3 Last-Minute Income Tax Strategies

Posted on April 11, 2016- Guidance

Photo credit: Lendingmemo

Photo credit: Lendingmemo

Scrambling as we approach April 18th? Here are three last-minute tax strategies to harness for proper management of the deadline.

If you need additional time to file your personal income tax return, file an extension:

The deadline to file your tax return is April 18, 2016 (April 19, 2016, if you live in Maine or Massachusetts).

If you cannot file your return on time, apply by the due date of the return for an extension.  You can receive an automatic six-month extension for your personal income tax return if you file Form 4868 by the tax filing deadline.  (If you are mailing the extension, you should mail it certified with a return receipt, so that you have proof of the mailing date.) The extension gives you until October 17, 2016 to file your 2015 return.

This extension is for filing only and does not allow you more time, without penalty, to pay your tax liability for 2015.  Although the extension will be allowed without payment, you will be subject to interest charges and possible late payment penalties on 2015 taxes not paid by April 18th (or April 19th in Maine or Massachusetts).

If the amount paid with Form 4868, plus withholding and estimated tax payments for 2015, are less than 90% of the amount due, you will be subject to a late payment penalty (one-half of 1% of the unpaid tax per month).

Many Millionaires Are Down on the Stock Market – Should You Be?

Posted on February 15, 2016- Guidance

Last Friday, Brian O’Connell penned a piece for TheStreet on what millionaires being down on the stock market means for regular investors. Here are thoughts from John O. McManus, founding principal of McManus & Associates:

With the wealthy keeping a tight rein on their dollars, the market remains flat to down. Because millionaires feel poorer, they’re spending less on creature comforts, which can cause the economy to slow. We saw this in the Great Recession – fewer vacations and pricey dinners, less frequently cut lawns and cleaned pools, and fewer wallets opened for cars, high-end fashion, jewelry and more. When millionaires are soured on the market, regular investors should view this as a red flag, because the rich tend to spend the most on guidance from top-notch advisors and can afford to be patient and invest for the long-haul. If millionaires are pulling out of the market or not investing, there’s no reason regular investors should do the opposite. That said, many millionaires may still be invested in the market, because they can afford to take a long view.

MarketWatch Publishes Article on Cutting Capital Gains Authored by McManus

Posted on December 30, 2015- Media Clips

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5 ways to protect your estate from capital gains taxes

Published: Dec 25, 2015 6:04 a.m. ET

Traditional estate planning is being turned on its head

By JOHN O. MCMANUS

The time-honored approach to estate planning is being turned on its head by significant tax law changes that have taken effect in recent years.

Long-term capital gains tax rates now range from 25% to 33% (when you add together the top federal, state and local rates and Obamacare’s Medicare surtax). So now that the federal estate tax exemption is $5.43 million ($10.86 million for a couple’s combined exemptions), many Americans may no longer be exposed to federal estate taxes, making taxes on income and capital gains more prominent.

In fact, some legal practitioners who spent the first half of their careers zealously transferring assets out of their clients’ estates to avoid estate taxes now expect to spend the second half pushing assets back into their clients’ estates because the estate planning paradigm has changed.

What are the best ways to strategize around capital gains taxes to keep them as low as possible?

Rundown of the tax rules for gifts

To answer that, it helps to first understand the rules about gifts and taxes.

Forbes Confers with McManus on Intra-Family Loans

Posted on December 15, 2015- Media Clips

Forbes

 

Are intra-family loans now a steal? According to a recent story from Ashlea Ebeling of Forbes, the answer is a resounding “yes!” John O. McManus recently spoke with Ebeling on the topic, of which you should take note. From the article:

The terrifically low rate you can use for a short-term intra-family loan is just 0.56% for loans up to three years. Go out up to 9 years and the rate is 1.68%. For loans of 10-years-plus, it’s just 2.61%.

As Ebeling points out, intra-family loans are a good option for parents and grandparents who want to help buttress future generations with buying a house or opening a professional practice, for example. And what if you were to loan $1 million to a family member who then uses it for a private equity investment that doubles to $2 million? From the story:

“I’ve just made $1 million on her balance sheet instead of mine,” explains John McManus, an estate lawyer in New Providence, N.J. who just helped a developer father loan his son the money to invest in distressed commercial real estate in Newark.

InvestmentNews Features McManus Column for The Tax-Conscious Adviser

Posted on November 30, 2015- Media Clips

Below is an advice column on capital gains tax strategies by John O. McManus that was published by InvestmentNews for its regular feature, “The Tax-Conscious Adviser.”

Investment News

 

 

tax concious adviser

Estate plans require a fresh look

Thinking around bequests shifts as capital gains tax and estate tax exemption rise

Nov 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am

By John O. McManus

Significant tax law changes mean it’s time to dust off your estate plan. Long-term capital gains tax rates now range from 25% to 33%, with the combination of the top federal, state and local rates and the Medicare surtax. This hike in capital gains tax rates, coupled with the greater federal estate tax exemption, calls for a fresh look at planning strategies.

With the current $5.43 million federal estate tax exemption ($5.45 million for 2016), many people may no longer be exposed to federal (and possibly state) estate taxes. Thus, maneuvering around capital gains tax becomes the primary concern.

John O. McManus Featured Expert for Next Avenue (PBS)

Posted on November 24, 2015- Media Clips

The following article written by John O. McManus first appeared on Next Avenue (PBS).

Next Avenue logo

 

 

5 Ways to Keep Capital Gains Taxes Down

How traditional estate planning is being turned on its head

By John O. McManus

November 23, 2015

FEATURED EXPERT

The time-honored approach to estate planning is being turned on its head by significant tax law changes that have taken effect in recent years.

Long-term capital gains tax rates now range from 25 percent to 33 percent (when you add together the top federal, state and local rates and Obamacare’s Medicare surtax). So now that the federal estate tax exemption is $5.43 million ($10.86 million for a couple’s combined exemptions), many Americans may no longer be exposed to federal estate taxes, making taxes on income and capital gains more prominent.

McManus Speaks to Year-End Tax Planning Strategies for Investment News

Posted on November 5, 2015- Media Clips

Investment News

 

Reporter Greg Iacurci tackled year-end tax planning strategies in a recent piece for Investment News. To help identify where the focus of advisers should be, Iacurci spoke with John O. McManus, estate planning attorney and founder of McManus & Associates.

The Investment News story, “Year-end tax planning strategies advisers should be considering,” encourages exploration of end-of-year tax considerations now, with just two months left in 2015. As Iacurci points out, “tax rules are largely unchanged,” so “tactics employed last year will more than likely still be relevant.”