Tag: irs

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.

First Time Filers Should Use TurboTax.com

Filing taxes for the first time can be nerve racking and it is worse if you are late with your preparation. You may experience challenges gathering all your information so that is why it is important to plan ahead so that you are on time with your filing.

If your 2013 taxes are your first filing, you have to be mindful of who is preparing your taxes. You may choose to prepare the taxes yourself or hire a tax preparer. If you have been asking friends and family about filing yourself, you may have heard about TurboTax.com. TurboTax.com is the authority on tax filing. It offers free federal filing and other options for state returns. By filing your 2013 taxes with TurboTax.com, you will be given step by step directions, as well as great customer service. In addition, TurboTax.com will ensure that you learn about all the deductions that can be applied to you when you are preparing your 2013 taxes. While your experiences in life will give you some insight on tax filing,
TurboTax.com gives you all the information you will need as a first time filer to ensure that your filing is done correctly.

As you reminisce on your children and your fun times, you will remember that taxes were something that you did not worry about. Now that you are filing for the first time, you have to make sure it is done correctly. Visit TurboTax.com today to review all the benefits available for you, which include an easy to navigate site and guaranteed results. Be sure to check out TurboTax.com.

How To File Back Taxes

How To File Back Taxes

All people with income need to file taxes yearly. If you have missed one or more years in the past ten, now is the time to file back taxes. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can impose steadily increasing fines and penalties the longer you wait.

Why File Back Taxes
There are convincing reasons to catch up on back taxes:
• Reduce penalties; there are separate penalties for not filing, and for not paying; by filing you avoid one penalty even if you cannot afford to pay immediately
• Ease your conscience by meeting legal requirements
• Start the clock on the IRS statute of limitations which is three years to audit and ten years to collect
• If the IRS has sent an inaccurate estimate, filing can correct it
• You may be due a refund for any of the previous three years; unless you file, you will not know

Steps for Filing Back Tax Forms
Follow these steps to file back taxes:
• Gather all W-2s or 1099 forms, receipts and other documents to support deductions and credits for each year
• If you are missing W-2s, 1099s or 1098s to support deductions, ask for copies from the IRS, using Form 4506-T
• Download appropriate tax forms for each year, or use tax preparation software
• Prepare the tax return for each year, using that year’s information and guidelines
• Submit the forms, along with as much of a payment as possible to reduce interest charges
• After filing, talk to the IRS to try to reduce penalties and fees

If you need help to file back taxes, consult a tax attorney. He can help gather and complete necessary documents to send to the IRS. This professional can also negotiate a payment plan or settle other issues.

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TurboTax Fights Filing Reform

TurboTax Fights Filing Reform

TurboTax has come under fire recently after a report from Propublica revealed that Intuit, TurboTax’s parent company had launched a massive lobbying effort against what is known as return-free tax filing.

TurboTax Fights Filing Reform
TurboTax app (Photo credit: fixedgear)

This method, which is already used in other countries, would have the IRS prepare an estimate of the taxpayer’s liability. The recipient would have the option to accept the estimate, make corrections to it, or reject it and prepare his own return, using a tax preparation company or other option.

This process puts the onus on the IRS to use the information that employers and banks have already provided to them to prepare these files. The taxpayers who would benefit most from this process are those who file simple forms with no itemization.  Up to 40% of taxpayers could benefit from this system.

TurboTax 2013 would have suffered a clear loss of revenue by implementation of this plan.  Fewer taxpayers would actually need to file, and TurboTax, being the largest online tax preparation firm, would certainly feel the loss of preparation fees.

Other tax firms and some political figures have opposed return-free filing because they feel the plan expands government control and that receiving a “bill” from the government might intimidate taxpayers into paying the amount without question.

Free Turbo Tax 2013 preparation would not have been necessary if the return-free plan had been adopted. Considering that TurboTax 2013 garners much business by selling consumers upgrades to more expensive packages, the company’s opposition is understandable from a financial standpoint.  They cannot, however, claim an impartial interest in the matter.

Return-free filing is not a new idea and has been endorsed by two Presidents and a host of consumer advocates.  Other countries have already successfully adopted such a plan, but strong lobbying efforts by TurboTax and other tax preparation firms have so far kept it from becoming a reality in the United States.

Intuit’s PAC Lobbies Against IRS Filed Taxes

Should taxpayers determine how much are owed on their taxes or is this a job for the government? TurboTax lobbying has led to millions of dollars being spent against IRS filed taxes. The IRS could make doing taxes easier on Americans by filing the taxes of citizens instead. Intuit is the parent company behind the TurboTax software and has used its public action committee (PAC) to spend millions to oppose every effort to make tax day less painful.

Intuit, the parent company of TurboTax has lobbied extensively against the “return-free” filing, decreasing the stress of Americans who file complex taxes. This represents the continuation of having to file taxes which take up a great deal of time, despite Obama’s efforts in 2007 towards taxes being prepared by the IRS.

TurboTax and other similar companies are partly responsible for Americans not being able to go without filing their taxes for years. It’s possible that this would have previously been made a law, however, tax professionals have expressed their opposition to this. American’s being able to go without filing taxes for such long periods of time would be detrimental to the businesses that profit from this.

TurboTax’s public opposition to IRS government tax preparation is a clear indication the business knows their long term profits would be affected. Intuit’s PAC has spent over $5 million contributing to certain politicians with the biggest donation to one individual being $1 million.

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What Do The IRS And Your Ex-Girlfriend Have In Common?

You Don’t Want To Hear From Either One Of Them

What does getting an email from the IRS and getting an email from your crazy ex-girlfriend have in common? They are both something that you don’t want to open. The best advice is, don’t. If you get one of the IRS emails, it is best to not open it, or even altogether ignore it. We all know that the IRS is anything but a friend of yours, so why would they be sending you an email? They probably wouldn’t. It is just one of the latest scams that impostors are trying to pull off.

Exterior of the Internal Revenue Service offic...
Exterior of the Internal Revenue Service office in midtown New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scammers know that when you see the IRS come up on any document, your first reaction is fear, and the second is that you had better answer it quickly to avoid penalty. When you use Turbo Tax 2013, you will have direct access to the IRS email, but they will never have a reason to reply unless it is an auto response. As a general rule, if you ever receive an email from any company asking you for personal information, don’t answer it. Any doubts you have about its authenticity, which there should be many, can be addressed by contacting them directly. If you are the one to contact them using official channels, than you can feel secure about any information that you supply to them.

It is best, if you receive IRS emails, to pick up the phone and contact them directly. After all, nothing ever gets settled through email, you will have to follow up any issue with a live representative anyway. So, it’s best to do with that email what you would with your ex-girlfriend’s, ignore it.

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