Author Sidney Kess, CPA, J.D., LL.M

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Tax Strategies

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Retirement Income Can Impact Medicare Surtax on Net Investment Income

Retirement Income Can Impact Medicare Surtax on Net Investment Income

Taxes and Retirement Income Individuals may receive a variety of income when they retire. Different...

22 Tips That are a Win-Win for College Savings Plans

22 Tips That are a Win-Win for College Savings Plans

The cost of tuition and related costs are continuing to rise at a greater pace than the rate of inflation,...

15 Tax Relief Tips for Casualty Event Victims

This year has seen the occurrence of dramatic casualty events across the country, from tornados in...

Uncertainty in Business Tax Planning

As summer wanes and autumn arrives, businesses and their owners would like to plan now to save on...

Tax Changes for 2012 and 2013 Resulting from Health Care Law

The U.S. Supreme Court declared the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care...

Employees Tax Obligations

Do you or your clients have household help? A nanny or babysitter? Cleaning person, domestic worker,...

The Sid Kess Approach

I have had the honor of meeting and shaking the hands of several well-known people over the years....

Tax Tips for 2012 and 2013

Estate and Gift Taxes: 2012 and 2013 Estate and gift tax planning in the era of uncertainty is very...

Inflation Adjustments for Tax Rules in 2012

Tax rules change annually due to legislation, court decisions, and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)...

Tax Planning in an Era of Uncertainty

There are many factors contributing to tax uncertainty at this time. For individuals and tax practitioners...

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Cover Stories

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CPAs Hard to Find for SSAE 16/SAS 70 Audits

CPAs Hard to Find for SSAE 16/SAS 70 Audits

Service Organization Control (SOC) engagements are seen as a growth area for CPA firms. John McLaughlin,...

CPA Fraud Examiner

CPA Fraud Examiner

Robert Gralla is a CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Accountant who has experience...

4 Tips on Bond Portfolios for Tough Times

The extraordinary measures taken by the United States Federal Reserve to stimulate employment growth...

Crowdfund & Small Firm Auditing

The signing of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) in April of this year has put the spotlight...

Crowdfund CPA Audits & Reviews Expected to Explode

The need for CPA audits and reviews is expected to explode based on the Jumpstart Our Business Startups...

A Sit Down with IRS Commissioner Faris Fink

As part of the ongoing series to learn more about the faces of the IRS, CPA Magazine Editor T. Steel...

Preparing With The Tax Stars

Gail Rosen, CPA, is president of Gail Rosen, CPA, PC in Martinsville, New Jersey. She has been a practicing...

IRS Return Preparer Office Targets Ghost Preparers

David Williams, Director of the IRS Return Preparer Office, presented a session at the Dallas IRS...

Searching for Better Tax Savings

Tax research is fun, intriguing and enables tax professionals to think creatively. Tax research allows...

Representing Clients Before the IRS

The IRS has been on a mission to find $345 billion of the hypothetical tax gap, which theoretically...

Author Julie Welch, CPA, CFP

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Client Tax Tip

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Don’t Assume Social Security Benefits Are Taxable

Don’t Assume Social Security Benefits Are Taxable

Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be taxed. However, it is possible that no Social Security...

23 Year-End Tax Tips

23 Year-End Tax Tips

Time Your Income and Deductions - Accelerate income in light of the elimi­nation of the Adjusted...

10 Ways the American Opportunity Tax Credit Reduces College Cost

  The costs of higher education may be offset with two credits: the American Opportunity tax...

Capital Gains for Noncorporate Taxpayers - 2012

Julie Welch (Runtz) is the Director of Tax Services for Meara, King & Co. She graduated from William...

Consider the Ways to Get Money Out of Your Retirement Plans

Periodic Payments   Many retirement plans allow you to take annuity payments. For example,...

Deduct Your Tax Return Preparation Fees Against Your Business Income

  Many people cannot deduct their tax return preparation fees because the fees are miscellaneous...

Tax Action Plan 2012

Use this Tax Action Plan to note the ideas that will benefit clients now. Income 1.  Take advantage...

Reducing Tax Investing In Rental Real Estate

Although the deduction of most “passive” losses is limited, you can reduce your taxable income...

Deducting Your Client's Home Office Expenses

Generally, the only expenses you can deduct for your home are interest and real estate taxes. However,...

Strategies to Avoid the Kiddie Tax

Before 1986, parents shifted investments to children so that interest and dividend income from the...

Author Martin M. Shenkman, CPA, MBA, PFS, J.D.

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Tax Checklist

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CPA's Role in Estate Planning Post-ATRA

CPA's Role in Estate Planning Post-ATRA

Introduction  SALY (same as last year) can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t verify the...

21 Tips for S Corporations with Trusts and Estate Shareholders

21 Tips for S Corporations with Trusts and Estate Shareholders

There are over two million S corporations. In 2012 there has been a tremendous shift of wealth to...

10 Tax Tips on Reimbursement and Ways You May Access Assets in a Domestic Asset Protection Trust

If you are considering making large gifts in 2012, you may be concerned about whether you can have...

13 Tips On 2012 1040s Impact of 2012 Gift Planning

2012 was one of the most significant years in estate planning history. While the outcome of the election,...

LLC Checklist

LLCs are ubiquitous in planning but there are a myriad of tax issues and complications in spite of...

Handling 2012 Gift Tax Audits at the IRS Appeals Level

Introduction How you plan and address the avalanche of 2012 gifts, the filing of 2012 gift tax returns...

Checklist: FLP and FLLC Planning

 Introduction Family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies (collectively,...

Gift Tax Returns Checklist

- Non-Acknowledged Gifts: Many clients make “informal” gifts to children and perhaps others that...

Form 1065 Partnership Tax Checklist

Practitioners dealing with partnership tax returns face a myriad of complex tax issues. Additionally,...

1040 Tax Issues Affected by Client Estate Planning

Estate planning is often viewed as independent of income tax compliance, and vice versa. The reality...

Author E. Martin Davidoff, CPA, Esq.

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IRS Representation Advisor

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Steps to Effective IRS Audit Resolution

Steps to Effective IRS Audit Resolution

When taxpayers receive the dreaded notice that their business is going to be examined by the Internal...

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

On New Year’s Day, Congress completed its compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff. Here are the...

Offers In Compromise Improving

On May 21st, the IRS announced major revisions to the Offer in Compromise program (http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=257542,00.html)....

IRS Appeals in Collection Matters

The most underutilized arm of the Internal Revenue Service with respect to Taxpayer collection issues...

Dealing with the IRS Regarding Collections, Penalty Abatements and Examinations

In practicing before the IRS regarding collection matters, penalty abatements and examinations, I...

New IRS Procedures Claim to Provide 'Fresh Start' for Taxpayers

Over the past several weeks, the IRS has made some significant changes in collection policies and...

IRS Rules of Engagement: Under Promise and Over Perform

In practicing before the IRS regarding collection matters, penalty abatements and examinations, I...

IRS Rules of Engagement No. 10: Never Let Deadlines Pass

In practicing before the IRS regarding collection matters, penalty abatements, and examinations, I have...

Rules of Engagement: Dealing With IRS Installment Plans

In practicing before the IRS concerning collection matters, penalty abatements and examinations, I...

Rules of Engagement in Dealing With the IRS Part II

In practicing before the IRS regarding collection matters, penalty abatements, and examinations,...

Amy Walsh

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Tax Controversies

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KPMG Herbalife Partner Resigns: A Case Study on Preventing Auditor Insider Trading

KPMG Herbalife Partner Resigns: A Case Study on Preventing Auditor Insider Trading

When KPMG audit partner Scott I. London accepted an envelope of cash from his golf buddy in the parking...

Still Have an Undisclosed Foreign Account? IRS Rattles Its Saber and Sweetens the Pot for Taxpayers to Come Clean

Still Have an Undisclosed Foreign Account?  IRS Rattles Its Saber and Sweetens the Pot for Taxpayers to Come Clean

Touting the $5 billion in tax revenue generated by its offshore voluntary disclosure programs, the...

United States Continues Its Siege Against Swiss Banks

On February 2, 2012, the United States government made an unprecedented move in its unrelenting investigation...

Dodd-Frank Whistleblower: What Independent Auditors Need to Know

The SEC in May issued its final rules implementing the new whistleblower program of the Dodd-Frank...

Author Jerry Love, CPA

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Financial Planner

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Small Business Gets Tax Credit for Providing Health Insurance

Small Business Gets Tax Credit for Providing Health Insurance

The Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) is being called the most historic overhaul of the U.S. health...

10 Tax Tips On Implications for Debt Forgiveness

10 Tax Tips On Implications for Debt Forgiveness

In general, if you are liable for a debt that is reduced, canceled, forgiven, or discharged, you must...

14 Tips to Inderstand the Fundamentals of Annuities

An annuity is an investment option that many people find difficult to understand and frequently turn...

The HSA Alternative for Small Business to Address Health Care Costs

It seems that one topic that is on the forefront of every small business owner's mind this summer...

Defending the "hobby loss" Rule with a Business Plan

  Internal Revenue Code Section 183 (Activities Not Engaged in For Profit) limits deductions that...

Student Loans Exeed Country's Outstanding Credit Card Debt

This is the time of year when many students will be graduating from college and anxiously looking...

Can Anyone Fund Their Own Retirement?

One thing that anyone active in a tax practice understands is that you must adapt to an ever-changing...

Financial Planning Starting with Form 1040

Without a doubt there is a wealth of information we already know about our clients’ financial status...

How to Turn Over Your Business Without Going Under

It has been estimated that approximately 90% of the businesses in the United States are closely held....

The American Dream or a Tax Deduction?

Since the founding of our country, Americans have been drawn to owning our own land and in many cases,...

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Feature Stories

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How to Create a No-Equity Partner Position in Your Small to Mid-Size Firm

How to Create a No-Equity Partner Position in Your Small to Mid-Size Firm

Most firms are faced with the dilemma of keeping long-term managers who are major contributors to...

Tax Humor

Tax Humor

They’re the 1% no one aspires to join: the small percentage of taxpayers who get audited by the IRS....

Tax Humor: The IRS Motto

IRS MOTTO: "We're not happy until you're not happy!" “Ignore them and they’ll go away” is...

CPAs Expand Into SOC 2 After Death of SAS 70

After SAS 70 audits were used improperly the AICPA replaced the standard with SSAE 16. While attempting...

Top 6 1040 Tax Software Solutions 2012

Changing 1040 Software Vendors If clients are the heart of tax season then 1040 tax software is the...

CPAs are Ready to Perform Reviews for Crowdfunded Startups

Reviews of financial statements will be in the eye of the storm when the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business...

Fraud Prevention Checklist

12 Things A Client Can Do To Lower Taxes

Quick Answers About the Fiscal Cliff

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