Examine Will or Trust
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Is Your Will or Trust Up-to-Date?

When was the last time you or your attorney reviewed or updated your will or trust? If it was before the passage of the 2017 tax reform legislation, or the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), your documents may be out of date. Among the many changes…
School Children
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Take Advantage of the Education Tax Credits

As with everything taxes, the devil is in the details, and that includes the education tax credits, which come in two types with some different rules for each. Many people think the credits are for sending their children to college, which is…
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2019 Business Tax Highlights

3 Common Personal Income Tax Problems & How to Respond

Tax problems aren't just a worry that hang over people's heads from January through April every year. Many of them go far beyond the numbers that you report, and they can require additional evidence that your bank statements and paychecks can't…

Are Solar-Powered Batteries the Answer to Power Outages?

Over the past few years, several wildfires have been blamed on power lines downed during periods of low humidity and gusty winds, which typically occur in the fall. The 2018 Camp fire, sparked by downed power lines, was the deadliest in California…
Man with Keyboards
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Don't Overlook These Essential Small Business Tax Credits

At their core, tax credits are a very particular type of benefit designed to offset the actual tax liability associated with SMBs around the country. This isn't the same thing as a tax deduction, which lowers that business's actual income. Tax…

6 Simple Personal Finance Tips That Lead to a Big Payoff

Let's face it: A lot of personal finance advice seems to be incredibly repetitive and common sense — like paying off your debt ASAP and watching your discretionary spending when money is tight. Much money-saving advice also tends to be geared…

Crowdfunding Can Have Unexpected Consequences

Raising money through Internet crowdfunding sites prompts questions about the taxability of the money raised. A number of sites host money-raising projects for fees ranging from 5 to 9%, including GoFundMe, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo. Each site…
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Is It Better to Have a Tax Credit or a Deduction?

People often say that an expense is “a tax write-off”; most everyone interprets this to mean that the expense will have a tax benefit. Generally, such a benefit takes the form of either a deduction or a credit; these benefits’ effects…