There’s only one thing worse than your client overpaying their taxes when you could have helped them – them not paying enough in taxes and having to deal with penalties as well. It's like adding insult to injury. There is only so much that we can do to help our clients avoid penalties. Educating ourselves, so we can educate our clients, is a big part of that. Penalties are inevitable, but that doesn't mean that the client must max out their penalties. But it also doesn't mean that we should not do our due diligence to avoid penalties where possible.
Popular Tax Shelter for the Ultra-Wealthy Comes onto the Radar
Dominique Molina, CPA MST CTS
In a recent turn of events that has caught the attention of financial experts and policymakers alike, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has unveiled the results of an 18-month investigation into the use of Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) by the ultra-wealthy. The investigation, the first of its kind focusing on PPLI, highlights the use of these policies as a significant tax shelter mechanism, revealing the ways in which a small number of wealthy individuals are leveraging them to avoid substantial tax liabilities.
