Tax Diversification: Exploring Retirement Savings Options

Boost your retirement savings with tax diversification! Learn what factors to consider when it comes to selecting investments for your future.

Retirement savings can be boosted with the right tax diversification. But deciding which types of investments to include in your retirement funds, such as stocks and bonds, is an important consideration. Learn what factors to consider when selecting investments for your future and how tax diversification can help you save.

Tax Diversification
Tax Diversification

Understand the Different Types of Retirement Accounts.

Retirement accounts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Traditional or Roth 401(k)s, IRAs, and employer-sponsored plans are all options to consider. Each account offers different benefits, such as tax breaks, the ability to defer taxes until retirement age, and more. It’s important to understand the different types of retirement accounts to determine which option is best for you.

Invest in Tax-Deferred Accounts to Maximize Savings.

Tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as a traditional IRA or a 401(k), are an ideal way to maximize your retirement savings. With tax-deferred accounts, you can make contributions and defer paying taxes until you withdraw your money in retirement. This allows you to leave more of your hard earned money invested and growing, ultimately boosting the amount of money saved for the future.

Utilize Tax-Advantaged Accounts for Maximum Benefit.

Tax-advantaged accounts, such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s are just two of many options you can use to diversify your retirement savings. With tax-advantaged accounts, you are able to take advantage of great features that other investments may not provide; such as special tax deductions or deferrals, dollar limit amounts and catch-up contributions. It’s important to research which accounts are best suited for your individual financial status and goals so you can benefit from the highest potential investments for a taxed wealthy retirement.

Take Advantage of Employer-Sponsored Retirements Plans.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans offer additional tax advantages on savings. Contributions to a 401(k) plan, for example, are deducted from pre-tax income, meaning that your annual taxable income is reduced by the amount of money you choose to contribute to the plan. Depending on your employer and the type of plan it offers, you may also be eligible for matching funds or other benefits. It’s important to consider researching and taking advantage of retirement plans offered through your employer if possible in order to benefit from their extra advantages!

Consider Alternatives to Traditional Retirement Accounts.

While employer-sponsored retirement plans are a great way to save and benefit from tax advantages, they may not be the right option for everyone. If you don’t have access to an employer-sponsored plan or want additional options, there are other retirement savings vehicles available. ROTH IRAs allow growth on income that is already taxed so that withdrawals in retirement are tax free. There are also investment accounts such as brokerage accounts or mutual funds that don’t offer the same tax advantaged benefits as employer-sponsored plans or ROTH IRAs, but can provide diversification and offer different returns that you may find beneficial for your goals.

Turbo Tax Calculator 2022

Get an accurate estimate of your refund with TaxCaster, the free Turbo Tax calculator 2022 from Intuit. TaxCaster stays up to date on the latest tax laws and always calculates your refund based on the tax forms you’re using.

TaxCaster is the free, easy-to-use tax calculator that stays up to date on the latest tax laws. TaxCaster makes it simple to estimate your refund. Go to TaxCaster today and get our latest calculations for your state!

Turbo Tax Calculator 2022
Turbo Tax Calculator 2022

Use TaxCaster to estimate your tax refund with accurate, up-to-date information. Calculate your tax return anytime, anywhere – the most comprehensive service is always available at turbotax.intuit.com. For more information, visit Refund Estimator in the Help and Resources section.

Worried about how much your refund will be? Use the free TaxCaster tool to estimate your tax refund and see if you qualify for certain credits and deductions. Understand exactly how TurboTax will fill out your tax return with step-by-step guidance, calculate how your taxes will be affected by making estimated payments, and discover what states you can deduct state income taxes from.

No one likes doing taxes. But, with TaxCaster it’s quick and easy to get a rough estimate of what you’ll be due next April. Helpful features: – Collects your income data from the previous year. – Lifetime tracker allows you to update your income details at any time.

Tax Bracket Estimator

The traditional method for filing taxes is confusing, time consuming and inaccurate. But the Tax Bracket Estimator makes it easy. In just a few minutes you can obtain your exact tax bracket and see how much tax you will pay after deductions are applied. This can also be used by employers to figure out exactly how much in taxes they will be paying – something their employees may appreciate knowing before payday.

W-4 Withholding Calculator

The W-4 Withholding Calculator can help you determine how to fill out your Form W-4. Use the W-4 Withholding Calculator If you want to know what your estimated taxes will be for the year, How to adjust the number of allowances on your Form W-4, The total income and withholdings from your federal tax return, The estimated tax due amounts for next year, Your income and withholding statement for this year, The difference between withholding allowances and credits on a state return

Self-Employed Expense Estimator

Use our Self-Employed Expense Estimator to find out if you can reduce your taxes. We’ll ask you a few questions about your business and what you spent last year. The more information you provide, the better we’ll be able to estimate your business deductions and credits. The Self-Employed Expense Estimator is an interactive tool that can help you determine how much, if any, of the expenses related to your business are deductible on your tax return.

Dependents Credit and Deduction Finder

Is there a new dependent in your family? The Dependents Credit and Deduction Finder will help you decide if it is worth claiming an additional tax deduction. This simple search tool instantly provides you with an estimate of potential tax breaks at the federal and state levels. Just enter some basic information about your dependents into two simple drop-down lists, and click on the Estimates & Details button. That’s all there is to it!

Education Credit and Deduction Finder

The TurboTax Education Credit and Deduction Finder helps you discover the credits and deductions that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your tax return. The calculator makes it easy to run a wide variety of possible scenarios based on your answers to questions about education-related expenses, income and filing status.

Find Out Your Tax Refund with TurboTax TaxCaster Calculator

How Pattison Won The Latest H and R Block Giveaway

The recent “Grand in Your Hand” giveaway winner, the H and R Block Giveaway, is Bridgette Pattison, a resident of Lima. The month-long give away is taking place at H & R Block offices throughout the nation.

H&R Block

This year, Pattison’s tax return included an extra $1,000, which is a great reward for having H & R Block prepare her taxes. She was initially apprehensive when she received an email requiring her to fill an online form that included her social security number.  Nonetheless, she made up her mind to take a chance and complete the form. The online form permitted H & R clients to drop their signature from their tax return directly on the form, submit it and stand a chance to win. On February, Pattison was notified that she had won the giveaway.

H and R Block Giveaway
stevepb / Pixabay

Pattison, who has been residing in Lima for three years and a mother of two, was delighted at the news. She plans to use the monetary reward to visit her family back home in Kansas. Pattison is also a long-term H & R Block client, having utilized the company’s services since she was eighteen years. Kim Milliman at the H&R Avon office prepared her taxes for this year. The firm was pleased that one of their customers was the winner of the prestigious prize.

When the check was presented to Pattison, the entire office staff, including owner Dawn Every, celebrated the occasion by serving up a cake. The company has been fortunate so far to have three winners during the H and R Block Giveaway promotion. The office notified everyone on Monday that they had a third winner. However, the identity of the winner was not made public immediately.

How To File Your Taxes on TurboTax

The first time you do your own taxes is often a nerve-wracking experience. You worry that you are going to miss something and get hit with a steep penalty from the IRS. Fortunately, you can use www.TurboTax.com to file your taxes yourself with confidence. Follow the tips below to learn How To File Your Taxes on TurboTax.

H&R Block

1. Gather Your Paperwork.
Getting your financial paperwork, including your W-2 and 1099 forms, together before working with TurboTax is a critical first step. Being organized at the start will save you a lot of time as you proceed

2. Check the Cost.
If your taxes are simple and you have only W-2 forms and bank interest statements to include, you may be able to file for free. Use TurboTax to determine whether or not you qualify for free filing by answering some simple questions as prompted by the program.

3. File Your State Taxes.
Federal taxes get most of the attention in the media, but you also need to file state taxes. Fortunately, TurboTax transfers all of your details to the appropriate state tax forms to save you time.

How To File Your Taxes on TurboTax
Photo by JeepersMedia

4. File Electronically.
TurboTax 2015-2021 lets you quickly and easily file your taxes online without needing to print and mail forms. The program walks you through deductions, credits and obligations to help you get the maximum refund to which you are entitled without risking penalties. Sounds like the perfect solution for many families and individuals across the country.

Get TurboTax Free Tax Filing

Most taxpayers already know about TurboTax Free Tax Filing, but in case you have not, then you need to find a way to learn more about the software as soon as possible. The free version of the software will save you a lot of money in accounting fees while making tax filing easy. It will help you calculate how much you are required to pay as well as the tax refund owed to you by the IRS. There are federal filing options and state filing options that send the return to the IRS for you.

The main disadvantage of hiring a tax accountant to do your taxes is that you will be forced to pay a lot of money for the service and might get some good advise on how to file yours taxes next year. The worst thing about it is that these professionals never give a quote in advance; they complete the work then quote an obscene amount. Charging for every Schedule D transaction makes you never want to trade a stock again in your life.

TurboTax Free Tax Filing
stevepb / Pixabay

There are many other reasons why you should choose TurboTax Free Tax Filing. First and foremost, you will never have to worry about finding a professional to do your taxes for you. Secondly, the software enables you to file accurate returns even when your tax situation is somewhat complicated, and you can do that from the comfort of your own home. If you need a more sophisticated version for your business, you can easily upgrade your software, but the free version is absolutely fine for the vast majority of taxpayers. With all these offerings, it is easy to see why Turbo Tax is an industry leader.

Other tax programs also offer free tax filing options, including Tax Slayer, H&R Block and TaxAct. Almost always, there is an income limit to get the free version and you’ll need to pay for any state or city tax returns you need to file.

The EITC Not Always Claimed for Taxes

You would have been given a refund had you filed your 2011 tax return, but you never did. The IRS is holding onto $1 billion in unclaimed funds that will become the property of the federal government if tax filers don’t claim the funds before the end of the tax filing period. Over 1 million houses failed to file and are owed the money. Any many would get substantial refunds thanks to programs like the EITC.

Tax payers have three years to file a return and claim funds that they are owed. The people that do not normally file when owed tax refunds are part-time workers or students who do not make much money and therefore feel they will not be getting a refund. But they pay more into the system than is required and therefore would have gotten a refund had they filed. So everyone should file their taxes and learn as much as possible about deductions and credits that you can claim.

EITC

Earned income tax credit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one big area of refunds that are not filed. These are refundable tax credits and therefore are given to filers that have not paid much into the system but have earned some income. In 2011 the EITC was as high as $5,700 if your family size was large enough. There have been stories about illegal immigrants gaining the right to file 3 years of returns to obtain three years of EITC. Those numbers are not yet included in this report by the IRS. But if unqualified filers can get this great credit, shouldn’t you try to obtain the credit also?