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Around the Tax World- October 8, 2026
In The Headlines That barrel will cost you a Benjamin—oil hits $101 for the first time since May.
What's New In The Tax World? A new IRS rule just dropped for the Education Freedom Tax Credit scholarship program
State-By-State-Updates California gives a boost to local journalism through a new tax credit.
Tax Planning Tips The U.S. Treasury plans a crackdown on exchange-traded funds and their tax loopholes
READ MOREAround the Tax World- December 10, 2024
In The Headlines Using A.I. to fight A.I.—Meta plans to use facial recognition to protect users from celebrity-bait scams.
What's New In The Tax World?Inauguration Day may also be new tariffs day as Trump returns to the White House.
State-By-State Updates.California’s governor queues up a tax credit for zero-emission vehicles.
Tax Planning Tips
Around the Tax World- November 22, 2024
In The Headlines Biden rushes to roll out his chip manufacturing program—will Trump reverse it?
What's New In The Tax World?Saying hello to the next Trump administration may mean goodbye to Biden’s EV tax credit.
State-By-State UpdatesCalifornia may up its tax credit offerings to the film and television industry.
Tax Planning TipsWill overtime pay taxes disappear under the Trump administration? And how much will that impact workers?
Around the Tax World- November 7, 2024
In The Headlines -Starbucks wants to win you back—with simpler menu offerings and lower prices
What's New In The Tax World?Is the elimination of federal income tax a real possibility?
State-By-State UpdatesCalifornia may up its tax credit offerings to the film and television industry.
Tax Planning TipsWhat happens if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions expire? You can prepare today for the future of your estate.
Around the Tax World October 24, 2024
In The Headlines -Amazon will be delivering something new this fall—your 2024 election news
What's New In The Tax World? The Trump campaign touts ten tax cut promises, not including the ongoing conversation about tariffs
State-By-State Updates Coloradans can vote on a number of tax-centric measures, including a tax increase to fund affordable housing.
Tax Planning Tips A proposal to fund Social Security benefits could mean a higher tax for high-income earners
Around the Tax World October 8, 2024
In The Headlines -Has Visa created a monopoly in the debit card market? The U.S. Department of Justice says it has.
What's New In The Tax World? -The presidential tax policy face-off continues: Harris turns her attention to manufacturing tax breaks while Trump continues his emphasis on tariffs
State-By-State Updates -Louisiana may see an automatic income tax cut in 2026.
Tax Planning Tips - Tax-sheltered savings accounts can provide a simple way to build wealth.
Around the Tax World – August 27, 2024
In The Headlines - Could Elon Musk be on the next presidential Cabinet?
What's New In The Tax World? - Harris and Trump disagree on corporate tax rates but agree on eliminating federal taxes on tips
State-By-State Updates - Colorado voters have a big decision to make: lower taxes or more affordable housing?
Tax Planning Tips -A higher child tax credit may be on the horizon for lower income families.
Around the Tax World – August 6, 2024
In The Headlines - Shares in gun manufacturers rose by as much as 10% in the aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt.
What's New In The Tax World? - Making up for lost taxes: the IRS collects $1 billion in back taxes from high-income taxpayers.
State-By-State Updates - Nebraska’s governor proposes a plan to bring in $1 billion in sales tax revenue.
Tax Planning Tips - The Supreme Court’s recent decision put an end to a business strategy to avoid estate tax.
Around the Tax World – July 23, 2024
In The Headlines - Shares in gun manufacturers rose by as much as 10% in the aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt.
What's New In The Tax World? - Making up for lost taxes: the IRS collects $1 billion in back taxes from high-income taxpayers.
State-By-State Updates - Nebraska’s governor proposes a plan to bring in $1 billion in sales tax revenue.
Tax Planning Tips - The Supreme Court’s recent decision put an end to a business strategy to avoid estate tax.
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CURRENT EDITION
Help Your Clients Implement a Fortune 500 CFO Strategy
For decades, some of America’s largest corporations have used a financial strategy that gives their CFOs greater control over insurance costs, helps them finance risks the commercial market handles poorly and creates an opportunity to retain underwriting profit when losses come in below expectations. Approximately 90% of Fortune 500 companies have captive insurance subsidiaries.¹ Historically, the economics favored organizations with substantial capital, large insurance programs and the resources to support their own insurance operations. Small and midsize businesses rarely had the scale to justify the cost and complexity. That equation has changed. A mature network of specialized insurance professionals and structures now allows qualifying privately held businesses to pursue many of the same risk-financing advantages. Federal tax law can further improve the economics for certain smaller insurance companies. For CPAs and tax professionals, this creates an advisory opportunity. The challenge is recognizing which clients could benefit and what conditions must exist before recommending it.
Structured Installment Sales Making Comeback – How Good A Tool Is It?
Structured Installment Sales (SIS) have been making a comeback. Historically low interest rates starting in 2011 made them go out of favor. Starting in 2018, insurers started coming back into offering them. MetLife expanded its SIS solution to 49 states, Puerto Rico and D.C. in 2022. You need to know about SIS and it deserves a place in your toolbox. You might not be using it as often as the toolmakers imply. I took a look at SIS in 2023 and was a little more enthusiastic about it than I am now. Let’s dig in.
Assessment Statutes and Document Retention Best Practices
When it comes to document retention, my guiding policy is “If I don’t keep it, it can’t be stolen or subpoenaed.” That sounds cynical, but there’s truth in it. The smaller your data “surface area,” the less you have to manage in the event of a data breach (or, if you hold paper documents, in the event of a fire or break in). And, if a client or former client gets really sideways in divorce or criminal court, being able to say “I have a policy in place and I don’t keep records longer than three years” can provide you with a measure of peace. But what should your policy be? It depends, but relevant assessment statutes are a good place to start. This article reviews the IRS rules for assessing tax and provides some best practices for developing document retention policies for return preparation documents in your practice.
