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Please Click HerePosted on March 17, 2021 by Ashley L. Hawley
Our team here at Ruder Ware has focused previous blogs and other educational materials on ways to avoid adult guardianship (see Related Articles section at the end of my post); however, there may be some instances where guardianship is unavoidable. Earlier this month, I attempted to simplify the guardianship process in my vlog. This blog […]
Posted on February 17, 2021 by Shanna N. Fink
Earlier this month, I provided a very brief overview of the estate tax in a vlog. You can view the vlog here. In this blog post, I’ll expand on estate tax basics. What is the estate tax? At its foundation, the estate tax is a tax imposed on the transfer of property upon death. It […]
Posted on February 11, 2021 by Ruder Ware Alumni
With Congress still negotiating a third round of stimulus payments, you should carefully consider when to file your taxes this tax season. Tax season begins February 12th and ends April 15th. Filing your taxes earlier or later within that time period may determine whether or not you receive the third stimulus payment and how much […]
Posted on December 14, 2020 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The holiday season is a time of giving! With Christmas arriving next week, you might be rushing to find last minute gifts for the special people in your life. Have you considered potential tax consequences of those gifts? The annual gift exclusion for 2020 is $15,000. This means that an individual donor may gift $15,000 […]
Posted on July 30, 2020 by Mark J. Bradley and Mark D. Munson
Peter, Paul, and Mary have done well for themselves. Each has a nice home, a seasonal residence, and a large IRA. Coincidentally, each also has an additional $11 million worth of real estate, savings, brokerage accounts, and closely-held business interests. We advised Peter, Paul, and Mary that in 2020 each has a federal gift and […]
Posted on June 24, 2020 by Shanna N. Fink
Yesterday, the IRS issued additional guidance regarding two hot topics over the last six months: the waiver of the 2020 required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement plans and IRAs, and the change in the required beginning date for RMDs from age 70 ½ to age 72. Extension and Expansion of 60-Day Rollover for 2020 RMDs […]
Posted on May 30, 2020 by Ashley L. Hawley
The SECURE Act, a federal law enacted on December 20, 2019, made significant changes to how retirement assets, including 401(k) plans and other IRA’s, are treated both during our lives and for our beneficiaries after death. This article will briefly summarize the aspects of the Act that likely matter most to you. During Your Life […]
Posted on May 7, 2020 by Melissa S. Kampmann
On the same day we published the article My Deceased Family Member Received a COVID-19 Stimulus Check, Now What? the IRS provided guidance on how to return stimulus payments that were made under the CARES Act to deceased individuals. If your deceased family member or relative received a paper check by mail, you should follow these […]
Posted on May 6, 2020 by Melissa S. Kampmann
There has been significant publicity surrounding the issue of deceased individuals receiving stimulus checks under the CARES Act. It is far more common than you may think, simply because of the speed in which our government operated to send out the payments. The stimulus checks were issued to individuals that met certain income requirements and […]
Posted on April 29, 2020 by Mark J. Bradley and Jessica A. Merkel
Maybe you were informed ahead of time or maybe you found out when you were first called upon to act. In any event, someone (a parent, a sibling, a friend, a neighbor) named you as their agent or attorney-in-fact under a Wisconsin power of attorney for finances.[1] Now what?[2] What Are Your Rights and Responsibilities? […]