Tax Planning

Client Alert: Inherited IRAs and Bankruptcy

Client Alert:  Inherited IRAs and Bankruptcy

On June 12, the Court decided the Clark case, holding that inherited IRAs are not protected "retirement funds" under federal law. The Court reached this conclusion by noting that the holder of an inherited IRA cannot invest new money in the account, can withdraw the entire balance at any time and use the funds for any reason without penalty, and must take required distributions from the account no matter how far the holder is from retirement.

Executive Planning Series: Stock Plans

Executive Planning Series: Stock Plans

A stock plan is a form of employee compensation that provides you with either stock or an amount of cash that is based on the performance of your employer's stock. There are numerous types of stock plans that your employer can offer, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), restricted stock plans, stock appreciation rights plans, nonqualified stock option plans, and employee stock purchase plans.

Business Owner Series: Should You Set Up a Profit-Sharing Plan?

Business Owner Series: Should You Set Up a Profit-Sharing Plan?

A profit-sharing plan is a type of qualified defined contribution plan in which you, the employer, contribute to the accounts of participating employees. As the name implies, your employer contributions are generally (but not necessarily) tied to your business's profits, allowing employees to "share" in those profits. Annual contributions to the plan may be discretionary (you need not contribute anything at all), or may be based on a specific formula relating to your annual profits.

Saving for College: What You Need to Know - Part 1

Saving for College: What You Need to Know - Part 1

Every October, the College Board releases its Trends in College Pricing report that highlights college cost increases for the current academic year along with trends in the world of higher education. While costs can vary significantly depending on the region and individual college, the College Board publishes average cost figures, which are based on its survey of nearly 4,000 colleges across the country.

IRS Reverses Long-Standing Position on One-Rollover-per-Year Rule

IRS Reverses Long-Standing Position on One-Rollover-per-Year Rule

The IRS has indicated that it will follow the recent Tax Court decision in Bobrow v. Commissioner, which held that a taxpayer may make only one tax-free, 60-day rollover between IRAs within each 12-month period, regardless of how many IRAs he or she maintains. However, the IRS will not apply this new interpretation to any rollover that involves an IRA distribution occurring before January 1, 2015.