Tax planning

What is this wealth supposed to accomplish? Many HNW clients confront this question as they contemplate what to do with their fortunes beyond providing for their families. Here's how their advisors can help.

As advisors work to minimize the estate tax burden, what about an analysis of how estate taxes will be paid? Here’s a simple solution for covering the bill.

Transferring partial property rights to a preservation group offers financial and non-financial rewards at acceptable costs as long as the proper procedures are followed.

The so-called Crummey technique has the IRS concerned, so planners might want to alert HNW clients before the opportunity is reined in.

Portability shelters up to $10.68 million from transfer taxes for couples in 2014, but HNW clients can benefit from additional tactics.

HNW clients face steep income and estate tax in some states, so a legal move to tax-friendlier territory can pay off.

The Treasury Department and the IRS released a final package of regulations recently to implement FATCA and amend the regulations to align them with existing tax rules.

The IRS has significantly increased its enforcement actions against tax criminals and its rate of convicting them, according to a new report from the IRS's Criminal Investigation unit.

Chances are remote that Congress will pass a big bank tax into law this year, but House Republicans' sudden embrace of the idea suggests it has staying power.

A small division of the firm previously engaged in illicit activities to shield U.S. funds from tax authorities, officials at Switzerland's second biggest bank acknowledged. But they insisted that internal reforms to curb those abuses have since been implemented.

For a high-income individual taking an unexpected hit, a Roth IRA conversion can be a smart solution.

The Minnesota Society of CPAs recently conducted its annual CPA member survey about the most strange and unusual tax deductions proposed by clients. The responses included everything from pets and wedding rings to gifts not given.

Our IRA expert answers questions about the IRS's 6% penalty on excess IRA contributions and the five-year clock on Roth IRA fund transfers.

A cross-border practice in the Southwest appeals to Canadians seeking better weather and favorable tax treatment.

The goal isn't to avoid paying the IRS altogether -- it's to maximize after-tax returns. These five tactics can help advisors help their clients.

It's not just about creating alpha or finding yield, but also showing clients how to enjoy their savings.

Tax law changes may make it harder for advisors to show how specialized services are vital. Here's how to adapt.

One-third of Swiss banks offered amnesty by the U.S. for helping Americans evade taxes have applied for the program, a federal prosecutor stated at a Jan. 25 conference, according to three lawyers.

The IRS has released a set of proposed regulations to prevent abuses of the partnership basis adjustment rules, disallow partnership loss transfers and avoid some of the abuses uncovered by the Enron scandal.

A federal district court judge has ruled in favor of the federal government in a lawsuit claiming that the IRS did not have the authority under the Affordable Care Act to write rules providing tax credits to individuals purchasing health insurance on the new health insurance exchanges.