Category: Taxation-Individuals

Jane Ochsman Rowny, CPA, CFP®, CDFA® and Jordan P. Egert, CPA, CFE, CDFA®, partners and directors of divorce and litigation services at Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM), are scheduled to present at the Maryland Association of CPAs’ (MACPA) 55th Annual Chesapeake Tax Conference on Thursday, September 19. Their session, scheduled virtually from 10:45 am to 12 pm EDT, will focus on sharing expertise about tax considerations in divorce, a topic they present on regularly. CPE is available. Conference registration and… Read more ›

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act was signed into law in December 2022, bringing more than 90 changes to retirement plan and tax laws. Many of its provisions are little known and were written to roll out over several years rather than immediately taking effect. Here are several important changes that went into effect in 2024: Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts (PLESAs) More than half of U.S. adults would turn to borrowing when confronted by an emergency… Read more ›

What’s the difference between capital gains and losses and ordinary gains and losses? The classification will have a major impact on your federal income tax obligations when you sell assets, such as investments, real estate, intangibles and other holdings. The classification of assets is generally straightforward, but the issue can be unclear in some situations. Here’s what you need to know if you plan to sell assets.  Categories of Gains and Losses For federal income tax purposes, gains and losses can be classified as either:… Read more ›

Serving as the fiduciary of a trust or estate requires specialized knowledge, organizational skills, time and meticulous attention to financial details. Individuals and corporate entities who serve in this role are also legally bound to follow a series of basic principles governing the decisions of fiduciaries including an expectation to act with reasonable care (called the duty of care), acting solely on behalf of the beneficiaries of the trust or estate (the duty of loyalty) and remaining impartial in serving… Read more ›

Many types of trusts are created with a similar goal in mind: to protect assets and the income they generate from a higher tax rate, creditors or other liabilities. A grantor trust is an example of a trust that lets the the holder (the grantor) protect the assets placed in trust by paying the tax liability on his/her personal 1040 return rather than deferring the tax liability to the trust and thereby cutting the amount ultimately paid out to the… Read more ›

Although preparing your taxes can be a smooth process in some years, significant life transitions can be counted upon to complicate your tax situation eventually. This article won’t delve deeply into each transition—other articles on our website (e.g. regarding divorce) provide greater detail for each transition. But CBM would like to offer the following overview of events that may occur in the lives of many taxpayers.   This will be the first of a two-part series on life transitions and tax… Read more ›

For the third consecutive year, the IRS has published guidance that offers some relief to taxpayers covered by the “10-year rule” for required minimum distributions (RMDs) from inherited IRAs or other defined contribution plans. But the IRS also indicated in Notice 2024-35 that forthcoming final regulations for the rule will apply for the purposes of determining RMDs from such accounts in 2025. Beneficiaries Face RMD Rule Changes The need for the latest guidance traces back to the 2019 enactment of… Read more ›

Navigating the financial aspects of a divorce can be hard enough without also worrying about the impact of legislation on your personal financial life. And yet, here we are! At the end of 2025, several provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the most notable tax legislation to pass since the 1980s, are scheduled to expire. Given the number of years in which the TCJA has now been in place, divorced or divorcing individuals may have been… Read more ›

Divorce is challenging. Navigating both the emotional and financial complexities of a divorce can be difficult since divorce is not something a person regularly goes through. Some helpful news, though, is that facing the impact of marital dissolution on your tax situation is something a little advance knowledge can assist with. CBM’s divorce financial planning team has provided the following insights to make managing a tough situation a little easier. Easier does not mean easy. Should you have questions about… Read more ›

President Biden has released his proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year, including numerous tax provisions affecting both businesses and individual taxpayers. While most of these provisions have little chance of coming to fruition while the U.S. House of Representatives remains controlled by the Republican Party, they might gain new life depending on the outcome of the November elections. Here’s an overview of the major tax proposals included in the budget. Business Tax Provisions The budget proposal includes many changes… Read more ›