Investing

New Opportunities for Deferring Taxable Gains: Qualified Opportunity Zones 101

What are Qualified Opportunity Zones and how can I benefit as a taxpayer?

Recently, I’ve had many clients – individuals, business owners, and investors – ask me about the recent buzz surrounding Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). They’ve come to me saying they’ve heard that QOZs can help them defer…and even reduce…their tax liability on capital gains.

The first thing I tell them is, yes, all of the above is true. Next? I warn them that it’s complicated, like many of the tax regulations that have emerged from 2018’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. You must consult with a qualified CPA to ensure you’re following proper protocol required for reaping the rewards of investing in a Qualified Opportunity Zone.

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The Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion

As the driving force in today’s economy, small businesses benefit from numerous tax breaks in the tax code. One of these, the Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS), was made permanent by the PATH Act (Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015). If you’re a small business investor, here’s what you need to know about this often-overlooked tax break.

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Understanding the Net Investment Income Tax

While the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) tends to affect wealthier individuals most often, in certain circumstances, it can also affect moderate-income taxpayers whose income increases significantly in a given tax year. Here’s what you need to know.

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Saving for Education: 529 College Savings Plans

Many parents are looking for ways to save for their child’s education and a 529 Plan is an excellent way to do so. Even better, is that they are now available to parents wishing to save for their child’s K-12 education as well as college.

Every state has a program allowing persons to prepay for future higher education, tax-free, and you may open a Section 529 plan in any state. Contributions must be in cash, and they must not total more than reasonably needed for higher education (as determined initially by the state). Neither account owner or beneficiary may direct investments, but the state may allow the owner to select a type of investment fund (e.g., fixed income securities), and to change the investment annually, and when the beneficiary is changed. The account owner decides who gets the funds (can pick and change the beneficiary) and is legally allowed to withdraw funds at any time, subject to tax and penalties (discussed later).

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