate will automatically pass to the
Continue Reading Estate Planning Considerations for Second Marriages

During the estate planning process, it is important to consider what types of assets make up your estate. Specifically, you should understand the difference between your “probate” and “non-probate” assets. As you might imagine, your probate assets are the ones that must go through probate, a time-consuming and costly process which we previously discussed here.

Contrary to popular belief, a Last Will and Testament will not, on its own, help your estate avoid probate. Whether or not your
Continue Reading What Property is Subject to Probate?

In general, states are considered either “common law property” or “community property” states. Wisconsin, along with a few other states, is a community property state (community property is referred to as “marital property” in Wisconsin). It is important to understand the difference between these two systems for purposes of wealth management planning, estate planning, and divorce.

Under the common law property system, assets and debts earned or acquired by one spouse during the marriage belong only to that spouse.
Continue Reading A Brief Overview of Wisconsin’s Marital Property System

A proper estate plan covers not only what should happen upon your death, but also what should happen if you lose your decision-making skills. While planning for incapacity may be as unpleasant as planning for death, it is an important step in the estate planning process. Planning for incapacity ensures that someone you specifically choose and trust can act on your behalf while you are unable to do so for yourself. In another article, we discussed the importance of
Continue Reading The Importance of a Power of Attorney for Health Care

Various estate planning documents require you to appoint someone to act on your behalf. These appointees are your “fiduciaries” and include your personal representative, guardian for minor children, trustee, attorney-in-fact, and health care agent.

Often times, people name certain individuals for these roles without much consideration, or they may consider the wrong criteria. Below is a general description of each fiduciary role and a few suggestions on what to consider when deciding who to appoint to those roles. In
Continue Reading Considerations When Appointing a Fiduciary

With the economy still struggling, one bright spot remains for those who are willing to make an investment of time and money in estate planning. The combination of lowered asset values, reduced interest rates, and historically high estate and gift tax exemptions present a unique opportunity to implement estate planning techniques that will yield significant tax savings. But those looking to take advantage of this unique opportunity should act now, because a rebound in asset values and the outcome
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: Strike While the Giving is Good – Historically High Estate and Gift Tax Exemptions May Be Reduced or Eliminated as Early as January 1, 2021

Some of your most significant assets, like your life insurance and retirement accounts, ask you to make beneficiary designations. If you make valid beneficiary designations on these assets, then upon your death they will pass directly to your named beneficiaries without being subject to the probate process. Click here to view our article on probate and why you might want to avoid it.

Many people overlook the importance of beneficiary designations and neglect to name beneficiaries because they think
Continue Reading Tax & Wealth Advisor Alert: The Importance of Beneficiary Designations