Wealth management

Those of us who already miss Jay Leno’s old “Jaywalking” segments on the Tonight Show shouldn’t be surprised that a lot of people just aren’t aware of what most of us would consider “common knowledge,” but a new survey demonstrates once again that you can never be too sure about your assumptions.

Real estate investment trusts were originally created to permit tax-efficient public investment in real estate, but REITs have also found wide use as private vehicles.

The Internal Revenue Service has published final regulations to provide guidance on which costs incurred by estates or trusts other than grantor trusts are subject to a 2 percent floor for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Paid-for stock research has generally elicited widespread skepticism, but a new scholarly paper by three accounting professors suggests that paid-for analysts are more like auditors and credit-rating firms than is generally believed.

Congressmen Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and Scott Peters, D-Calif., along with 21 other House Democrats, have introduced legislation to lower all federal student loans to 4 percent and allow borrowers to refinance their student loans at a lower rate.

Premature withdrawals from retirement accounts have become America’s new piggy bank, cracked open in record amounts during lean times by people like Cindy Cromie, who needed the money to rent a U-Haul and start a new life.

Consulting may be an attractive career move for CFOs who may not be ready to stop working when they retire, according to a new poll.

Remember -- it's all about them, not you.

We're dedicating this column to tax alpha because accountants who are financial planners are uniquely positioned to deliver it. But just what, you may ask, is "tax alpha"? If "alpha" is the return generated by an advisor's skill in picking and managing investments, then "tax alpha" protects that return and generates a boost by making sure that taxes don't eat away more of a client's wealth than absolutely necessary.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to amend the regulations for the treatment of U.S. taxpayers who own passive foreign investment company stock through tax-exempt organizations.

The more discipline an individual brings to their finances, the more financially secure he or she feels in the present, and the greater likelihood they’ll be happy in the future, according to a new study.

Employees are becoming increasingly engaged and more proactive in their financial planning, according to a new study.

U.S. taxpayers would need to pay an average of $1,259 more a year to make up the federal and state taxes lost to corporations and individuals sheltering money in overseas tax havens, according to a report.

As the political fight over raising taxes for high-income Americans fades away, so are predictions for negative economic fallout.

Seventy-four percent of U.S. adults believe they are worse off or about the same financially as they were a year ago, according to a new survey for the American Institute of CPAs by Harris Poll, but stress levels about finances have not increased in the past year.

“Old-world” economies charge higher inheritance and estate taxes than “new-world” economies, according to a study by UHY International.

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and in recognition of the importance of the topic New York-based CPA John Vento is partnering with members of Congress from the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus to speak at high schools and universities in the New York metropolitan area.

Investors try to maximize investment returns while managing the level of risk in their portfolios. But only after-tax investment returns are truly available to the investor. Tax consequences should be considered before making any investments. Tax treatment, good or bad, can have a significant impact on an investment decision.

A roundup of financial planning news from the previous month.

Taxation is merely one piece of the financial planning puzzle, but it is second only to investments as the topic that most individuals want to control during the financial planning process.